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

There was no lie in her words, and her feelings were undoubtedly genuine; that much was true.

I love my master, I truly love my master.

The girl said to herself in her heart.

However, despite the deep love and care shown to him by his master, he...

She couldn't help but recall the events of the [Infant Cry Village] instance, and how she had yet to successfully establish the Andres Blessing Link with Gao Hai.

Perhaps it's because my heart wasn't sincere enough in the end? From the very beginning, I was the betrayer of the young lady, and now that I no longer have to betray anyone, I thought I could forget everything and be with the person I like. But in the end, I still can't escape the inferiority complex in my heart, and I can't bring myself to reveal all my feelings. I'm so useless.

"In that case, Xiao Ai isn't really a maid anymore, is she? After all, although you call him master, you're actually treating him less and less like a master, and more like someone you can rely on, someone you can put down your burdens on and depend on, isn't that right?"

Then, Xiao Ai felt her mother's fingers gently poking her cheek, and her mother's voice carried a hint of teasing.

"Uh, this...this..."

The girl, whose mother had exposed something about her, became flustered for a moment.

"Besides, even though you're already relying on the other person wholeheartedly, you're still holding back, aren't you?"

Then, the next sentence that came out of her own mother's mouth made Xiao Ai freeze.

"Now that Kaguya-sama has control of the Shinomiya family, neither Master Hikaru nor anyone else can harm her anymore. And the Hayasaka family, which was forced to split into different parts due to the Shinomiya family's heirs, is no longer constrained and can once again act as a whole. You no longer need to report to them every day. This is undoubtedly a good thing, isn't it?"

Nao Hayasaka sighed, gently rocking Ai in her arms, as if the girl in her arms, who had grown up, was still a child at heart.

"You've finally gotten rid of the burdens of the past, but you still have a knot in your heart. You're still the same as before, a little kid with a lot of secrets in your heart."

“I… am not…”

Xiao Ai, who had been criticized by her mother, puffed up her cheeks but couldn't find any words to refute them. She could only weakly protest.

"Do you feel that, as a traitor at heart, you don't deserve Mr. Gao's attention like your young lady does? I remember you've helped Miss Kaguya with your advice more than once. Was there an element of making amends in that? Did you think that helping her a few more times would lessen your guilt?"

However, as her mother's words deepened, Xiao Ai curled up into a ball, completely losing her ability to resist.

"Including my relationship with Mr. Gao, I can't accept his kindness with a clear conscience. I always feel inferior, but I can't help but enjoy this feeling. As a result, I become more and more conflicted. The more conflicted I am, the less I can express my true feelings. As a result, I am always stuck in a rut."

“I guess Mr. Gao has probably realized this too, but he’s willing to accommodate you. If you don’t talk about it, he won’t ask. But this can’t go on. Ultimately, he has more than one choice. If you’re unwilling to open your heart and won’t let him open it either, why should he keep bowing to you? And why should you continue to call him master under these circumstances?”

"Honestly, I thought Kaguya-san had been acting stupid enough lately, but my daughter is even stupider than her. How did you become like this? She's such a little idiot."

In the end, seeing that her daughter was about to cry from grievance, Nao Hayasaka could only sigh, stop, and hug her again.

"I...I would never be as stupid as the young lady..."

Xiao Ai's reply, which she had been holding back for a long time, almost made Hayasaka Nao burst out laughing on the spot. It turned out that this was the very point she was refuting. Sigh, she'd completely ruined her daughter; she never expected her to turn out like this after starting a relationship.

As for Hayasaka Ai, who was almost withdrawn, she was rubbing her eyes, which were about to burst into tears. She was inwardly marveling at her mother's strength in seeing through her completely, and at the same time, she was secretly glad that Takami hadn't seen her embarrassing side.

However, perhaps it would be better to be seen and heard?

Even if her own mother pointed out her inner conflict, Hayasaka Ai probably still wouldn't have the courage to say it aloud. Even if she could somewhat guess her master's reaction, knowing that he probably wouldn't mind at all and would even comfort her, she still couldn't do it.

So, if he happens to find out, maybe...

{Yes, I heard it and I saw it. Your mother is right, you really are a fool.}

The next moment, a voice from Xiao Ai's heart entered directly from Gao Hai's mental energy, causing her movements to freeze instantly.

"Little Love?"

Noticing her daughter's sudden unusual behavior, Hayasaka Nao paused for a moment, then heard the restaurant door being pushed open again. After finishing their conversation, Takami and Hayasaka Masato returned to the restaurant.

Hayasaka Ai did not raise her head.

Even though she could feel Gao Hai staring straight at her, she still didn't look up and meet his gaze.

"We've pretty much finished our discussion here. I originally thought I could do something, but now it seems we can only stand by and watch. However, the Hayasaka family's support will be even stronger. If Nao and I take charge, we'll be able to mobilize more resources."

Unbeknownst to Takahashi, Hayasaka Masato had been eavesdropping on Ai's conversation while Takahashi was talking to him, and was still discussing serious matters.

"We are extremely grateful. After all, it is a city with tens of millions of people seeking refuge, so the more supplies the better."

During the conversation, Gao Hai slowly walked closer to the girl.

One step, two steps.

Oh no, it's too late. He already knows, and he's coming over now.

If asked by his current master, then he...

"Xiao Ai? Huh?"

Hayasaka Nao, who had been easily shaken off by the girl, was slightly taken aback and subconsciously asked a question.

Hayasaka Ai, who had no intention of answering, made a move that was very much in the style of Kaguya Shinomiya at that moment.

run away!

Interlude 4-37: A True Heart-to-Heart Talk with Hayasaka Ai and a New Blessing Link

Regarding Hayasaka Ai's escape, Takami must admit that he felt quite amused after seeing it, experiencing a strange sense of pleasure, like seeing a second Kaguya.

Especially after the other person smashed through the restaurant's glass and leaped more than ten meters to the roof of a residential building to start parkour, Gao Hai almost covered his face and burst out laughing.

Of course, he quickly realized what was happening and gave chase, not forgetting to say goodbye to his future in-laws before leaving, and using his mental power to repair the windows and roof that Xiao Ai had damaged. This unabashed display of extraordinary power forced the couple, who wanted to follow, to reluctantly stop and accept the reality that they had no chance of participating in what followed.

"Supernatural powers, ghost stories, games... I feel like this world is becoming more and more unfamiliar. How did it suddenly become like this..."

Gazing at the two figures that had disappeared outside the window, Hayasaka Masato couldn't help but sigh softly.

"In any case, there's probably not much we can do to get involved. I never imagined our daughter would change so much without us even realizing it. Alright, my dear, now that we know about these things, we can't act like we usually do. The Hayasaka family must be fully mobilized from now on."

Hayasaka Nao gently took her husband's hand and spoke to him very solemnly.

"You're right. I thought that the Shinomiya family's behavior had gradually improved after Kaguya-sama took over, and there was nothing left to carefully consider. But now it seems that there really is no time to rest. I can only work this old body out a bit more."

As he said this, Hayasaka Masato smiled and took out his phone to contact his subordinates and relatives.

The two of them couldn't yet imagine what the day of destruction, which had yet to truly arrive, would look like. After all, one can only truly understand what something unprecedented is like when one actually witnesses it.

However, the Hayasaka couple, having already chosen to accept their fate, naturally wouldn't choose to sit idly by and wait for their doom.

As for Hayasaka Ai and Takami, who had already run a kilometer or two, their chase was nearing its end. Takami, whose physical abilities had reached their peak and who possessed even greater blessing power, was still far more agile than Ai. If he got serious, the girl would have no chance of shaking him off.

However, although catching up with and catching the other party would be very easy, given the guy's completely berserk state, Gao Hai felt it was best to be more cautious to avoid provoking Xiao Ai too much.

"Isn't it enough to stop now? There's no need to keep running around like this. Can't we just have a proper talk?"

Gao Hai, who had slowed down slightly, spoke to the girl ahead who was still trying to escape.

"..."

Hayasaka Ai had no intention of answering; she simply continued to look for an opportunity to escape, constantly moving between one tall building after another, leaping dozens of meters with a single bound.

On the highway below, pedestrians and vehicles passing by were completely unaware, unable to see the two figures moving across the rooftops above.

As she continued leaping and traversing, the girl's long golden hair gradually became disheveled, and her breathing became increasingly erratic. But she refused to stop, refused to face Gao Hai behind her.

This is truly unprecedented.

Looking at Xiao Ai in a panic ahead, Gao Hai couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

To be honest, it felt quite troublesome, like dealing with a stubborn girl who was hard to appease.

However, this is precisely the true side of herself that she is showing.

Completely different from her previous disguised performances, this was Hayasaka Ai's true self, without any pretense.

Just like how she would act coquettishly in front of her mother, after the heart-to-heart talk among the four of them tonight, this girl finally couldn't keep up the act in front of Gao Hai anymore and completely revealed her true self.

It's actually quite interesting.

However, if we continue running like this, we'll completely waste tonight's time.

whoosh-

Having decided to stop playing, Gao Hai sped up in the next moment, and in the blink of an eye, he passed Xiao Ai and blocked her way.

"Okay, you can stop now."

As he said this, Gao Hai reached out and pulled Xiao Ai into his arms.

"..."

Even at this moment, the girl, overcome with shame, still wanted to continue running away. But Takami's strength was clearly far greater than hers, so after struggling for a while, Hayasaka Ai could only helplessly lean against his chest, burying her head in his chest like an ostrich.

"You really don't want to talk to me?"

Standing atop a skyscraper hundreds of meters high, Gao Hai smiled as he held the girl and asked her a question.

"……No."

After a moment, Gao Hai faintly heard the girl's muffled response from his arms.

"Then why did you run away? I thought only Kaguya would do something like that."

Of course, if we really have to count, we could also include Maki. However, she only tried to escape twice before the Red Nut Gray Hole dungeon. Since Chika joined, she hasn't tried to escape again, or rather, even if she had the idea to escape, she never succeeded.

"But... I don't know how to face my master... I didn't want my master to hear these things..."

Hesitantly, Xiao Ai slowly began to speak in a low voice. Her voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible, and she refused to look up and meet Gao Hai's gaze throughout, while hugging him tighter and tighter.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with it. No matter what the problem is, you have to talk it out in order to understand each other, right?"

Lowering his head, Gao Hai buried his face in the girl's hair and whispered in her ear.

“I have never blamed you, nor have I been unhappy about your past investigations, nor have I ever been angry with you.”

"To be honest, I've liked you from the very beginning, after all, you're very cute."

"So, stop putting pressure on yourself. Do what you want to do. As players, we must cherish every day we live and not let our hearts be bound. Tomorrow I'll go with you to find Kaguya and tell her what's on your mind. Trust me, she won't hold a grudge against you because of this. The current Kaguya wouldn't do that."

As she spoke, Gao Hai could feel Xiao Ai's arms trembling slightly as she held him.

His chest gradually became damp, and he could hear suppressed sobs, which made his actions to comfort the girl become even gentler.

So Gao Hai quieted down and silently held Hayasaka Ai in his arms. The two of them stood motionless on the rooftop like that.

It might have taken a minute or two, or maybe ten minutes or more, or even half an hour. Little by little, he felt the girl in his arms gradually calm down. Then, she finally hesitated and looked up at Gao Hai, who also opened his eyes to look at her. From the corners of the girl's eyes, Gao Hai could see tear tracks that hadn't completely dried. Although she controlled her voice well and barely made a sound, it was clear that she had indeed cried quite a bit.

"Is it really okay?"