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

As a girl who had been strictly controlled since childhood, Kaguya Shinomiya, despite her lack of knowledge about relationships between men and women, still possessed a basic sense of shame regarding the differences between the sexes and understood that the situation in the video was unusual. Boys and girls with only a casual relationship would not engage in the behavior depicted in the video; in fact, the narration clearly stated that it was "providing guidance for boyfriends/girlfriends or couples experiencing intimacy for the first time," a point Kaguya naturally couldn't ignore.

And that is precisely why Kaguya is now even more panicked.

Although she had been tricked by Hayasaka into playing that kind of thing in front of Taka-kun, and she had mentioned this before, it was hard to say whether Taka-kun would think the same way now, or whether he would think she was making excuses. He might even start to think of her as a frivolous woman and look down on her.

Kaguya could even picture that scene.

Imagine Gao Hai standing behind her, his head slightly tilted back, one hand crossed over his chest, the other resting on his chin, looking down at her from above, and then saying to her:

[So, the so-called Kaguya-sama is actually a girl who watches this kind of stuff in private. How cute!]

No!

Absolutely don't do this kind of thing!

She's not that kind of frivolous woman at all!

That wretched Hayasaka! Why did you have to frame me like this? You've really ruined me! What am I going to do? What should I do next? How can I possibly salvage my reputation in this situation...?

"Kaguya."

Gao Hai's voice came from behind, but Kaguya was too busy stomping her feet and spinning around to hear him. She was completely lost in thought and didn't seem to hear him.

"Kaguya, are you alright?"

So Gao Hai took another step closer and called out even louder.

This time, Kaguya finally heard Takami's voice. She was startled and slowly turned around, looking at Takami with a fearful expression.

Ah, tears are welling up in my eyes. I was able to fight to the death in dungeons without uttering a sound, but now I'm crying over a short adult tutorial video. Is this kind of contrast part of the charm of anime/manga fans?

Gao Hai silently complained in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged. He simply smiled at Kaguya and then prepared to say something to comfort her.

Although he initially thought the video was Kaguya's conscription order, and Gao Hai had prepared for a tough battle, it now seemed the kid had been tricked; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so anxious. For Gao Hai, who had already tasted the sweetness of victory, a short video was hardly enough to provoke him, nor was he in a hurry to devour Kaguya. Therefore, he quickly regained his composure and returned to a state of perfect tranquility.

But what he didn't expect was that it was precisely because he was so composed that Kaguya felt even more pressure.

"In short, calm down first, let's find the time machine first, no, don't get excited. I know it's just Ai's prank, right? I don't care. Kaguya, don't be so anxious either, it's not a big deal."

"What? What's the big deal... This kind of thing isn't a big deal? No, I... I... I'm not excited, I'm not excited! No, no, um, Gao Jun... no, no, no..."

The persuasion seems to have backfired.

Gao Hai saw Kaguya's cheeks growing redder and redder, her voice trembling more and more, and her gestures becoming increasingly incoherent.

Instinctively, Gao Hai took a step forward, wanting to grab Kaguya's hand and press her shoulders to calm her down.

However, Kaguya, who was already in a state of extreme sensitivity, narrowed her eyes and almost immediately dodged, using one foot to push off the wall and performing a Capcom-style backflip for Takahashi before fleeing directly towards the door.

Yes, after realizing that she could not calm down and solve the problem no matter what, Kaguya chose to do the same thing as when Takami confessed to her on the Ferris wheel: run away.

This tendency to avoid problems is probably related to the fact that Kaguya was never taught how to properly handle interpersonal relationships from a young age. Well, perhaps that's not entirely true; after all, it's quite normal for a girl to choose to run away when faced with such a problem.

However, Gao Hai felt that this matter would probably not end so simply.

squeak-

Before Kaguya could forcefully break down the door, Hayasaka opened it and came in first.

Meeting Kaguya's sharp gaze, which seemed to be fixed on a traitor, Hayasaka merely glanced indifferently at the shattered television, then at Takami, who stood awkwardly in the room, before letting out a cold snort and displaying a contemptuous expression.

"As expected, this is how it turned out. The young lady is such an idiot. She could have continued along with the atmosphere, but she just ran away. It's really not funny."

Saying this, Hayasaka bypassed Kaguya and walked to Takami's side.

"W-What?! You were the one who deliberately pranked me, weren't you? Making me play that shameless stuff in front of Gao Jun, what were you thinking?!"

Although she desperately wanted to run away when facing Takami, Kaguya's anger rose when it was Hayasaka. For a moment, she suppressed her shame and stopped to argue.

Hayasaka ignored Kaguya's protests and instead turned his gaze to Takami.

“Master, I think you also have some problems this time.”

The blonde maid spoke sincerely, and the moment Gao Hai heard this, he felt a strong sense of dread, like being asked by his teammates after losing a game, "Did you play badly this time?"

No, how did this get involved with me? What's going on here?

"Master should know very well what kind of personality Kaguya-sama has, but Master just keeps indulging her and playing house with her. At this rate, when will Master and Kaguya-sama's relationship ever truly improve? She can get along smoothly with other people, so why does she always get stuck here?"

"After thinking it over, I think that while it's certainly related to the fact that the young lady herself is an idiot (Kaguya: Who's the idiot?), your excessive indulgence is also a problem. You're too indulgent with the young lady; you're almost treating her like an elder to a junior. If this continues, if you really start to see the young lady as a junior, then you might not have those feelings for her anymore, and that would mean the young lady's complete failure."

Hayasaka spoke as he slowly walked toward Takami.

He could feel the intense aura emanating from this girl, a power far more terrifying than any player Gao Hai had ever seen, and even comparable to the aura of a monster.

Kaguya, who wanted to escape, stopped in her tracks, still looking angry and about to retort.

But Gao Hai already understood what the little maid was planning to do next.

"Then, let me show you, Miss, what you are truly lacking and what you need to make up for."

She reached out and grabbed Gao Hai's pajamas collar, forcing Gao Hai to bend over.

Then Hayasaka herself raised her head and closed her eyes.

In the quiet night outside the window, two birds flew by swiftly, chirping as they circled each other in the air.

Pedestrians strolled along the street, chatting and laughing, when a couple walked by, each carrying a cup of ice cream. As they walked, the girl held up her strawberry ice cream, and the boy smiled and handed her his blueberry ice cream. The two shared the sweet flavors, then chuckled as they wiped the ice cream from each other's lips.

"Now, does Miss still want to continue running away?"

Hayasaka reached out and slightly covered her lips, then turned to look at the doorway, at Kaguya who was completely dumbfounded, and asked in a calm tone.

Interlude 3-54: The Ultimate Victor in the Girls' War and the Perfect Voice

Gao Hai thought for a long time about what happened last night, but couldn't find a way to explain it in detail in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Even now, when he recalls it, he still feels it's unbelievable, almost like a dream.

Whether it was Kaguya's possessiveness surging after that forceful kiss from Hayasaka, or whether it was her rushing forward from the doorway after that kiss, Kaguya's possessiveness was instantly amplified.

Or perhaps Hayasaka should continue by pinning herself to the bed and demonstrating to Kaguya how incredibly skilled she is at service.

Then, somehow, a three-person battle began, and the location changed from a guest room to Kaguya's own bedroom. They even destroyed the big bed she usually slept in, and cracked several holes in the floor.

Kaguya herself was the first to achieve a partial victory in this war.

Although she was clearly much less experienced in terms of methods, abilities, and temperament, Hayasaka and Takami, together as guides, led her in the right direction. The only thing to mention is that her reaction was a bit too intense, leaving Takami with numerous scratches. Of course, by the next day, these scratches had mostly healed completely, leaving no scars.

Kaguya's battle was indeed extremely difficult. Both sides had initially assembled their forces, preparing for a direct confrontation with tanks and conscripts, requiring no micromanagement. However, before the fighting even began, Kaguya attempted to flee the front lines to defend her base. Hayasaka had to deploy troops to suppress her area of ​​operation, while Takami pursued her relentlessly, penetrating deep into her base. It took considerable effort to dismantle all the sentry guns and prism towers, and to use tanks to flatten all the walls, ultimately destroying her base.

Well, Kaguya cried after losing the match and bit Takami several times. You could say that kid's competitive spirit is just too strong. Unlike Takami, who was simply enjoying the fight; he was just fighting.

Then came the showdown with Xiao Ai.

To be honest, among all the opponents Gao Hai has faced, Xiao Ai is a very formidable one.

Because of the initial battle, Xiao Ai was extremely familiar with Gao Hai's operational strategies, knowing exactly what units he would deploy and what attack routes he would take. Her countermeasures were also incredibly sophisticated and difficult to defend against. Furthermore, this was Gao Hai's second battle, and he was already somewhat exhausted. Therefore, ensuring that she wouldn't be the first to surrender became the biggest challenge in this battle.

Fortunately, Gao Hai has an irresistible advantage in strength. As long as he can suppress him and prevent the opponent from having the opportunity to perform tactical micro-management while sitting on him, then victory will surely belong to him.

The problem was that Kaguya, who had recovered some of her strength, intervened in the battle again. This possessive girl refused to give up her position even after losing the first round. This interference from the loser undoubtedly brought even greater danger to Takami.

The result was rather frustrating; Gao Hai lost the second round, but it was only a temporary defeat.

In the third game, Gao Hai, who was already fully in the zone, didn't hesitate and immediately started the ultimate battle of one against two.

By merely guiding the enemy's movements slightly, Hayasaka and Kaguya's positions overlapped. For them, who were essentially rivals, this chaos immediately prevented them from uniting to focus on fighting Takami. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Takami launched a swift and devastating attack on both enemy forces simultaneously. Employing a two-pronged approach, he launched continuous attacks from the front while simultaneously constructing infrastructure and offensive facilities from the rear, ultimately driving his massive artillery into the enemy's heartland and annihilating both of them.

But this is only a temporary victory. After all, all three now possess superhuman physical abilities. It's only three battles; how could a winner possibly be decided? They can do this all night!

Finally, after more than ten back-and-forth battles, Gao Hai won the final victory.

This was truly a hard-won victory, the biggest challenge being Hayasaka Ai, this dangerous girl who, despite her physical disadvantages, managed to exploit Kaguya's weaknesses and deliver devastating blows. Neither Maki nor Chika, and of course, the novice Kaguya, possessed the powerful tongue and dexterity of this girl. Hmm… however, Kaguya still has great potential, here referring to her speaking skills. After all, in the original work, Kaguya's tongue was so agile that she could tie a cherry stem in a knot and then untie it; even with limited experience, her talent is still admirable. Especially considering she has Hayasaka as her mentor, one can only say that this girl should not be underestimated in the future.

Of course, these are things to consider in the future; at least for now, Gao Hai is the victor.

As sunlight streamed through the windows into the room, the second day had arrived.

The only one who got up on time was, of course, Takami, the victor. Both Hayasaka and Kaguya were currently exhausted and probably wouldn't be able to get out of bed.

After all, this battle was far more intense than the initial battles of Maki or Chika, so such post-battle damage was unavoidable.

The other maids in the Shinomiya residence looked at Takami with awe. Without Hayasaka or Kaguya saying anything, they obediently followed Takami's orders and went to prepare breakfast and change of clothes for the two girls who were still sleeping and unable to get out of bed.

Incidentally, Kita Ikuyo probably woke up at the same time as Takami, so although she was very unwilling, she still saw the scene of Takami embracing two girls again.

{Say what you want to say. I don't mind others commenting on my personal life. Anyway, we all volunteered.}

But seeing Takami's consistently open and gentlemanly attitude, Kita, despite wanting to say something, ultimately decided to keep quiet.

No, no, I can't shut up, this guy is just too terrifying!

Two days, four people, multiple battles in a row—are these even human? Aren't men supposed to have much lower stamina than women? Even as a player, this level of physical ability is ridiculously strong! Did he somehow acquire two S-rank physical enhancements?

{Would you... make a move against Pochi-chan?}

Finally, unable to contain himself any longer, Kita tentatively asked Takami.

{Ichiri, yes, my relationship with her is indeed very good; you could say we're comrades who can rely on each other. After all, we've spent a lot of time and effort together saving many people. That includes you, Kita. However, at least for now, my relationship with her is still pure, without any discordant elements involved.}

After thinking for a while, Takami gave Kita an answer.

His answer was serious. In fact, during that long time travel journey, there was no ambiguous relationship between Takami and Goto Ichiri. They could be described as treating each other with utmost respect.

However, this situation didn't arise because Takahiro was pretending to be a gentleman; it was mainly because time travel to save people was incredibly tiring and troublesome. He and Ichiri needed to determine the time of death of each person they could save, use the artifact to obtain their still-active flesh and blood and regrow it to a state capable of supporting a soul, and Ichiri also needed to use the artifact to create fake flesh and blood to insert back into the original timeline. The two of them also needed to work together to carefully find suitable intervention points to avoid any mishaps. With so many problems, it was already a miracle if Takahiro could find a spare moment to chat with Ichiri and relieve his boredom; he simply didn't have the energy for that kind of thing.

Just like those office workers who have just finished working overtime all night and are feeling groggy. If you force someone to do some relaxing exercises in that state, you'll most likely just get a dirty look. So Gao Hai really didn't have any ambiguous relationship with Yi Li; the two of them genuinely stayed together as comrades-in-arms for a long time until they returned to the real world.

{Well, although it's hard to believe, I think Mr. Gao Hai is indeed a good person, so I'll believe you.}

Kita Ikuyo took a deep breath. Although her expression clearly showed disbelief in Takami, she eventually convinced herself, smiled at Takami, and nodded.

Jingle Bell--

As if at the perfect moment, Gao Hai's phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was Goto Ichiri calling.

Takahashi turned his head and glanced at Kita Ikuyo, who had subconsciously moved closer to him after seeing the name of the person on the phone. He answered the call and pressed speakerphone.

The next moment, Ichiri Goto's voice rang out from the phone:

"Mr. Hai, um, good morning..."