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

The girl suddenly lowered her head again, avoiding Gao Hai's gaze, and whispered something in a low voice.

"Ok?"

Gao Hai raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she was referring to.

"I'm actually... a real burden to my master, right? I haven't been able to establish a deep connection with various extraordinary powers, and I even pushed my master away when he was trying to save me. Because of the various knots in my heart, I can't be honest with my master... Is it really okay to accept me like this?"

The girl's voice grew weaker and weaker, and she became increasingly insecure.

I really don't understand girls' thinking. I came all this way and comforted her for so long, how could I not accept her?

Perhaps this is true for girls who lack a sense of security. Thinking about it, Kaguya isn't much different; it's just that Kaguya doesn't have such deep-seated issues, so after a few conversations, they can quickly open up to each other. As for Ai, it seems I need to try harder and say a few more words.

"Of course I'll accept you. In fact, I should be happy that you can accept a scumbag like me who isn't faithful."

Gao Hai responded earnestly to the girl and kissed her forehead.

"Master is not a scumbag. The master who tries his best to respond to everyone and try his best to lead everyone to survive is not the same as a scumbag. Don't use such demeaning words to describe yourself. Master, you are actually very great."

Unexpectedly, Takahashi wasn't flustered by these words, but Hayasaka Ai was quite anxious and immediately retorted in a loud voice.

"Haha, I can hardly be called great. Rather, I've witnessed many great people along the way and received help from many great people. But that has nothing to do with what we're discussing now. I only want to say one thing: the things you worry about, Xiao Ai, don't exist for me. I will never hate you, I will never have any prejudice against you. I like you, and I hope to continue being with you. That's my true feeling, and you only need to understand that."

Reach out.

Takahashi cupped Hayasaka Ai's small face in his hands, pressed their foreheads together, and said earnestly.

This time, the girl didn't avoid his gaze. She just stared at him blankly for a long time before burying her head in his chest again.

"Actually... I never wanted to be a maid..."

A moment later, Gao Hai suddenly heard the girl's voice slowly open.

“I had to get up at five every morning to arrange all kinds of affairs in the mansion, from the young lady’s schedule to whether the windows in a corridor were cleaned properly. Under the Shinomiya family’s upbringing, I was like a machine in a factory. I didn’t have much time for myself every day. It felt like I was trapped inside for my whole life.”

"Especially the young lady, she's a complete idiot. She used to be a little more rational, but now she's always acting on a whim. She often learns all sorts of bizarre dating tricks from the internet and TV and then asks me to do things and figure out how to put them into practice. Even though the master doesn't fall for those tricks at all, she still does them with great enthusiasm, and in the end, I'm the one who suffers."

"And then there's that scumbag Shinomiya Kōmitsu, the spy. A balding man in his thirties, constantly worried that his younger siblings would threaten his position, even neglecting his teenage sister who was still in school and having her monitored. To be honest, his head was full of shit. Before meeting his master, I couldn't even defy that bastard, and in the end, he got his comeuppance. But I think that kind of retribution is far from enough; he should have had his head smashed like a golf ball!"

Hayasaka Ai was complaining.

She held Takahashi tightly and began to complain about every day of her life, about the exhausting and endless work of being a maid, about every trouble Kaguya brought her, and about the cold-blooded, heartless, and seriously ill Shinomiya family.

She uttered these words, which she would never say even to her mother, and earnestly complained to Gao Hai.

When she took off her mask, Gao Hai simply listened quietly, holding the girl close and listening to her speak.

"If I could, I would actually like to be a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) homebody."

"I don't do any work. I just lie on the sofa or in bed every day watching videos, listening to music, or playing games."

"Why can other children my age go to school without any worries, while I have to learn to be a maid and serve people from elementary school onwards? The Hayasaka family is an appendage of the Shinomiya family? Just hearing that makes me want to vomit."

"I don't even have much time to take care of my skin and hair. The cooks and servants in the mansion are mostly older than me, but I have to command each and every one of them and keep an eye on whether anyone is slacking off. Sometimes I feel like I'm a slave manager chosen from among slaves, which is ridiculous."

"Especially the young lady, her brain has been getting dumber and dumber lately, and she's been torturing me time and time again. I've wanted to quit this job a long time ago..."

She kept complaining, revealing what was hidden deep in her heart, things she never dared to truly express.

As she was talking, she suddenly realized something and looked up in surprise. She then saw Gao Hai staring at her face and the peaceful smile on his face.

"I feel like I wasn't myself just now."

Then, Hayasaka Ai, her cheeks flushed again, lowered her head and buried her face in Takami's chest.

"But I also really like this kind of love. You see, some secrets, once revealed, don't make people dislike them, do they?"

Gao Hai was so amused by her that he couldn't help but laugh out loud. He reached out and lifted the girl off the ground, then kissed her directly.

The power of blessing has already been established at this moment.

Originating from the blessing Andres bestowed upon Takahashi, new lines were finally established at this moment.

Come to think of it, this blessing seems to have originally existed for one-on-one relationships, right? Hmm, it's not important, there's no need to worry about such trivial matters.

Interlude 4-38: The Silent Realm of the Little Maid and Ichiri Goto's Invitation

On the morning of the tenth day after the dungeon ended, Gao Hai woke up again at home.

Hayasaka Ai was yawning as she got out of bed. As the sheet slipped off her body, the traces of last night's activities were revealed, which made Takami feel excited.

"Hmm, it's already 10:30. I've been sleeping in for two days in a row. I've never done anything like this before."

Hayasaka Ai muttered to herself as she checked the time, realizing what it was. Then, Takami pulled her into his arms, their skin pressed together once again.

"Does Master want more?"

Xiao Ai, who could clearly feel Gao Hai's burning body temperature, blinked and asked softly.

"Hmm, whether you want to or not, why don't you guess?"

Instead of answering directly, Gao Hai whispered in Xiao Ai's ear while holding her in his arms.

"Hmm... Master is very horny, how could you possibly hide it from me? It's already quite obvious."

Hearing Gao Hai's words, Xiao Ai sighed softly, then couldn't help but smile. She then buried her head in the blankets and began a new round of personal maid service.

By the time the two finally got out of bed and took a shower in the bathroom, it was already one o'clock in the afternoon.

Gao Hai sat on a stool, while Hayasaka squatted behind him, gently washing his hair, wiping his back, and massaging him. The clearly trained technique impressed Gao Hai, who praised it highly. He then tried massaging Ai as well, successfully finding her ticklish spots and tickling her until she struggled in embarrassment and anger. Finally, the two of them took a bath together.

"So... um... do you really want to go? Actually, I've already let go of the past and said what was on my mind, so it's okay if I don't go."

After hesitating for a moment, Hayasaka Ai, sitting in Takahashi's lap, turned her head and whispered.

"That won't do. Now that I've heard about it, I definitely have to see this through to the end. You don't need to worry too much. Trust me, Kaguya will understand. Besides, as a player and a member of the team, it's time to let go of some things. Honestly, there's no need to keep running around like a maid like before."

Gao Hai's attitude was very firm. After his heart-to-heart talk last night, he knew he had to take the initiative to deal with this matter. Waiting for Kaguya and Ai to bottle things up until the very end, like in the original manga, was definitely not a good idea. Ultimately, as the captain and head of the team, he should step in and manage these kinds of team harmony issues. He couldn't just wait for things to resolve themselves or for someone else to do it; that would be too cowardly.

"Owner……"

Xiao Ai was still a little hesitant. After venting her frustrations last night, she had actually dismissed some of her radical ideas today. But seeing Gao Hai's unwavering stance, the girl was caught between laughter and tears, unsure how to react.

"Alright, let's not consider this issue anymore. Since I've decided to get involved, I'm definitely going to see it through to the end."

Takahashi calmly announced the result, and Hayasaka Ai, knowing that Takahashi was serious this time, didn't say anything more. She just whispered "Thank you, Master" and then leaned against him to continue taking a bath together.

This feeling seems pretty good.

With her master helping her solve all sorts of problems, she can rely on him directly for any issues or difficulties, unlike the young lady who has to come to her for help every time she encounters a problem. The master is indeed much more capable than the young lady. I wonder what gives the young lady the audacity to claim she was stronger than the master during the first sacrifice game mission. Hmph, even if the master didn't seem as powerful back then, he was still far superior to that idiot young lady. I think the young lady is mostly just bragging!

Recalling the time when she had just graduated from Hayate Elementary School, when Kaguya told her about the two dungeons, Shirakawa Apartment and Red Nut Gray Hole, and recalling Kaguya's comment that Takahashi didn't seem strong at all during the Shirakawa Apartment period, Ai felt deeply suspicious and immediately wondered if her young lady was lying. It can be said that she had no respect for Kaguya at all.

Meanwhile, Takami, who was taking a bath with Ai, also had some worries on his mind. However, unlike Ai, he was thinking about something serious, and it happened to be about Ai Hayasaka herself.

What Takahashi is thinking about now is the new abilities Hayasaka Ai herself has gained after receiving the blessing, especially the one she used not long ago.

[Silent Realm]

It's a blessing ability that combines the blessing power of the crimson flower with Hayasaka Ai's own abnormal perception. In Takahashi's opinion, it's incredibly powerful. It was precisely because of this ability that Takahashi was able to quickly and successfully banish that stubborn, persistent thing that refused to be banished back to the dungeon world.

In Hayasaka Ai's view, the essence of this ability is the ability to "reject".

She rejects any power beyond Hayasaka Ai's own perception, any existence beyond Hayasaka Ai's understanding, and anything beyond Hayasaka Ai's acceptance.

Xiao Ai's ability is usually not very effective against things with physical properties. This power is mainly aimed at non-real, illusory things, especially ghosts and supernatural beings. Because he hasn't witnessed this power in the dungeon world yet, Gao Hai can only confirm its effect in the real world: it directly and forcibly banishes things from the dungeon world, whether they are ghosts or obsessions, they can all be expelled from the real world under the influence of this power. This also applies to things that possess physical entities, meaning that this thing can directly and devastatingly strike at the soul.

However, if it is the power of blessing, the effect of this ability will be greatly weakened. This may be because the conditions for the appearance of blessing include the destruction of the instance, so there is no place to be banished away. It may also be because Hayasaka Ai herself also possesses blessing, and she can understand the power of blessing, so she cannot use the power of the domain on this.

In any case, the only thing that is certain is that this ability is extremely useful.

Especially when Takahashi's spiritual power resonates with Ai's blessing power, because Ai is willing to accept Takahashi wholeheartedly, her blessing power does not reject Takahashi at all, and can even accept Takahashi's enhancement and become more powerful.

Currently, when Hayasaka Ai uses this ability alone, its effective range extends to a maximum of about one hundred meters. In other words, within one hundred meters, she can easily annihilate the soul of any living being, turning all beings within that range into mindless chunks of flesh.

If Gao Hai resonates his mental power with Xiao Ai's ability, its effective range can be expanded to about 300 meters. However, if it is used against a single target, the maximum range can reach over 500 meters, or it can be shortened to less than 50 meters. The reduction in range can greatly enhance the effect of the ability. Previously, when Gao Hai banished the possessed creature, he reduced the range of the ability after resonating with Xiao Ai's ability, thereby increasing the accuracy and strength to send the opponent away in one fell swoop.

It's unclear whether Xiao Ai's ability will be significantly different in a dungeon world where she cannot be "exiled."

Unlike previous blessings and obsessions, this ability comes directly from the blessing of the Blood Flower. Gao Hai suspects that if used properly, it could even cause irreparable damage to the supernatural creatures. Furthermore, Gao Hai had previously witnessed Ai directly shielding and suppressing the obsessions that were locking onto her when testing her abilities, and even easily dispelling curses that could be easily broken. It can be said that Gao Hai now has very high expectations for the girl's combat power.

"Master, what are you thinking about?"

Lost in thought, Takahashi was gently stroked on the nose by Hayasaka Ai, who turned around. Then, Hayasaka leaned close to his ear and asked a question, blowing a warm breeze into Takahashi's ear with each word.

"I haven't thought about it much, I'm more like considering the future. Xiao Ai, what are your plans? If you really want to quit, what are you going to do with your time in the meantime?"

Gao Hai didn't reveal his true intentions, but simply looked at the beautiful young woman in front of him and asked with a light smile.

"I had no idea, I hadn't thought that much about it at all. Hmm... can I move in here?"

Xiao Ai shook her head in confusion at first, but then her eyes suddenly lit up, and she reached out to put her arm around Gao Hai's neck and leaned in to ask.

"You want to live with me?"

Gao Hai was taken aback when he realized the other party would come up with such an idea.

"Hmm, is that not allowed? If I quit my job with the young lady, I'll become a homeless vagrant. Don't you want to take me in, Master?"

Xiao Ai deliberately acted pitiful and rubbed against Gao Hai's chest, which reignited Gao Hai's passion, which had only calmed down slightly.

"Take me in? Of course, no problem. You're welcome to move in. I never thought you'd be the first person to stay at my house."

As Gao Hai spoke, he straightened up in the bathtub and reached out to hug the girl.

"Thank you, Master. Well, um, does this mean... Master is going to... Waaaaah!"

Xiao Ai, who had just started to feel happy, noticed Gao Hai's change in demeanor before she could say anything more.

Then, before she could say or do anything else, Gao Hai lowered his head and covered her mouth with his.

After that, it was time for the master to punish the naughty maid who had deliberately provoked him.

Splash—splash—

Water droplets from the bathtub fell to the floor, splashing and making a sound.

Time continues to move forward, little by little.

Kaguya, who had to handle some work matters herself because Haika was not there, received a message from Haika in the afternoon that she was planning to temporarily leave the company.

When Kaguya first learned of this, she thought it was a joke. But after confirming it was true, she immediately realized something was seriously wrong and rushed to Takayuki's aid. Soon after, Takayuki brought Ai to Kaguya and explained Ai's past as a spy for Shinomiya Hikari, as well as Ai's own plans. Just as Takayuki had told Ai before, Kaguya was momentarily stunned upon learning of Shinomiya Hikari's arrangements, but not overly surprised. Having endured numerous bloody trials, the now more mature Kaguya was no longer as demanding and suspicious of those around her, nor would she distance herself from others under the guise of "betrayal."