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

Upon closer inspection, one could see that many of the dogs had wounds, and some cages even contained the rotting carcasses of dead dogs emitting a foul stench. Therefore, after only a short time there, Kaguya felt nauseous and her stomach began to churn.

"Ugh... That's disgusting..."

The girl, slowly adjusting her breathing, continued to walk forward while observing the place.

She felt something strange.

This dark little hut looks like a cheap dog kennel, or something like the kind of kennel that people who call themselves animal rights activists actually use to scam money and abuse animals.

But for some reason, being in this kennel, she felt a very strange sense of dislocation, as if what she was seeing was not exactly what it appeared to be, but rather had another side that was difficult to discern.

Speaking of which, why would a school instance like [Early Rift Elementary School] involve a kennel environment?

The previous bedrooms, halls, and auditoriums were either student living areas or simply part of the school's existing buildings. But this dog kennel... to be honest, Kaguya couldn't think of any elementary school student's experience that would involve this place, let alone one so important that it could be materialized into a separate area of ​​the dungeon, and even have many active animals within it.

Moreover, these dogs all look quite agitated.

[Woof woof woof—Woof!!!]

As Kaguya walked along, every dog ​​she saw was barking incessantly, howling as if they were going mad. Considering they were all trapped in extremely small iron cages, Kaguya could understand the situation, but she still felt that the dogs' behavior seemed somewhat abnormal.

Especially... although they were barking very frantically, these dogs didn't seem to have any intention of attacking each other? They seemed to be just barking incessantly at me, the intruder. Rather than saying they were very frantic, it was more like... they seemed to want to communicate with me?

Kaguya found this idea somewhat laughable.

But then, remembering that this was a dungeon world inhabited by strange powers, her expression turned serious, and she had to seriously consider whether such a possibility existed.

Let's give it a try. There must be a reason why this place exists in this instance world.

"Is there something you want to say to me?"

Kaguya asked in a low voice.

Woof woof woof woof woof—

Her response was an even more intense barking than before; all the dogs in the cages were barking excitedly and jostling each other, trying to break free.

Was it her voice that provoked them? Or could they really understand her words, which is why they reacted so strongly?

If it were the Kaguya from before, she probably wouldn't have thought about this kind of thing at all, because she would have thought that the barking of these dogs was a completely "normal" thing, and because of this "normal" perception, she wouldn't have thought about why these dogs were so noisy.

However, because something is missing from her body, she can sense that something is wrong at all times. Now, her cognition is gradually no longer restricted by the abnormal power of the dungeon itself, which is why she is able to think about and analyze the current situation.

"Don't make a sound. If you can really understand me, then be quiet."

Kaguya spoke again, silently taking a step back, already prepared to activate the power of her berserk blessing and escape if things went wrong.

Almost at the same time Kaguya opened her mouth to speak, the dogs' barking began to quiet down. Even if a few dogs continued to bark and make a ruckus regardless, other dogs would immediately bite them to force them to be quiet.

Within ten seconds or so, all the dogs quieted down.

These small dogs, with their mottled fur, dirty coats, or wounded appearances, stared intently at Kaguya, remaining silent in the stillness.

Kaguya suddenly felt a sense of fear at that moment.

She suddenly realized that she wasn't staring at a bunch of puppies, but at a person.

Each puppy in this cage is, in fact, a living, breathing person. They are kept here, they are injured, they are hungry, they die. They... they are the students of the so-called Hayate Elementary School, the students of this school. That's why they look so young, and you can hardly find an adult dog, because they were originally just a group of children.

This kind of thing... Calm down, calm down. I'm here to do something, and now is not the time to let myself wallow in this pointless fear. I need to calm down and think carefully about what to do next, and figure out what I should be doing right now.

[Zao Li Elementary School] has some kind of abnormal mechanism.

In my understanding, this is my first time entering this instance, but now my underwear is gone, and I don't have any wounds on my body. In addition, there is a message I wrote on my arm, which is very likely that I took it off for some purpose, as a way to remind myself.

What am I supposed to remind myself of? First, it's certain that this instance contains some kind of memory-erasing mechanism, and possibly some kind of time-rewinding mechanism that forces a restart. It's these mechanisms that force me to resort to this helpless method of self-reminder. Then, I can deduce from this mechanism that I must have met up with Gao Jun, and that Gao Jun might have used the blessing of [Alice's Sanctuary], because only that room is absolutely safe, and only there could I calmly devise a reasonable way to remind myself.

And this prompt was meant to make me aware of the "abnormality." I hadn't felt anything significant before, but gradually, the feeling of being missing a piece of clothing became increasingly strong. Now, after confirming the kennel and discovering that all the dogs there could understand human language, I felt an even stronger "abnormality," and I could no longer consider this place normal.

So, up to now, what things do I still consider "normal," and what is it that I haven't changed my perception of?

Kaguya subtly glanced behind her, her movements very discreet.

She knew that several of her "friends" were standing at the gate of the kennel, some of whom were with her to rescue Hayasaka's teammates.

They did not enter the kennel.

After I opened the kennel door and went inside, they didn't come in. They just stood outside, watching me move around inside. This was normal; I shouldn't doubt it… No, that's not right. This isn't normal. Why didn't my teammates come with me? Why didn't they come with me? This is normal… but what's normal about it? What's the reason for it being normal? How is it normal to put your teammates in an unfamiliar, potentially dangerous environment? But it is normal… why is this normal… this isn't normal…

Close your eyes, then open them again.

Kaguya's breathing gradually returned to calm after it had become disordered.

She realized that something was wrong, but she also knew that she couldn't panic.

Regardless of what those things standing behind him were, the fact that they lured him to this place and made him see these dogs that could understand human speech and had eyes like living people meant they certainly didn't have any good intentions.

She couldn't immediately reveal that she had gradually broken free from distorted perceptions, otherwise she might not be able to leave this place.

"Can you... reply to me in as low a voice as possible? You want to leave here, don't you?"

Kaguya lowered her voice and spoke softly to a dog cage next to her.

[Waaaaah... Waaaah...]

Her response was the low whimper of a dog.

"Is the key to open the cage in this room? If so, make a sound twice; otherwise, remain silent."

Kaguya then asked in a low voice.

[Waaah... Waaah...]

She received another response, and several dogs tilted their heads, turning them deeper into the room as if guiding her.

Deeper into the room, meaning I would have to go deep inside if I wanted to let the dogs out.

The room has a corner, so once I go deeper into the room, I won't be able to check what's happening near the door, and I won't be able to see or interfere with that side. What will those things standing outside the door do then?

Kaguya, who was frowning in thought, noticed a dog's head peeking out of a cage not far away.

It was a half-grown golden retriever, but it looked almost an adult.

Among a group of puppies, this dog actually stood out quite a bit. It had just been staying in the corner, so Kaguya hadn't noticed it.

For some reason, Kaguya felt a sense of familiarity with the dog.

It's like its eyes and expressions can correspond to someone you know.

Could it be that it is actually...?

Why are you staying there without moving?

Did you find anything in the room? Want to try exploring a little deeper?

We'll keep an eye on things outside for you. If any teachers come by, we'll alert you immediately, since we're friends.

The sounds of those things came from behind me.

Those things that had been standing outside the kennel and hadn't come in spoke to her at that moment.

Those were the voices of Kaguya's familiar friends. They were... no, they were hoarse, strange, and non-human beings imitating human voices. They were voices that would gradually make people lose themselves in them, unaware of their danger.

"...Come in a few of you, I need your help."

After hesitating for a moment, Kaguya turned to look at those things and spoke to them.

Since these things are now playing the role of "friends," then using this identity as a reason should be enough to get them to do something. With proper guidance, perhaps this situation can be resolved. In any case, Kaguya would never venture deep into the dog kennel alone; she had a gut feeling that if she did, she would most likely be doomed.

Do we really have to come in? We can just stay here, why are you saying this?

But the response from those things was not what Kaguya had originally imagined.

"Then, could you send a few more people to watch over the other doors downstairs? That way, you can better alert me if anyone comes, right?"

Kaguya hesitated for a moment, noticing that the things seemed to have undergone some strange changes, and then tried to offer another suggestion.

"We can help you right here, why go through other doors? Why are you saying this?"

But those things gave a negative answer again, and the doubt in their voices became even more pronounced.

Oh no, their behavior doesn't seem to be entirely about playing the role of "friends," but rather they have some kind of internal code that I don't understand.

Sensing something was wrong, Kaguya's expression remained unchanged. She shut her mouth and stopped talking to avoid triggering any more unusual situations.

However, by the time she realized it, it seemed to be a little too late.

Why are you saying this? Why are you silent now? Don't you want to talk to us?

The things outside the door did not quiet down because of Kaguya's silence.

On the contrary, their voices gradually became louder and louder, and the hoarseness and distortion in their voices continued to increase.

Kaguya remained silent, but sensing something was amiss, she turned her head and looked at those things.

Why aren't you saying anything? Aren't we friends? Why won't you talk to your friend?

Click——click——

Faintly, it seemed as if something was cracking, and a sound like it was breaking could be heard.

Something is wrong.

Something is very wrong.

Are they... trying to escape the identities they're playing through dialogue?

“Of course we are friends. I was just thinking about something and didn’t pay attention for a moment. What I said to you just now was just asking my friends for help, but friends have their own things to do, right? So asking friends for help doesn’t necessarily get a response or a reply, that’s normal. You are my friends, you are all my friends.”

As Kaguya spoke, she slowly walked towards the blurry figures.

She could sense the growing danger emanating from those things.

But staying in the room was more dangerous, so she had to get closer, even closer to the door leading to the kennel.

"So we're friends, and it's fine for us to stand guard here. Why don't you explore the room and instead come this way? Don't you trust us? Does your refusal to explore the room mean you don't trust us to stand guard for you? Aren't we friends?"

The voices of those things remained hoarse, and they continued to gradually change for the worse.

"I believe you. I just want to get closer to my friends. It's normal for friends to want to get closer to each other."

Kaguya, feeling an increasingly intense sense of distortion, continued to approach and speak to those things.

We're here to help you, but you haven't explored the room. You don't trust us; you don't believe us.

But the sounds of those things had already slid into the stage of sharp, piercing noise.

Click——click——