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

"But since Ahai chose not to tell us, he probably has his reasons. After all, if it's related to the Red Moon-level dungeon, information pollution will definitely become a very troublesome problem. If we really go to Ahai, it might cause him a lot of distress."

Then, what followed was a viewpoint from Chika that was completely opposite to Maki's line of thinking.

"...I know, but that guy is really worrying. Even if it's something that can't be said, I'd at least have to ask him before I can feel at ease."

However, this is unlikely to make Princess Zhenfei back down.

"Hmm, I knew it! Let's go together then, let's go!"

"I know... Wait a minute, don't squeeze in, hey, don't stand so close, the umbrella's all crooked!"

The voices of the two girls, one lively and the other distressed, echoed through the rain, followed by the sound of their footsteps moving forward together.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Gao Hai had already arrived at the gate of the Shinomiya residence by taxi.

Even before they arrived at the destination, Gao Hai had already spotted Kaguya Shinomiya waiting at the entrance, with a servant holding an umbrella to shield her from the rain.

Clearly, while he was leisurely enjoying a relaxing afternoon, Kaguya was experiencing a very difficult time, unable to find any respite. It has to be said that entering a dungeon with such a mindset is not a good thing. However, putting himself in her shoes, Gao Hai thought that if Maki or Chika encountered danger in the dungeon, he probably wouldn't be able to remain calm and continue leisurely playing around.

After all, she was a close friend, and moreover, she was someone like Kaguya Shinomiya who didn't have many friends to begin with.

Even so, this demeanor is quite unsettling.

Takahashi couldn't help but recall the moment when he first woke up in bed in room 204 at the Shirakawa Apartment and turned to see Kaguya's expressionless face.

Back then, I hadn't received any blessings or empowerment, and I hadn't become the person I am today with all sorts of extraordinary powers. At that time, Kaguya Shinomiya was even better than me in terms of physical abilities and intellect, so I had to rely on her power to conquer the dungeon.

Yes, she was definitely much more imposing back then than she is now. Although she gave off a cold vibe, she also exuded a very reliable aura. Hmm, if I had to describe her, she might have had a slightly mafia boss feel to her.

slam-la-

As Gao Hai stepped out of the car amidst the rain, an attendant immediately came forward to hold an umbrella for him.

"have you eaten?"

Gao Hai looked at Kaguya and asked in a very casual tone.

"...Not yet, the chef has already prepared dinner. Gao Jun, please come in first."

Taken aback by Takahashi's teasing question, Kaguya paused for a moment before answering, then gestured for Takahashi to walk with her into the mansion.

Dinner was simple, consisting of easily digestible dishes. Considering their upcoming destination, and to avoid facing an extremely dangerous escape immediately after eating, Takami and Kaguya didn't eat much, stopping only when they were about half full. Although, as players, their half-fullness was equivalent to a normal adult male's fullness.

"So, are you almost ready?"

After tidying up and taking all the necessary items, Gao Hai looked at Kaguya and asked.

"Well, I'm ready."

Compared to her previous tension and anxiety, Kaguya was much calmer now. As the time to enter the dungeon finally arrived, she managed to adjust herself to her best condition and return to her calm and aloof Ice Kaguya state.

"To be honest, this is no different from pioneering a new field. After all, all we can rely on are those four riddle-like game hints. In short, let's be extra careful."

As Gao Hai spoke, he turned his gaze to the piece of paper with strange graffiti on the table.

He recalled the only information he could rely on from the player forums: the four game hints for Hayate Elementary School. Unlike Fujihana Middle School, which had a plethora of hints, Hayate Elementary School always gave players the same four hints every time they entered, even after the dungeon was downgraded to Dark Night level by the Sacrifice Game. This left many players puzzled, speculating whether one of the four hints possessed both "true" and "false" attributes.

The four prompts are:

1. Be obedient, be obedient, obedient children will not be punished.

2. Don't be afraid, little one, the teacher is here and will protect you.

3. I'm a smart kid, not a stupid kid; adults can't fool me.

4. I don't need anything, I'm no worse than anyone else.

Unlike the hints in previous sacrifice games, these four hints seemed to have more of a "dialogue" quality, each one sounding like something someone said in a certain context. Unfortunately, due to the extremely high level of information pollution in the Hayate Elementary School instance, Gao Hai couldn't get any analysis of these four sentences from players who had cleared the instance; he could only make an empirical judgment after actually entering the instance.

Speaking of which, I've already gotten my tickets to Hayate Elementary School and Yoruyama Middle School through a "reasonable" process. So, Abydos... no, cough cough, I mean Bythos Academy. These two things sound similar, but Abydos and Bythos are completely different concepts. In short, I don't think I've received a ticket to Bythos Academy yet. If that Keeper is really going to give me tickets to every area of ​​"School Ghost Stories," then how will he "reasonably" give me the Bythos Academy ticket?

Rumbling--

Amidst the increasingly torrential rain outside the window, a deafening clap of thunder rang out.

Snapped!

Then, the lights suddenly went out, and the whole room dimmed, plunging into complete darkness.

Interlude 3-10: Another Ticket and Speculations about KP

Something has entered this mansion.

Although he hadn't seen anything unusual yet, Gao Hai had already instinctively formed this feeling.

He reached out and covered Kaguya's slightly parted lips.

Using the fleeting flash of lightning outside the window as a cue, Gao Hai gestured for Kaguya to be quiet, then carefully walked to the edge of the room and listened to the sounds coming from the corridor outside.

At this moment, he and Kaguya were in a side hall on the second floor of the mansion, a place that was not usually used to receive guests and where almost no one would deliberately pass by. It was the kind of place that would be covered in dust in just a few days if the servants didn't come and clean it regularly.

Takami and Kaguya chose this location for their preparations because they were unsure if the special ticket would cause any strange reactions; they chose a spot where they wouldn't mind if it were destroyed. However, before they could even confirm the ticket's entrance effects, something else happened outside.

Gripping the pistol, Gao Hai frowned and carefully leaned against the door, listening intently to the sounds outside.

tread--

The footsteps were extremely faint, almost drowned out by the sound of the rain.

If his perception hadn't been exceptionally sharp, Gao Hai was certain he wouldn't have been able to detect the footsteps.

tread--

A second footstep sounded.

The footsteps were almost identical to the previous ones, with the same volume and intensity, and were approaching him directly from the corridor.

tread--

The third footstep sounded.

The second and third footsteps were exactly the same, with no difference from the first two.

not human.

Gao Hai quickly made this judgment.

Human footsteps couldn't possibly be this regular; such precise, almost mechanical footsteps couldn't possibly be human. Furthermore, almost half a minute had passed since the power went out and the lights were switched off; the servants of the Kaguya family should have come to check on the situation long ago. But from that moment until now, Gao Hai hadn't heard a single sound other than those footsteps, which was highly illogical.

Either this thing that broke into the mansion under the cover of darkness had already eliminated everyone in the mansion except for him and Kaguya. Or, the thing's power had altered the surrounding environment, making it impossible for him to sense the servants' movements, and for the servants to reach the location of this room.

Regardless, it's certain that they have ill intentions.

Without any hesitation, Gao Hai pulled the trigger.

boom!

The sudden gunshots were particularly piercing at that moment.

The bullet did not leave the muzzle, nor did any sparks appear.

However, by judging the location of the footsteps outside the door, after Gao Hai decided to fire, the bullet appeared out of thin air in the corridor outside the door and flew sharply towards the location of the fourth footstep.

The initial probe involved firing 15 bullets in a single burst, striking the object's location from all directions.

Although this uses the unlimited bullet mode without the eerie properties, Gao Hai has been able to confirm through testing that the bullets in this mode can still exert a certain degree of control over the eerie things, and can knock away or suppress eerie things with physical forms. Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable to use this mode for testing.

As for whether the person outside the door was actually a human, that's unlikely, since Gao Hai's senses are hard to deceive. Furthermore, with the fourth footstep, another of his blessings activated automatically, giving him a warning.

The door cannot be opened.

You can't meet that thing, you can't see that thing.

If you see it, you'll die!

The third effect of Hirano Sosuke's blessing pointed out a clear "safe zone" to Takahashi at this moment. That is, any environment that is separated from the thing outside the door, where he can be in the same room without being completely exposed to the other party.

Click click click——

The sound of shattering glass echoed from the corridor.

The 15 bullets struck the walls, cabinets, and lights in the corridor, creating a series of loud explosions.

The fifth set of footsteps approached the door to the side hall in the next instant.

The target was not hit.

The ordinary bullets didn't hit anything, which means that the thing outside the door... doesn't actually have a physical form?

boom!

Without the slightest hesitation, Gao Hai immediately pulled the trigger again.

This time, he used one of the ten special bullets available only, which could only be refreshed every 24 hours once used, and was capable of sealing the power of the supernatural.

With a sudden flash of light, Kaguya's eyes widened as she felt an extremely intense, indescribable sensation. It was as if something had appeared along with the bullet as it left the barrel, attaching itself to the bullet and roaring towards the target designated by Takahashi.

zizi——

The lights came back on a moment later.

The torrential rain outside the window continued unabated, pouring down relentlessly.

The eerie footsteps had vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed, leaving no trace whatsoever.

After standing silently at the door for a moment, Gao Hai reached out and grabbed the doorknob, slowly opening it.

The corridor outside was empty except for the craters left by gunfire and the scattered rubble and glass shards, indicating that what had just happened was not a dream.

"What just happened?"

Kaguya, cautiously peeking out of the room behind Takahashi, asked in a low voice.

"They're here to give away tickets, but the way they're doing it is a bit unconventional."

As Gao Hai answered, he saw something scattered on the ground that clearly hadn't been there before.

That thing looked like a piece of paper.

In terms of style, it looked very much like an invitation, and it was very finely made, with a hint of age in it.

After confirming that the thing wouldn't jump up and bite, Gao Hai picked it up and found that it was a job assignment document written entirely in German. It was an issued assignment document dispatching a certain sergeant to the Baidos concentration camp.

Gao Hai was able to sense the influence of a strange power on this job description.

Just like the graffiti that Kaguya brought back, it should have had a strong eerie aura, but for some reason it has stabilized and can be used autonomously.