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

Chika looked up and discovered Takami hiding in the metal frame structure at the top of the swimming pool, spying on her.

How did he end up there?

Chika was puzzled, but before she could react further, she saw Gao Hai raise his hands, bend them and place them on his head, making a heart shape with his hands.

"Pfft-"

Chika, who doesn't have a high threshold for laughter, burst out laughing almost immediately.

"Ok?"

Kaguya, who only then noticed what was happening, turned around and saw Takami, who had already put her hand down and seemed completely unaffected.

What's Gao Jun doing here?!

Kaguya's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but wonder if Takahashi had been hiding up there all along, seeing her panicked state.

As she turned her head, Kaguya naturally failed to see that Chika, who was floating beside her, raised her index finger and gently traced a line from her collarbone to her chest, while winking at Takami in a suggestive manner.

As for Maki, who had been silently observing everything from the sidelines and understood the gestures between the two, she simply gave Chika a disdainful look before preparing to leave.

The swimsuit looks great!

At this moment, Gao Hai's mental communication entered her consciousness.

Saying things like, "Everyone's wearing the same style, what's so appealing about that?" just comes across as a bit hypocritical.

Zhenfei replied rather bluntly in the thought link, though her tone unconsciously rose slightly.

【The same clothes look great on different people. You look especially good in them, so how about you wear this outfit and play games with me tonight? I personally think it's a really great idea!】

Then, in the next moment, Gao Hai revealed his true nature during the conversation.

【No way! I can't possibly wear this! This...this...this is the school's swimsuit, and each one has a number, so it can't get dirty or torn! In short, it's absolutely not allowed! And why are you always thinking about this kind of thing? Can't you be a little more serious?】

Turning her back, Maki hid the anger on her face from others, and replied in a fierce voice over the communicator.

So, as long as it's not a school swimsuit, there's no problem, right?

Gao Hai himself had quickly grasped the key point in Zhenfei's words.

【…】

Without continuing the conversation, Maki, her face flushed, glared angrily at Takahashi before quickly leaving the pool in her blue-black school swimsuit.

After Chika and Takami engaged in a rather secretive exchange, one that others couldn't quite decipher, Chika turned and swam away with great interest, disappearing to do something else entirely. This left Kaguya alone in the pool, unwittingly rescued from her predicament.

Why would Gao Jun come here, and specifically up there? Could it be that he's here to peep? Is it because this is a women's swimming pool, where only girls swim, that he came here to try and peek?

Thinking of this, Kaguya shrank back slightly, wanting to avoid Takahashi's gaze, yet subconsciously trying to straighten her chest and raise her head so that he could see her more clearly.

However, because she was in the water instead of on land, Kaguya lost her balance and fell into the water after a slight distraction, her head completely submerged.

When she resurfaced, Gao Hai had already disappeared.

Did Gao Jun come here specifically to help me out of this predicament?

Thinking about this, Kaguya became slightly uneasy.

Meanwhile, Takami herself had arrived at the roof of the swimming pool and saw Hayasaka Ai, who had been waiting there for a long time.

"Thank you for your trouble, Master. My lady has been causing you a lot of trouble."

Hayasaka Ai bowed to Takami with a calm expression. Although she wasn't wearing a maid outfit, she still exuded the elegant demeanor of a perfect maid.

"It's nothing, after all, Kaguya really does have this kind of awkward personality. I just happened to have some free time, so I came by to help out."

Gao Hai didn't care about this and just waved his hand casually.

But the next moment, the blonde maid's figure approached and pressed against Gao Hai's body.

Hayasaka Ai stood on tiptoe.

Gao Hai also lowered his head accordingly.

After a brief exchange of breaths, Gao Hai took the initiative to step back and reached out to block Hayasaka, who was eager to get closer.

"Alright, alright, we're still at school. But are you ready for the fireworks festival? I'm really looking forward to seeing you in your yukata."

Looking at the girl in front of him, her face flushed and slightly out of breath, Gao Hai maintained his usual calm smile, but inwardly he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

"Fireworks festival... um, as a maid, I need to..."

I need to serve Kaguya-sama as her servant, providing any services she might require, so I can't wear a yukata and enjoy the festival with everyone.

Such words had almost become an instinct; Hayasaka would say them almost without thinking.

But Takahashi, who had already figured out what she was trying to say, simply reached out and patted Hayasaka on the shoulder.

"Anyway, I definitely want to see you appear then. Don't forget, who are you calling 'master' right now, Xiao Ai?"

The teasing yet intimate words made Hayasaka's body tremble slightly.

She didn't try to find any more reasons, but simply lowered her head and softly hummed in agreement.

Gao Hai then left quickly. This time, he didn't deliberately look for any girl. Instead, he left the school and planned to go to the park to see what shops were there and think about what he could do with Jianzi if he brought her over tomorrow.

Speaking of which, I'm getting involved with more and more girls these days. At this rate, just getting each of them to set aside a day for a date would take a full five days to go around to everyone. I wonder if the number will keep increasing...

With my current physical condition, I can easily take on two opponents at once, but it would take a long time to determine a winner. As for taking on four or even five opponents, well, it feels like the outcome is hard to predict.

As a player with extraordinary power, I wasn't even confident I could handle five people. I really don't know how those emperors with their supposed harems of three thousand beauties managed to keep up. But speaking of which, with my current strength, if I really wanted to, it seems like recreating that kind of extravagant lifestyle wouldn't be a problem at all. It just goes to show that the power of players, especially top-tier players, is absolutely overwhelming for ordinary people.

In addition, we've almost got the Spirit Shards for Maki Chika and the others. Although we haven't gotten them all yet, it should be enough to give each of them three shards before the dungeon starts to resist the mental pollution power. As for any extra shards later, we'll consider that when we actually enter the dungeon.

One random, chaotic thought after another popped into my head.

Gao Hai moved slowly down the street.

Then, it suddenly stopped.

Turn around.

Gao Hai spotted the guy who had been secretly following him for a short while. He had somehow concealed his presence, so much so that Gao Hai only realized he was being followed after quite some time.

That is--

[Perfectly ripe mango!]

Gao Hai:?

At this moment, what appeared behind him was a large cardboard box used for express delivery, labeled "Perfectly Ripe Mango".

What's going on? !

Interlude 3-31: The Clumsy Girl Who Stalks Her and Her Ordinary and Comfortable Date

Goto Ichiri was observing the man in front of her.

Her heart was pounding wildly.

Her little hands were trembling.

My hands and feet were ice cold, and my body was trembling uncontrollably.

Without a doubt, the girl's mental state was nearing its limit and she was on the verge of collapse.

But she still didn't back down or give up. She continued to secretly follow Gao Hai, carrying the cardboard box that made people ignore her obsession.

One step, another step.

Ordinary cardboard boxes moved along the street.

You can hear footsteps passing by.

And the sounds of passersby chatting with each other.

so many people……

There are so many people around...

Even though she was curled up inside the cardboard box, the girl was still clearly aware that she was in a busy downtown area.

This is a place where reclusive nerds from the dark world shouldn't come, a place where someone like her, a fungal creature who rarely leaves the house and can't tolerate sunlight, shouldn't be. But now she's broken her own rules, abandoned her proper code of conduct—this is an extremely suicidal act.

But, we cannot retreat.

In any case, we cannot back down at this time.

With his teeth clenched, Goto Ichiri felt as if he were about to be executed, and he was already feeling a strong urge to die a martyr.

This was the only person who saw Kita-kun after that day.

He was so powerful that he was able to crack two of the core obsessions of the [Campus Ghost Stories] instance in succession, greatly weakening that terrifying instance.

Now that he has agreed to the next joint player operation, with his abilities, perhaps he can rescue Kita-kun.

But why would the other party willingly take such a risk?

The joint operation itself is dangerous enough.

Goto Ichiri couldn't see why Takami would take such a risk to save a player whose chances of recovery were extremely low and who was also entangled with that extremely troublesome illusory core obsession. After all, there were very few cases of players surviving direct contact with that core obsession, and even Red Moon level players would find it difficult to survive when encountering that thing.

Therefore, I need to find a way to persuade the other party.

No matter what price you have to pay, at least you have to try and take action, instead of staying in one place and hiding to watch everything. That way, you're sure you won't change anything!

The cardboard box continued to move, moving with unwavering determination, as if it were heading to a battlefield.

But she was only following Gao Hai forward; she didn't actually catch up.

As for why, one reason is that there are many people on the street, and another reason is that some people are afraid of Gao Hai and dare not talk to him.

After all, many players who have investigated Takami believe that this man is a JK (high school girl) enthusiast, especially with a deep obsession for Japanese high school girls. This also means that Goto Ichiri herself is within Takami's hunting range, which makes the girl extremely nervous and completely afraid to approach him.

But if I don't say anything, how am I supposed to save Kita-kun...?

The girl was conflicted.

Therefore, she simply followed, followed, and stayed behind Gao Hai, but did nothing at all.