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

However, in the end, there were still some regrets.

Ichiri-chan, and Nanami-nee... I'm sorry, at that time, I was the only one who could stand up for me. Ichiri-chan shouldn't have fallen there, and after I died, after Nijika, Ryo-senpai, and everyone else forgot me, only Nanami-nee could comfort Ichiri-chan...

So let me step forward here, let me sacrifice myself...

With these feelings in mind, she ultimately chose to confront the nameless, terrifying thing ahead.

However, she doesn't seem to be dead.

Even though she had been in a daze for a long time, like a sleepwalker, not knowing where she was or what she was doing, she was indeed alive, protected by some force and able to continue to survive.

That thing is invisible, without a real form, without gender, without self, it is a completely empty void.

But it seemed that I could also sense some lingering emotion within that presence, and feel the protective power of that remnant. It seemed... that because I was still essentially a high school student, I had triggered some kind of rule, and thus received protection.

However, after that, it seemed that something changed.

It was a hard feeling to describe. She seemed to be able to sense the real gender and real emotions from that thing, just like... a man?

Moreover, this feeling became even stronger after I inexplicably regained consciousness and watched several forbidden films in a row.

{…}

Thinking this, Kita Ikuyo couldn't help but peek out from the wall, looking at the man lying on the bed, and... well, the two girls sleeping beside him who looked about her age. Ugh, how perverted! This guy is definitely a pervert! He actually slept with two girls at once... and made them both so messy... Ugh, I can't watch anymore, I absolutely can't take it anymore!!!

Despite having become a player, under the protection of Aoyama Nanami, Kita Ikuyo has not been exposed to much of the dark side of the player community, and there have been few situations where she needed to fight with other players. Therefore, it can be said that she is still a rather innocent and carefree person.

As for Takahashi... well, mainly because Chika herself has a hobby of getting excited when treated roughly, so the two of them did some rather inappropriate things, which makes it seem rather bad.

Kita Ikuyo had already retreated behind the wall.

Because the red-haired girl is currently in a spiritual state, she can easily achieve the ability to pass through walls like a ghost.

The reason she hid wasn't just because Gao Hai's situation was dire, but also because her current appearance was terrible. After all, the idea of ​​people in animated movies still wearing clothes in their ghost form after death is just for the sake of harmony and friendship. In reality, in a spiritual form, a person's posture is their natural physical posture; it's impossible to use 3D scanning to create clothes in advance.

However, what Kita Ikuyo herself didn't know was that she was currently residing in Takami's body. Therefore, even if she hid in the room next to the bedroom, Takami could still clearly sense her presence, completely and without any attempt to conceal it.

She's 158cm tall, about the same height as Kaguya Maki, quite petite. While she is somewhat underdeveloped, there are ways to compensate for that, so it's not a big problem. Her skin is truly amazing; I don't know if it's related to her mental and physical state, but it's so fair and smooth, it looks like you could squeeze water out of it.

Seems like they're getting a little excited...

The stars and the sea have once again drifted away from Gao Hai.

"Woo..."

Maki, who was sleeping peacefully on Gao Hai's chest, frowned slightly, shifted uncomfortably, and then continued to sleep.

Takami maintained a blank expression through sheer willpower, while simultaneously checking on Kita Ikuyo's condition through their mental link and trying his best to explain what had happened.

{...So, in order to keep me alive, you pulled my remaining spirit into your own mind, and then forcibly preserved my spiritual power through a spiritual artifact, preventing me from being absorbed and assimilated by you? Then you and Ichiri used the power of the artifact and the Abyss Relic to resonate across timelines, you took over the role of "teacher," and in doing so, you changed the fate of many people? Ugh, this feels like a plot from a fantasy novel.}

After getting a general understanding of the situation, Kita Ikuyo couldn't help but whisper, her doubts finally being answered.

No wonder she always felt that Gao Hai and the invisible monster that possessed her had many similarities, and even had the strange illusion that Gao Hai was that monster. It turns out it was an identity swap operation.

Wait a minute... So, this man first entered my body and possessed me, then absorbed my body and spirit, causing me to enter his body? And in this process, he absorbed the monster he was playing, meaning he also absorbed himself?

The girl's thoughts suddenly became somewhat confused.

However, she didn't dwell on the time travel issue for too long, because there was a more important problem to deal with.

{Mr. Gao, um, do you have any way to get me some clothes to wear? Even though I won't be seen by anyone in this state, I can't touch anything. In this completely naked state… at least there should be a way to cover my body, right? Please, please help me.}

Although the fact that the other party immediately embraced two girls gave Kita Ikuyo a rather bad first impression of Takami, she was now bound to him, and the girl had no choice but to beg him. Therefore, after hesitating for a long time, she could only speak hesitantly.

{This... um, no problem, but you can't just hide like this. You have to come to me. I need to use my mental power to assess your physical condition and then try to materialize clothes for you. However, in this case, the clothes are just a mental illusion; it depends on whether you can accept it. Of course, if you have enough mental power to do this alone, you don't have to appear in front of me.}

Gao Hai originally wanted to agree directly, but after thinking about it, he realized that if he acted directly, it would easily expose the fact that he had been able to see her all along. So after thinking for a moment, Gao Hai changed his words slightly.

Of course, he didn't lie to Kita Ikuyo. He genuinely needed to use his mental power to carefully sense her body before he could conjure up some clothes for her through his imagination. In this situation, it was definitely more convenient if she was closer to him. Well, with Takami's mental power, as long as Kita Ikuyo wasn't more than a hundred meters away, it was practically the same as her being next to him.

{Huh? Huh?! First, you absolutely have to come to me, waah, but I have absolutely no talent in mental abilities... If I ask other players with strong mental abilities to help, but that would require Mr. Gao to open his mind, that would definitely be difficult... Waaah... I... I...}

For Kita Ikuyo, the struggle that followed almost exhausted all the courage she had in her life.

However, after more than ten minutes, having obtained a set of Shuji Academy uniform (the same style as Maki's), she still sat on the chair by the bed, or rather, it would be more accurate to say she floated on the chair. After all, in this state, she couldn't touch physical objects; sitting on the chair was merely a subconscious, instinctive action.

{Um, thank you so much for your help, Mr. Gao. Without you, I don't think I would have survived. And thank you to Ichiri-chan as well, thank you for accepting her request. She might have a bit of an eccentric personality, so if she caused you any trouble before, I apologize on her behalf.}

Kita Ikuyo spoke cautiously to Takami, her slightly timid gaze and rosy cheeks resembling Little Red Riding Hood who couldn't run away from the Big Bad Wolf, as if she was constantly worried about being pinned to the ground and eaten by the wolf at any moment.

Although in her current state, Gao Hai actually has no chance of getting her.

{Don't be too nervous. I won't let my personal life affect our professional collaborations. Tomorrow I'll take you to the [Market] to see if there's a way to separate you from me. I've already contacted several player teams to research how to give you a body that can function in the real world again; they should have a resurrection object that can reshape your body. Trust me, everything will be alright.}

With a girl lying on his chest and another girl in his arms, Gao Hai lay there solemnly on the extremely messy bed, the sheets of which were torn in some places, and made a very serious promise to Kita Yuyo.

Such a scene was too much for Kita to bear, and it was hard for her not to have doubts. But no matter what, the other person was indeed her benefactor, and hadn't done anything bad to her. Therefore, the girl put aside all her bad thoughts and thanked Takami again very sincerely.

Will I be able to successfully separate from this man and return to my daily life tomorrow?

Kita Ikuyo thought to herself, and vaguely felt that things might not go so smoothly.

And as it turns out, when you start to suspect that something might go wrong, it often does.

"It's impossible, we can't separate them. Your mental strength is too strong. Mr. Gao, even Red Moon level players can't find anyone who can match your level of mental strength. Let me be blunt, with the various obsession objects we have and the players' mental manipulation abilities, we can only separate Miss Kita from you if we cut your mind into several pieces, that is, cut you to the point of having a split personality and chaotic personality. Your mental strength is like an iron fortress. Without tearing a hole in it, no one can get her out."

The following morning, a player with a talent for mental strength, found by the [Market], reached this conclusion after communicating with Gao Hai for less than 10 minutes.

"Is there such a thing?"

Gao Hai was extremely shocked by this. Although he knew that his willpower was slightly stronger than that of ordinary people, he did not expect that this willpower, when reflected in his mind, would make other players feel so difficult.

Those Red Moon-level monsters could easily tear through my mental defenses... Ah, it doesn't seem that easy. Back in Nightfall Mountain Middle School, I had my mental defenses torn through once during my first playthrough, and that time I was surrounded by more than ten thousand monsters, and in the end I didn't go insane and survived.

Tsk, things are getting complicated...

Interlude 3-45: The Inseparable Girl and the Team's Name Problem

Gao Hai never imagined that he would be living with a cute and beautiful girl so soon.

Moreover, they entered into a cohabitation relationship with a girl they had only just met and who had spent no more than 10 hours together in a conscious state.

No, this cannot be described by the word "cohabitation" at all.

This goes far beyond cohabitation; it's practically a fusion of two people. Originally, Takami had thought Kita Ikuyo could walk several dozen meters away, but he later discovered that perhaps due to his overwhelming mental power, the girl's physical presence was severely restricted. Currently, Kita's mental avatar, separated from Takami, can only travel a maximum of 10 meters away from him; any further and she's forcibly pulled back by Takami's mental power.

It should be noted that the body Kita Ikuyo is currently using to move around Takami is merely a remotely controlled clone; Kita Ikuyo's true consciousness is actually still inside Takami's body. In other words, if the connection between Takami and this clone is severed, the clone will simply lose its sustaining power and dissipate, while Kita herself will be severely injured and unable to separate from the clone.

Goto Ichiri and Aoyama Nanami didn't react much to the news. Ichiri was already happy that Kita Ikuyo was alive, so she wasn't in a hurry for anything else. Since she was back, everything else could wait. As for Nanami, she seemed to have some unspoken feelings towards Takami because of the incident at Yoruyama Middle School, and therefore didn't comment on Kita's situation at all.

Gao Hai himself didn't care at all. In his opinion, there was nothing wrong with having a beautiful girl floating around him all the time. Well, maybe it would have been a little inconvenient to find resources before, but now he didn't need resources anymore, so he didn't care at all.

"So, there's a girl next to Ah Hai that none of us can see or hear? Hmm, to join in like this is just too much of a cheat!"

Fujiwara Chika puffed out her cheeks, revealing an unhappy expression.

"Don't talk nonsense, don't talk nonsense. She hasn't joined us yet. People will be unhappy if you say things like that."

Gao Hai coughed twice and quickly signaled Qian Hua to stop.

"Yes, yes, they didn't join. If that's what you're saying, Ahai, then I'll choose to believe you."

Although she said those things, Fujiwara Chika's expression didn't seem to indicate that she believed Takami. But that was understandable, given Takami and Kita Ikuyo's current state; it was hard to believe they were completely innocent.

Although, at least for now, both of them are indeed innocent.

Thinking this, Takami looked at Kita Ikuyo beside him, but all he saw was a girl floating in mid-air, her expression serene as if she had ascended to heaven, her hands resting on her chest. If she weren't floating, but lying on the ground surrounded by flowers, it would probably be a more accurate depiction of her current state.

So, was the shock too great, causing him to die directly?

{No, I just wanted some peace and quiet. Ugh, oh no, I'm sorry, Mr. Gao, please don't mind me... don't mind me, ah, you don't need to mind me at all, ah, ah... this state is going to continue... ah...}

Because Takami wasn't maintaining a constant mental defense, his casual remark was overheard by Kita Ikuyo. She reacted as if her hair had been blown off, jumping up to protest at Takami. Then, realizing what had happened, the girl quickly apologized, only to fall back into a withdrawn state, seemingly not recovering anytime soon.

However, Kita's reaction is quite normal. Although her gratitude towards Takami is genuine, for this young girl, Takami, who clearly maintains inappropriate relationships with multiple women, is more terrifying than a thousand scumbags. After all, she wouldn't associate with any of those scumbags, but Takami is someone she has to face every day, someone she has to be inseparable from.

She really didn't want things to be like this...

I've never been in a relationship before, and I haven't even met a guy I like. Why am I suddenly living with someone of the opposite sex? And it's a complete stranger, a terrifying guy who exudes the aura of a predator...

I have this feeling that I'll soon be completely taken advantage of, and he'll do all sorts of things to me... But I don't have a physical body right now, so he can't touch me, right? Thinking like this makes me a little calmer. That's right, that's right, Kita, don't scare yourself, you can't scare yourself like that...

The girl took a deep breath. Although she didn't actually need to breathe in her spiritual state, she still subconsciously made that gesture. Then she waved her little fists, trying her best to cheer herself up.

Gao Hai's expression was complicated.

Just as he had inadvertently transmitted his mental messages, Kita Ikuyo, without realizing it, would also transmit her true thoughts to Takami. Both of them were now in a situation where the other could read their minds if they weren't careful. However, unlike Takami, whose mental strength was much stronger, Kita Ikuyo, due to her relatively weaker mental strength and being an outsider in Takami's mind, was more likely to reveal her thoughts and needed to concentrate more to conceal her thoughts and emotional fluctuations.

Therefore, Gao Hai heard clearly what she was thinking just now.

Are you describing me as a predator? I can't be that bad, can I? I'm clearly a decent person.

Also, although I can't touch you right now, if I use the "Awaken" function in Jonathan's Blessing, I should be able to touch Kita's clone with the mental spikes. And if I control the angle precisely enough and make the spikes big enough... ah, no, no, that would be too terrible, I can't do something like that.

Gao Hai promptly suppressed some of the less harmonious thoughts in his mind.

In short, the original plan to have Kita Ikuyo return home to the band will likely have to be put on hold for now. Goto Ichiri, who had originally planned to go to [Starry Night], was taken aback, clearly not having considered this possibility. However, after a moment's thought, Takami stated that this was not a problem at all, and he could easily have Kita Ikuyo return to the band under these circumstances.

However, this leads to a second problem: with Kita Ikuyo disappearing from the instance, all her information in the real world has been erased. Even now that she has returned, her family no longer remembers her existence, and the other two members of the band, Nijika and Ryo, can no longer recall her.

Gao Hai couldn't help with this problem, but Xiao He Shu had some connections. He said that some karmic objects could make people recall forgotten memories, and it wasn't unheard of for players who disappeared from dungeons to return. Therefore, there were precedents and a solution. However, he needed some time to contact the other party, and it was estimated that it might take several days to a week to complete the matter.

Yes, Xiaohe Tree's attitude towards Gao Hai has now become completely respectful. As one of the organizers of this operation, he naturally knows very well that the resurrection event that has shaken the entire player community is Gao Hai's doing. Therefore, Gao Hai and his team have now become the number one VIPs in the entire [market], and he will prioritize and do his best to fulfill any requests they may have.

During his conversation with Xiaoheshu, Xiaoheshu raised a question that could be considered both very important and not so important to Gao Hai.

“Mr. Gao, you have now established a stable player team. I think you could register a name for your player team. This would better unite the team and make it easier to coordinate actions when communicating with others. Just like the [Fishing Gang] and the [Red Society], having a name that you can talk about makes a difference.”

Gao Hai felt that Xiao He Shu's suggestion was worth considering, since his team was already a fixed one and theoretically, they would hardly be adding any new members.

Well, currently, Kaguya Shinomiya, Maki Shijou, Chika Fujiwara, Miko Yotsuya, and Ai Hayasaka are the five fixed teammates. As for Ichiri Goto and Ikuyo Kita, the latter is already completely tied to the team, while Takahashi isn't sure if Ichiri Goto will join him, but they've spent so much time together that they're completely used to each other's presence. Therefore, Takahashi judges that Ichiri Goto will likely join him on the next mission, and Nanami Aoyama is also very likely to come along.

If I include myself, there are a total of 9 people.

Everyone except him was a girl; it was like a harem king and his harem army...

With this in mind, Gao Hai left the abandoned shopping mall occupied by the [Market] and decided to call everyone together to discuss the team's name later. Before he could even act, Fujiwara Chika's mental link arrived.

{Ah Hai, Ah Hai, emergency! Emergency! Come help me quickly! I need special training!}

For some reason, Chika's voice carried a hint of distress, as if she had encountered some trouble.

What happened? Where are you? I'm coming right now!