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

So the two of them remained in that position, chatting casually while the ear-cleaning process continued.

"This is my first time cleaning someone's ears, so please don't be annoyed by my clumsiness, Master~"

"No, how could I possibly dislike it?"

"Hehe, I knew my master was the best to me, but Ah Hai still has a lot to learn when it comes to coaxing women."

"Please spare me this kind of thing. You know I'm not good at talking."

"Hmph, how can a man say no at a time like this? Ah Hai should express his love openly and generously, and it would be best if he were a bit assertive."

"I always feel that the image of me you have in mind is more like a domineering CEO, and you seem to be getting bolder and bolder lately."

"Hehe, isn't this good? Ah Hai gets excited every time too, doesn't he?"

"Yes, that's undeniable. I've certainly gained a lot of new knowledge, although with that knowledge I've started to feel a bit strange myself... By the way, didn't you switch back to how you address me as you were talking? That's a bit unprofessional of a maid."

"Alright, alright, this ear is clean now, Ah Hai, lie on the other side."

"Ah."

Gao Hai rolled over on the sofa, and this time his gaze was directly facing Qian Hua's belly. Because the girl was slightly bent over, Gao Hai's profile could clearly feel a soft pressure.

"Okay, stop moving."

Before Gao Hai could give a detailed evaluation of the sensation, Qian Hua spoke in a very serious tone, and then a tingling sensation spread through her ears.

The delicate fragrance of the thousand flowers seemed to become even clearer.

It's as if your whole body is covered by flower petals, and you gradually can't smell any other scents.

"call--"

Subconsciously, Gao Hai took a deep breath in and out.

At this moment, Chika's movements also paused slightly.

Unlike Kaguya Hayasaka's more traditional and conservative maid outfit, Chika's maid outfit was the kind of sexy lingerie that she would never wear in public. Not only were the sleeves and skirt extremely short, offering virtually no coverage, but the design also featured a large area of ​​openwork and cutouts at the chest. As a result, Takami's breath rushed to the girl's collarbone, making her clearly feel a warm breeze flowing over her body.

Ugh, this feels awful.

They seemed to be getting a little excited.

Unfortunately, the current situation isn't quite right, and neither Kaguya nor Maki clearly intends to do anything like that. It seems what happened in the gymnasium last time was quite a shock to them, and they'll need to tone it down for now.

"call--"

Ugh, here we go again.

Is Ah Hai deliberately playing a trick on me?

A faint blush appeared on Chika's face.

"Why did you suddenly become so quiet? This isn't like you at all."

Noticing a change in Chika's emotions, Takahashi asked her about it.

"...It's nothing, I was just tricked by some idiot."

The girl didn't answer directly, but just snorted.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm very sorry, please forgive me."

Hearing her feigned anger, Gao Hai couldn't help but chuckle, then replied in a deliberately affected tone.

"That's when he starts to talk big. Ah Hai is such a terrible man, even though I'm trying my best to serve him."

"Thank you very much. I will give a five-star review after the service is completed."

"That's not enough. It should be at least fifty stars."

"Is this scoring system really that complicated? I understand now, but Qianhua has always received the highest score from me."

"Hmph, is Ah Hai's highest score a joint first place result shared by several people, with no second place?"

"Ha, you figured that out! No wonder you're a love detective."

"How awful Ahai is! How can he admit it so confidently? So Ahai really is a terrible man."

"I'll gratefully accept this compliment. If you could add a few more 'perverted idiot' or similar words, I'd be even happier."

"Ugh, is this the type of guy I've fallen for? I feel like there's no hope for me..."

Amidst their lighthearted and playful conversation, the atmosphere between the two clearly improved.

Hayasaka, who was not far away, silently watched the interaction between the two on the sofa, carefully remembering the topics Chika and Takami discussed and their tone and expression, preparing to add them to his exclusive database for analysis.

Because it was Maki's turn next, the girl wasn't here at the moment; she had gone elsewhere. So, only Kaguya was standing beside Hayasaka, watching Takami and Chika's interaction.

But this person's reaction was completely different.

"Woo..."

His fist clenched.

The black cat's tail was swinging vigorously from side to side, indicating its terrible mood.

accurate!

His dark red eyes glared fiercely at Chika, who burst into laughter once again.

So annoying!

Two little feet were already stomping on the ground unconsciously.

I'm so annoyed! ...

At this moment, Kaguya Shinomiya was undoubtedly consumed by the flames of jealousy. Just watching Chika and Takami interact made her grit her teeth in hatred, giving Hayasaka the feeling that she was about to pounce on Chika and scratch her a few times.

"Without the other party's tacit approval and cooperation, it would have been difficult for Miss to get to where she is now. And now you still have to be unhappy with the other party? As expected, among all the people Master knows, Miss, you are the most troublesome one."

Seeing the other person's expression, Hayasaka held back for a long time, but finally couldn't help but retort.

"Because it's hard to resist in the first place. Don't you feel unhappy about this, Hayasaka?"

Kaguya turned around angrily and asked, but although she was very unhappy, she still lowered her voice to avoid disturbing the two people in the living room.

"...Possessiveness is definitely present, so there will inevitably be some resentment and helplessness when sharing. However, our master truly cares for us; he gave us life, a bright future he earned through pain and suffering. Under such circumstances, I feel I can tolerate and accommodate others, especially since I was the one who came later, and in essence, I have no right to be jealous of others. Hmm, on this point, I must especially criticize you, Miss. As the first person to know our master, how did you fall behind me?"

Hayasaka, with a serious expression, gave a solemn explanation before launching a final attack on Kaguya.

Kaguya Shinomiya opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but found that she had no idea where to begin.

As for my relationship with Gao Jun... I didn't want it to be like this. I've tried so hard to come up with several plans and created many perfect schemes to "show my charm and make Gao Hai fall in love with me," but in the end, I always fail because of various problems. It's just bad luck.

That's right, the fault wasn't mine, it was fate.

Unwilling to admit her defeat, Kaguya Shinomiya tried every possible reason and excuse to justify herself, completely forgetting her act of running away after Takami confessed his feelings to her.

And it was at this moment that the interaction between the two in the living room came to an end.

"Alright, now both ears are cleaned. How does it feel, Ah Hai? Do you feel any better?"

He reached out and gently stroked Gao Hai's head.

Qianhua's voice was gentle, with a hint of doting.

"Hmm, thank you. It seems I've been feeling really bad lately."

Gao Hai simply lay on the girl's lap with his eyes closed, and softly thanked her as if in a dream.

"Ah Hai can't say thank you to me. After all, he's done so much more for me and for everyone, and we're not just 'friends' or anything like that, are we? Saying thank you to family members can sound a bit distant."

Gently, Chika reached out and hugged Gao Hai's head and shoulders, bending down to completely envelop Gao Hai's face in her soft touch.

Gao Hai simply hummed in response. Feeling sleepy, he closed his eyes and almost fell asleep right there in Qian Hua's arms.

"Isn't that a bit too cunning? If Haijun falls asleep directly, wouldn't I be skipped over?"

However, immediately afterward, amidst Maki's somewhat displeased voice, Takami, realizing that the current phase was not yet over, opened his eyes, reluctantly broke free from Chika's embrace, and quickly sat up straight, looking at Maki standing not far away.

Just as Maki and Kaguya are closely related, and share similarities in physique and style, their fashion sense is also quite similar. Maki's maid outfit, like Kaguya's, is a rather conservative style. However, unlike Kaguya, Maki isn't so shy that she trembles when she speaks; instead, she exudes a sense of elegance and nobility. Gazing at this girl, Takahashi was momentarily unsure whether he or she was the servant.

"Well, I'm not sure what kind of service to prepare. So, I brought some desserts from the kitchen. Anyway, this is only for today. Today, I can feed Kai-kun desserts. This kind of service won't be available again."

Gao Hai's feelings vanished quickly after Maki spoke. The girl's graceful demeanor lasted only a short time before her defenses crumbled, and as her cheeks flushed and she began to stammer, she reverted to being the adorable, haughty girl she always was.

"Oh, I will do my best to enjoy Princess Maki's service."

Gao Hai, sitting up straight, answered earnestly.

"Don't go all out on this kind of thing, it's weird!"

Maki frowned and complained loudly. She strode forward and sat down next to Gao Hai, holding a small plate of dessert in her hand.

Chika covered her mouth and laughed, then moved closer, leaving Takahashi sandwiched between the two girls.

Then, Kaguya, who had already been watching for a while, was pushed in by Hayasaka again. The girl with long black hair and the girl with long blonde hair also sat on the sofa, making the already small sofa even more crowded.

The living room was filled with noisy noises and laughter. Gao Hai ate a few pieces of dessert that Zhen Fei fed him and took the opportunity to lick her hand, which made the girl glare at him several times in embarrassment.

Soon after, Chika started stirring things up again, trying to get everyone to play her homemade game, which caused another mess.

Unconsciously, Gao Hai's heavy mood about the approaching opening of the dungeon eased, and he felt much more relaxed.

Time passed slowly, and the opening of the fourth official dungeon was getting closer and closer.

Five days... four days... three days...

On the second-to-last day before the dungeon opened, Gao Hai, who was all ready and prepared, suddenly received this message.

Nanami Aoyama has gone missing.

Interlude 3-74: The Missing Aoyama Nanami and the Investigation Team

When Gao Hai learned of Aoyama Nanami's disappearance, there was only one day left before the dungeon opened.

At first, Goto Ichiri hadn't come to Takami's place for a few nights without explaining why, and they inexplicably stopped contacting each other. Takami didn't pay much attention to this at first, since Goto Ichiri had her own life to live. However, Kita Ikuyo keenly sensed something was wrong and asked Takami to contact Goto Ichiri.

{Pochie-chan is quite withdrawn. If she doesn't contact anyone for a long time, it must be because she's encountered some difficulties. So, could you please ask her what's going on?}

Kita Ikuyo looked very experienced at the time, and Takami realized that there might be a problem with Goto Ichiri after being reminded of this. He quickly called Goto Ichiri and learned that Aoyama Nanami had been missing for several days. Goto Ichiri searched everywhere for her but could not find a trace.

The Market was completely unaware of this matter. It seems that after the Campus Ghost Stories arc ended, the connection between Aoyama Nanami and the Market faded.