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

To be honest, Chika is perfectly capable of controlling her strength normally in daily life, yet she's asking me to practice with her because the movements become more exaggerated and harder to control when dancing. She wants my help to prevent problems in those situations. So, does that mean I'm helping Chika so she can dance naturally and comfortably in front of others? Does that even make sense?

Gao Hai was a little unhappy.

Although he tried hard to hide his emotions, his brows still furrowed.

The girl who had been looking up at him had already curled the corners of her mouth.

"Oh right, Ah Hai, there are two secrets I haven't told you yet."

With a soft laugh, Chika broke free from Gao Hai's embrace, hopping lightly to the ground like a little rabbit, then hopping a couple more steps before turning back to look at him.

"The first secret is that I've already seen the cheerleading uniforms this time. They're similar to sportswear, but more fitted, and the hem of the top is specially tucked in. That means the cheerleading uniforms will show off your tummy, and the chest area will also be highlighted to some extent."

Gao Hai was 100% certain that Qian Hua said this on purpose.

If Gao Hai was still hesitating about whether to say something just now, he is now certain that Qian Hua already knows what he is thinking, so there is no need for him to continue to hide it.

However, before Gao Hai could actually speak, Chika jumped up again, like a clingy pet rabbit, and hopped directly into Gao Hai's arms. Instinctively, Gao Hai naturally reached out and hugged her. Chika then wrapped her arms around Gao Hai's shoulders and neck, raised her head, and pressed her cherry-like lips against Gao Hai's ear.

"The second secret is that I was elected as the cheerleading instructor, not a cheerleader. So I'll only be instructing the other girls on the cheerleading team, teaching them how to dance. I won't be dancing once the sports meet actually starts!"

"Ah Hai clearly heard what I was saying, but he still subconsciously fell into a cognitive trap, thinking I was going to go out and dance for other men. Looks like Ah Hai is actually quite dense, and also gets jealous easily, hehe~ Did you notice the expression on your face, you possessive, stupid, perverted Ah Hai~"

Beneath her gentle words lay a mischievous, triumphant laugh, the kind of laughter that betrays a little devil after a successful prank.

It was only then that Gao Hai suddenly noticed that when Qianhua was explaining what she was going to do, she had explicitly stated that her role was that of a "guide." Guide and team member are clearly two completely different concepts. But then, right after saying that, the girl followed up with, "Do you want to see me dance?", which led Gao Hai into a misunderstanding.

Yes, that's right, it was completely intentional.

How come I never noticed before that this girl could pull this kind of stunt? Wait, actually, Chika has always liked to play pranks, it's just that she doesn't do it as often because of the pressures of life here. Tsk, I was careless for a moment, I forgot about this girl's true nature.

"So you're just teasing me on purpose? You think it's fun, don't you?"

Gao Hai frowned, making an angry expression.

"Hmph, how could I dare? After all, I'm not one with Ah Hai, not someone only Ah Hai can see and feel."

The girl sitting in Gao Hai's lap remained completely calm, even letting out a hum and revealing a jealous and unhappy expression.

It's clear that she genuinely has a problem with Kita Ikuyo. Even though Kita herself has absolutely no feelings for Takami right now, Chika still finds the so-called "shared soul and body" dynamic, where no one else can touch it, a special way of being together, a bit unsettling.

Seeing her like this, Gao Hai subconsciously wanted to explain, but then Qian Hua reached out and gently touched Gao Hai's lips. Then she leaned closer, opened her small mouth, and gently bit one of his earlobes.

"Also, the fact that you saw me dancing on the day of the school sports meet wasn't meant to mislead Ah Hai."

"On the day of the sports meet, I can wear my cheerleading uniform and dance for Ahai all by myself in this small venue."

"So, Ah Hai, do you want to see it? A cheerleading dance just for you, just for you to cheer on~"

Gao Hai has to admit that in terms of flirting skills, Chika completely surpasses Maki and Miko in terms of skill level. While Ai is indeed more technically proficient than Chika, this little maid excels in practical operations, specifically service-related ones. Ultimately, Chika holds a greater advantage in terms of "charm."

"Of course I want to watch it, how could I not want to watch it?"

Gao Hai answered Qian Hua with a solemn and sacred expression, his voice showing no sign of confusion.

"But I'm still very unhappy because you deliberately made me angry just now. So I have to teach you a little lesson so you'll remember it."

In the next sentence, Gao Hai tackled the girl to the wooden floor.

"Hey, is this place even okay? It's a backup venue that's not used much, but what if someone comes here..."

Chika panicked slightly, but her struggles were very gentle.

Her refusal was utterly clumsy in Gao Hai's eyes. Given her level of skill, and considering that Eriko Asamoto's Hearing Blessing had been given to everyone except Miko and Hayasaka, how could Chika not know whether there was anyone else in the arena at this moment?

But there does seem to be a bystander… Oh well, it's not like it's the first time she's seen me. So what if she saw me? It doesn't matter. What we need to do now is fight! Teach this arrogant brat a lesson!!!

"Hey, hey, don't tear my clothes! My size is out of stock, it'll have to be reordered if it breaks..."

"Ugh, that expression is terrifying. You didn't need to look like that just to tease me..."

"Wait, wait a minute..."

Hearing the sounds coming from not far away, Kita Ikuyo remained silent.

She crouched down, hiding herself beneath the ground, closing her eyes, covering her ears, and trying to shut out her senses.

But because she was a Red Moon level player, she could still hear the noise.

Can you please stop doing such embarrassing things like this, oblivious to everyone around you?! I'm still here! Think about the reality of the situation! I'm still here, okay?!

And what you were doing—flirting, whispering in each other's ears, and even biting each other's ears—wasn't that a bit too much?! How could you do such things so naturally?! It's too much! Doing this in front of a girl who's never been in a relationship is just too much!!!

The girl really wanted to scream.

But at this moment, the commotion emanating from the ground was far more terrifying to her than a thousand eerie auras. She simply didn't have the courage to go up, the courage to witness firsthand the incredibly fierce Battle of Midway.

However, due to her overly powerful perception, Kita was forced to learn the outcome of the battle, even though she didn't want to. Takami's army captured 11 islands, while Chika's army sank 9 enemy ships. The battle raged fiercely, and ultimately, Takami, with its numerical advantage, defeated Chika when its 9th ship sank, forcing Chika to surrender. Even after Chika's surrender, Takami's army didn't let the enemy off the hook, instead using overwhelming force to capture 3 more islands, though they lost another ship in the ensuing fierce counterattack.

what……

Why would I listen to this kind of stuff...?

Pochi-chan... Ryo-senpai... Nijika... Help me...

The girl's silent cries were buried underground, unheard by anyone, and no one offered any help.

Interlude 3-48: Gao Hai's strategy of giving up and his gradually deepening misconceptions

In conclusion, Gao Hai ended up using the gymnasium's bathroom with Chika, but Chika's training had to be postponed for a while because Gao Hai had torn her workout clothes, and she would have to wait a day or two for her new clothes to arrive.

In reality, it was Takami who helped Chika take a bath, since the girl was already in a state where she could barely stand. After the bath, since it was getting late, Takami and Chika had lunch together in the gymnasium. Incidentally, Chika had prepared the lunch in advance, a portion for two, clearly indicating that she had anticipated what would happen.

Come to think of it, did she really not care at all that Kita Ikuyo was watching the whole thing?

As Takahashi ate the bento prepared by Chika, he looked at the girl beside him with a cheerful smile, but in his heart he couldn't help but start thinking about some issues that he hadn't noticed before.

It's safe to say that Fujiwara Chika is not a promiscuous girl. Although she has played various little games with him, she always carefully considers the time and place, and so far, besides Takahashi, only Maki knows about and has participated in them. In her daily behavior in public, Chika has never shown anything wrong, and she manages her image very well.

But this time, Kita Ikuyo is someone she knows absolutely nothing about, someone she's never really interacted with or communicated with before. Why is she...?

"Ah Hai, ah~"

The girl leaned closer, picked up a small octopus with her chopsticks, and smiled at Gao Hai.

Gao Hai himself had no aversion to this feeding game. So he immediately opened his mouth and let Qianhua stuff the fried octopus into his mouth.

"Well then, it's Ahai's turn next, ah~"

After feeding Takahashi once, Chika then opened her mouth, closed her eyes, and looked at Takahashi expectantly.

So Gao Hai gave her a piece of grilled meat, and the girl naturally bit Gao Hai's chopsticks, licking them a few times before letting go.

You could sense a hint of smugness in the other person's expression.

And this sense of pride was clearly not directed at Gao Hai.

Ah, speaking of which, I did have a vague feeling before that Chika had a problem with Kita.

In her view, the existence of someone like Kita Ikuyo, who is always with Takami and whom no one else can approach or talk to, carries a special significance. This may have brought Chika a sense of crisis and discomfort, which is why she actively reveals her close relationship with Takami.

If that's the case, then I really am a deeply sinful man.

Gao Hai sighed inwardly upon realizing this.

"Hey, you perverted Ahai, you absolutely have to come on the day the sports meet starts!"

As she said goodbye, the girl smiled and spoke to Gao Hai, then left with slightly unsteady steps.

As for Gao Hai himself, feeling refreshed and invigorated, he didn't feel anything. For him, whose physical abilities had been enhanced multiple times to a superhuman level, this level of challenge was no challenge at all. At least two players would have to challenge him, and they would have to be at least veteran players at the Dark Night level.

But, will Chika dance for me all by herself?

I'm actually looking forward to it. I guess I'm just a very ordinary person after all.

As Gao Hai thought to himself, he walked out of Shuchiin. As for the security guard job, he really didn't have time to do it today. He had promised Ichiri that he would accompany her this afternoon and help her communicate with Kita Ikuyo, and he couldn't break his promise.

Hmm, and then tonight… Ai will definitely be coming to my house tonight. She was clearly angry when I told her not to come yesterday, so she definitely won't be able to resist today. Hmm, I wonder if Ai and Chika will get along well. And Miko's relationship needs to progress further too. I should arrange a date in a couple of days and see how the atmosphere goes so we can kiss. As for Kaguya, well, Kaguya needs a date too, but we have to take it slow. She's even more timid than Chika; going too fast will scare her…

Gao Hai silently planned his rest time for the next month.

Having successfully completed the challenging "Campus Ghost Stories" dungeon, Gao Hai now has no plans to delve into any dungeon information and intends to fully immerse himself in the game for the entire month.

The reason for this decision is simple: in his view, it was precisely because he went to learn about the rules and information of each school in "Campus Ghost Stories" that the Black Watch took a liking to this instance and, through a twist of fate, sent him inside. Therefore, the more he paid attention to this information, the more likely he was to be sent to the corresponding instance. Moreover, not only that, but aside from Fujihana Middle School and Hayate Elementary School being abnormally cleared, Yoruyama Middle School and the Bydos Research Institute underwent significant changes under the Clown KP's planning. While this did resolve the risk of a dead save file, it also rendered almost all the early information players had gathered invalid.

Then, combining his experience from his first and second runs, Gao Hai discovered that both the Shirakawa Apartment and the Red Nut Gray Hole had fixed upgrade rules that changed over time. In other words, regardless of his pre-entry situation, everything would drastically change once he entered, forcing him into a state of complete ignorance during the initial exploration. As for the various pieces of information he had prepared beforehand, well, they were rarely of any use.

So since he'll definitely be clearing land in the end, he'll just stop looking at the map, relax, and get right to it.

Furthermore, Gao Hai had a premonition that his third dungeon was already a Red Moon-level dungeon, and among the top-tier difficulty dungeons in that category. Therefore, the fourth dungeon would only be more difficult, not easier. And a dungeon of this level was unlikely to appear without warning; after all, according to the rules of the [Sacrifice Game]—a buggy and flawed system—his next mission should be a Dark Night-level one. So, he just needed to wait patiently; some kind of omen should appear around him.

Regardless of what the final, fourth dungeon will be like, or its difficulty, Gao Hai believes that the black watch will somehow provide him with the information he needs before entering. It's as if some unknowable, terrifying entity is manipulating the threads of fate behind the scenes; he simply needs to wait for the challenge to arrive and let things take their natural course.

Perhaps this would evoke a sense of manipulation and sadness, but Gao Hai wasn't the type to complain about the unfairness of fate. He also knew that while enduring suffering, he had also gained many things that ordinary people could only dream of. Therefore, his ultimate goal was singular: to live to the end with all those he loved and those who loved him. As long as this remained true, no matter how powerful a copy of the black watch might be, he wouldn't express any sentiment about it.

{Speaking of which, you've been quiet for quite a while now. I apologize for before, but sometimes how things turn out isn't up to me.}

Pulling back his thoughts, Gao Hai's attention returned to the real world, to the person beside him, and to the red-haired girl who was still withdrawn.

{...My memories have become tainted.}

Kita Yukiyo sighed, her voice filled with sorrow.

{It's not that serious. Normal boys and girls go through this kind of thing; it's nothing wrong with it.}

Gao Hai frowned slightly and refuted him with righteous indignation.

{No way, two people tearing each other's clothes in the gym... And what do you mean it's not up to you? You were the one who pinned the other person to the ground!}

Kita Ikuyo was furious at Takami's serious expression. She couldn't understand how this man could say such things so confidently, as if what he did was perfectly normal, while she, feeling ashamed and helpless, was the alien.

{You just don't understand. She just likes it when I pin her to the ground. The harsher I am with her, the more I force her, the happier she is. This is actually a matter of personal preference. From a medical perspective, it involves a special psychological phenomenon called "hostage syndrome," which was initially studied in…}

Gao Hai, naturally, could not accept being treated differently, so he readily began popularizing psychology.

{I don't want to hear it! Don't tell me this, I don't want to hear it, I don't want to know it, I don't want to gain this kind of knowledge!}

Kita Ikuyo covered her ears, angrily shouting loudly, and turned her back, seemingly ignoring Takami completely.

You can sense the other person's rejection.

Ah, if I could see the affection levels of the girls I know, Kita Ikuyo would probably be the lowest.

Unlike others, she saw herself at her most vulnerable from the very beginning. And she saw it repeatedly. For a young woman, a man like that is definitely not trustworthy.