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

Not surprised by this, Takahashi nodded slightly, turned around and walked to the wall on one side. He tapped the wall lightly and whispered, "If you keep eavesdropping, I'll drag you in." This scared away Hayasaka Ai, who was hiding in the next room. Then he sat down on the sofa in the room.

The sound of rushing water then came from the bathroom not far away.

Interlude 2-24: Moonlit Dialogue and 12 Opening Tips for Fujika Middle School

Tick-tick-tick-

Wash off the stains on your body, change out of your dirty bathrobe, and put on the spare bathrobe in Gao Hai's room.

Shijo Maki took a deep breath before stepping out of the bathroom and looking at Takami, who was sitting on the terrace outside the room.

At this moment, Gao Hai was looking down, seemingly deep in thought, so engrossed that he didn't notice Zhen Fei's presence. It must be admitted that this man was quite handsome when he was quiet and seriously considering a problem; at least in this state, Zhen Fei didn't feel any sense of crisis about being eaten at any moment.

This guy could definitely be handsome, but he's always acting so frivolous. Well, while his frivolous personality isn't exactly annoying, I still wish he could be more serious.

Maki, who had initially thought she might be pushed to the ground after stepping out of the bathroom, secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then walked towards Takami.

"What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

The girl called out to Gao Hai from afar.

"I was just spacing out, waiting for you to come out. By the way, the moon is beautiful tonight, would you like to come and admire it together?"

Upon hearing Maki's voice, Takami looked up, smiled at the girl, and then patted the seat next to him as he spoke.

"What... Uh, it's not impossible, but you actually enjoy moon-gazing?"

Startled by the phrase "The moonlight is beautiful," Maki blushed slightly, thinking that Takahashi was confessing his feelings to her. Then, realizing that Takahashi wasn't Japanese and probably didn't understand the implied meaning of those words, she breathed a sigh of relief, feeling slightly disappointed.

Forget it, let's not expect this guy to do anything romantic.

Thinking this to herself, Maki casually responded to Takahashi, walked step by step to his side, sat down next to him, and looked up at the sky.

Hanging in the sky was a crescent moon, its light not very bright, but unable to obscure the surrounding stars.

This hot spring hotel is built into the mountainside, so the terrace on the second floor is actually connected to the rock structure of the mountain. Therefore, although it is on the second floor, it still has natural hot springs. The same applies to the first floor below and the third and fourth floors above.

At this moment, the two of them sat quietly on the wooden chairs on the terrace, looking up at the sky together.

"The universe stretches for billions of light-years, yet we still cannot see where the end is. Meanwhile, a person's life is confined to a single planet, and no matter what joys or sorrows they experience, they cannot transcend it. It always feels like a very ironic and cruel thing."

Gao Hai sighed softly.

"Hmm, are you going to switch careers and become a poet?"

Zhenfei blinked in confusion and asked.

"I've always been able to write, but most of what I wrote before was rather vulgar. But that doesn't mean I don't have a heart that yearns for elegance."

Gao Haiyi spoke with righteous indignation and stern words.

"Is pursuing elegance to the point of kissing Fujiwara in the hallway?"

Princess Zhenfei's tone turned slightly colder.

"A graceful lady is sought after by a gentleman; this is indeed a refined pursuit. If you don't believe me, let's kiss now, and then you'll know whether it's refined or not."

Gao Hai's expression remained unchanged, his words still righteous and stern.

"...So you really are shameless. If it weren't for the existence of the [Sacrifice Game], a scumbag like you would have been stabbed to death."

Feeling somewhat helpless towards Gao Hai, Zhenfei reached out and poked his cheek.

"Yes, that's for sure. If I hadn't encountered these bizarre games, I wouldn't have this power, I wouldn't have met you, and I wouldn't have had this encounter and experience. I would probably still be an unknown person, continuing to live an ordinary and mundane life, and my life would remain undisturbed until the day I die."

Gao Hai was very frank about this and readily admitted it.

"But you were chosen to participate in this game, and you possess such great power, and you can stay with so many of us high-ranking girls, gaining our loyalty. Don't you feel proud? If it were you, wouldn't you want to thank this 'Sacrifice Game'?"

Maki was somewhat surprised that Takahashi would say that, but since he wanted to say it that way, she went along with it and continued talking.

This time, after she finished speaking, Gao Hai remained silent for a long time before slowly opening his mouth.

"Thank you...? Thank you for the [Sacrifice Game]?"

"...Ha, it's hard to say. Although I did gain a lot of benefits, to be honest, I also suffered a lot. So many times I was tormented by death, those experiences, I really don't want to recall any of them, I don't want to feel any of them again. There is nothing more terrifying for me."

"But perhaps I should indeed express my gratitude. Not for the benefits I've received, nor for the hardships I've endured, but simply for meeting you all. For me, meeting such wonderful girls like you is the thing I should be most grateful for. After all, the whole world is utterly boring to me, and your presence and companionship are the greatest comfort to me. If it were merely for the sake of 'living,' merely for the sake of not wanting to die, I don't think I could have come this far."

Gao Hai spoke very seriously and sincerely.

Zhenfei knew that this man was opening his heart to her.

She could feel the other person's trust, and she could feel the warmth of that trust filling her heart.

However, the thought that he had said "we" made her feel a little sour, and she couldn't help but purse her lips.

"Do you say these things to Fujiwara too?"

Zhenfei didn't look up at Gao Hai, but just muttered to herself, as if she wanted to ask him a question deliberately, like she was being childish.

"...I've never said that before. I've only said that to you."

Unexpectedly, Gao Hai actually lowered his head and pondered for a while, then shook his head and gave a negative answer.

"Really? You, a playboy, would be so honest?"

Zhenfei's lips had already unconsciously curled up, but she still pretended to be reserved and continued to ask.

"No, I'm sure I've only said these things to you. After all, you're the first person I met and the one I trust the most. So I think I'll only say these things to you and not to anyone else."

But Gao Hai simply shook his head and continued speaking earnestly to the girl.

"……is that so?"

Princess Zhenfei opened her mouth; she had many things she wanted to say, but in the end, she only managed to utter this one sentence.

"Is such that."

Gao Hai's answer remained unchanged, with neither his voice nor his expression altering whatsoever.

That's it.

For him, I was the first person to enter his heart and the one who truly saw his vulnerable and soft side.

So am I special, different from everyone else?

What's with him? He was just being affectionate with that woman a moment ago, and now he's saying things like this to me, claiming he's not a playboy and that he knows how to charm people. Does he think I'm not perceptive? Does he think he can win me over with words like that?

What an idiot...

After letting out a soft sigh, the girl turned her head and leaned against Gao Hai.

"Sometimes I don't even know what to say to you. But anyway, I've already fallen for you, and there's nothing I can do about it."

She could feel Gao Hai's body stiffen slightly, and she knew that her closeness had aroused the man somewhat. This wasn't difficult for her to grasp; after all, he had touched her so many times, she could more or less understand his situation. Moreover, she knew that he had recently been intimate with Fujiwara, only to be interrupted by her, so he was bound to be more aroused and easier to tease now.

"Consort Zhen, you..."

Gao Hai frowned. He could already smell the delicate fragrance in the girl's hair beside him, a different scent from Qianhua's, a more aloof floral fragrance.

"Well, let's change the subject now."

The girl beside him spoke softly.

"What to talk about?"

Gao Hai kept his breathing steady and continued to ask questions.

Let's chat—

With deliberately drawn-out sounds, Zhenfei gently grasped Gao Hai's hand.

The smooth skin transmitted the girl's body temperature through her tiny fingers.

Then, just as Gao Hai was getting a little distracted by the girl's little interaction, he heard Maki's slightly mischievous voice.

"How about we talk about the rules of the [Alice Game] and the 12 starting hints for the [Fujibana Middle School]? This is only a quarter of the known scenes in this instance, and there are already so many starting hints. There might be a lot of important things hidden in them."

"..."

Gao Hai had to admit that this sudden turn of events was quite disheartening.

However, considering that this girl was definitely doing it on purpose, Gao Hai decided to make a note of it first and then confront her later.

“You know how to put pressure on people when you talk about work during your vacation, so you’ve already read those 12 tips, right?”

So, with a sigh, Gao Hai followed Zhen Fei's lead and continued the conversation.

"Of course I've seen them. Eight of them appeared when the dungeon was still at the Red Moon level, so four of them are false clues that will lead players to their deaths. The other four appeared after the dungeon was downgraded to the Dark Night level, so one of them is a false clue. Some of the false clues have been confirmed, but there are still some that haven't been confirmed, which is quite a headache."

Zhenfei nodded, and judging from her expression, she had probably memorized the 12 tips perfectly.

Red Moon Level Game Hints, Version 1:

1. Everyone has a side that is not known to others.

(Players who have completed the game generally believe it to be true, but the specific reasons cannot be explained due to the power of the rules.)

2. Choosing a lie might be better than choosing the truth.

(The player who completed the game was unable to verify the authenticity of the information and found no related intelligence.)

3. People are still waiting for a truly fair trial.

(Same as item 2, authenticity unconfirmed)

4. Bad kids are actually more popular than good kids.

(Players who have completed the game generally believe this is fake, and believe that this hint could bring deadly danger.)

Red Moon Level Game Hints, Version 2:

1. Only the winner of the game can leave alive.

(Players who have completed the game cannot determine the veracity of this information due to the power of the rules.)

2. Once the mask is on, it cannot be easily removed.

(Authority unconfirmed)

3. What is hidden is where it cannot be seen.

(Authority unconfirmed)

4. Those who uncover secrets will pay a price.