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

Somewhat puzzled, Gao Hai turned around and saw that the girl had lowered her head, and the roots of her ears were already bright red.

"Actually... I'm really looking forward to it too..."

Zhenfei's voice was so soft that Gao Hai, who was standing in front of her, had to listen carefully to hear it clearly.

"Are you looking forward to it?"

Gao Hai, who didn't immediately understand what the other person meant, paused for a moment.

"Hmm... I'm really looking forward to having a baby with Haijun too..."

The girl raised her head, revealing her cheeks, which were completely flushed with embarrassment.

Her voice trembled slightly; for this reserved girl, it clearly took a lot of courage to say such things.

Upon hearing these words, Gao Hai had to admit that Maki's shy yet resolute words stirred a powerful tremor in his heart. He was so overwhelmed that he lost all control and embraced the girl right there in the street.

"Don't hug me in the street, it's embarrassing."

The girl, her voice now soft and weak, uttered words of refusal, but her small hands clung tightly to Gao Hai, and her head buried deeply in his chest.

This feeling is so good.

Feeling the warmth in his arms, Gao Hai was filled with emotion.

Then, he noticed the only other passerby on this quiet street besides himself and Maki.

At that moment, the passerby was taking pictures of Gao Hai and Zhen Fei embracing with his phone, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Maki is really bold, isn't she? Looking forward to having a baby with Akai. I wonder what everyone's reaction would be if they saw Maki like this?"

Fujiwara Chika, who was supposed to be on a date with Takami today according to the schedule, stood openly across the street and spoke directly after noticing Takami's gaze, causing the girl in Takami's arms to freeze instantly.

"You...you...you...when did you get here?!"

Princess Zhenfei's reaction was extremely strong.

She jumped out of Gao Hai's arms almost immediately, even instinctively trying to escape to the side. If Gao Hai hadn't grabbed Zhenfei in time, she might have retreated dozens of meters away in one breath. And even though Gao Hai grabbed her hand and prevented her from escaping, Zhenfei was still very vigilant, almost instinctively hiding behind Gao Hai.

If someone else had seen her, such as her great-aunt, Maki was certain she wouldn't have reacted so violently.

But Chika was different. This fat woman, Fujiwara Chika, was the only one who was different. She was the one who initially stole Kai-kun's heart and, you could say, single-handedly guided Kai-kun's harem life. Only when facing this person did Maki feel a sense of weakness, like facing a predator on the food chain, a sense of powerlessness that no matter how she planned, she would find it difficult to defeat her.

For this reason, Maki didn't want Chika to know too much about her. She could control this aversion while in the dungeon, but it was hard to control after returning to the real world. Even though Maki and Chika had played various games with Takami, such as Jenga, more than once and could be considered very compatible sisters, she was still wary of this Chaos Demon and always treated her with suspicion.

"I apologize, I kept Maki with me for a while this morning. The time for the rest of you will be postponed accordingly, is that alright?"

Gao Hai naturally waved to Qian Hua with his other hand and said with a smile.

"Since Ahai has said so, of course I have no objections. But I really didn't expect that Little Zhenfei would be so bold. Hehe, it seems I'll have to work hard for the next day. Oh right, Ahai, have you seen the message I sent you today? It's about the [Historian]."

As they spoke, Chika nimbly crossed the road to stand beside Gao Hai and naturally steered the conversation toward serious matters.

Only then did Gao Hai notice a message Qianhua had forwarded to his phone. It was about an internal research project by the [Historians], attempting to create something that might surpass the limits of Red Moon-level core artifacts in power and enter uncharted territory through the assembly and resonance of different mental Red Moon-level obsession objects. The reason this top-secret information, originally intended for the [Historians], had reached Qianhua and Gao Hai was simple: the [Historians] had actually created a prototype with practical application value. However, this prototype was extremely dangerous; testing revealed that even ordinary Red Moon-level players couldn't withstand its corrosive effects. Therefore, these individuals began recruiting volunteers globally to participate in the experiment.

So, are they looking for guinea pigs to volunteer? I have a feeling this will be a lot of trouble. These historians' ability to stir things up might be even more impressive than I expected.

After learning from the message forwarded by Qianhua that he had also received an invitation from the [Historian], Gao Hai sighed to himself and clicked on the attached image to see what this strange thing, which was assembled from multiple Red Moon-level obsession objects, was.

The next moment, Gao Hai saw a massive chair made of heavy metal, connected by various pipes, with bloodstains and twisted, blasphemous components, covered with sharp needles and all sorts of ominous-looking links.

[Throne of Thinking]

This is the name of the plan left at the end of the document.

Interlude 4-19: Things to be Ignored for Now and What Chika Conveys

Could this be something like a "golden throne"?

After confirming the chair's general function, Gao Hai couldn't help but have this thought.

However, judging from appearance alone, Gao Hai felt that this thing was more like the upgrade chair from The Evil Within, since there were quite a few things inside that looked like medical equipment.

Regardless of the possibility, the only thing Gao Hai can confirm right now is that this thing will definitely bring extremely cruel torment to the user. After all, putting everything else aside, the various devices that obviously need to be physically connected to the user's body already vividly illustrate the price that needs to be paid to activate this thing.

So what exactly is the effect of this thing? If it's about boosting mental power, Gao Hai feels that his current mental power level has already surpassed the core level of the Red Moon. However, in practical terms, this level of mental power is only enough to withstand the power of Earth's native gods. Judging from the experience that the next round of dungeons will inevitably be more terrifying than the last, Gao Hai thinks that this level of power probably won't be very useful.

Forget it, I'm not getting involved in this anyway.

Although the historians had invited Gao Hai to participate in the testing, Gao Hai's attitude was very decisive. For him, the most important thing right now was enjoying his hard-won daily life. He would absolutely not do anything else unless absolutely necessary, especially something that looked troublesome and required hardship. For Gao Hai right now, the only thing worth his attention was how to spend more time with his girls; nothing else mattered!

"Anyway, let's not worry about this for now. Chika, have you decided where to go on your date this afternoon?"

After bidding farewell to Maki, Takami looked at the pink-haired girl standing beside him and asked a question, seemingly completely unconcerned about the historian's research.

"I thought Ah Hai would be a little interested in this device. Well, in that case, let's go play with it together."

Qianhua tilted her head, and after confirming that Gao Hai was truly not interested in the invitation, she immediately changed the subject and cheerfully led him off.

On the afternoon of the sixth day after the end of the 【Infant Cry Village】 instance, the journey began as Gao Hai and Qian Hua made their way forward together.

So, what kind of activities will this girl arrange?

Having grown accustomed to Chika's unpredictable nature, Gao Hai was still somewhat curious, especially since Chika had done things that surprised him more than once before. However, contrary to the various bizarre ideas Gao Hai had guessed, Chika simply took him to a fancy restaurant for lunch, then bought two cups of milk tea, and then watched a movie together—all the usual, mundane activities of a typical couple's date.

Is there really no "special surprise" this time?

"My sister recommended this restaurant. What do you think? Will Ahai be able to handle this kind of food?"

"How about it, Ah Hai? Want to try my drink?"

"If you're looking for a movie, I'll pick a comedy. I really like this dog movie; the animal actor in it looks a lot like Pace."

During the date, Chika would occasionally chuckle and chat with Takahashi, without making any strange moves.

As the process unfolded, Gao Hai had to admit he was genuinely surprised. He had been prepared for Chika to take him to sample all sorts of bizarre cuisines, participate in some strange niche activities, or even just spend the whole day doing whatever he wanted. But none of his expectations came true. Chika seemed like a completely different person. The itinerary she planned was utterly ordinary, completely lacking her usual whimsical flair, and her interactions with her were no longer the silly, cheerful person she used to be.

"What's wrong? Why is Ah Hai looking at me like I'm an alien today?"

Noticing Gao Hai's reaction beside her, Qianhua turned around and asked with a grin. Her smug expression made Gao Hai realize that she probably knew his impression of her, so she deliberately did the opposite and used her calm actions to surprise him.

Is it really necessary to go to such lengths? Or is this guy actually holding back something, just waiting for me to let my guard down before revealing it?

Realizing that the other party had some intentions, Gao Hai chuckled and casually put his arm around the girl, his expression becoming indifferent.

"I'm fine with whatever you do, whether it's ordinary or special, you can do whatever makes you happy today."

As he said this, Takahashi reached out and put his arm around Chika. The girl just smiled and said "Hey" when she heard this, and then led Takahashi to the next destination.

The next target was somewhat unexpected for Gao Hai, as Qian Hua took him directly to the school.

ding dong -- ding dong --

As the long bell rang, the students returned to their classrooms, opened their books and notebooks, and began a new lesson.

For these ordinary students who are unaware of the impending apocalypse, their daily lives will remain unchanged. Players like Kaguya Maki, who are still attending school, are essentially maintaining their lives as ordinary people in this way; they simply haven't yet been able to shed the ties and habits of their past lives.

However, even if they still want to maintain their old habits, when necessary, everyone will still choose to ask for leave or simply skip class, at most altering the perception of ordinary people in the school to avoid leaving a stain of being late or leaving early. Just like Chika today, she used the power of her obsession object to erase her leave record in advance, making the teacher and students naturally believe that she did attend classes for a day.

"It's really a rare feeling to be able to walk around the school freely during class without worrying about being caught by the disciplinary committee. Waaah, I've always been a well-behaved and law-abiding student. It seems that Ahai has corrupted me."

As Chika walked along the path in the school, she spoke with some emotion, deliberately turning back to poke Gao Hai's waist while smiling at him.

"How did it become that I led you astray? You're accusing me first, or I might teach you a lesson."

Gao Hai said with a hint of helplessness. He knew that Qian Hua was deliberately being unreasonable, so he made a fierce expression and reached out to grab her. As a result, Qian Hua immediately ran away and made a face at Gao Hai.

What are we going to do now?

Gao Hai was taken aback when he didn't expect the other party to run away so quickly. Then he saw Qian Hua turn around and smile in the distance. Only then did he realize what the other party wanted to do. Gao Hai smiled as well and took a step to chase after her.

So, amidst the teachers' slow, deliberate, or rhythmic lectures, Gao Hai and Qian Hua would occasionally wander in and out of the classrooms, playing a somewhat childish game of tag. Occasionally, Qian Hua would accidentally bump into a teacher or student, forcing Gao Hai to quickly correct the situation and restore everything to normal to prevent further problems.

Sometimes Chika would deliberately hide under a storage box or an empty table, making a dodging motion, and Takahashi would play along, pretending not to see her and walking right past. Then she would deliberately jump out to scare Takahashi, and then run away again.

Sometimes, if Gao Hai pursued her too closely, she would deliberately sneak into the women's restroom and solemnly make an "X" with her hands at the door to indicate that she could not enter, then climb out the window and run to another place.

Throughout this process, neither the teachers nor the students noticed the two of them. Since Gao Hai had already distorted his and Qian Hua's existence with his mental power beforehand, they could simply swagger past these people without being noticed. However, if they accidentally bumped into each other, it would still arouse suspicion, requiring Gao Hai to perform a mental correction to avoid any problems.

I really don't understand what this girl is trying to do.

Although he didn't quite understand, Gao Hai was still willing to play with Qian Hua. In a sense, doing these slightly childish things also brought back a lot of memories for Gao Hai. After all, as an orphan, he rarely had time to immerse himself in play and fun, even as a child. Now, he felt a sense of nostalgia for the past, which made Gao Hai quite emotional.

Finally, Chika ran into an abandoned music room and sat down at a piano, no longer running away. Takami followed her in and stood behind her. Chika then leaned back into Takami's arms, looked up at him, and laughed again.

"I actually rarely played this kind of game when I was a kid."

Qianhua said with a slightly wistful tone.

So you're also reminiscing about your childhood?

Gao Hai couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

"After all, my family has very strict rules. I'm not allowed to touch video games, and I'm restricted from playing any games with other kids. Ugh, thinking about it carefully, it's because my parents are always restricting me in this and that that I deliberately go against them, right? Of course, I know they mean well, but this way of deliberately tormenting and restricting me is very unpleasant."

Chika puffed out her cheeks slightly and complained to Gao Hai about her family.

You could tell from her words that she was quite emotional. It seems that although she usually appears to be a silly, cheerful girl, she actually has her own worries and pressures in her heart.

However, he didn't hear any truly extreme negative emotions like disgust or hatred. On the contrary, Gao Hai could sense from Qian Hua's words that, despite the various conflicts that often arose between them, she and her family undoubtedly loved each other sincerely and were genuinely devoted to each other.

Even though this effort wasn't always accepted in its form, and occasionally it even led to conflict, Gao Hai could sense that Chika and her family were constantly searching for ways to adapt to and improve each other in their interactions. Just like Chika's frequent complaints about not being allowed to play games, if her parents were truly so strict as to forbid their daughter from engaging in any recreational activities, how could she have joined the board game club at school, or developed so many other hobbies?

He felt a little emotional. He couldn't really understand these things. The things Chika was complaining about and talking about were somewhat unfamiliar to Gao Hai. But since she was willing to confide in him about these things, Gao Hai felt it was necessary to listen carefully, at least to be a good listener.

"Speaking of which, Ah Hai, you haven't heard me play the piano before, have you? I used to be really good at it, you know. Want to hear me play?"

Then, without warning, Chika changed the subject, blinked at Gao Hai, and suddenly asked.

"Hmm? Sure, although I might not understand it very well, I would definitely like to hear it if Chika played it."

Although he didn't quite understand why the girl brought up such a topic, Gao Hai naturally answered very seriously and immediately moved a chair over and sat down not far from Chika.

"I haven't played in a long time, Ah Hai, you can't be disgusted by it."

Before she began to play, Chika, unusually, showed a somewhat insecure expression, took a light breath, looked back at Gao Hai, and said.

"How could that be? Don't look down on me for not knowing music theory. Let's get started."

Gao Hai immediately responded with a serious thumbs-up, while Qian Hua glanced at him a few more times before finally taking a deep breath and turning to face the piano in front of her.

Soon, melodious music echoed in the classroom.