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

The person sitting on the edge of the roof, swinging their legs slightly, answered softly.

[If you're just spacing out, this isn't a good spot. Let's find somewhere else. I can recommend a quiet place where you won't be disturbed by anyone. You could even spend the whole day there without any problems!]

The person who went up onto the roof sat down a little distance away and then laughed and said...

I think I can feel a gentle breeze.

Birds swiftly flew across the sky, and under the azure sky, the clouds were changing their shapes.

The figure sitting on the edge of the roof fell silent, looked down at the ground more than 10 meters away.

If I jump from here, I won't have to go to school tomorrow, right?

She spoke softly.

[I guess so, but you definitely wouldn't do that.]

The figure sitting not far away nodded slightly, and then spoke again.

Why wouldn't I do that?

The person sitting on the edge of the roof seemed to become curious.

[Because you're very clean and care a lot about your image, and if you jumped in, you'd first roll around in the mud, get covered in dirt, have bugs crawl on you, bleed, cry, and get really, really dirty. You hate all of that, don't you? So you wouldn't do such a thing.]

As he spoke, the person on one side of the roof shook his head and spoke with unwavering confidence, as if he had already seen through the edge of the roof.

I see. It's true, jumping would definitely make me look terrible. But even if I jumped, even if I looked terrible, no one would care, right? Anyway, it'll always be... always the same...

With a soft sigh, the figure at the edge of the rooftop stopped looking down and instead gazed at the sky, a hint of bewilderment in their voice.

【How could that be? I care a lot! I'm waiting to show you my secret hideout!】

The person on one side of the roof laughed and said those words with great confidence.

So, why is it that when you approach me like this, other students will only look down on you for approaching a problematic student like me...?

The figure sitting on the edge of the roof finally pulled his legs back, hugged his knees, and curled up slightly.

The person sitting on one side of the roof stood up, slowly walked to the former's side, bent down, and gently patted the other's knee.

Eriko has never been a problem student, teacher, I've always believed in you!

Please give the teacher some more time. I promise I won't let you be bullied again. Just trust me, I'm an adult.

Now, let's leave here first. You'll easily catch a cold sitting here. How about I take you to the secret base first? It's a really nice place!

In the soft voice, the shimmering sunlight blurred the view.

When Gao Hai blinked again and saw clearly what was in front of him, he discovered that behind the opened door was a seemingly ordinary, somewhat cluttered room, like a classroom, filled with all sorts of things, yet exuding a sense of everyday life.

The potted plants by the window still had dew on their leaves, as if they had been watered not long ago.

On the blackboard on one side of the room were solutions and thought processes for some problems. Along the edge of the blackboard were some irrelevant words, such as "End today with a smile" and "If you're unhappy tomorrow, go eat ice cream."

Textbooks, workbooks, and draft papers were scattered on the table and the floor. Several sheets of used draft paper were folded into paper cranes and small airplanes. A few popular novels were placed nearby, and golden fallen leaves and dried flowers were used to mark the page numbers.

There were several cushions in the corner, which looked like people often lay or sat there, so they were kept very clean.

"this place……"

Seeing Zi blink, she felt an even stronger sense of security at that moment, and even felt that as long as she stayed in this room, she would not be attacked by any strange creatures.

"Well……"

Goto Ichiri, who was at the very back, turned around and looked at the door they had come in through, and found a piece of paper stuck to the back of the door with words written on it.

Congratulations on discovering the base of the secret society "Life Club"!

This is a secret base that no one else can find. Now it's yours, so relax here!

Below the neat handwriting, which had a touch of deliberate playfulness, was a somewhat funny drawing of a human face, a bird, and a turtle.

Meanwhile, Gao Hai had walked to the windowsill and saw a small paper crane that had fallen next to the potted plant and was completely soaked and rotten.

This thing is...

Reach out and gently pick up the little paper crane.

The paper crane was soaked through and could not be opened intact to see what was inside.

However, Gao Hai simply closed his eyes and sensed a lingering sound.

A voice that seems to come from a long time ago, but has never been forgotten, and is still remembered by someone.

The voice was saying:

Your teacher will believe in you; your teacher will always believe in you.

So, we've made a promise: until your teacher comes back, you must eat well, sleep well, and don't give up on your guitar or your dreams!

"Let's go get ice cream together when the teacher comes back, okay, Eriko?"

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Obsession with Residual Things Drawn with This Brush

I saw a phantom left over from the past.

The teacher's face was blurred, and the students looked dejected.

The two left behind a conversation, an expectation for the future, and a promise that... probably could not be fulfilled.

It seemed as if one could taste the regret that was slowly dissipating in the air.

Amidst the sighs, a figure walked through the empty room and disappeared outside the door.

It wasn't until the figure disappeared that Gao Hai slowly came to his senses and could see clearly the room in front of him, which was covered with a thin layer of dust.

Why are these fragments left at the location of the "Life Club"? Who exactly is that mysterious teacher, and why is she so close to Eriko Asamoto, who is the core of their obsession? And why did the investigators never find any trace of this teacher before? And could it be... that the role I've been assigned to play is that teacher?

It's one thing to play a teacher at Fujika Middle School, but now that I'm at Yoroyama Middle School, do I have to play a teacher again?

Upon realizing this possibility, Gao Hai's expression immediately became somewhat strange.

"Is this the classroom that the [Life Club] used?"

Seemingly having also noticed something, Miko Yotsuya murmured softly and began to walk around the large table in the center of the room.

Her expression carried a hint of unconscious sadness. At this moment, Miko found it difficult to describe what she was feeling. The blurry figures that had once existed in this room came and went, leaving various traces, but in the end, they disappeared without a trace.

Although those figures who once lingered here can no longer be seen, Jianzi can sense that those who once stayed here were perhaps people who had suffered some kind of harm.

As for Goto Ichiri, the only one who didn't trigger her spiritual vision and didn't see anything, she first stared at Takami and Miko with a little nervousness for a while. After confirming that her two companions wouldn't suddenly turn into enemies, she breathed a sigh of relief and then carefully explored the room.

As a recreation room, this place isn't very big, since it was originally converted from a dormitory room. However, although it's small, it has everything a recreation room should have, like a small but complete bird.

After spending a little time, Goto Ichiri found a record of club activities for the "Life Club," only to discover that this so-called "Life Club" had only one activity: "Daydreaming," which was merely daydreaming in the literal sense.

Are there really clubs like this?

Somewhat shocked, Goto Ichiri searched carefully again and soon found a recruitment poster for the Life Club in a desk drawer.

This rudimentary thing, which didn't even resemble a poster at all, gave Goto Ichiri a feeling that was as if his worldview had been completely redefined, a feeling that was hard to describe in words.

[Recruitment Page for the Lifestyle Club]

The so-called "Life Club" is a group of students who live their own lives. We don't have anything so strongly intriguing that we need to join a club to realize our self-worth, but we also don't want to be seen as part of the "Going Home Club" because we don't participate in any clubs, and be looked down upon or bullied by other students who do participate. Therefore, the Life Club is essentially just a place for students who don't particularly want to join a club to waste their time.

If you find it incredibly boring to join some random club like soccer, basketball, badminton, literature, or geography, but don't want to be isolated because you don't have a club, then join the Life Club. You can simply register your name here and never participate in any club activities for the rest of your life.

If you find it ridiculous that the president and vice-president of a student club act like superiors, ordering you around or forcing you to do team-building activities on weekends, but you're afraid to actually refuse, then join the Student Life Club. This club has no activities other than just sitting around, and nobody cares whether you come or not. No one will force you to do anything; we don't play that game.

If you feel lonely, constantly bullied and ostracized, and afraid to fight back, and you want to find like-minded friends to rely on for support, then join our Life Club. While we probably won't stand up for you or fight back against those who bully you, at least here in the Life Club, no one will bully you. Of course, if you're thinking of bullying others here, I advise you to think twice before you act.

If you want to join, come to the club room, write your name on the club roster, and that's it.

[Yes, that's right, this is the Life Club. A club that was created very casually, joined very casually, and whose life is very casual—basically, everything is very casual. That's it.]

[President: Masaki Ebizaka]

Unlike the "Strange Tales Club," which is extremely detailed and comes with a very dangerous way to join, this Life Club's recruitment content is full of a perfunctory and lazy feeling. It doesn't even try to hide its true nature, as if it is deliberately targeting something.

I'm starting to think about joining a club like that.

Having always felt helpless about the "atmosphere" since childhood and always unable to smoothly integrate into others, Goto Ichiri couldn't help but have this thought in her mind after seeing the notes on this recruitment page.

Even though she hadn't actually met any members of the "Life Club" yet, and was only just beginning to investigate the remaining traces of the club, Goto Ichiri felt a strong sense of having met "like-minded people" just by reading the introduction on this piece of paper. She felt as if the members of this club were all her own people.

That's right, a truly good club is one that's clear and straightforward about its purpose, without any pretense. There's absolutely no need to worry about hidden meanings or to be overly cautious. The kind of scenario where someone learns guitar to make friends but ends up with nothing to show for it will never happen in a club like this. Yes, that's right. People who choose to join this club, this kind of club that so openly reveals its inner workings, must be people who can truly make friends with each other, right?

If I were to join such a club myself, maybe I could do the same...

Wait a minute.

Am I agreeing too quickly? Could my perception have already been influenced? No, I need to do a self-check immediately.

The very cautious pink-haired girl immediately used her obsession object to test her mental state, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that her thinking ability was not wrong.

But if I'm fine, could it be that the two of them have some kind of cognitive distortion?

However, Little Pochi became a little worried again, so he secretly gave Takami and Miko another test. Miko didn't react much, but looked around with some confusion. Takami, on the other hand, immediately realized what was happening and turned to look at Goto Ichiri. However, after confirming that she was just testing his mental state, he didn't think much of it and was unaware that the girl had just imagined a whole bunch of random things.

He simply tossed a golden die, watching it roll and spin on the table until it came to rest, the face up showing the number 19.

Hmm, that's a good number.

Gao Hai raised an eyebrow slightly, temporarily putting aside his slight unease.

He could sense that the room itself was very safe, though he didn't know the specific reason. It seemed that the supernatural forces within Nightfall Mountain Middle School were temporarily unable to enter the activity room of the [Life Club]. So, perhaps he could perform some potentially dangerous operations here.

"Ms. Goto, could you please keep an eye on our surroundings for me? What I'm about to do might lead to some dangerous situations. Also, Miko, stop investigating for now. Stand closer, but don't look at what I'm drawing on the table. Just keep an eye on your surroundings."

As he spoke, Gao Hai stretched out his hand, and a pencil appeared in his palm.

One of the obsession items belonging to Toyama Akira, a player from the [Red Guild], it can activate after the user has come into contact with the power of a certain strange entity, drawing the appearance of that entity or key things related to it. This obsession item is called the "Obsession Pen," and it's certain that there's a story behind it. However, Takami has no intention of delving into it; right now, all he needs is the power of this obsession item.

Because the information within the Nightfall Mountain Middle School instance has a dangerous blocking effect, the more you learn, the more likely you are to trigger something bad. Therefore, Gao Hai hadn't used this pen before, for fear of accidentally attracting something that would kill him on the spot.

But now, after confirming with the 20-sided dice, Gao Hai is confident that as long as he is in the [Life Club Activity Room], he will definitely not trigger any chain reaction after drawing the pattern with a pen.

As for what will happen after leaving the activity room... well, that's something to wait and see. He can't think that far ahead right now.

rustle--

The tip of the small pencil landed on the table, and without Gao Hai's special operation, it automatically began to draw the appearance of a female student.