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

"How about we go somewhere else? I actually have a different idea."

Having already made up his mind, Takami did not follow Kita's idea this time, but calmly offered his suggestion.

"Other places? Hmm, okay then. I've been to quite a few places today, so I'll listen to your opinion."

Kita looked at Takahashi with some confusion, not understanding what he meant, but after thinking about it, she nodded in acceptance and followed behind him without saying anything more.

As the sun set, pedestrians came and went on the street in the twilight. Whether it was children leaving school, middle-aged people getting off work, or elderly people strolling around, they all moved about. Gao Hai and Xi Duo's figures passed through them, and it was impossible to tell that they were actually top players with extraordinary powers.

"Speaking of which, you'll probably go back to the band later, right? Do you still remember how to play the guitar?"

As they walked, Gao Hai glanced at the girl beside him and casually asked her a question.

"How could I forget it so easily? It's just that I haven't touched it for several months, so I guess I'll need some time to recover."

Kita answered with a slightly displeased tone, but the happiness hidden in his voice could not be hidden from Takami.

Kita was genuinely happy about returning to the band.

That's great. If it weren't for the impending disaster and my inability to stay at ease, I probably would have taken Kaguya Maki and the others to support the End Band.

"Don't forget to tell me when it's time to go on stage!"

So Gao Hai smiled and said to Kita.

"Don't worry, we'll definitely reserve a VIP seat for you."

Kita shook her head with a helpless expression. She seemed to recall some things from the past because of this topic, and the smile on her lips became more serene.

However, this happy mood didn't last long. Soon after, thinking about Aoyama Nanami and her family's problems, Kita's expression darkened again. Even though she managed to control her emotions well, Takami immediately sensed this subtle emotional fluctuation.

"I will also try to find a way to deal with Miss Aoyama's situation. Relax, there's no need to worry about these issues for now."

As Gao Hai spoke, he took Kita's hand again.

"...I feel like you're becoming more and more sensitive to emotions these days, it's a strange feeling like I'm being mind-read."

Realizing from Gao Hai's words that his emotional change had been discovered, Kita's voice sounded somewhat tired.

"This isn't mind reading; I'm just keeping an eye on you. You'd be more accurate to call me a voyeur."

Gao Hai corrected him very seriously, and his calm attitude almost made Kita think that "voyeur" was a compliment.

"He really is a pervert."

Therefore, Kita could only make this assessment in the end.

Come to think of it, I actually spent the whole day playing with this pervert.

The girl turned her head and looked at Gao Hai beside her, her mind involuntarily recalling the events of the day.

Eating cake and taking pictures, playing at a cat cafe and taking pictures with the cats, hiking and taking pictures at the top of a mountain, going to the beach and taking pictures there... well, basically just finding a place to play and taking pictures. But before, Kita would do this with his classmates, but this time it was with Takami, with this man who didn't seem like a boyfriend or lover, but also didn't seem like a distant friend—a man Kita couldn't quite define.

I stayed inside his body for a full month, watching him do lewd things with various girls, even fighting with several girls at once. Oh, speaking of which, he also saw my body, even though I was just a soul.

Inside his body, I experienced an extremely difficult and terrifying dungeon with him, personally witnessing the pain he felt during each death rewind, gradually understanding just how strong and powerful he truly was, and finally gaining liberation and restoring my own body after clearing the dungeon.

Seriously, he's a really strange guy. It's really hard to understand how this man manages to seduce so many girls and make them all willingly follow him.

But then again, isn't it strange that I would choose to go on a date with him for a day? I really had no reason to do it, no reason to get myself involved.

Or is it that after spending so much time with him, I've become a bit of a weirdo myself?

Kita Ikuyo was somewhat surprised by her emotional changes. She found herself becoming rather anxious and sentimental. She had only intended to rest for a day, but after Takami spent the whole day fooling around with her, she found that her mental state didn't seem to have relaxed much; in fact, it had become even heavier.

"Thank you, Mr. Gao. Anyway, I had a very happy day."

But although she thought this in her heart, Kita did not intend to show it. Instead, she showed an even more cheerful and happy expression, as if the energetic Kita had come back to life.

"In that case, would you mind if I took a little more initiative?"

Seeing the girl's reaction, Gao Hai didn't say much, but simply asked her in a low voice.

"On your own initiative?"

Takami's words made Kita realize that something was wrong.

It was only then that she finally began to pay attention to her surroundings and immediately noticed that the scenery around her was somewhat familiar, a scene she had remembered for more than ten years. Although many things had changed over the years, for Kita, who had grown up here, once she looked closely, it was impossible for her to mistake it.

This is near my home.

"...You want to take me to find my mom and dad?"

Kita understood what Takami meant.

"Yes."

Gao Hai, who had no intention of hiding anything, admitted it very frankly.

"..."

The girl didn't speak, she just stopped walking.

Takami also stopped, but he held Kita's hand tightly, as if to prevent her from escaping.

The silence lasted for a while, and the two of them stood there motionless, as if the air itself had stopped.

"Let's go somewhere else."

Kita didn't get angry or lose control of his emotions; he simply said in a low voice.

"I'm thinking, maybe we don't have much time left, and tomorrow might be the day disaster strikes. So no matter what, we have to seize the day, right?"

Gao Hai remained standing still, calmly denying Kita's words, but he did not directly drag her to her house.

"Of course I know about this, and that's precisely why I'm even less willing to go back."

Kita's reply grew even lower, but for some reason, she remained standing there, not turning away immediately.

Interlude 4-49: The Awkward Girl and Takami's Forced Actions

The atmosphere was somewhat silent.

Although he knew that bringing up such an idea would definitely upset Kita, Takami was still unsure how to continue the conversation given Kita's silence.

Such a heavy feeling is really not suitable for ending the band, especially for Kita, who is such a cheerful and lively girl in the original work. Tsk, the [Sacrifice Game] is truly heinous. Even if it can indeed help human civilization advance, the individuals who pay the price for it are... well, there's no point in thinking about these things. Since Kita chose to return to the band, it proves that she doesn't really want to abandon the past, but is just temporarily afraid to face it. So tonight, she must be reunited with her family.

After all, the longer this kind of thing is delayed, the more problems are likely to arise. And now, who knows when something might happen, we can't let Kita's regret continue like this.

"Let's go."

Having secretly made up his mind, Gao Hai said resolutely.

"……Why?"

Kita remained standing still, showing no intention of continuing forward with Takami, his voice filled with a somber mood.

"If your friends in the band can regain their memories, then your family members can also regain their memories, and they will surely receive the blessing. There is no need to continue to hide from them."

Takami tried to explain again, but Kita didn't do anything about it and just stood there motionless.

"I'm not asking if this is feasible."

"What I'm asking is your reason for insisting on doing this."

The girl raised her head, her bluish-green eyes fixed on Gao Hai, her confusion particularly evident.

"I suppose it's meddling in other people's business."

Although Kita's question was somewhat unexpected by Takami, he answered it without the slightest hesitation.

"Why do you have to meddle in my business? In the end, whether I go back to reunite with my family or not, it has nothing to do with you, Mr. Gao. Even though we are now essentially members of a team, this kind of trivial matter won't have a significant impact on my performance or interfere with my participation in dungeon missions. Why do you have to bring me here? Why do you insist on making choices for me? Haven't you ever considered that you are forcing me?"

Kita's voice was filled with strong displeasure, and his words sounded as if he were criticizing Takami.

She seems to be in a pretty bad mood.

It seems she's a little vulnerable. I really don't understand what this girl is thinking. But even if I have to force her, Gao Hai doesn't intend to change his mind.

Ultimately, what he needed was someone like Kita Ikuyo who could resolve her inner conflicts, or at least untie all the conflicts that could be resolved. This poor girl, who had seemingly died and come back to life, had become so extreme and depressed for whatever reason, to the point that she didn't even dare to go back and acknowledge her own parents. Takami had to break this pattern. Otherwise, if she encountered some kind of enemy who could test her soul, and Kita broke down at a crucial moment, wouldn't that be terrible?

And the most crucial point is that at first, Kita didn't dare to acknowledge Nijika and Ryo, but after Alice's encouragement, the two met without any problems, and Kita's mental state even improved. In Takami's opinion, Kita is just a bit awkward and pretentious right now, so he has to force her a little to see just how stubborn she can be.

"Whether you think I'm forcing you or that I don't respect your personal opinion, I don't care."

"All I know is that some things you'll regret once you miss them, so even if you're angry or hate me now, I'll still drag you home. Just consider this the captain's unreasonable privilege. Anyway, that's how things will turn out. These are my words, Gao Hai."

With a remarkably calm demeanor, Gao Hai increased the force with which he pulled Kita.

"...What?! To say something like that...that's utterly nonsensical—"

Unsurprisingly, Kita, somewhat enraged by Takahiro's tough attitude, gritted his teeth and immediately began to resist, desperately trying to break free from Takahiro's grasp and escape from his side.

Click—click click—

The cracks on the floor started appearing from nothing and gradually spread outwards.

In a pure clash of strength, the two players, playing with a degree of restraint, began to disrupt the stability of the street's surface.

It was clear that Kita was serious about escaping, and the power she unleashed quickly reached near-full strength. If Gao Hai hadn't been using his mental power to mitigate the effect, the clash of forces would have been enough to shatter the ground beneath their feet. This was the effect a player could achieve after their power was fully enhanced to its limit. Moreover, Gao Hai was somewhat surprised; if it was just a matter of controlling muscle strength, Kita, whose physical abilities were now at their limit like his, was even more refined than him. Without his mental support, he might not have been able to hold her back.

"Let go!"

The girl, unable to break free, bit her lip and cried out.

"Don't let it go."

Gao Hai's answer was as simple and clear as ever, without any intention of compromise or riddles.

"Let go of me, Mr. Gao. Even if we're comrades-in-arms and have spent the whole day together, this situation still crosses a line. It's my personal matter, and I don't need you to decide for me. Please let go!"

Kita gritted his teeth and tried his best to push off the ground with his feet like a cat, but he still couldn't break free from Takami's large, hand-like grip.

What's going on? Why do you have to force me like this?

Isn't it just that I'm afraid to face my family members who have lost their memories? Is this really worth making such a fuss about? Is it really necessary to force me like this?

At this moment, Takami's serious demeanor in front of Kita was truly unfamiliar to the girl.

She had never seen this man act so arrogantly and casually. Even with Chika Maki and the others who were already entangled with him, Kita had never seen Takami show such an attitude towards any of them during the month that he was in her spirit form.

Of course, it's difficult for Kita to objectively evaluate Takami's actions right now. After all, she had already exhausted all her strength just trying to break free from Takami's grasp. The key point is that even so, she still couldn't feel Takami's fingers loosen at all, which made Kita, whose physical abilities had been strengthened to the limit, start to doubt her life for a moment.

"It's clear that I can't convince you with just words."