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

"So, do we really have to do this? We're still in the dungeon phase, after all... I still feel like this isn't a good idea..."

Kaguya's voice sounded hesitant, clearly indicating that she was considering desertion.

"Precisely because we're still in the dungeon phase, we need to hurry. Otherwise, it will be too late when we actually start the operation. Master has already been too lenient with us enough. Fujiwara-san is right; our approach and methods for handling problems are not quite right. We should express ourselves properly at times like this. You and I will go in separately later. Well, you can go in first, and I'll stay behind, so you don't have to run away again."

Hayasaka's voice was very firm, and you could tell from her tone that the girl had come prepared.

So what are they trying to do?

Gao Hai was a little unsure of what the two women were up to, but instinctively he felt that they were there to give him some perks, so he perked up.

He adjusted his previously lazy sitting posture to a proper sitting position.

Without changing his expression, Takahashi withdrew his auditory blessing and looked towards the doorway. He quickly spotted Kaguya's long black hair and red ribbon. Hmm, she didn't come in immediately, but circled the doorway a few times, seemingly still hesitating. Then, Takahashi saw a strand of golden hair flash through the crack in the door, followed by Kaguya letting out a low "Ahhh!" and bursting into the room.

"Um, Gao Jun, good evening..."

The girl lowered her head and greeted Gao Hai in a soft voice, refusing to make eye contact.

"Well, good evening."

Gao Hai responded calmly, and through the dim candlelight in the room, he could see that Kaguya's cheeks were flushed.

Then, Kaguya stood there motionless for quite a while.

Gao Hai waited patiently for a while, and then he saw the girl in front of him opening and closing her mouth from time to time, spinning around in place, jumping up and down, waving her two little hands unconsciously, and her face expression becoming >_<. She vividly demonstrated to Gao Hai what it means to be anxious and running around in circles. In short, she couldn't do anything properly.

I could feel the gaze from outside the crack in the door.

Gao Hai slightly turned his gaze and saw Hayasaka standing outside the door, staring at him with a deep, unwavering gaze. Though he didn't say a word, everything was understood without being spoken.

Slightly awkward, and though he didn't want to admit it, Takahashi was indeed deliberately watching Kaguya anxiously standing there. After all, her posture was quite cute, and sometimes he couldn't help but stare at her, even having the urge to take photos or videos to remember the moment.

Stand up.

Gao Hai walked up to Kaguya, who was still unable to say anything, and simply reached out and picked her up.

"Hey?!"

The girl, who hadn't expected Gao Hai to make a move, froze almost immediately. She looked up at Gao Hai nervously, only to see him smiling.

Subconsciously, the words that Chika had said when she found him and talked to him came to mind.

[I actually guessed that Kaguya is a very possessive girl. So, if she wants to get closer to him, I think she needs to try to be bolder. It's because Kaguya always worries too much and always wants to be in a "never lose" situation that it's so difficult for her to improve her relationship with Kai. After all, Kai either doesn't understand Kaguya's subtle hints, or he simply doesn't care about those things.]

At that time, Chika, dressed as a detective, pointed at Kaguya with bright eyes, just like the pose in the classic poster "Ami needs you," and analyzed earnestly with a confident and powerful voice.

[When Ahai confided in Kaguya before, he definitely told her his true feelings, right? Kaguya didn't need to say it; I know Ahai's personality. Although he's definitely a jerk and a womanizer as a man, he'll do his best to treat any girl who accepts him well and give her his heart. Hehe, it feels pretty romantic to be entrusted with your heart by a boy like that, right, Kaguya?]

However, while Akai can express his true feelings, Kaguya seems to have a hard time doing so, right? Even if I didn't hear the previous conversation, I can guess that Kaguya didn't respond properly to Akai's words and didn't express her true feelings, which is wrong. Simply accepting someone's feelings without reciprocating is half-hearted, isn't it? Therefore, the most important thing Kaguya should do now is find Akai and sincerely express her feelings.

Whether it's dark or obsessive, it must be expressed properly. Even the most twisted words must be spoken. I believe Ahai won't hate Kaguya. Even if Kaguya shows her flaws and imperfections, Ahai will still continue to like and love you. So, Kaguya, the only thing you need to do is express your true feelings! That's what you should really be doing!!!

To be honest, Kaguya wasn't in a particularly good mood when her only friend from childhood said those things. Especially since the friend pointed out the dark and twisted side of her heart, it made the girl uncomfortable.

She had always thought that she had kept the bad things in her heart well hidden, but now it seems that this is not the case.

That makes sense, considering they've been friends since middle school. After all this time together, Fujiwara must have some understanding of my true nature. It's just that I haven't encountered any problems that required her guidance before, or rather, even if I did, I wouldn't ask her for help.

In short, I have to admit this time that what Fujiwara-kun said was right.

She couldn't just accept his affections or his expressed feelings. If she had previously been awkwardly trying to take the initiative in the relationship, always wanting Takahashi to be nice to her, then after Takahashi confessed to her, asked her out, helped her so many times, and even after that time she and Hayasaka half-heartedly did "that" thing, all the things she had used as excuses had actually been done by him.

So now that things have come to this, I really should take the initiative and express my true feelings.

Even though now isn't the best time, nor is it a particularly romantic or beautiful moment, for someone who has already missed many opportunities, there's no time to delay any longer. Even if it's just for the strategic need to establish a stable spiritual connection, it's time to act without further delay.

{Gao Jun, I... um... I...}

At that moment, Kaguya Shinomiya made up her mind and finally decided to speak.

{I... am... that... that... }

Her bright red eyes were fixed on Gao Hai, while Gao Hai simply looked back at her calmly and gently, waiting for her to say what she wanted to say.

{So...so...sob...}

Then, having exhausted her courage, the girl lowered her head and buried it in Gao Hai's arms, ultimately unable to say anything.

Hayasaka, standing outside the door, covered her eyes with her hands, took a few steps back, and sighed deeply, unable to bear watching any longer.

Kaguya, unable to say anything due to extreme shame and her brain completely short-circuited, was practically brain-dead and slumped in Takahashi's arms, becoming like a rag doll that wouldn't resist no matter what position it was in.

Although he hates to admit it, Takahashi has to say that Kaguya's rich changes in expression and her final dejected posture were genuinely hilarious to watch.

Especially when he recalled the cold and expressionless Kaguya at the Shirakawa Apartment, and compared her to the Kaguya now who seemed to be possessed by the soul of a silly goose, he found it even more interesting and harder to keep up.

But you can't laugh.

The other person mustered the courage to take the initiative to find him, which clearly meant they wanted to express their feelings. If he were to laugh at this moment, Gao Hai, as the male lead of a harem, would have already disqualified himself and would be a sinner who needed to commit seppuku to atone for his sins.

{Don't rush, I roughly know what you want to say. Don't panic, don't force yourself to say it. Some things are better left unsaid. After all, this less-than-frank Kaguya is still the Kaguya I love, and I won't hold a grudge against you because of this.}

Gao Hai tried to soothe Kaguya through the temporary mental link in a gentle voice, and reached out to gently stroke her head a few times.

The girl, somewhat unaccustomed to having her head patted, subconsciously tilted her head before blushing and looking up at Gao Hai again, her eyes filled with a hint of resentment.

{Although Hayasaka had mentioned this before, Taka-kun, are you really treating me like a child...? All that comforting, patting my head and stuff, does that mean you've always seen me as someone a generation younger, like an elementary school student?}

The words spoken in the mental link, and Kaguya's gaze at this moment, both carried a clear sense of accusation.

Upon hearing this, Gao Hai subconsciously glanced at the other person's feet, which were not touching the ground after he picked her up, and her chest, which, like Zhen Fei's, did not rise and fall much. His expression became somewhat subtle.

Although Gao Hai had always considered his orientation to be normal, and all the girls, including Maki and Chika, were indeed adorable and full of youthful energy, his 1.8-meter height seemed rather inferior compared to the girls' average height of 1.5 meters. In a sense, could he be considered a lolicon? No, that wasn't quite right. After all, Hayasaka and Miko were both 1.6 meters tall, and while Maki, Kaguya, and Ichiri were all under 1.6 meters, they were still over 1.55 meters. Only Chika was particularly short at 1.52 meters, but the problem was that Chika was big; her figure could never be mistaken for that of a child.

That's right, I could never be a lolicon.

After a brief period of wavering, Gao Hai quickly regained his resolve and confidence.

[Hehe, how many underage girls' blessings does the teacher have on him? Little Zhaodi is only five years old, Chiyo is an elementary school student, and Alice is only a middle school student. So many little girls entrusted him with their sincere blessings, and the teacher says he doesn't like them? *sobs* What a cruel and heartless adult! He gets what he wants from the girls and then kicks them aside. It seems Alice will have to raise these children alone from now on.]

What the heck... wait a minute, blessings and love are completely different things! And when did I ever have a child with you? You're such a fake personality without a body, don't go too far! Go back to being your cybernetic ghost!

Alice's sudden disruption nearly caused Gao Hai to lose control of his anger, which prevented him from answering Kaguya's question in time.

Kaguya's expression changed rapidly upon not hearing Takahashi's reply. She began to seriously doubt whether Takahashi liked petite girls, and this caused a very complicated emotional fluctuation. For a moment, she didn't know whether she should be angry or happy.

So, in Gao Jun's eyes, I was just a child after all?

The girl finally let out a deep sigh.

{How could that be? If I really treated you like a child, I would never have kissed you or done anything like that.}

Having broken free from Alice's entanglement, Gao Hai answered solemnly, immediately presenting the most direct evidence.

{What...don't just say things like that out loud!?}

Unexpectedly, Kaguya blushed almost immediately when Takahashi steered the conversation toward this matter, and angrily tapped him on the shoulder.

{Why can't I say it? I haven't been saying it to anyone else. It's just between the two of us, isn't it okay to talk about this?}

Gao Hai revealed a proud expression.

{What?! Even I'd be embarrassed by this kind of topic! Why are you so obsessed with...that kind of indecent stuff, Gao Jun?!}

Honestly, no matter what, Gao Jun is always like this, always looking so unserious.

Seeing Gao Hai's smug look, Kaguya suddenly felt a sense of helplessness, not knowing what to say.

How did I end up liking a man like this... But then again, it seems I've gotten used to his style. And now, it seems pointless to criticize or judge him anymore.

Kaguya paused slightly, realizing that Takahashi had suddenly steered the conversation to another topic.

{How are you feeling? Any more relaxed?}

Gao Hai asked with a smile in the temporary mental link.

{Using this method to distract me... Hmm, still pretty bad, aren't you ashamed... But thank you, Gao-kun...}

The words transmitted through the mental link were very soft, so soft that Takahashi could barely hear what Kaguya was saying.

Then, finally mustering her courage, the girl raised her head, stretched out her hands, and gently wrapped them around Gao Hai's neck.

She slowly brought her head close to Gao Hai's ear, her lips almost touching his ear, so much so that her breath brushed against his hair, bringing a slightly ticklish sensation.

"...I like you."

The sound that reached my ears was as soft as a dream.

Having exhausted all her courage, the girl broke free from Gao Hai's embrace, clutching her chest and gasping for breath, before running away without looking back.

For Kaguya, this action had probably exhausted all her strength, and it was the most honest attitude she could muster at the moment.

Is this what it feels like to be entrusted with someone's true feelings? It's really hard to describe in words. I think I'll probably never forget what happened today.

Gao Hai savored the words the girl had uttered just moments before, feeling the lingering warmth of her body on his skin. For a moment, he was slightly dazed, experiencing a feeling that was hard to describe.

The emotional conditions for establishing a spiritual connection should have already been met.

Although whether the conditions are actually met will only be known when a new playthrough begins, Gao Hai feels that the conditions between him and Kaguya have indeed been met.

After all, he could sense that another link, which didn't require starting a new playthrough to produce an effect, had successfully added new lines.

Andres' Blessing

This blessing, which grants Takami and his loved ones the ability to teleport their senses, originally linked Maki, Chika, and Miko, has now successfully established a fourth link. From this moment on, Takami and Kaguya can use this blessing to teleport to each other's locations.

In the end, all Kaguya needs to do is say "I like you" to fulfill the condition for a blessing?

However, for a girl like Kaguya, getting her to actively express her inner thoughts is probably already quite an achievement.

Gao Hai was deeply moved.

But before he could finish his reflections, another approaching footstep interrupted his thoughts.

It's Hayasaka Ai.

Hayasaka, looking slightly nervous and with a blush on her face, slowly stepped into the house where Takami was.

{Ai, so you were persuaded to come by Chika?}

Gao Hai was not surprised by the girl's arrival, after all, she had already peeked through the crack in the door many times before.

{Did the young lady... succeed? There were some fluctuations in the temporary mental link just now; did she trigger some kind of blessing power?}

Hayasaka slowly walked up to Takami and calmly asked in the temporary mental link.

{Yes, that's right. I'm not sure if the conditions for the mental link are met yet, but I have a blessing related to emotions, and that blessing just included Kaguya in the judgment range, so I think it should have been successful.}