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

The classroom door creaked open slowly, and the light inside seemed to dim even further, so dark that it was almost impossible to see anything clearly.

【…】

The headless body remained seated, motionless, seemingly no different from the surrounding corpses.

The corpse remained motionless, just as it should have.

Just as this place has remained unchanged for many years, it simply remains silent and still.

"Is it okay to leave her out alone?"

At this moment, Zhenfei asked somewhat nervously.

"..."

Kaguya didn't speak, but simply looked around.

This place appears to be a small living room that has been abandoned for some time. There is a family photo of three on a table on one side, various odds and ends piled up on the floor, a dirty sofa, cracked walls, and an entrance to what looks like a kitchen or similar room.

After Nanami asked her and Maki to come over, Kaguya felt a blur before her eyes, and then she found herself in this place.

To be honest, Kaguya had a very bad feeling about this place, even worse than the classroom room outside.

From the moment she entered, she noticed dried bloodstains in the corner, and every now and then, she sensed something lurking around, secretly watching her. As time lingered, she even vaguely saw shadows moving at the stairwell and doorway, and felt a faint malice growing in her vicinity.

Is this the power of some obsessive entity? This feeling... is almost like running into the territory of another strange entity, and that entity has already activated itself.

"She'll be fine, don't worry. Don't underestimate Miss Qichuan. She's survived this long as a Red Moon-level player, not just because of good luck. Besides, she's never been particularly lucky. In comparison, we might be in more danger. Anyway, stay by my side, don't leave the living room, and don't touch anything in the living room. This object of obsession is quite lively, so we have to be careful when using it."

Compared to Maki and Kaguya, who were still high school students, Aoyama Nanami, who was over twenty, appeared much more mature in both tone and demeanor. Although she didn't explicitly say what was going on in this place, Maki and Kaguya were able to deduce that the life-saving artifact Nanami was using was actually nearly completely out of control.

Perhaps the slightest disturbance could turn this place that protects their lives into a deadly abyss. Therefore, the two girls stayed obediently by Nanami's side, without any intention of testing the depths of this place.

They're quite obedient, but since they were chosen by Mr. Gao to be brought in, their quality is certainly not lacking.

Nanami didn't pay too much attention to the behavior of Maki Kaguya and the other woman; she was simply waiting for a response from Nanakawa Ren.

As a Red Moon-level player in Japan, Nanami has a considerable understanding of the [Red Society] team. After all, there aren't many players in Japan who can reach the Red Moon level, and the [Red Society] is a rather high-profile player group.

A player named Nanakawa Ren from the [Red Guild] has a nickname: "The Undying Lotus." This nickname refers to the miraculous immortality she achieves using an extremely rare artifact. Nanakawa Ren herself is not entirely clear about the appearance and mechanism of this artifact, but its outward manifestation is quite clear: it ensures that Nanakawa Ren will not die after suffering a fatal injury, and can even continue to move with her damaged body.

This artifact's function seems somewhat similar to Takahashi's Blessing of Immortality, but because it's an artifact, its risk of going out of control is naturally incomparable. According to Aoyama Nanami, after using this artifact, Nanakawa Ren herself should only be able to maintain a "dead" state for a maximum of about 7 minutes. If it exceeds that time, another artifact will be needed to assist in ensuring she can revive.

Now that the photo has been handed over, the person inside the photo has no way of knowing what's happening outside. Therefore, what the other person is facing, whether they can hold on until everything returns to normal, or whether they can help them escape before the situation becomes hopeless, are all unknowns.

Even so, I'm not without a backup plan. Besides, Little Boqi should have already taken action, and Miss Xiongmi certainly won't sit idly by in this situation.

So let's wait and see. If all else fails, I can use the loss of control over this photo obsession to break things out.

Nanami calmly considered her next course of action and roughly drafted a few plans in her mind.

Meanwhile, in that deathly silent classroom, Nanakawa Ren's headless corpse slowly rose from its seat.

The students remained silent.

In the dead silence, the flowing blood and brain matter continued to spread across the floor and walls.

Slowly, the headless corpse took a step.

She took a wobbly step forward, then stopped.

There was no unusual noise in the empty classroom; everything was as quiet as it had been at the beginning.

The headless corpse slowly moved to the window, reached out, and opened it.

Outside the window, the campus environment remains unchanged under the sunlight: lush green lawns, sports fields, and trees planted in the distance along the edge of the school.

If we could just jump out of here, we could probably get away from this strange classroom that's undergoing such bizarre changes right away, right?

Upon seeing such a scene, I believe that everyone would have this thought.

So the headless corpse did not do that.

It simply turned around slowly, walking step by step, until it reached the open classroom door and the edge of the corridor, which was completely shrouded in darkness, with not a single ray of light able to penetrate.

【…】

The silence continued, and no unusual sounds were heard.

The corpse took a step forward and stepped into the darkness.

She took another step, and her figure was swallowed by the darkness, disappearing from the classroom.

【…】

The quiet environment did not seem to change as a result.

But the light by the window seemed to dim even more.

Dimming, then brightening, then dimming again, then brightening again, repeating this cycle from time to time.

It was as if the window wasn't made of glass, but rather the eye of something—something alive, with eyelids, that blinked.

Ding-ling-ling-ling——

The bell rang to signal the end of get out of class.

The students chatted and laughed with each other, or gathered together at a desk, or walked out of the classroom together to go to the toilet, or stopped somewhere in the corridor to chat and laugh.

Of course, these students wouldn't forget those who didn't fit in the classroom, those who were visibly different from others, those who were utterly repulsive and disgusting. They would never forget to bully them. Now, with the end of another class, this bullying had escalated to physical violence.

"Hey……"

Goto Ichiri was unable to calm down.

She sat blankly in her seat, oblivious to the contemptuous looks from the students around her, and unconcerned about the strange students' rejection of her as an "individual." She simply sat motionless in her seat as if her mind had short-circuited.

Something's wrong; something very strange has happened.

The pink-haired girl, who wasn't particularly bright, lowered her head and looked at the guitar she was holding, her brows furrowing even more.

She remembered... she must have entered this instance with a player she had worked with for a long time, someone who took care of her like a senior, right? With her personality, if it weren't for that senior's help, she might never have grown to where she is now.

But why do I feel like I'm in this instance all by myself?

The girl's thoughts became somewhat confused.

But before she could think further, the classroom's loudspeaker started crackling.

[The following is a list of student violations. List one: Gao Hai…]

Chapter 53: The situation deteriorated in an instant.

[The following is a report on student violations.]

[List 1: Gao Hai, Class: Grade 11 (05)]

[Reason for notification: Several consecutive absences from class]

[Disciplinary Recommendation: The homeroom teacher should locate the individual and bring them to the classroom office for a private talk, followed by a school-wide announcement of criticism.]

[List of names 2: Miko Yotsuya, Class: Grade 11 (05)]

[Reason for notification: Several consecutive absences from class]

[Penalty Recommendation: Same as above]

[List of Announcements 3: Shijou Maki, Class: Grade 11 (08)]

[Reason for notification: Disruption of classroom order]

[Penalty Recommendation...]

A hoarse, cold voice slowly echoed from the school building's loudspeaker.

Six names—Takami, Yotsuya Miko, Shijou Maki, Shinomiya Kaguya, Aoyama Nanami, and Nanakawa Ren—were announced over the loudspeaker. The students represented by the first two names were reprimanded for "absenteeism," while those represented by the latter four were reprimanded for "disrupting class order." The punishments were all the same: the homeroom teacher was required to give the students a private talk and then issue the reprimands.

Who are these people?

Goto Ichiri instinctively felt a sense of familiarity with these names, especially the name "Aoyama Nanami," which left a very deep impression on her, as if she had seen this person countless times and had a very deep relationship with her.

However, she couldn't remember who the other person was.

For some reason, her memories seemed to have undergone a strange change. No matter how hard she tried to recall, Goto Ichiri could not remember who Aoyama Nanami was, what she looked like, or what kind of relationship she had with her.

The only thing that is certain is this intense sense of rejection.

what……

Yes, yes, only this intense sense of repulsion is exceptionally clear at this moment.

She is the enemy.

Everyone on the notification list is an enemy.

These loners, those who refuse to follow the school's rules and refuse to behave like everyone else and conform to the atmosphere, are absolutely enemies you should never associate with.

We must isolate them, mock them, curse them, insult them, and attack them.

These outcasts, these people who shouldn't exist, must be separated. They have broken taboos, they have violated the very foundation upon which this school operates. These people who don't fit the "atmosphere" must be treated with the utmost cruelty, then killed, and buried in the ground, never to be discovered by anyone.

Hatred began to spread in my heart.

Despite not being able to remember who those people were, Goto Ichiri felt an extremely strong sense of hatred, as if the people represented by those names had become irredeemable enemies who had to be completely eliminated.

Yes, yes, that's it, that's... that's it...

"Waaah... Waaah..."

The girl crouched down on the ground in pain.

The girl's strong cognitive dissonance made it impossible for her to even stand up straight.

She felt as if her soul had been torn into two parts at that moment. One part seemed to have forgotten many memories, yet it still felt familiar with those names and believed they should be friends. The other part was completely different; it only thought about how to bully the people corresponding to those names and genuinely wanted to kill them.

Because if we don't do this, the secrets hidden in this place will be exposed.

Yes, everyone who doesn't fit the "atmosphere" must die a miserable death so that "it" can remain calm and prevent that thing from escaping its grasp. This is the only way, this is correct, this is only right, this is what everyone should do.

Whether they are students, teachers, or school staff, everyone trapped here and unable to leave must abide by these rules.

I am a good student, not a bad student, not one of those "bad kids" who can't read the room, so I will attack them, I will torture them, I will kill them!