Why is my journey to the world of anime a strange tale of rules?

This time, Takami wasn't going to see Maki or Chika, nor was he having a date with Kaguya.

He changed into a security guard uniform and entered the campus. He quickly found Yotsuya Miko, who had changed into a new school uniform and was clearly not quite used to the new school.

"Hey, you look great! Are you adjusting well to the new school?"

Walking up to the girl from behind, Gao Hai asked with a smile, startling the unprepared Jianzi.

Incidentally, although she was startled, there was no trace of fright on Miko's face, and her body didn't even tremble. Takami only judged the slight trembling of her fingers by relying on his understanding gained from the fusion of his past memories, thus confirming that she was indeed frightened.

"It's a senior... Don't suddenly come out from behind like that, it's scary."

The girl, who had been tense all over, breathed a sigh of relief after turning her head and seeing Gao Hai, and then immediately began to complain in a low voice.

"I didn't try to hide my footsteps when I came over. You seem to be preoccupied. What are you thinking about? Is it about me?"

Gao Hai raised an eyebrow as he spoke, and then walked beside Jianzi, the two of them walking together on the path.

"Of course it's related to my senior. It's been several days and I haven't even seen him once. I'm worried too, you know."

Seeing Zi sigh, her expression towards Gao Hai carried a hint of resentment.

"Has it been several days?"

Gao Hai thought about it and realized that although he had indeed spent some time in the dungeon, he had successfully completed the last run in less than an hour. Overall, the time that had passed was actually quite short.

Ah, no, that's not right. After all, Miko has a unique characteristic that no one else has.

"...Senior, have you forgotten that I retain my memories?"

Before Gao Hai could say anything more, Jian Zi was already looking at him with a resentful gaze.

Gao Hai was a little embarrassed, so he could only smile as a cover-up, and then changed the subject to the main business.

"So, in ten days, the first mission my senior and I will participate in will be to return to the [Campus Ghost Stories] instance to rescue other players trapped like Miss Xiong Mi, is that right?"

After listening to Gao Hai's words, Zi lowered his head and remained silent for a while before speaking softly.

"Yes, I have already added your name to the team roster."

Gao Hai nodded and spoke very decisively.

It's certain that Miko will find it hard to accept returning to the [Campus Ghost Stories] instance, given that Fujika Middle School has left a rather deep and terrifying impression on her. Even so, to ensure the overall improvement of the team's strength, Gao Hai still has to bring her along, even if she might have some complaints. It's precisely for this reason that Gao Hai came to find Miko today, instead of simply contacting her by phone and explaining the situation.

"Yes, I understand. Senior must be doing this for my own good. So, well... in short, I will do my best to support you once the mission begins."

However, as Gao Hai had expected, the girl clearly showed resistance, but after a moment of silence, she nodded gently and chose to accept it.

She's a strong girl.

Gao Hai sighed silently to himself.

"Then I'll have to rely on your support then. Let's work together to survive the dungeon and become stronger."

"Well, I will."

Looking up, I saw that Zi had a determined expression on his face at that moment.

"Well, there's one more thing."

Looking at the girl who was mustering her courage, Gao Hai smiled slightly and spoke again.

"what's up?"

The girl, who was already feeling a bit deflated, suddenly became nervous, probably afraid that Gao Hai would say something even worse, like that they would have to enter a dungeon tomorrow.

"You probably already know about the fireworks festival in two days, right? I remember Maki already sent you a message. Although the fireworks festival doesn't start for another two days, the shops there will open tomorrow. Would you mind coming with me to take a look?"

However, this time, what Gao Hai said stunned Jianzi.

Is this... a date?

Looking at Gao Hai's smile, the girl had this thought in her heart and hesitated slightly.

"Want to go?"

Having received no answer, Gao Hai asked again.

"...Okay, let's go together then."

After a moment's hesitation, Jianzi nodded slightly and gave an affirmative answer.

"Then, I'll wait for you at the square after school tomorrow afternoon."

Having achieved his goal, Gao Hai quickly left to avoid being mistaken by passing students for a campus security guard harassing female students.

After watching Gao Hai leave, Jian Zi slowly stopped walking, and she seemed to fall into a reverie.

I've never even gone on a date with someone of the opposite sex before.

Moreover, it was a date between the two of them, with a senior colleague.

What kind of clothes should I wear then?

It seems I'm starting to feel a little bit hopeful.

What is your senior like in their daily life?

What would happen if I went on a date with him?

Although the news that we'd be entering the dungeon in ten days was certainly not something to be happy about, at least for now, there seemed to be something to look forward to and some wonderful things to imagine, which helped to shift our focus a little.

Jingle Bell--

Then, Jianzi heard the loud school bell ringing from the school building not far away.

Oh no, I got so caught up in my senior's words that I forgot I had to rush to class!

With a soft, mournful cry, the girl with long black hair ran frantically along the tree-lined path of the school.

As for Takami, who had just finished flirting with Miko, he had now arrived at another place in Shuchiin, a place full of youth and beauty, and a place where he had casually touched some things during his first visit.

Swimming pool.

Interlude 3-30: The girls' swimsuits and thoughts, and the stalkers on the street.

"So, Kaguya-san, did you and Umi kiss in the end?"

Fujiwara Chika's eyes were fixed on Kaguya, on Shinomiya Kaguya who was in a state of extreme panic and confusion.

Not far away, Shijou Maki also stopped swimming and turned her gaze over.

The other girls weren't paying much attention to what was happening here. After all, Chika's question had been rather subtle and hadn't attracted anyone's attention, so most of them were just swimming and playing in the water. But even so, Kaguya suddenly felt a sense of helplessness, as if she were surrounded by a thousand troops, and had no idea how to escape this desperate situation.

"At least they definitely held hands, right?"

"After all, Ahai is a highly aggressive carnivore."

"Have you been getting intimate enough? Ah Hai is the kind of guy who'll take advantage of a girl if she takes the slightest initiative~"

A pleasant smile appeared on Fujiwara Chika's lips.

Kaguya is becoming increasingly flustered and unsure how to respond.

I couldn't calm down.

Princess Kaguya, who used to maintain a cold and indifferent demeanor no matter what, is now on the verge of a mental breakdown.

She desperately wanted to say, "Nothing happened between Gao Jun and me," to get away with it, but as a witness, she had seen the whole process of Zhenfei being undressed by Qianhua Bosha and how her good friend rose from the position of a third party, so she just couldn't bring herself to say those words.

But if she were to tell the truth and recount her shameful escape, she still wouldn't have the guts. When it comes to saving face, Kaguya is far more serious than Maki; asking her to reveal her embarrassing secrets would be worse than simply killing her.

Moreover, she knew very well that Fujiwara Chika was not a woman who could be easily fooled. Rather than saying something questionable and letting the other party see through her, it was better to say nothing at all.

The problem is that this strategy was based on the premise that Chika was unaware of it in the first place. But now that she knows about her date with Gao Jun yesterday, it won't be easy to fool her good friend when she already has a clear purpose.

"Hehehe, Kaguya seems flustered. Has she already completed even the final step?"

Fujiwara Chika moved even closer, and the two girls' bodies were almost touching.

Her eyes sparkled, making no attempt to hide her curiosity and delight, and her forward-swimming motion only intensified Kaguya's sense of oppression.

"I...this...this..."

Speechless.

Kaguya was completely speechless.

She was worried that if she said even the slightest wrong word, Chika would be able to deduce all the awkward things she did on yesterday's date, leaving her with a permanent black mark on her past.

Hurry, someone help me, Hayasaka! Hayasaka, where are you? Hayasaka, come quickly and think of something!

Kaguya Shinomiya cried out silently in her heart.

As is well known, maids in the world of anime and manga always possess a strange sense of perception. Therefore, Hayasaka Ai quickly realized that her master was in an emergency (in reality, the intelligent monitoring device had been watching the pool and discovered the problem), and quickly came up with a solution.

That means sending a message to Gao Hai, asking him to come and resolve the situation.

After all, in Hayasaka's opinion, compared to the face of his young lady, it was better to quickly establish a clear relationship between the two of them. So far, among the girls surrounding Takami, apart from Yotsuya Miko who is still somewhat detached and only has a slightly ambiguous relationship with her, only Kaguya herself has not yet established a relationship.

To be honest, it's really frustrating to watch, especially after yesterday's failed date.

It was for this reason that Gao Hai came to the swimming pool, specifically to the women's area, which is normally off-limits to men. The Shuchiin swimming pool is quite upscale, even having separate areas for men, women, and mixed groups, making Gao Hai almost think he had entered some kind of hot spring resort.

Since going straight in through the main entrance would likely cause trouble, Gao Hai took advantage of his first time entering Shuchiin and climbed over the second floor into the swimming pool. He then carefully crept around the girls coming in and out of the pool and found a high spot to observe the situation in the pool below.

Yes, the scenery is quite nice.

Gao Hai made this assessment in his mind regarding what he had seen.

slam-la-

As the water splashed, the girl rose from the pool, her skin glistening with water droplets.

While the blue-black Japanese school swimsuits don't reveal as much of the figure as bikinis, they offer a similarly pleasing aesthetic by hugging the body's curves.

Especially now, as Fujiwara Chika is in the pool, gently swinging her little feet. Her swimsuit has a noticeably tight feel to it, like a little monster being restrained, with a faint urge to jump out.

In contrast, Kaguya and Maki, standing to the side, didn't have such a grand scale. However, their figures, from waist to hips, were still remarkably beautiful, surpassing even their peers. The way their school swimsuits dipped slightly into their skin was particularly striking, a sight that couldn't help but elicit a thumbs-up.

Well, of course, we also have to mention their legs. Chika's legs are noticeably fleshy, looking soft and plump to the touch. Maki and Kaguya's legs, on the other hand, are long and slender, with fair skin. Although, due to their shorter stature, their legs aren't as long as Takami's, their proportions and overall appearance can be described as perfect.

"Hey, Ah Hai?"