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

Did Mr. Gao say anything to Boqi-chan? Why did he suddenly react this way?

I don't quite understand, but we're still in the process of performing, so this isn't the time to dwell on these kinds of questions. Let's finish singing these songs first.

While lost in thought, Kita had already returned to singing, while Takami, sitting in the audience, was completely unaware of the changes in the girls' condition. At this moment, as he listened to the song, his thoughts wandered, and he had unknowingly reached a point where his mind was completely elsewhere.

What was I thinking about just now?

Gao Hai stood still, pressing his hand against his nose, deep in thought with a serious expression.

I forget where I saw it, but I think there's something like this? Apparently, some underground girl bands perform privately for special fans. During these performances, fans can not only enjoy the bands' amazing performances up close, but also interact with them. In some extremely special and secluded underground shows, these girl bands even perform in a way that's close to nature, showcasing various beautiful things to their beloved fans.

It sounds like a pretty bad situation. Fortunately, the Ending Band is a fairly serious band and wouldn't do something like this, which Gao Hai thinks is pretty good.

However, on the other hand, while this kind of performance is terrible, essentially treating the girls' bodies as commodities, if there's no transaction involved, and an entire girl group genuinely develops close relationships with a single fan, then Gao Hai doesn't think it's necessary to criticize such a natural performance. After all, if it's consensual and not made public, whatever the tricks of the trade are, it's a private matter behind closed doors, isn't it?

So… if Ichiri and the others were to give me a nature-themed band performance… ah, no, no, what am I thinking? It's too early for that. Honestly, Ichiri is the only one I've really taken to the end with. The others haven't developed that kind of relationship with me yet, and I haven't even completely settled things with Kita yet. I can't be too ambitious, I really can't be too ambitious. Right now, I should focus on doing what I need to do right now.

Perhaps because his lifestyle had been somewhat indulgent these past few days, Gao Hai found that his associative abilities seemed to have become much richer. Well, although it was a rather improper kind of associative ability, he didn't think it was a problem. Anyway, he had already marked these four girls with his own special mark, so he could just let things develop naturally and there was no need to rush.

As he pondered, Takami looked again at the girl on the stage, at Goto Ichiri and Kita Ikuyo, with whom he had established a very close soul connection, and at Ryo and Nijika, who had been deeply influenced by his power.

He could perceive their presence without using human senses such as sight or hearing; he could sense them directly from their very existence.

Similarly, Kita and Ichiri could also sense Takami's presence. The connection between them and him was so close that it was difficult for Takami to hide his presence from them. Therefore, Takami noticed Ichiri's tense expression and immediately looked away from her.

As for Hai Ryo and Nijika, their current power levels are still too low, and they have only been touched by Takahashi's spiritual power. Their connection with each other is not strong enough, so it is impossible for them to discover Takahashi.

Hmm? Maybe not.

Gao Hai, noticing a gaze, was slightly taken aback. He then turned to look at Yamada Ryo on the stage, who had glanced at him at some point before immediately looking away.

There's no mistake, she sensed me just now. Although she might not be able to see through my disguise and clearly see me like Kita and Ichiri do, she should be able to sense my presence and know that I'm roughly located here.

Wait... has she been in contact with this aura before?

A faint aura, so thin it had almost completely disappeared and only detectable upon close contact with the main body, caught Gao Hai's attention for a moment.

Before he could make a move, Gao Hai heard footsteps approaching from the side.

"So...it really was you?"

The woman's somewhat timid demeanor, tinged with a complex mix of gratitude, fear, and worry, also entered Gao Hai's senses.

Yi Di Zhixingge.

This woman discovered Gao Hai.

Although, like Hongxia, Xingge's body had only been subjected to some basic enhancement by Gao Hai's mental power, so under normal circumstances she wouldn't be able to detect him. However, Hongxia was currently unable to leave the stage, while Xingge could move freely offstage. Therefore, when she was only a few meters away from Gao Hai, she could still break through the restrictions he had set and successfully detect his presence.

However, this was actually because Gao Hai had never genuinely resisted the other party, so the mental protective barrier he set up was not very strong against someone like Xing Ge Hong Xia who was "one of his own," which is why it was so easy to break through.

If it were a player hostile to Gao Hai, they wouldn't even notice him even if they walked right towards him. Furthermore, their hostility would trigger an automatic counterattack from Gao Hai's mental stance, resulting in a miserable and tragic death within days. Of course, it would be difficult to find such a person on Earth now, and even if such a person existed, they wouldn't dare to actually appear before Gao Hai, who has now transcended human limitations to a certain extent.

"Miss Xingge, you look to be in good spirits. It seems you've had a good rest these past few days."

Gao Hai looked at Xing Ge, who was very nervous beside him, smiled and greeted her.

"It's... not bad..."

Xingge's response was very nervous, her face full of awkwardness as if she had social anxiety.

There was no way she could remain calm in front of someone like Gao Hai, a true god-level powerhouse. Moreover, he had personally protected her and Hong Xia's group, patiently taught them, and later sent people to rescue them more than once. Even if he hadn't actually come specifically to rescue them but was just incidental, it was still an immense debt of gratitude she could never repay in her lifetime; he was a benefactor she should truly repay with her life.

While Ijichi Hoshika might appear somewhat rough and cold on the surface, she has a clear sense of right and wrong. She understands that Takami requires the Ijichi family to repay her kindness for a lifetime. However, the power gap between the two sisters and the enemy is simply too vast; they could never possibly repay the debt of gratitude.

At the same time, because the gap between them was too vast, Xingge, being an adult, knew very well that someone like Gao Hai, whose position, perspective, and thoughts were fundamentally different from those of an ordinary person like her. The gap between them was thousands or even tens of thousands of times greater than the gap between a billionaire and a poor person on welfare. Xingge had absolutely no idea how to get along with such a person. Therefore, although she was barely maintaining composure on the surface, she was actually panicking terribly.

What expression should I make right now?

Was my greeting just now considered impolite?

Will he get a bad impression of my current behavior and then get angry?

Xingge, who has never tried to please anyone in her life and has no idea how to get along with people of a vastly different social standing, is now so nervous that her heart is pounding wildly.

"Don't worry too much about it. I'm not a difficult person to get along with. Besides, Ichiri and Kita are very good friends. Just get along normally."

For Gao Hai, whose mental strength has reached the level of a god, Xing Ge's thoughts are now completely transparent to him, so he can know what the other party is thinking at a glance.

To be honest, it felt quite strange to be treated so seriously. Gao Hai honestly hoped that others could treat him with normalcy. He had never felt like he was a god. For Gao Hai himself, it was precisely because he disliked such things that he used his mental power to shield himself from others' perception, so as to avoid being discovered and having someone worship him on the spot.

"Uh... I see. Anyway, I'm really grateful to you. Without your help to me, Hongxia, and Liang, I don't think we would have survived."

However, even though Gao Hai tried his best to be friendly, Xing Ge still couldn't relax and bowed to Gao Hai to express her gratitude in a very reserved manner.

"That's why I told you, I'm a friend of Ichiri and Kita, so there's no need to be so nervous. And instead of acting all conflicted in front of me, why don't you listen to your sister's band perform? It's not easy for a band that's broken up to be rebuilt, and for the four of them to be able to come together and perform again is a very rare and precious experience. As Nijika's older sister, shouldn't you witness it?"

Seeing that the other party still had this attitude, Gao Hai was also somewhat helpless. He spoke again to Xing Ge in a casual tone, and then stopped paying attention to her reaction, turning his attention to the four girls on the stage.

It was only then that Gao Hai realized that the four people on the stage had all turned their attention to him. Ichiri and Kita were clearly reading his lip movements as he talked to Hoshika, while Ryo was looking at him with some curiosity. Nijika's reaction was much more complicated. It was clear that she was just as nervous as her sister and wanted to say something immediately, but she couldn't get off the stage for the time being, so she could only continue drumming with a heavy heart.

Was it because Xingge walked up to me and talked that Liang and Hongxia were able to see me through the shield?

It seems this shielding effect is very easy to break when targeting people I won't be truly wary of. Is that a good thing or a bad thing...?

Gao Hai fell into deep thought.

Xingge, who was standing to the side, saw Gao Hai staring at the people on the stage and suddenly remembered some things she had heard before.

As one of the few people connected to the girls around Gao Hai who didn't hide in [Alice's Hut], Xing Ge had contact with some players with mysterious backgrounds. She didn't interact with them much, perhaps because they had received some kind of warning and dared not do anything to her. However, out of curiosity, Xing Ge had inquired about Gao Hai, thus learning some things about him. She didn't care whether these things would be leaked.

Of all those messages, the one that Xingge remembered most vividly was his entanglement with many girls, which even earned him the nickname "JK Killer".

Ah, that's true. Goto Ichiri and Kita Ikuyo... both of them were his lovers.

According to those players, this man has intimate relationships with many other people, seemingly a harem of dozens to hundreds? But some say there are only seven or eight people in total? It's unclear which is true, but everyone is certain that this man seems to have very strong feelings for high school girls, especially high school girls with extraordinary talents.

So, could it be that he... no, no, no, how could he think of his benefactor like that? That's so impolite! But if it's true... wait, wait, wait, I have to stop thinking about this immediately! I can't keep thinking about it!

At this moment, Xingge's mind was slightly confused.

Gao Hai didn't notice what the woman, who looked similar to Hong Xia but was completely different in height and figure, was thinking. He simply continued to enjoy the performance of the four girls on stage.

At the same time, in a corner unnoticed by everyone, a figure with long golden hair was reflected in a glass on the bar.

[That's true. Even if a teacher takes precautions, it's easy to break down a person who isn't on guard.]

[How naive of a teacher to leave such a huge opening!]

So, the second preparation is to find the teacher's weaknesses and then formulate a plan; that completes the preliminary work.

No one heard the laughter.

Meanwhile, Gao Hai's "evil" plan, completely unbeknownst to him, continued to brew in the shadows.