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

Even though his senses didn't detect anything unusual, and he didn't find any clear trace of a strange creature behind him, Gao Hai immediately knew that he had become the "target who had come knocking" after he felt that mysterious thing tugging at his sleeve.

While staying inside designated residences in Liu Family Village during the day offers relative safety, it's not absolute. These houses also harbor dangerous and eerie creatures. However, compared to those on the streets, they are usually less active, so as long as one is cautious and discreet, nothing untoward will occur.

Well, at least that's what the rule sheet says.

Gao Hai silently recalled the contents of the rule list he had heard from Kaguya, and the force tugging at his sleeve reappeared at this moment, and was clearly more urgent than before.

{Haijun, from my perspective, there's nothing behind you.}

Zhenfei cautiously observed Gao Hai's back for a while before finally speaking softly through the mental link.

{What are your specific feelings right now? Does that thing pose a danger to you, Ahai?}

Chika, who cautiously approached, obviously couldn't see if there was anything strange behind Gao Hai, so she asked a question in the mental link as well.

{I don't sense any danger yet, but this thing seems very eager to confront me. If this drags on any longer, I'm not sure what it will do. I can feel its aura growing increasingly dangerous.}

As Gao Hai answered in the mental link, he took out a 20-sided gold die from his black watch, tossed it up, caught it, clenched his fist, and then opened his palm. The die's face-up side displayed the number [4], an unmistakable number representing misfortune and bad luck.

To roll such a number is really bad.

Gao Hai, who had only wanted to try his luck with the dice, suddenly showed the displeasure of the old man on the subway. He hadn't thought too much about it when he threw the dice, just wanted to see if it would be dangerous to look back at it. But when the dice rolled such a number, he immediately dared not turn around and just sat there motionless with a serious expression.

However, even though he continued to sit still, the thing behind him showed no sign of stopping and kept tugging at his clothes.

"Senior, there's a voice behind you. It sounds like a little boy."

Miko didn't turn around. Under Takami's orders, only this girl with powerful senses was forbidden from turning to check what was behind him. After all, nothing would happen even if others looked over, but if she did, the situation might escalate. Even so, with her back to Takami, Miko still sensed something and heard the voice coming from behind him.

Be careful, things could get complicated if that thing targets you. Can you be sure you're safe right now?

Gao Hai didn't rush to get information from Jianzi. Instead, he cautiously asked a question first, because he really didn't want Jianzi's tragic death at the beginning of the third playthrough at Yelu Mountain Middle School to happen again.

{No problem, that voice... its focus is on you, senior.}

The girl gently shook her head, then continued to listen attentively.

He's pressed close to your back; he seems to want to say something to you.

{Hmm... I can't quite make out what he's saying; it sounds like something's blocking his voice...}

But one thing is certain: he is very anxious, extremely anxious, and his anxiety is escalating.

Seeing that Zi had closed her eyes, she answered in the mental link while trying to perceive the thing behind Gao Hai more carefully.

Okay, stop listening. I have other ways to test the waters.

However, Gao Hai stopped the girl's behavior through the mental link, and then with a wave of his hand, he took out a small pencil from his black watch.

The Pen of the Obsessive, a Red Moon-level obsession item that Takami obtained from Akira Toyama in the Hayate Elementary School instance and has no intention of returning, has the effect of allowing the user to draw the appearance of the related ghost or related items using the user's blood after coming into contact with the power of ghost stories. Furthermore, the user will be strongly influenced by the related ghost during and after the drawing process and will perceive the negative emotions of the ghost before its death.

In Gao Hai's opinion, this thing was perfect for this situation. At least compared to letting Jianzi come into contact with a strange creature of unknown origin and danger, it was better for him to operate it himself, since he was stronger in terms of both mental strength and survival ability.

Without hesitation, Gao Hai started painting directly on the sandy ground. After all, the pigment for this thing was his blood, so he could still paint on such a surface.

Although Zhenfei and the others were very worried, to ensure their safety, they had all turned around to guard their surroundings and prevent more strange creatures from approaching Gao Hai. Gao Hai himself, who continued to sit in place, carefully sketched for a while, or rather, the pen guided Gao Hai's hand to draw for a while, and gradually drew a human figure.

He was a thin young boy, who looked to be no more than ten years old.

The boy was holding a small wooden box, and his expression was very urgent, as if he was looking for someone and wanted to say something to them.

What was he trying to say?

Gao Hai lowered his head and turned one ear toward the other person.

[Let's go, little Taoist priest!]

Then a somewhat childish voice entered Gao Hai's ears.

Don't look for your master anymore, you should leave now.

If you don't leave now, you really won't be able to leave.

Hurry up! Hurry up!

It was as if the boy were really standing in front of him, shoving the small box into his arms, and speaking loudly and anxiously to him.

Then, something came from a distance.

In the darkness, the shadows gradually spread, steadily approaching Gao Hai's location.

Young Taoist priest? Master?

Gao Hai frowned. Was what he heard just now the voice of the strange boy? Or was it a fragment of memory left over from when the thing was still alive?

His thinking did not last long.

As the pencil stopped automatically and the complete drawing of the boy was completed, a strong chill suddenly erupted behind Gao Hai, followed by a series of crazy and intense emotions being released in Gao Hai's mind.

pain.

The pain was so intense that it caused almost complete spasms throughout the body.

This feeling...is this...the feeling of being eaten?

Having already experienced being eaten alive once at Yoruyama Middle School, and with Kaguya Maki and another beautiful girl dining together, Takami immediately noticed the similarities between the two experiences. However, compared to Takami's experience, this boy's situation was somewhat different.

It seems... they started eating from the face...

The flesh was torn apart, the eyes and nose were bitten off, and all the bones in the body were broken. The person fainted from the intense pain, then woke up from the pain, and then fainted again.

He couldn't scream because his throat had been forced down his throat and was completely burned.

Struggling was out of the question; his limbs had already been broken long before the meal even began.

It's like a specially prepared offering.

Yes, for a traitor, isn't this the only natural outcome?

As everyone has seen, I didn't want to do this, but this child is so disrespectful to Your Majesty, even trying to collude with outsiders to help them escape.

[Tsk tsk, if we just let this kind of thing go unchecked, will it work? If things continue like this, how can our Liu Family Village possibly recover?]

"That definitely won't do, right? So, stop sighing and complaining here. Just have another one. Besides, it was supposed to be your family's turn this year anyway. It's a bit early, but as long as you make up for it with the newborn next year, Her Majesty won't blame you."

Is anyone talking nearby?

His tone was slow and deliberate, mature and earnest, and his words were full of earnest meaning.

I heard the sound of someone kneeling down and kowtowing in gratitude. It seemed to be a man and a woman, neither of them particularly old.

Are they the child's parents?

Chieftain, we all know that we failed to keep a close eye on the children this time.

[Alas, what a pity. Her Majesty must be very dissatisfied this time. These outsiders are hateful. If it weren't for these two swindlers, how could we have lost so much face?!]

No sadness or pain can be heard.

The man sighed, and the woman muttered angrily. Neither of them was in a good mood, but Gao Hai couldn't sense any emotion directed at the child in their voices.

They... were not upset because of the death of their child.

They were just upset and angry because their child didn't listen to them.

How could this be?

Gao Hai couldn't help but have this thought in his mind.

Gao Hai sensed the child's bewildered thoughts in the final moments of his life.

hum-

Amidst the intense chill, Gao Hai knelt on the ground, breathing heavily for several moments.

The damage to his consciousness was stronger than expected. Although he was only sensing the residual consciousness of a child, this consciousness seemed to be connected to something extraordinary. So much so that the force, through this connection, made slight contact with Gao Hai, bringing him a rather intense mental shock.

Of course, it was just a mental stimulus, and for Gao Hai, it was a situation that he could ignore after taking a few seconds to adjust his breathing.

What's the situation around us?

Gao Hai asked in the mental link.

Fortunately, there are no abnormalities so far; the strange creatures outside haven't noticed the commotion inside.

"Fortunately, there are no abnormalities so far. Those strange creatures outside haven't noticed the movements inside the house."

Maki's voice quickly answered Gao Hai.

{Yeah, everything's fine around here. How about you, senpai?}

"Hmm, everything's fine around here. How about you, senior?"

Jianzi's voice also rang out.

{Nothing unusual happened inside. Hmm, your willpower is terrifying! To recover so quickly after using the [Persistent Pen] to contact the monster's power, you must be lying.}

Kita rarely spoke, but he commented on Takami's behavior with a tone of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex feeling of mixed emotions, often including regret or apprehension).

"...?"

The next moment, Gao Hai raised his head with some confusion, looking into the room and at the four people who were watching him with concern: Shijou Maki, Fujiwara Chika, Shinomiya Kaguya, and Hayasaka Ai, as well as Yotsuya Miko, who was still facing away from him to avoid triggering anything.

Kita Ikuyo's figure floated to the side, merely a phantom in his vision. The red-haired girl, seeing Takami suddenly staring intently at her, felt a little uneasy, crossed her arms, took a step back, and asked, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

wink.

Gao Hai turned his head and looked at the five girls in the room again, looking at their faces, which were no different from those in his memory.

Then, his pupils constricted sharply as he instantly realized the situation he was in.

{Mahime, Chika, Miko, don't speak in any way other than through the mental link! Quickly remind Kaguya and Hayasaka not to speak in any way other than through the mental link! Immediately get away from the version of me you're seeing right now, right now!}

Gao Hai shouted loudly in the mental link.

Then, standing before him, Maki paused for a moment before asking:

"Why are you suddenly speaking so loudly, Haijun? And why are you staying away from me?! Wait, why are you staying away from me?!"

Princess Zhenfei's face showed a shocked expression.

She seemed to realize something and suddenly accelerated back towards the door. Chika, who was beside her, also reacted immediately and pulled Miko along, running towards the door as well.

But their running stopped just as they began.

Or rather, the figures on Gao Hai's side only made a move at the beginning before suddenly stopping.

A chilly atmosphere began to gather inside the room.