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

Mr. Gao?

Seeing that Gao Hai didn't answer, Kaguya asked with some confusion.

what exactly is it?

He lowered his head once again.

Gao Hai's gaze once again fixed on the tattered watch on his left wrist.

That problem, yes, that problem isn't entirely related to me.

It also has some connection with Consort Zhen.

This question is very important, and we must know the answer immediately.

"that……"

Finally remembering something, Gao Hai slowly began to speak.

"Um... Miss Shijou, yes, Miss Shijou lost her backpack, did you... find it?"

Although he couldn't remember exactly what the problem was about, Gao Hai did remember what it was that was used to hold that thing.

"Ah, that's right, it's the bag I picked up from 208..."

Maki paused for a moment, then looked up at Kaguya.

Oh, so this is it. Here it is. I'll return it to you now.

At this moment, Kaguya took a tattered backpack off her back and returned it to Maki.

She had been carrying this bag ever since she kicked the door open and came in, and for some reason neither Gao Hai nor Zhen Fei realized it.

Princess Zhenfei took the bag and instinctively opened it.

The backpack was empty, and when Shijo Maki opened it, she only found a dirty piece of paper inside.

Upon seeing the letter, Princess Zhenfei did not show any particular expression on her face. She simply zipped up her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

Do you need me to hold this for you?

At this moment, Green stepped forward, smiled, and asked.

Kaguya stood in front of Maki, calmly watching her. Sun Dajun and Maeda Miwa had already walked up from behind, looking curiously at Maki, who was carrying a backpack and standing still without moving forward.

"Yes, I need help with that."

Zhenfei spoke in a low voice.

Okay, then I'll...

Green's smile suddenly froze.

He did not take the tattered backpack from Princess Zhenfei's hands.

He was greeted by a heavy kick from Zhenfei, which flew up and kicked him between the legs, causing the man to bend over almost immediately.

Bang!

He took a step forward, bent over, turned to the side, and struck out fiercely with his elbow.

Shijo Maki's merciless blow struck Green's side of the head as he bent over, instantly knocking the tall man to the ground. The height difference created an exaggerated visual effect, no less impressive than Pan Changjiang's combo attack that knocked down Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Immediately following this attack, Maki bent down and kicked out, striking Sun Dajun, who was trying to come forward, directly in the shin. She kicked him to the ground, causing him to collide with Maeda Miwa, who was standing nearby. She then added another kick, causing both of them to fall over.

In less than two seconds, Maki, who had taken down three people, suddenly turned around and faced Kaguya head-on. She abruptly unfastened her backpack, grabbed the shoulder strap with one hand, and swung it forward, but Kaguya dodged it. A follow-up punch was slapped away by Kaguya's palm. The two closed in the next moment. Maki, who tried to entangle them, was pushed away by Kaguya, then staggered backward. However, she didn't retreat towards Greenson's army; instead, she used the subtle changes in their footwork as they approached to push Kaguya's palm towards Takami.

bang——

The speeding Zhenfei crashed into Gao Hai, causing him to stumble. She then grabbed his hand and pulled him along as they started running.

"Keep running, don't stop!"

The girl, shouting this, rushed forward, and Gao Hai, who only then realized what was happening, followed without hesitation. The two of them ran one after the other down the corridor.

What are you doing? The hallways are dangerous at night, don't wander around!

Kaguya immediately caught up, holding a torch and shouting loudly from behind.

"Shut up! Don't speak in my aunt's voice!"

Zhenfei shouted fiercely, but her voice trembled even more.

The letter slipped out of the tattered backpack, floated in mid-air, and fell to the ground.

The letter contained only one sentence, written in trembling, messy strokes, yet still revealing the delicate beauty of a young girl—a very short sentence.

Don't believe me.

Upon seeing this sentence, Gao Hai's mental stagnation completely disappeared.

He ran forward with all his might, trying to escape the thing behind him.

In this burst of speed, he was not immediately caught up by Kaguya, and he ran a long distance down the corridor.

The twisted corridor is tilted, and the structures of the living room, kitchen, toilet and other areas are mixed together. There are piles of garbage bags and rubble, the walls are sprawled out haphazardly, and doors are broken open in various places.

Where exactly is this place?

Gao Hai had no time to think; he could only keep running, keeping up with Zhen Fei and running with all his might.

Stop running!

Kaguya's anxious voice rang out from behind.

Don't do that, don't make things difficult for everyone, that's not right.

There was no way to shake off the voices of persuasion that kept echoing behind me.

Only bad kids stay out all night. If you do that, you'll become bad kids too.

The sound was getting closer and closer, as if it could catch up at any moment.

Walk through a series of confusing corridors.

Suppressed voices continued to rise, as if many people were talking about something behind one's back.

It felt as if I could see many eyes watching me.

Hiding in the darkness, watching all this happen, but doing nothing.

I was just watching.

Every single time, every single time, when things happen, I simply watch.

No, that's not what I thought.

What is this...

Gao Hai's eyes widened, and his running steps slowed down at that moment.

A figure was walking towards them.

A figure, equally disheveled and with bloodstains on his clothes.

Lao Guo.

"Here we go again. Did you come out with a different face this time?"

He didn't have time to utter a single word.

Upon seeing Zhenfei and Gao Hai running towards him, Lao Guo, who was clearly seriously injured, gritted his teeth and raised his right hand, revealing a black pistol tightly clenched in his fingers.

bang bang bang-

Three bullets fired in quick succession instantly illuminated the dimly lit corridor.

Due to the momentum of his running, Gao Hai was unable to dodge in time and was tackled by Zhen Fei. The two of them fell together into the garbage heap by the corridor.

Kaguya, who was chasing behind them, stopped at that moment, staggered, and took a step back.

[So I've already said it: children who don't stay home obediently at night are disobedient and naughty children. Why don't you understand?]

Amidst the indifferent voice, the girl slowly raised her head.

"Hey, this is way beyond the scope of this course..."

Because he was knocked to the ground and lying on his back, Takami couldn't help but mutter under his breath after seeing Kaguya's face.

The crimson color was spreading.

Liquid trickled down from the eye socket pierced by the bullet.

A murky substance had begun to seep out from the hole in her cheek.

"Damn it, it's happening again..."

Old Guo, muttering angrily, staggered and turned to run away.

[She's really not cute]

Despite having been shot through the head by two bullets, Kaguya strode off and chased after Lao Guo. Her speed far exceeded that when she was chasing Gao Hai and Maki, as if some kind of restriction had been lifted, and she caught up with Lao Guo, who was trying to escape, almost instantly.

Gao Hai didn't look behind him to see what was happening, nor did he listen to the heart-wrenching screams and wails.

He struggled to his feet, supported the girl beside him, and fled in another direction without hesitation.

At that moment, he finally understood what the rule of "not causing fatal or unconscious injuries" was describing.

It seemed as if the sound of children's laughter could be heard from afar, only to be quickly swallowed up again.

The ground beneath their feet groaned in pain, cracking open in numerous fissures.

Gao Hai, who had no idea where he had ended up, fell with a crashing sound, tumbling down with Zhen Fei, whom he was supporting. They rolled into piles of garbage bags and were covered by the dust and rubble that followed.

Chapter 19: As we all know, art is ____

The pungent smell of dust is gradually dissipating.

The warm and moist air then spread and melted onto my body.

Gao Hai opened his eyes.

He saw flames spreading across a nearby pile of garbage.

That was Kaguya Shinomiya, or rather, the thing disguised as Kaguya, who started the fire after the torch she was holding fell. Now the fire was spreading throughout the apartment building, and it seemed that it was no longer a situation that could be easily stopped.