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

As she spoke, Maki crossed her arms and glared at Takahashi with hostility.

On the bustling street, pedestrians came and went along the roadside.

Sunlight streamed down, its reflection on the glass of the skyscraper slightly dazzling.

At the edge of the sky, the contrails left by the flight path are slowly dissipating.

Gao Hai smiled as he met Zhenfei's gaze, reached out to touch his chin, and then put on a pretentious thoughtful expression.

"First, we should consider two scenarios. One is that it is indeed a well-ordered player market, in which case we should be fine as long as we bring the item. The other is that the player market is not well-ordered, and may even be very dangerous for us new players, in which case we must be prepared. In this regard, I think we can compare Lao Guo and that traitorous woman; their strength should be quite high among the player groups."

"Well, it's mainly Lao Guo. That man is disdainful and arrogant towards us newbies. He also has a lot of obsessions and carries firearms and explosives. I think he should be quite well-known within the player team, so we should try to avoid taking out his obsessions unless absolutely necessary, including that woman's. Considering this, the only obsession we can reasonably take out for the sake of secrecy and security is the rescue team badge."

"But as for guns, I checked yesterday. Lao Guo's gun is a standard-issue one, not privately modified, so we can bring it without worry. Although players can use their artifacts to perform all sorts of strange feats, there should be very few people who are immune to gun attacks. However, one gun probably won't be enough. Zhenfei, do you know any ways to get a gun?"

After thinking it over carefully, Gao Hai began to analyze and ask the girl beside him. The two gradually walked towards a less crowded street to avoid anyone overhearing their conversation.

"Guns... I know an aunt who has good connections with the Self-Defense Forces, so she should be able to find a way to get some, and she can even set up a training ground for us to practice with. But these kinds of weapons are mainly for dealing with players, so they're completely useless for ghost stories."

Seeing Gao Hai become serious, Zhen Fei also nodded gently and spoke earnestly.

But when she looked up again, she saw Gao Hai handing her an ice cream.

"Let's talk while we eat."

Gao Hai smiled at Zhenfei and said.

"Um, thank you..."

Although she wanted to say a few words of her usual tsundere attitude, when faced with the ice cream that Takahashi had already handed her, Maki opened her mouth, but in the end she thanked him softly and took the ice cream and ate it in small bites.

Then, the two entered the mall.

At Gao Hai's insistence, they purchased some mountaineering equipment and wilderness survival gear, such as knee pads, helmets, safety ropes, and simple tents.

Although the first game took place in an apartment, the final escape involved navigating through a series of potholes and ruins. Takami and Maki sustained numerous scratches and scrapes and fell several times, making protective gear for navigating complex terrain extremely important.

However, because he bought too much, even Gao Hai, whose physical abilities were already superhuman, was unable to carry all of these things. Therefore, Maki, who couldn't bear to see him like this, asked for his home address and had the things packed up and delivered directly to Gao Hai's house.

"You're acting like an idiot, needing my help even for such a small thing. Are you even capable of doing it?"

Zhenfei reached out and poked Gao Hai's waist, asking in a slightly teasing tone.

"That's why I need your help. If you're here, even if I encounter problems I can't solve, I can still ask you for help, right?"

Gao Hai turned around, smiled, and said something, just as the traffic light at the pedestrian crossing ahead turned green.

So Gao Hai reached out and, quite naturally, grabbed Zhen Fei's small hand that was poking his waist before she could retract it.

"Hey--"

A shy, surprised exclamation rang out beside her.

No struggle.

The girl, led by Gao Hai, kept her head down and obediently followed him across the pedestrian crossing to the other side of the street.

However, just as they crossed the pedestrian crossing, Gao Hai loosened his grip slightly, and Zhen Fei immediately pulled her hand back, lowered her head even further, her ears turned completely red, and mumbled softly for a while. In the end, she didn't say anything and just continued walking forward.

"Pfft-"

Unable to contain himself any longer, Gao Hai finally burst out laughing.

"W-what? Launching such a surprise attack? You're really awful. Couldn't you have given me a little time to prepare?"

Upon hearing Gao Hai laugh, Zhen Fei gritted her teeth and looked up, revealing her very sharp canine teeth.

"Sorry, sorry, I just couldn't help myself because this reaction was so cute. So, since you need to make some preparations, lovely Miss Maki, may I have the honor of holding your hand and walking together?"

Gao Hai forced a smile, performed a completely non-standard bow, and extended his hand to Consort Zhen.

"Hmph, no way! You launched a surprise attack. Even if you try to please me now, I won't accept it."

Naturally, the still angry girl refused without hesitation and then turned and left.

And after walking a few steps, seeing that Gao Hai had fallen behind again, she turned around in dissatisfaction and shouted, "Hurry up and catch up! What are you dawdling for?" She stopped and waited until Gao Hai walked to her side before continuing to walk, keeping the same speed as Gao Hai.

"Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

Seeing that Princess Maki was clearly heading in a certain direction with a specific purpose, Takami asked her about it.

"Buy a phone? I left my phone in that apartment. I called yesterday using my spare phone. But that spare phone only makes calls. It's better to use a smartphone most of the time."

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Maki pulled Gao Hai into the mobile phone store, picked out a phone that cost nearly 20 Japanese yen, and came out right away.

After leaving the store, the two continued browsing.

They walked side by side like two friends, but as friends, the distance between them seemed a little too close.

But if they're not friends, and if they're considered lovers, and they can't even hold hands without hesitation, then they probably can't be considered lovers.

"Here you go, consider it a treat."

Zhenfei presented Gao Hai with a steaming cup of milk tea, a hint of smugness on her face.

"Thank you very much, Miss Maki."

Gao Hai took the milk tea and drank it all in one gulp, which made the girl frown and mutter, "Is it really necessary to be so thirsty?" Then she continued to lead Gao Hai forward.

The two crossed the overpass, and Zhenfei stopped there, asking Gao Hai to pose for a photo of the two of them with their backs to the sky.

After passing another arcade, Gao Hai and Zhen Fei went in together and played for a while before walking out side by side.

"Your home is around here, isn't it?"

After strolling around, Zhenfei looked around and noticed a residential area nearby. She then carefully observed the names of the streets and suddenly turned to Gao Hai beside her and asked a question.

"Oh, so you've already investigated me?"

Gao Hai raised an eyebrow and stopped walking. Realizing the hidden meaning in those words, he then asked a question.

"No, I don't have any all-powerful maid. But Auntie did look into it and shared the information with me. Well, after living together in the apartment, you should know she's very suspicious and doesn't easily trust others. Although it's certainly very impolite, I hope you can understand to some extent. If necessary, I can talk to her and apologize to you."

Knowing that this matter had been revealed was somewhat embarrassing, Princess Zhenfei showed an apologetic expression, indicating that this matter was still quite difficult for her.

"That's not the case. I knew I would be investigated after I came out, but I'm curious about the results of your investigation."

Takahashi didn't care at all. Based on his behavior at the Shirakawa apartment, and given their shared identity as companions, Kaguya Shinomiya would definitely investigate him. After all, in the original work, this woman was the type to investigate every friend she knew, deliberately spreading all sorts of private information about them, and then having people test whether they would leak it, all to determine whether the person was worth befriending—that level of caution. And to be honest, he was genuinely curious about what Kaguya could find out, since this world's "Takahashi" was quite unfamiliar to him.

If he could find anything inconsistent, he might be able to better assess his situation. However, this was contingent on Consort Zhen being willing to tell him the whole story.

"There's practically nothing. Your parents died early, and you stayed home after graduating high school. Besides that, there's virtually no information about you. There's no record of where you've been, no social media posts, and it's impossible to ask your former classmates in a day, but I doubt I'd get any results anyway. To put it simply, you're like air. Until the sacrifice game started, you had absolutely no presence. The only proof of your existence was that you occasionally bought discounted and popular games. Right now, your aunt has no choice but to reluctantly trust you, but I suspect her wariness will only grow stronger, given how unusual you are."

Princess Zhenfei's candor at this moment was somewhat unexpected for Gao Hai.

"Since you know I'm a suspicious person, why are you still willing to trust me, willing to tell me these things, and willing to go on dates with me?"

Surprised, he couldn't help but ask, wanting to get an answer from the girl.

"Just feel it."

Princess Zhenfei blinked, thought for a moment, and then gave a crisp and decisive answer.

"I can't really explain it either, but we've been supporting each other since we were in the Shirakawa apartment."

“I believe that no matter what, you are definitely not a bad person. You are a trustworthy comrade-in-arms who can fight alongside you. I am willing to believe that. I will also try my best to persuade Auntie to truly believe in you and dispel her wariness. I also hope that you will not hold too much resentment towards her. For her, who grew up in such a distorted environment as the Shinomiya family, it is very difficult to make changes.”

"And also, I'm not on a date with you. Don't start making it sound like we're boyfriend and girlfriend. Don't push your luck like that!"

The girl's earnest explanation and her furious reaction as she realized the trap in Gao Hai's last sentence intertwined at that moment.

Gao Hai couldn't help but laugh again.

He smiled with genuine joy at the sight of Princess Zhenfei's adorable reaction and the sincerity she showed him.

Being trapped in a game of strange rules is truly painful and difficult. However, with a girl who believes in him and stands by his side, Gao Hai feels that perhaps things aren't so hard after all.

tick-

As he was thinking this, a raindrop landed on the tip of his nose.

"Ok?"

Gao Hai looked up and saw the sky darkening and the rain rapidly turning into a torrential downpour.

slam-la-

A brief downpour soaked the two people on the street who had no time to take shelter.

slam-la-

In the rain, pedestrians scrambled for cover, cursing the sudden, terrible weather with displeasure.

Two figures ran quickly in the rain, disappearing around the street corner and entering the residential area from the commercial street.

squeak-

The door slowly opened.

Tick-tick-tick-

The soaking wet clothes were taken off and hung on the chair.

"Want to take a shower? The bathroom is here, but there's no bathtub."

"Oh... okay, alright, I don't need a bathtub just for a quick rinse."

After a few brief exchanges, Gao Hai dried himself off, blew his hair, and changed into clean clothes. He sat on the sofa in the living room, listening to the sound of running water coming from the bathroom, and his gaze wandered for a moment.

Strange, what's going on with this terrible atmosphere?

Interlude 1-07: The age-old dilemma: beast or less than a beast?

Take off the already soaked clothes and unzip the side of the skirt.

She reached down and lifted the white socks from her feet, gently pulling them off.

Finally, there are clothes that shouldn't be seen by the other person. Pink clothes or similar items are definitely not a good choice if someone of the opposite sex sees them.

After tidying up and putting away the clothes, turn on the shower and gently test the water temperature with your hand.

After confirming that the temperature was about right, I carefully stood under the showerhead and let the warm water wash over me.

"What am I doing..."

Shijo Maki closed her eyes, lowered her head, and muttered softly.