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

{What should we do? There doesn't seem to be much to do at school... Hmm, let me think... Oh, wait a minute, Gao-kun, wait a minute. I need to go to the equipment storage area to take inventory after PE class. Let's find a place to rest after I get back.}

Kaguya, who hadn't grasped Takami's implied meaning, put on a serious expression and thought for a while. Then, remembering her responsibilities because of her teacher calling out to her from a short distance away, she apologized to Takami and stood up to leave.

Oh, perfect timing! I'll go too.

Then, after thinking for less than a second, Gao Hai stood up and followed Kaguya.

{Huh, is this one coming along too?}

Kaguya was taken aback, not quite understanding why Takami had to come along just to count the items.

{The sports warehouse in Japan is a very important spot for taking photos; you'd be missing out on life if you didn't go.}

At this moment, Gao Hai, who was speaking with righteous indignation, had an expression on his face that seemed to be that of someone on a pilgrimage.

{Hey, is the sports equipment warehouse really that special? Um, Gao Jun, if you want to come along, then let's go together.}

Kaguya, clearly even more confused by the statement, looked utterly bewildered, but still obediently complied with Takahashi's request.

Her confusion quickly turned into a blushing shyness after about five minutes.

Inside the deserted sports storage room, the door was closed and locked by mental energy, making it impossible to open. Students and teachers who wanted to open the door would forget their purpose and turn away due to the influence of the mental energy set up by Gao Hai.

Therefore, no one will come to disturb this quiet little warehouse now.

"Gao...Gao Jun...I really do have some issues here..."

Kaguya trembled slightly as she lay on a soft cushion on the side of the warehouse, looking up at the figure above her. She subconsciously wanted to move, but had to stop because of Takahashi's hands pressing down on both sides of her body.

"Hmm, we haven't tried this place before. Don't you think the atmosphere is quite nice?"

Having already entered battle mode, Gao Hai clearly wouldn't stop his actions because of the girl's embarrassment.

And so, under the dim, yellowish light, their warmth once again mingled.

No matter what hardships and suffering may lie ahead, at least for now, people still have time to hide away and relax, and time to rest and enjoy themselves.

In addition, these two are not actually without an audience.

"Can a mental power induce others' subconscious to leave? Master's power has increased a lot. If it weren't for the anchor point's identity, I probably wouldn't be able to hear the sounds inside, or even get close to this place."

Still somewhat worried about her young mistress, Hayasaka Ai secretly approached the small warehouse and pressed her ear against the door to listen to what was happening inside.

Judging from the sound and the noise, the young lady has truly grown up.

Wait a minute, she actually dared to hug her master's neck and gently bite him? Should we say she's not to be underestimated? Such a dramatic change in the young lady is truly heartening.

At this moment, Hayasaka Ai was finally able to relax. After observing the surroundings repeatedly to make sure that no one could detect the commotion and would not approach, she finally left quietly, just as quietly as she had come.

Interlude 4-32: Hayasaka Ai's Disguised Form and the Girl's True Feelings

On the afternoon of the eighth day after the end of the 【Infant Cry Village】 instance, it was time for the students to leave school.

After ending his tender moment with Kaguya, Takami, dressed in casual clothes, arrived at the school gate and quickly noticed Hayasaka Ai waiting by a small tree on the path near the gate.

After Miko, Maki, Chika, and Kaguya, the fifth person scheduled for a date is Hayasaka Ai.

Gao Hai suddenly realized he was actually quite busy. He had to go on dates with this girl one minute and that girl the next, and no matter how the dates went, they usually ended up involving physical labor. He could only say that it was fortunate that his physical abilities were indeed strong enough after he gradually became more superhuman; otherwise, if he maintained this frequency of battles, Gao Hai estimated that he would turn into a dried-up corpse in no time.

While he was thinking, Gao Hai had already stepped towards the blonde girl under the shade of the tree.

Hayasaka, who had noticed Takami's movements early on, also took a step forward, quickly turning into a jog, and finally threw herself into Takami's arms.

"Little Love?"

Gao Hai was stunned for a moment, not because she made a dog-like jumping motion, but because she had changed her clothes, making her look almost completely different.

"Hehe, how is it, Master? Do you like this outfit?"

Raising her head, the girl gently smoothed the braid behind her ear, then touched her lips, which were shimmering slightly in the sunset after applying lipstick, and gave Gao Hai an incredibly pure smile.

The high school students passing by didn't notice this scene. Under the influence of Gao Hai's mental power, no one else could see Hayasaka's cute appearance at this moment.

"If I had to give a rating, it would definitely be 100 points. Of course, no matter what kind of Xiao Ai she is, she's 100 points to me."

As Gao Hai said this, he lowered his head and gently bit the other person's jelly-like lips.

"Seriously, I'd be very proud of such ambiguous language."

She seemed to have transformed into a lively girl, similar to Chika, but not chaotic yet pure and innocent. She deliberately took two steps back, turned around, put her hands behind her back, bent slightly, and smiled at Gao Hai.

It's clear that Hayasaka is role-playing.

Moreover, this image is quite classic in the original manga. However, Takahashi doesn't really like the scenes in the original work where Hayasaka uses this look. Even though those scenes are relatively cheerful, they are still not very interesting to Takahashi.

As for why Hayasaka is role-playing during their date, Takami doesn't know the reason yet. But since she wants to act it out, he doesn't mind playing along, after all, she's his girl.

"So, my perfect and adorable girlfriend, where are you planning to take me next?"

So, Takahashi followed Hayasaka with a smile and reached out to take her hand.

"Then, Master, would you mind accompanying me shopping first, please?"

As Hayasaka said this, she naturally moved closer and took Takami's arm, and the two walked closely together on the street.

"Of course, let's go together then."

The other person's deliberate theatrical posture almost made Gao Hai burst out laughing, but in the end he managed to maintain his composure and continued walking down the street with Hayasaka.

The rest of their date unfolded like any ordinary young couple. They bought fruit tea and visited several clothing stores. Hayasaka generously changed outfits multiple times, from a seductive bikini to a pure white dress, and even revealing lingerie she couldn't show to others. She demonstrated each outfit to Takami several times. Afterwards, they ate dinner together at a small street-side restaurant, where they again tried feeding each other. Hayasaka even carefully scooped up soup with a spoon, blew on it, and then gently fed it to Takami.

The two then strolled along the beach. Hayasaka picked up a seashell, wiped off the sand, and placed it on her forehead before showing it to Takami. Takami then gently waved her hand, and the dull seashell became dazzling, sprouting a hairpin out of thin air, allowing Hayasaka to actually wear it in her hair. This became Takami's first gift to Hayasaka, although Hayasaka herself insisted on correcting her to calling it her second gift when Takami mentioned it.

That's a strange statement. Have I given Xiao Ai any other gifts before this?

Gao Hai, who was puzzled by this, thought about it for a long time but couldn't come up with an answer.

"Hehe, take this!"

While Takami hesitated and thought, Hayasaka suddenly took off his shoes and socks and walked into the sea, then splashed water directly at Takami.

Although he could easily dodge it if he wanted to, seeing that the girl wanted to play, Takami deliberately didn't dodge. Instead, he followed her into the water and splashed water on Hayasaka. The two of them played like children for a while until they were both soaked.

"Now I'll have to change my clothes and take a shower when I get back."

Hayasaka chuckled as he wrung out the water from the skirt.

"There's no need for all that trouble, but don't underestimate my power."

Gao Hai simply snapped his fingers, causing the seawater on their clothes and bodies to automatically detach and return to the sea, restoring them to their state as they had been half an hour earlier.

"That way, there's no need to change clothes and take a bath. But if Master does this, won't he be unable to take this opportunity to give out perks?"

Hayasaka blinked, and after confirming that his clothes were indeed completely dry, he looked at Takahashi with a somewhat strange tone and said.

"What are you thinking? Do I need this process if I want benefits?"

Then Gao Hai reached out and tapped him on the head.

The night gradually grew dark.

Takami and Hayasaka sat down together on the beach and stayed there until dusk and the full moon was high in the sky, without leaving.

"Where are you going next?"

Turning his head, Gao Hai looked at the girl sitting on the beach beside him and asked softly.

"Hehehe, I'm actually more interested in knowing where Master is planning to go?"

The girl blinked, but instead of answering Gao Hai directly, she threw the question back at him. Like a child, she leaned against Gao Hai, her head resting gently on his shoulder, her soft blonde hair exuding a fresh fragrance.

"Where do I want to go... that is indeed a problem. How about we just go home and sleep and rest together?"

After a brief moment of thought, Gao Hai gave this answer in a very serious manner.

"Hey, isn't this moving too fast? We've only been dating for a short while!"

Upon hearing this, Hayasaka almost couldn't hold back and started to complain, but she quickly regained her composure due to her high level of professionalism. However, she was somewhat helpless about Gao Hai's reaction and seriously wondered if it was because everyone had been working alone for the past few days that Gao Hai's energy hadn't been properly released.

If that's the case, then it's truly a terrible thing.

"No, no, no, I didn't mean that. What I meant was to let Xiao Ai get some rest and a good night's sleep."

But this time Gao Hai shook his head, solemnly stating that he wasn't there for Se Se.

Hayasaka's eyes were filled with obvious suspicion.

Clearly, Gao Hai's words were not very persuasive; in fact, based on his past performance, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were unconvincing.

"I really mean it. You always work so hard but never tell me. It breaks my heart."

However, Gao Hai was very serious this time. He really didn't plan to do anything intimate with Xiao Ai because he could really sense the girl's tired state through his mental power.

Her nerves had been on edge for a long time, and she was extremely exhausted, clearly having not slept well for quite some time. Now, less than eight days had passed since the [Infant Cry Village] instance, and given Hayasaka's powerful physique after receiving the blessing, such fatigue likely meant she hadn't had a proper rest since returning.

Gao Hai felt a pang of guilt. Although he'd been under considerable pressure these past few days, he'd managed to release it all thanks to his constant dates with the girls. Ai, however, clearly didn't have that same outlet. She'd been running around tirelessly for Gao Hai's prophecy. Unlike Kaguya, who only relayed orders to the family and didn't know how to participate in the actual affairs, Ai, as Kaguya's personal maid, understood some of the specifics of the operations. Therefore, with the family's resources mobilized, her workload increased significantly, making her under much more pressure than before.

Under this pressure, Gao Hai could vaguely sense that Xiao Ai herself was also under some pressure. After all, in the [Infant Cry Village] instance, Gao Hai had tried so hard to break down her defenses and establish a connection between them through wholehearted emotional interaction, but in the end, Xiao Ai couldn't truly open her heart. Gao Hai didn't blame her; instead, he chose to understand her. But Xiao Ai herself wasn't at peace with it. Because she knew it was her own fault.

The energetic, innocent, and adorable image of Hayasaka that now appears before Takami is, in reality, a facade. She doesn't want to show her true self to Takami. As always, this girl chooses to avoid her dates with Takami, opting for a fake facade to prevent him from seeing her tired and uncomfortable side.

I always feel like I'm being looked down upon.

"Take a good rest. You've been running around so much lately. I heard from Kaguya that the Shinomiya family's disaster prevention work has to go through you first before reaching Kaguya, right? You're exhausted every day, and then when it's your turn to go on a date with me, you still have to pretend to be someone else. I feel so embarrassed about you. What kind of man makes his girlfriend do that?"

Takahashi, with a very forceful attitude, pulled Hayasaka towards her home. Ai, who had originally wanted to continue pretending to be a pure and lively girl, was unsure how to react when she saw Takahashi's tough stance.

Then, under Gao Hai's coercion, she was led to brush her teeth, take a shower, change into her pajamas, and lie down on the bed.

"Um, Master... this..."

Hayasaka, who had been manipulated by Takami like a child the whole time, was somewhat confused about the situation. Or rather, even if she vaguely understood what Takami meant, she didn't dare to say it out loud, and only dared to secretly peek at him with timid eyes.

"Just get a good night's sleep. Don't talk about anything else right now. Just rest and recharge. Since you call me master, then listen to me, okay?"

Gao Hai simply leaned down and kissed Xiao Ai, then closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

This turn of events was unexpected for Hayasaka. She had deliberately dressed up today, intending to wear this disguise until nightfall and then properly serve Takami. For Hayasaka, who always felt she had done something wrong, this was the best and most suitable way to make amends to Takami. After all, she was skilled at acting, so whatever kind of service Takami wanted, whatever posture she wanted her to perform, she could do it perfectly.

In the end, she didn't do anything at all; she just went to sleep, and she really did just sleep.