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

"No problem, I can sense that her consciousness has just fallen into a deep sleep. Once she regains consciousness, we'll find a way to separate her from my consciousness, create a body for her, and everything will be back to normal."

"Um... thank you, Mr. Hai."

"So could you please stop calling me by such a weird name? It makes me feel like I've become some kind of strange character."

"Huh? Huh? No, not okay? But, but that..."

"If you think this is better, well, whatever, it's better than JK Killer anyway."

Occasionally, Goto Ichiri would become a little more talkative, usually when she was reminiscing about the days when the band was still around, and about the time before she became a gamer. Back then, the four girls poured their hearts and souls into music, chasing their future—a truly poignant memory compared to now. And Takami would always tell Pochi that the future wasn't over yet, that the kind of life she longed for would definitely return.

Despite having become a Red Moon-level player, Goto Ichiri's inner humility and pain continued to haunt her. Even Aoyama Nanami didn't seem to notice much of this; this little loner was quite adept at concealing her true emotions. However, Takami, as the savior of Kita Ikuyo, and given their constant close proximity—never exceeding five meters whether their eyes were open or closed—gradually began to hear her innermost thoughts and started to understand this girl more deeply.

"Society is so scary, and work feels so scary too. If I could, I actually... I actually want to stay at home forever..."

"That's a very typical otaku thought. To be honest, I used to have that thought too, but I overcame it when I was very young because I didn't have money for food. But Ichiri, don't you like playing music and being in a band? If you're playing guitar in front of a huge audience, don't you still have to face the crowd?"

"Um... as for the music, that's acceptable, no problem."

"What if after the music ends, tens of thousands of people line up to get your autograph and take photos? Or what if after you become a big star, hundreds of thousands of people watch you go on stage to give a speech, or play games with more than ten people on a variety show?"

"Waaaa..."

"Hey, hey, hey, I was just kidding, don't go crawling into a cardboard box! And isn't it a bit too fitting that you're pulling out a cardboard box at this time of year?"

I have to say, teasing her is quite fun, but you have to do it in moderation, otherwise she might really become withdrawn.

"So, Mr. Hai, do you really have several girlfriends?"

"Well, it's true, I have four girlfriends now, and I'll have at least five in the future. I don't know if it will be more."

"Woo..."

"What, do you think I'm a scumbag? If you're calling me a scumbag and irresponsible, I admit that's true, and I accept it. But we've already got this kind of relationship, so even if I'm criticized, I can't abandon any of them."

"Wow...it feels so amazing."

"?"

"To maintain close relationships with so many people without arguing and getting along harmoniously, such social skills, wow..."

"Can anyone still envy me from this perspective?"

Her thought process was quite peculiar; Gao Hai certainly couldn't imagine envying someone's social skills in building a harem. However, to be fair, most of the credit for his successful harem-building was due to Fujiwara Chika, the social master. Without her handling of the relationship with Maki, it's hard to say what would have happened.

Time passed little by little.

In this small space outside the world constructed by the power of obsessive objects, the two of them gradually moved forward from the very beginning of the timeline.

Students who were persecuted to death without cause.

The parents of a student who came to the school seeking the truth were executed.

Families wiped out along with the students

Innocent people who were affected and dealt with for various reasons.

Fujika Junior High School, Hayate Elementary School, Yoruyama Junior High School, the Bydos Research Institute… the two ventured into every area that the power of obsession could reach. Aside from some obsessions that no longer wished to remain—such as Hirano Sosuke's obsession, which Takami could no longer retain after liberation, as the latter had achieved complete satisfaction and no longer wished to live—all the remaining obsessions that could be restored were restored by Takami and Goto Ichiri.

To ensure the smooth resettlement of these people, Gao Hai had adjusted the memories of all of them using the power of the artifacts, and he had also devoted a great deal of energy to figuring out how to settle them. After all, the sudden appearance of tens of thousands of people from decades ago in modern society would still cause considerable trouble, even with the artifacts' ability to erase memories. Fortunately, the two of them could now rely on the power of multiple Red Moon-level core artifacts and that peculiar mirror fragment.

In particular, Gao Hai discovered that the essence of the ability of that mirror fragment, which was similar to an obsession object but also seemed to be different from one, was to modify reality.

Whether it's creating a town out of thin air or altering historical records to give complete identity records to people who have never existed before, these things can all be achieved through this mirror fragment. The researchers at the Bydos Institute and Nightfall Mountain Middle School at the time used this fragment quite superficially, only discovering its property of [copying reality], failing to find the most important ability of [altering reality]. However, considering they weren't extraordinary beings like players, even if they had discovered this property, they probably wouldn't have been able to use it.

Unfortunately, this mirror fragment seems to have formed some kind of connection with the Blood City; once the obsession is resolved, it will be forever absorbed into the Blood City and unable to escape. Otherwise, with a divine artifact of this caliber, Gao Hai really couldn't imagine what dungeon could possibly subdue him.

Hmm, this statement seems to have a hint of a flag, so never mind.

"It's basically confirmed that all the victims have had their memories properly modified and have been properly resettled. Hmm, the Japanese part is all concentrated in a secluded area on the outskirts of Tokyo, and the German and Italian parts have also been renovated into a new town. Is that alright?"

"We've done our best. At least we can be sure they won't be harassed by the officials. As for the players... well, we'll have to figure that out once we return to reality. With Sister Xiongmi's connections and the [market], keeping these two towns safe shouldn't be a problem."

"It feels like a miracle, changing a tragedy that was already destined to happen..."

"A miracle? Isn't this good enough? This is a miracle we created with our own hands. To be honest, I actually feel a bit regretful. If I could have saved more than just the victims in the [Campus Ghost Stories] instance... Oh well, nothing in this world is truly perfect. We can only do our best within our capabilities."

"Um……"

Gao Hai had also seriously considered how wonderful it would be if this power could be extended further, perhaps to the areas of Red Nut Gray Hole and Shirakawa Apartments. Unfortunately, the root of this power was the obsessive power of this instance, making it impossible to escape it. Only those victims who died because of this instance, whether ordinary people back then or later players, and only those with a deep causal connection to this instance—more precisely, those with a causal connection to one of the three core obsessions of Yelu Mountain Middle School—had a chance of being saved.

In fact, even so, there is one who is destined to be saved, a person who never truly existed in the first place.

Because Gao Hai has merged with that person's existence, even the last trace of it will be completely erased.

【teacher】

I can already recall such memories, such as when I was talking to Eriko Asamoto and she called my name with a light laugh.

Gao Hai knew this wasn't actually his memory, but after he completely merged with the existence of his "teacher," starting from the past timeline, everything about his "teacher" began to transform into Gao Hai's own actions. Therefore, Gao Hai could only repeat exactly what his "teacher" had done in his memory, without any difference.

[Teacher~]

Laughing children walked past.

【teacher!】

The boy with scars on his face looked up with a determined gaze.

【teacher……】

Within the dilapidated campus, dazed figures continued to wander aimlessly.

All precious memories, whether painful or joyful, are so clear that they can never be forgotten.

But this non-existent, ethereal figure could no longer exist.

This person, without form, gender, clear appearance, tangible entity, or name, is someone Gao Hai can never save and will inevitably perish with the destruction of this instance.

The children who have suffered will open their eyes at the start of a new day, vaguely feeling that they have had a miserable dream of being humiliated and dying, and then they will go to their families to whine and beg for mercy.

Students who have experienced painful bullying may arrive at a somewhat unfamiliar school feeling confused. After a few days of feeling out of place, they will get used to their current life and naturally assume that "this is how it was from the beginning" without any doubt.

Those adults who were also persecuted, as well as the good people who did not go along with the persecution, will return to their daily lives, albeit decades later. They will not remember that there was anything wrong with it, but will continue to spend their ordinary days in the mundane routine of daily life.

The orphanage has reopened, and this time no one will be sent to that hellish elementary school anymore.

When Chiyo gets home, her mother scolds her for running in the hallway, while her little brother, who loves to follow her, cheers and runs after her. At this moment, the new chef chuckles and comes out carrying dog-shaped pastries, and all the children excitedly gather around.

Eriko would then set the table, while Koji would usually hide in a corner to slack off after cleaning, requiring others to call him several times before he would come out. Of course, if you let the little cat Nami go find Koji, this agile, active, and healthy kitten would quickly find the hiding Koji.

Players who suffered terribly in the dungeon will return to the real world, back to where their teams were. However, they will remember nothing. Takahashi has no interest in helping to retrieve the remnants of their lost consciousness that returned to the dungeon after the chaos; after all, he's not their babysitter, and getting them back after their return would almost certainly disrupt the timeline—the operational difficulty is too great. As for Miko's classmates, they will think they just had a serious illness, and their families will believe the same. The reason for Miko's transfer will change slightly, but it's easy to cover it up.

Gao Hai can already see that kind of scene.

As he and Goto Ichiri ascended faster and faster in the light, gradually returning from the dungeon world to the real world, he began to see, through this resonant power, the miraculous ordinary lives that he and Pochi had achieved after their arduous efforts.

A miracle?

This is truly a miracle.

However, the starting point of this miracle, the very beginning of it all, was actually just the last wish of an unknown person.

It was simply because I heard the last words left behind by someone who never existed.

I heard it make its final wish in its last moments, a wish it didn't even know existed, to those who would come after it.

Therefore, Gao Hai decided to respond to the other party.

That's all.

"Your students... are now in my care."

"I will make sure that they all receive the ordinary happiness they deserve."

He responded to that last wish, and so he did.

Unfortunately, even with such powerful supernatural abilities, and with the miracle of almost reversing all the tragedies, some people still could not be saved.

However, if you still retain some self-awareness and can answer me, I think you won't regret it; you'll only be happy that this responsibility has finally been fulfilled.

In the soft light, Gao Hai could already sense the boundary of the real world.

The footsteps of pedestrians, the noise of children, the sounds of cars driving and honking, the chatter of housewives and the sound of cooking on the stove... those sounds that are constant in the city, in life, and in various places, the sounds of daily life, have once again entered Gao Hai's ears.

The darkness that buried that nameless man has now completely vanished and can no longer be seen.

Then, at the end, he saw a blurry, flickering image.

Teacher, I also had a happy day today and didn't have any worries!

Eriko took a small lick of the sweet ice cream and murmured to herself.

Teacher, today was just another boring and ordinary day, like any other.

As Koji brushed the little cat's fur, he murmured a sigh of admiration.

Teacher, although I can no longer see you, please take good care of me today, just like yesterday.

There were others, children who also received help from that nameless person, and students who were also cared for during difficult times.

Their whispers reached Gao Hai's ears, some gentle, some wistful, and they continued softly, one after another.

Ah, speaking of which, I haven't completely erased their memories of the "teacher," so more or less, they will remember that there was once such a person who accompanied them through the most difficult days of their lives.

Although in the end, the teacher was unable to save them or change their fate.

Although all this teacher, who claims to be useless, can do is stay by their side, talk to them, and clumsily try to comfort them, enlighten them, and teach them to find beauty and happiness.

But they did remember this teacher, this nameless teacher who had truly accompanied them through their growth.

【teacher】

Thank you for being there for me.

The last sound faded gently, leaving only silence.

At this moment, Gao Hai's consciousness finally broke free from the white light and returned to the real world.

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Volume 3 (Part 2): The Nameless Man

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