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

"What's with those expressions? What, want to get beaten up?"

A Goto clone, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, spoke coldly.

"What are you all doing standing here? A bunch of useless trash who only cause trouble for others, why don't you just die?"

A Goto clone with slicked-back hair and a suit arrogantly spat out a mouthful of saliva. Well, judging from the action, this clone probably wanted to spit, but the original Goto Ichiri himself doesn't smoke or have any throat problems, so this clone couldn't spit out real phlegm and had to use saliva instead.

More Goto No. 1s stood arrogantly at the back, each one looking haughty and acting like a petty thug.

Xiong Mi stood in front of more than a dozen clones, arms crossed, motionless alongside the bloodstained doll she had summoned herself, a cigarette dangling from her lips, looking quite like a gangster boss. However, Maki and Chika behind her were clearly just there to make up the numbers; their demeanor was distinctly different from the swaggering clones. Further back, Goto Ichiri herself was playing her instrument, trying to mimic the clones' movements, but she couldn't quite get it right. Aoyama Nanami watched Goto Ichiri's actions with a helpless expression, like a mother watching her child play role-playing.

If they were real school thugs, they could probably tell at a glance that this group wasn't some serious "gangsters," but just a temporary, pretentious gathering. But those students who had been expressionless just moments before searching for Gao Hai and his group who were hiding, now seemed to be trembling, each one displaying extreme fear and cowering, as if the twenty-odd figures standing before them were their natural enemies.

I'm so sorry...

Please...don't bully us...

We will obey... We won't offend you...

The monsters lowered their heads, bowing deeply, almost hitting their heads on the ground.

Their voices were filled with fear.

The player was only putting on a show of being very powerful. In reality, because he had created too many clones, Goto Ichiri couldn't even control them to move normally. Just getting the clones to walk over in an orderly fashion or stand still and talk required all his strength.

However, due to their numerical disadvantage, the students all showed expressions of fear and unease, as if they had encountered something extremely terrible.

"As for the atmosphere, although I did think it would have this effect, seeing it in person really left me speechless."

Chika sighed softly. Unlike Maki and the others who weren't particularly socially adept, Fujiwara Chika, being a social butterfly herself, had a very deep understanding of atmosphere. Therefore, upon seeing the students' timid expressions, she immediately recalled the various unpleasant experiences she had encountered while making friends.

Honestly, it's ridiculous that these strange creatures' behavior would remind me of those things. Hmm... But now I have Akai, and Kaguya and Maki, who are my true friends who have been through thick and thin with me and who can confide in me without having to pretend, so there's no need to dwell on the past.

"Let them get their school uniforms dirty, no, let them take off their school uniform jackets. If we can ensure that they can't return to the school building in their full school uniforms, forcing them to break school rules, perhaps we can further test the mechanism of this instance."

Although she felt a pang of emotion, it didn't prevent Fujiwara Chika from making a decision. She quickly calmed down and walked over to Xiong Mi to offer her advice.

"Good idea, then all of you, take off your coats!"

After a moment's thought, Xiong Mi quickly accepted Qian Hua's suggestion.

As a Chinese person, Xiong Mi knew absolutely nothing about the atmosphere and culture of Japan. To be honest, after conducting enough investigations, she would eventually think of trying to force these strange students to break the school rules to test what the effect might be. But since she couldn't truly empathize with the culture of this place, it would probably be several rounds of investigation before Xiong Mi even considered this idea herself.

However, after obtaining some information from Gao Hai and confirming the importance of the [atmosphere] within this instance, making a decision was not difficult for Chika. In fact, she could roughly guess what might happen after these strange students returned to the teaching building and realized that this might be the most correct way for the players to weaken the power of the strange creatures.

However, this approach is truly unpleasant. It makes me feel like I've become the bully, the perpetrator. How could this instance be like this?

No...please don't do this, I beg you...

Please don't do this... I'll do anything, just please don't make us break school rules...

Please stop, everyone, don't do this...

All the strange students began to beg for mercy.

They made a "woofing" sound.

Their bodies were trembling incessantly.

Their posture is becoming increasingly humble.

Whether male or female, strong or weak, at this moment they were all as timid as abused puppies. They dared not run away, nor dared to resist, but only kept exposing their more vulnerable side, only kept begging for mercy.

"I told you, take off all your coats!"

Xiong Mi emphasized again.

The students trembled even more violently, and some even knelt on the ground, bowing repeatedly and saying sorry, but they did not take any further action.

"You can't get them to obey commands just by talking to them."

After hesitating for a moment, Chika stepped out of the crowd and walked towards the strange students.

Seeing the girl take action, Xiong Mi also perked up, observing the strange students with even greater vigilance, making sure he could pull Qianhua out at any time.

However, the next moment, even Xiong Mi was stunned when he saw the girl's actions.

Snapped!

Chika, who directly approached a female student who was a strange creature, slapped her across the face, knocking her to the ground on the spot.

The cold touch on her fingertips made Chika, who had done it, instinctively shudder.

The student, however, was knocked to the ground as if he were still alive. He covered his face, looked up in horror, and then cowered away.

"If you behave yourselves, you won't be bullied anymore. Don't cause trouble for others, you useless lot. What, do you want other students, teachers, or even your parents to see you in this pathetic state?"

The pink-haired girl, hands on her hips, said coldly.

It's clear that Chika tried hard to imitate the wicked appearance of real student hooligans, but in terms of her own appearance, it wasn't very successful.

Of course, she doesn't need to act very realistically or successfully. The posture she's displaying right now is enough to achieve her goal.

I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I was wrong...

Please don't do that...please don't do that...

I will be obedient... I will be obedient...

The cries of these strange students grew even more pitiful, but at the same time they became obedient, obediently taking off their school uniform jackets and throwing them on the ground.

Then, the students left slowly like docile dogs, walking towards the teaching building wearing only their school uniform undershirts and trousers.

Because the clones summoned by Goto Ichiri were basically unable to move, the players dared not follow them for fear of exposing their own situation, so they just stood there and watched those things gradually disappear into the distance.

When these strange students, who weren't wearing coats, arrived at the foot of the teaching building, even Maki and the others, who were quite a distance away, could clearly hear the laughter coming from inside the building.

Some students poked their heads out of the windows.

Many of the strange students looked down at their theoretically "kindred spirits" with mocking and amused expressions.

No students pitied or sympathized with them.

Although they all looked like the same type of strange creatures, the players could only see disgust, disdain, and amusement in the eyes and expressions of the students watching the spectacle; there wasn't a single positive emotional response.

"Seriously? What's wrong with these guys? Are they just being unconventional?"

Why aren't they even wearing their school uniform jackets? Do they think it makes them stand out? Wow, that's impressive. Looks like these guys look down on us.

[How disgusting! Does he really think he's some kind of big shot? This kind of guy should just die already.]

The laughter grew louder.

More and more students stood by the window, looking at the returning students.

They started criticizing and finding fault with the students below, and then burst into laughter.

A moment later, they pointed at a slightly chubby girl and called her a fat pig, laughing and guessing whether she had grown up eating pig feed.

A moment later, they pointed at a boy wearing glasses and said that if they snatched his glasses and threw them into the toilet, he might accidentally put something else on his face.

They would find fault with every student returning from downstairs, pointing out something that made them different from the others. Then, they would attack and insult the student based on this difference, plotting how to tease and humiliate them. Their demeanor was so natural, their expressions so relaxed, and their speech so fluent, as if this had been repeated countless times, that everyone was used to this way of life and didn't see anything wrong with it.

Those students who returned to the teaching building, having lost their coats, no longer attempted to track Gao Hai and Jian Zi.

They simply returned to their classrooms dejectedly, silent and huddled in their seats, too afraid to even speak to those around them.

The other students in the same class began to whisper among themselves. Everyone's gaze turned malicious, and their stares were unrestrained, as if they were looking at monkeys in a zoo, at something completely different from themselves, something that could be treated at will, something that could be treated like a naughty child snapping ants off the ground.

The initial crisis of the second playthrough was thus resolved.

To be honest, it's disgusting.

Even if it was something that would benefit them, even if it would make things easier for Gao Hai and his group, and provide better assistance for other players to explore and investigate this place, all the players felt a wave of nausea after clearly witnessing how these strange creatures displayed their [atmosphere].

Chika, who had personally taken action, had a particularly complicated expression at this moment.

"Are you okay?"

Maki could tell that Chika wasn't in a good mood, so she walked over to her and patted her on the shoulder.

"Um...it's nothing. I was just imitating some people I've seen before. Hmm, I still find it hard to imitate that feeling. After all, I really can't bully others so easily."

Chika, who is usually very cheerful, sighed at this moment, and her expression became unusually gloomy.

"Have I seen this person before...?"

Maki, whose social circle was relatively narrow and who hadn't had much contact with people her age, was taken aback and became somewhat curious about what kind of unusual experiences Chika had.

"It's nothing, I like making friends, don't I? And because someone in my family is in politics, I've had quite a few friends since I was little. But everyone's circles are different, so it's impossible for everyone in the class to become my friend. As a result, my friends would bully those who didn't want to be on good terms with me when I wasn't looking, coming up with all sorts of ways to bully them. When I found out about this, I distanced myself from those bullies and stopped being friends with them... and then they became the ones being bullied, and because of that, other classmates started bullying those people from before."

With a complicated expression, Chika briefly explained what she knew, then quickly waved her hand, indicating that she didn't want to continue the conversation.

At the same time, Gao Hai and Jian Zi had already emerged from the back of the main hall and confirmed that all the strange students who had come to track them had disappeared. However, the two still could not see Maki Chika and the others who were theoretically not far ahead. In their field of vision, the road that should have been lined with more than twenty people was empty and devoid of anything.

Ding-dong

The school bell rang at that moment.

The noise inside the teaching building quickly subsided, and the teachers stepped into the classrooms to begin their lessons.

The entire campus fell silent at that moment. For Takami and Yotsuya Miko, who were far away from the teaching buildings, Yoruyama Middle School was so quiet that it was no different from midnight.

"In that case, I can feel a little more at ease."

As Gao Hai spoke, he turned his gaze toward the direction of the dormitory building.

The rules state that it's best not to enter the dormitory building during non-open periods, but they also explain what to do if you do enter. This proves that, like the teaching building at night, it is actually permissible to enter the dormitory building during non-open periods, although there may be potential dangers.

Since we couldn't find the "muddy ground" behind the dormitory building before, perhaps we can try going to the dormitory rooftop to see if we can spot the "muddy ground" from there?

Chapter 46: Deep Inside the Deserted Dormitory Building and an Old Newspaper

tread--

With clear footsteps, Gao Hai stepped into the dormitory building through the main entrance.

The lights in the hallway had been turned off, and the first-floor corridor was shrouded in shadow. It seemed that the outside light could not penetrate completely, making the entire indoor environment seem extremely gloomy.

The corridor was empty, with no one in sight and no unusual atmosphere, so it seemed that there was no danger in the place at the moment.

Of course, that's just how it appears; Gao Hai doesn't think this exploration will be easy. After all, the rule sheet clearly tells him that the dormitory building hides dangers during the "closed-off period."

That's why Yotsuya Miko didn't come in with Takami.