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

However, even though she could cover her cat ears with her hands, the verbal tic she used couldn't be easily changed. Her red eyes, now with vertical pupils, and the constantly wagging tail behind her were features that Kaguya couldn't conceal at this moment.

Yes, this strange "Animal Candy Box" has a very small chance of causing the person who takes it to temporarily grow animal features, in addition to its normal function. The duration of this effect is not fixed and does not return to normal after half an hour like the first effect.

In other words, Kaguya has now become a catgirl.

"great."

Takahashi calmly gazed at Kaguya Shinomiya, who had grown cat ears and a cat tail, and after a brief silence, gave this assessment.

"What's so great about it! I'm really troubled right now, meow. I suddenly turned into this, how long will it take before I can turn back, meow!?"

Kaguya spoke angrily, and as she spoke, her voice involuntarily took on a meowing tone, just like an angry little kitten. No, this cat should be considered a big cat. That's right, a cute big cat, I kind of want to pet it.

"The young lady, Maki, Chika, and I tried 36 different kinds of candy over three hours, but only the young lady experienced this change after eating a cat-shaped candy. I originally hoped that the young lady could calm down, but she was too flustered, so I asked Maki to call you, Master."

Hayasaka spoke calmly, but her feet unconsciously circled around behind Kaguya.

"Originally, we just wanted to try to record the effects of each type of candy on different people to see if we could find out its use in the dungeon. We never expected that our great-aunt would have such an effect after eating the candy. None of the rest of us experienced this. It's really strange, and we're all a little envious."

Maki turned her head, suppressing a laugh as she spoke to Takahashi. Clearly, Kaguya caught the sarcasm in her tone, and the girl immediately bristled, retorting, "What are you envious of, meow?" Yes, literally bristled; her tail instantly puffed up, making her even more cuddly than before.

Gao Hai's fingers trembled slightly, as if he was itching to do something.

"This looks interesting. Can I touch it, Kaguya-san?"

As for Chika, she couldn't resist the urge to get her hands on her now.

"Absolutely not, this thing... these marks of humiliation... Anyway, I'm going to isolate myself, and I won't come out again until this effect wears off—Ya meow!"

Before Kaguya could finish speaking or even begin to act, her voice turned into a scream.

Hayasaka, who had somehow appeared behind her, grabbed Kaguya's tail with one hand and placed the other on her back, pushing her down onto the sofa next to her.

Subconsciously, Kaguya reached out and braced herself on the sofa, landing on all fours like a real cat falling to the ground, and slightly lowering her body.

Hayasaka, who had made this move, looked at Takami with a smug expression.

"So, Master, don't you think the young lady is a little cuter now?"

Gao Hai's answer to this question was naturally affirmative.

"Great, it feels so good."

"It's not some kind of nice feeling, meow! Whatever, I'm leaving now—Hayasaka, don't pull my tail again, meow!"

Gao Hai's exclamation of praise and Kaguya's exasperated voice rang out together, but this time Kaguya still couldn't escape. She had barely gotten up when Hayasaka grabbed her tail again. Tears welled up in the girl's eyes in pain, and sharp nails extended.

"So, does Master have a way to resolve her current situation?"

Hayasaka didn't care about her young lady's disheveled state at all, and just looked at Takami and asked again.

"I'm afraid that won't work. This thing doesn't seem to be a curse, so it can't be dealt with using a curse-breaking object. However, I mentioned before that this situation could occur, so don't worry about it. This effect isn't permanent, and it should return to normal after a while."

Gao Hai shook his head, suppressing the urge to reach out and pet her, while recounting the key points that Miko had previously discussed with him. Of course, the girls present already knew these things, but he repeated them mainly to reassure Kaguya.

"So how long is 'a while' exactly? What if it's a month, two months, or even several years? With this on my head, I can't even go to school. No, I have to contact a doctor and have surgery to remove these things."

However, Kaguya was not appreciative. Already prone to suspicion, she was extremely agitated and wished she could tear off the animal features that had grown out with her bare hands.

"Instead of that, how about we try a maid game? I mean, we all put on maid outfits and try to serve our master, and see whose service the master prefers? I think that's a great idea."

Then, just as Takami was about to say something more comforting, and Maki and Chika were about to say something as well, Hayasaka, standing behind Kaguya, suddenly changed the subject.

What, a maid game?

Hayasaka, is this maid game you mentioned wholesome or not? Something doesn't sound quite right to me, and why bring up maid games now...?

Gao Hai was a little confused, Maki was also puzzled, and Kaguya was completely stunned, not understanding what was going on.

Chika's eyes lit up; clearly, this playful girl had found a brand new way to play and was already itching to try it out.

As for Kita Ikuyo, who had been floating behind Takami watching the show, her expression became wary.

Are these guys planning to put on some ridiculous show like the "Battle of Five Armies" in front of me again?

Damn it, things had finally calmed down a bit these past few days, and if it starts again now… Uh, why am I suddenly feeling a strange curiosity? I'm kind of curious about what a maid outfit version of the Five Armies Battle would be like… Wait! Why am I having this thought? I've never been interested in this kind of thing before, so has some kind of force corrupted me?

Hayasaka Ai's face remained expressionless; even dressed in a maid outfit, this girl always maintained a cool and aloof demeanor.

But for Takami, who already knew Hayasaka well, he could see through Hayasaka's cold demeanor and discern his hidden thoughts.

So that's how it is. They noticed I'd been in a bad mood these past few days? They actually wanted to use this opportunity to have Kaguya the cat dressed as a maid to try and cheer me up. Hmph, they've got a lot on their mind. It's just a catgirl maid, I simply... simply can't refuse!

"I have no opinion."

Gao Hai, sitting upright on the sofa, spoke calmly.

"Ah, so that's how it is."

"This looks like a really fun new game!"

Maki and Chika reacted differently, but there was no doubt that neither of them intended to refuse.

Seizing the opportunity, Kaguya flicked her tail to break free from Hayasaka, and the black-haired girl, tears in her eyes, scrambled up from the sofa and ran. This time, Hayasaka immediately gave chase, blocking Kaguya's path again in the corridor, preventing her from escaping completely.

"Get out of the way! I don't want to be a catgirl maid, meow! Hayasaka, you have way too many weird things in your head!"

Kaguya brandished her claws, and the ears on her head almost completely drooped down, turning into airplane ears, making her look quite fierce.

“If you run away now, Miss will miss a very crucial opportunity. You know, Miss’s charm to Master has doubled now. As your personal servant, I simply cannot tolerate Miss missing such a critical opportunity.”

Hayasaka, however, refused to budge an inch, seemingly eager to engage Kaguya in a direct confrontation.

"That's why I don't care about this kind of opportunity. Showing such an embarrassing side in front of Gao Jun is clearly the greatest torture for me, meow!"

Kaguya gritted her teeth, slightly arching her body in preparation for a pounce.

"Then, Maki, Chika, and I will go play maid games with our master, and you can just watch from the side, Miss. Oh, no, you said you were going to self-isolate, so you can just listen to the sounds from the wall."

The next moment, Hayasaka spoke calmly, and Kaguya's expression twisted instantly.

Kaguya Shinomiya has a rarely shown personality trait: she is extremely possessive. If it weren't for her less-than-ideal personality when she first met Takami, preventing them from developing a relationship as quickly as Maki, Kaguya would have firmly held onto Takami, not giving any other woman a chance to get close to him.

However, there's no point in discussing such an impossible situation now. Even though she's now forced to share the high seas with others, and is even a latecomer herself, Kaguya's possessiveness remains extremely strong.

Therefore, she absolutely could not tolerate the possibility of being the only one excluded.

Therefore, she had to soften her posture and calm down from that intense urge to escape.

"Young Miss, do you know what men like?"

Hayasaka began to speak with a serious expression.

"W-what?"

Kaguya, somewhat taken aback by the other party's sudden serious demeanor, subconsciously asked a question.

Men like darkness.

Hayasaka didn't keep them in suspense; instead, she gave the answer directly.

"what?"

Kaguya was stunned.

"And the black catgirl, coupled with the black and white maid outfit, is very dark and very appealing to men."

"So now, the young lady already has a huge advantage that is uniquely hers."

"These feline characteristics that may or may not disappear are precisely the most powerful weapon for you, Miss, to leave a deeper impression on your owner as a newcomer."

Hayasaka clenched his fist slightly, a gesture that surprisingly conveyed a sense of holiness.

As Kaguya herself listened to this rambling nonsense, she was already somewhat disoriented and was on the verge of fainting.

Interlude 3-72: Kaguya Shinomiya in her maid outfit and the kitten stepping on her back

What is a maid outfit?

As a garment that originated in the 19th century and was originally used by domestic servants, the earliest maid outfits were actually not very romantic.

However, with the development of the times, or rather, as people's desires began to explore this type of clothing step by step, today's maid outfits have undergone tremendous changes compared to the past. Whether it is the richness of the types and content, or the ambiguous attributes given to the clothes themselves, they are incomparable to the past.

However, for Hayasaka Ai, who came up with the idea of ​​a maid outfit and actually wears one in her daily life, she didn't really think too much about it.

She simply noticed that Gao Hai had been in a bad mood lately due to the approaching opening of the dungeon, and since this opportunity had come up, she decided to try to help him relieve some of the pressure. As for her own Kaguya-sama... well, whatever. Even if she really mustered up the courage to go for it, she'd just be a weakling who would be defeated by her master in a few rounds anyway.

Of course, there's nothing that can be done about it; people's constitutions are inherently different, and Hayasaka couldn't have predicted that Kaguya would have such a sensitive constitution. Even in normal friendly activities, she could produce such an effect; it's unimaginable what would happen if she were given more intense activities.

"Um, does dressing like this really make a difference?"

As I pondered, Kaguya's hesitant voice rang out beside me.

Hayasaka looked up and saw Kaguya Shinomiya, who had already changed into a maid outfit and was hesitating over the last headdress, seemingly still undecided about putting it on.

The black and white outfit has a slightly simple style and does not emphasize sexiness in consideration of the wearer's characteristics. It is more like a traditional maid outfit. Combined with Kaguya's cool temperament and the faint blush on her cheeks at this moment, it shows a kind of pitiful contrast.

Especially the slightly trembling cat ears and the tail wagging behind her due to nervousness, add a rare touch of charm to this conservative maid outfit, which is quite rare.

If we were to use a dish as a metaphor, this young lady in her current state would undoubtedly be considered a delicious dessert by men. Especially a man with such a strong libido as her master, he certainly wouldn't refuse such a young lady.

Come to think of it... if it were a few months ago, I probably couldn't have imagined that the aloof young lady would become like this now, right?

Hayasaka, realizing this, couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.

Although she's become much less intelligent, the young lady now seems truly alive, unlike the one who learned cunning and deceit in the Shinomiya household, clumsily imitating the sordid adults. Without her master, she would probably never have become who she is today. In that sense, her master actually saved her.

"Perfect. If you can maintain this state when you appear before your master, Miss, you will definitely be able to attract him."

Composing himself, Hayasaka gave Kaguya's maid outfit a thumbs up and offered a serious evaluation.

"Ugh, I feel a little humiliated. To actually have to appear in front of Gao Jun dressed as a maid..."

However, Kaguya herself remained hesitant and seemed to have some reservations.

"It's just a dress. If you keep hesitating, Miss, it's hard to say whether Master will get tired of seeing other people's maid outfits. Don't forget that everyone else is changing clothes, and soon everyone will be showing off their maid outfits to Master."

Hayasaka knew his mistress's character perfectly well, so he simply pushed Kaguya out.

"Hey, wait a minute, Hayasaka, don't be in such a hurry, I'm not ready yet..."

Amidst the chaotic sounds, Kaguya was pushed by Hayasaka out of the changing room and headed towards the small living room on the second floor where Takami was.

Maki and Chika were changing clothes in another room. Hayasaka had prepared a wide variety of styles and designs, so the two of them probably wouldn't be able to come out immediately. This meant that Kaguya, who had already chosen her style in advance and could change into it, had a time advantage.