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

The research group at Hayate Elementary School was forced to expand its experiment, resulting in an excessive number of students that could not be fully controlled. It was at this time that Chiyo Hachiya entered the school and tried to become friends with the dog kennel manager.

At this moment, fragments of the past seem to be pieced together. Although it is still incomplete and without a clear beginning or end, at least some things can be inferred.

Thinking this, Gao Hai took out a 20-sided die and threw it. After seeing the number [18] displayed on the die, he knew that his deduction was basically correct and that he could continue in this direction.

In addition, it seems that my preventative approach was correct.

After putting down his laptop, Gao Hai carefully observed his surroundings, confirming that no new "friends" had appeared. Therefore, he was now certain that as long as he summoned the rescue team to erase all the names on the intelligence information, the players could avoid being misled by cognitive blocks and the "friends' rules" after reading the information, thus preventing them from being led into a trap by some inexplicable thing.

"Did you find anything out of the investigation?"

Kaguya, who had already given Hayasaka a general explanation of the situation, took a step back warily when she saw Takami put down his notebook. She looked at him cautiously and asked him a question.

"Notes with names crossed out won't cause contamination, so you can read them with confidence and don't worry. We'll discuss it together after you've finished reading."

Gao Hai explained earnestly, which reassured Kaguya a little. Then he handed the notebook to her, asking her to take a look at its contents and see if she could find any clues he had overlooked.

As Kaguya took the notebook and flipped through the greasy pages with some disdain, Takami took off her apron and put it into her watch storage. At the same time, she walked over to Hayasaka Ai, who was still sitting in her chair, huddled up next to her.

He could tell that the girl's emotions had calmed down a lot, and she was gradually getting used to her body returning to normal.

Kaguya Hayasaka was very open with everything she knew, so she gave Hayasaka a general overview of everything, from the Sacrifice Game to her previous dungeon experiences. This was enough for the girl to understand her current situation, what kind of place she had arrived in, and... what her master had gone through in the past two months.

"Oh, we meet again."

Gao Hai raised an eyebrow and greeted the maid who had previously stalked and spied on him on several occasions.

"...Hello, Mr. Gao."

Hayasaka, whose emotions had not yet been well relieved, shrank back and clutched the oversized t-shirt she was wearing, looking at Takahashi with a somewhat blank expression.

"Is this really true? The young lady... has actually experienced this terrible thing twice, and every month she has to go to a similar place again... This is like a nightmare... This is..."

With sobs, the girl shrank even more, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Under normal circumstances, Hayasaka Ai should control her emotions with a disguised persona and not reveal any of her true thoughts.

But now, the girl was clearly overstimulated and completely broke down. She could no longer pretend, so her eyes were brimming with tears, and she looked like a pitiful puppy, her voice filled with undisguised fear and despair.

"Yes, it's true. Not only does it happen every month, but now she's even come here to save you. So you'd better recover quickly. The Red Moon-level dungeon doesn't give the weak much time to cry. We'll have a lot of trouble to face next."

Takami spoke calmly as usual, without any change in his tone due to Hayasaka's condition.

"Should we... escape from here?"

Hayasaka's eyes were still somewhat blank, but she continued to speak softly, following Takami's words.

"Yes, leaving here won't be easy, so you can't stay like this forever. Of course, at least we have some safe time right now, so you can be a little grateful that you can still be weak for a while; such opportunities don't come often."

Gao Hai's voice softened a bit, but his tone and attitude remained indifferent.

"Yes, I understand, thank you, Mr. Gao..."

After calming down a bit, Hayasaka lowered his head and said softly.

"Well, you should thank me properly, and then think about how to repay me and how to help me."

Then, Takahashi's blunt reply left Hayasaka momentarily stunned. While feeling somewhat embarrassed, her mindset began to shift slightly.

This Mr. Gao, he had absolutely no fear of this place or those terrible things.

Hayasaka couldn't help but recall how easily the other woman had shaken off his pursuit on several occasions, revealing her meticulous disguise and concealment. Before this man, his pride in his strength and expertise was utterly useless, easily broken through.

Moreover, the reason she was able to survive the horrific ordeal of being trapped in a dog cage, her mind constantly regressing, and witnessing others being killed and cooked, was all thanks to this man. He displayed an unimaginable strength, suppressing and eliminating that terrifying butcher (Hayasaka was unaware that it was only a temporary suppression), and successfully rescued her. She could never have done such a thing herself; judging from Kaguya's reaction when she explained the situation to her, she probably couldn't have done it either.

Is it confidence stemming from absolute strength?

That's right. He couldn't even see how the butcher was killed. Such power was beyond his reach.

She had often wondered why Kaguya-sama favored this man, even suspecting he possessed some form of mind control. Now, it seemed he was simply a powerful individual. Moreover, he was willing to brave danger for Kaguya-sama, going to great lengths to rescue her. No wonder Kaguya-sama was so fond of him…

Hayasaka, taking a light breath, gradually regained her composure and slowly returned to her usual state.

The girl, who had been unable to calm down even after being comforted by Kaguya for a long time, now calmed down in front of Takahashi. She stopped trembling and despairing, and instead tried to become more positive, thinking about what she could do and the role she could play.

As for why Kaguya could do what Takami couldn't, Hayasaka thinks it's probably because Takami's aura made her feel genuinely safe.

Even in a terrifying place where one wrong step could lead to certain death, as long as she stayed by this man's side, he could turn the tide, protect her and Kaguya, and bring them out of there alive. This reassuring, dependable feeling was key to Hayasaka regaining her peace. Unfortunately, the current Kaguya in the Hayate Elementary School scenario couldn't provide Hayasaka with that feeling; after all, even Hayasaka herself couldn't feel at ease.

I have to do something; I can't be a burden. Kaguya-sama said this place is extremely dangerous. Even though Mr. Gao is indeed very powerful, he had to hide in that strange little bedroom for several hours before, proving that there are indeed troublesome threats here.

I must find something I can do to avoid becoming a burden to Mr. Gao and Miss Kaguya. It would be a dereliction of duty for a maid to put them in danger because of me.

Hayasaka Ai has fully recovered to 100% condition.

only……

Well, it really does take some time to get used to this discomfort...

Hayasaka looked at the shirt she was wearing with some distress.

Her sense of shame as a young girl made her keep her legs tightly closed and curl up slightly to avoid exposing herself as much as possible.

The cognitive damage caused by being turned into a dog by a strange force over three days made her feel extremely uncomfortable. She had an urge to take off this shirt and a strong urge to discard all external things, including clothes, pants, headbands, earrings, and nail polish.

Just as Takami is now particularly sensitive to knocking on the door and feels uncomfortable and immediately changes the channel when watching cave exploration on TV, Hayasaka has now acquired a completely new trait, which manifests as a desire to "return to the original state".

How could I have such a thought...?

Hmm... I can't let this affect my state of mind... I must stay alert...

Hayasaka Ai, whose mind was in a bit of a mess, tried her best to keep a straight face and not show her discomfort.

Seeing that the girl's expression was calm, Gao Hai knew that she had completely adjusted her mindset, so he turned around and faced Kaguya without saying anything more.

Just then, Kaguya finished flipping through the notebook. Noticing Takami's gaze, she put down the notebook with a serious expression. She first looked at Hayasaka with concern, and only felt relieved after seeing that he was in good condition. Then she looked up at Takami and was momentarily stunned.

"Gao Jun, why did you take off your apron?"

Looking at Gao Hai's well-defined yet not overly bulky physique, Kaguya coughed lightly and asked.

"That apron seems to be a [gift] right now. I'm a little worried that if I keep wearing it, I might attract some kind of repercussions, so for now, I'll just leave it as it is. What about you? Any thoughts?"

Gao Hai pointed to the notebook that Kaguya had put down and looked at her, asking a question.

“My idea is actually related to this apron. Since it’s a gift, I wonder if we can use it to find out the identity of the person who gave it and where they might be?”

With the important matter at hand, Kaguya calmed down and stopped focusing on Takami's chest and abs, speaking in a flat tone about her thoughts.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: New Changes in the Site and the People Taking Action

squeak-

After a soft click, Gao Hai opened the door and looked at the dog kennel outside.

All the cages had fallen silent, and the scruffy little dogs inside lay motionless, lifeless like furry dolls.

Just like the soup pot in the small room, which solidified after the butcher was sealed away, these living people, now transformed into scruffy little dogs, have effectively become part of the eerie mechanism and will lose their ability to move as the eerie mechanism is sealed away. Therefore, they are truly no different from being dead; they are beyond saving.

However, this also means that this kennel, like the small room deep inside it, has become a temporary safe house.

"Come out, everyone. This room is safe for now."

As he said this, Takami waved behind him, and then Kaguya and Hayasaka carefully walked out and came to Takami's side.

"This place...this dog kennel..."

Returning to the kennel where she had been confined for several days, Hayasaka Ai instinctively trembled, and her face paled considerably.

Her way of accidentally entering the dog kennel was actually somewhat similar to Kaguya's. Both triggered the "Friend" rule during their investigations, and because they wandered around aimlessly, they were lured into the dog kennel by "Friend." When they realized something was wrong and tried to escape, "Friend" closed the door, preventing them from leaving. The difference is that Kaguya had Takami to rescue her, so she was only a dog for a few tens of minutes, while Hayasaka experienced several days of torment.

At the beginning, Hayasaka was still able to maintain his consciousness as a human being, clearly knew who he was, and tried to escape from this place.

But her efforts were naturally in vain. No matter what she did, the dog in the cage could not save itself unless it used the obsession mechanism like Gao Hai to create an external force for itself, in order to successfully escape from the cage.

After struggling through the day, Hayasaka began to feel increasingly disoriented the next day and started to notice that her thinking ability was gradually deteriorating.

The girl herself was unaware that she was being transformed by the power of the supernatural, gradually turning into a real dog. However, she still felt the fear of her self-awareness being slowly eroded, and gradually sank into despair.

By the third day, Hayasaka was starting to have trouble distinguishing between herself and a dog. Her memories as a human were beginning to fade, and she even began to doubt whether they were just her imagination or not her actual experience.

Fortunately, Takami and Kaguya arrived in time. Although the three-plus days had caused considerable damage to Hayasaka's perception and sense of self, these things could be gradually repaired after she returned to human form. If the two had rescued Hayasaka at the very end of the sixth or seventh day, even if she recovered, she would inevitably suffer some aftereffects. For example, there is a very famous Red Moon-level player team in Japan called "Red Guild," which has a player who was trapped in Hayate Elementary School for six whole days. Afterwards, her companions spent more than half a month, with the help of obsession items, to correct some of the player's behavior, and even now, this player still does various behaviors that are unbearable to watch.

Of course, for the three who are currently in the instance, this is not something they need to worry about.

"It's okay, it's okay, we'll get you out of here."

Kaguya already knew what Hayasaka had suffered during this time from their previous conversation, so she immediately comforted him gently.

It's a bit strange, but in the more than ten years that Kaguya and Hayasaka spent together, although she was genuinely kind to Hayasaka, she almost never spoke to her own maid in such a gentle and soft tone.

However, it's precisely because Kaguya's behavior is so different from her usual self that Hayasaka is able to recover more quickly. While it might sound impolite, it's precisely because her young lady's behavior is so unusual that Hayasaka is able to recover from her current abnormal state more quickly. To put it another way, it's like your boss, who usually forces you to work 996, suddenly giving you extended leave, showering you with care and gifts. At that moment, you naturally don't focus on your own troubles anymore; instead, you're overwhelmed by the strong sense of incongruity and can't help but wonder if the other person has lost their mind. Therefore, you also recover from your abnormal state more quickly.

Of course, Hayasaka and Kaguya's relationship wasn't that bad, but even so, Kaguya's behavior was still too abnormal for her, so it was hard not to notice it.

"...Miss, I'm fine now, thank you, you don't need to worry about me too much."

Hayasaka, speaking in a low voice, forced a smile at Kaguya, trying her best to appear as normal as possible.

"Don't push yourself too hard. We're in a very dangerous place right now. If you have any problems, speak up immediately. If you keep them to yourself, it will be bad if we run into trouble. After all, we have to get through this difficult time as a team."

Kaguya felt a little relieved after seeing that Hayasaka seemed to be alright, but she still gave her a serious warning.

"Yes, I know. I'm fine, I'm just a little uncomfortable with this dress."

Although she had considered explaining this inexplicable, instinctive urge to the young lady, Hayasaka hesitated for a moment, glancing at Takami ahead, and decided against bringing it up. After all, she was a girl, and Hayasaka still had a sense of shame.

crunch--

Gao Hai, who was at the front, did not notice the movements of the two people behind him. He simply continued to move forward cautiously, opened the door of the dog kennel, and began to observe the outside.

The lobby is still the same as before, and it seems there shouldn't be any major problems.

Considering the obvious deep connection between this butcher-like monster and the special being [Chiyo Hachiya], Gao Hai had worried that the monster might come seeking revenge. However, it seemed that there was no other intelligent monster like Alice, so although the monster came over and "humphed," it didn't do anything to Gao Hai.

"It's safe outside, come out. Next, we need to find something for Hayasaka to use as clothing."

After Kaguya and Hayasaka left the room, Takami walked down the stairs and returned to the lobby on the first floor.

Gao Hai noticed some previously unseen graffiti on the surrounding walls, which appeared to be dark and indistinct.

Some graffiti looked like completely random lines, but some of the lines actually formed twisted black human figures. Some pictures used bright colors to depict what looked like children or adults, and then drew black human figures standing next to them. There was one graffiti on the wall that Gao Hai found particularly troubling. This graffiti roughly and simply depicted a classroom, with students and a teacher in the classroom. At the same time, a dark image with a smiley face drawn in red crayon appeared at the top of the layer, significantly ruining the original appearance of this childish graffiti.

Gao Hai's attention to the drawing had nothing to do with its content. It was just that, upon seeing it, he vaguely sensed that the location depicted might be the classroom where he and Kaguya had triggered the rules and died during their first playthrough.

While the Butcher temporarily disappeared from the instance, what changes occurred in that classroom?