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

He could tell that the other person wasn't in a state where he could easily persuade her to change with just a few words, so Gao Hai didn't say anything more. He simply said a few more words solemnly before disengaging from the mental link. Therefore, he didn't pay much attention to what Yi Zi wanted to say at the end, and didn't hear the rest of her words. Instead, he calmly turned his attention back to the girl's boudoir, where he was now alone.

I remember that Miko had mentioned before that Alice seemed to have left some traces in her house when she invaded the real world.

Thinking this, Gao Hai slightly released his senses, but found no trace of whatsoever.

[Hehehe, is Teacher looking for something? That's impossible! Alice is forever imprisoned in that world of burning flames. All traces of her that remained in this world are now gone. Could it be that Teacher would actually miss that Alice? Miss that Alice who only hurt Teacher?]

Laughter echoed in his mind, and then, from Gao Hai's perspective, a series of faint footprints appeared out of thin air on the ground, followed by Alice's long golden hair falling down from his side. Sometime later, this ethereal girl stood on the ceiling, upside down, looking at Gao Hai with a smile.

This posture was somewhat familiar to Gao Hai. If he remembered correctly, the little girl who was the core of his obsession had once done a handstand and stared at him from the ceiling back in the Shirakawa Apartment.

{So you finally decided to come back?}

Gao Hai looked up at the girl who was actually only in his perspective and asked in a slightly helpless tone.

【Oh dear, the teacher's tone has become so gentle. You used to hate Alice so much, but now you're accepting her so completely? Hate... does that mean the teacher actually enjoys being forced? If this is the teacher's style, Alice is starting to get a little scared. Also, Alice has now successfully hacked into and gained control of over 90% of the world's broadcasting networks! If the teacher has anything they want to announce to the world, Alice can totally do it for them!】

The voice, like a little devil deliberately provoking and teasing, suddenly changed the subject and started talking about serious business.

Gao Hai was not surprised by this; he simply nodded slightly, as if he had expected it all along.

In fact, when Alice disobeyed his orders and ran away yesterday, Gao Hai already knew exactly what she was planning to do. After all, Alice was essentially a part of Gao Hai himself. If she really wanted to do something, she couldn't completely hide it from him.

{Very good. If Maki and the others' broadcast plan runs into trouble, we'll have to rely on you.}

Gao Hai breathed a sigh of relief and smiled with relief. He wouldn't really give up just because Zhenfei and the others didn't want him to participate in this matter. Even if he didn't know much about things like operational plans, he could still find ways to get involved and intervene.

However, just that doesn't feel quite right. It's best to think about whether there's anything else we can do...

While he was thinking, Gao Hai noticed the sound of a door opening downstairs, as well as the sound of Jianzi and her mother talking.

Ah, it seems that Komiko has returned.

Gao Hai, who had just sat up in bed, was wondering whether he should project his mental energy downstairs to observe the situation when he noticed a third person's voice coming from downstairs. The energetic voice sounded like that of Jianzi's best friend, whom she had grown up with.

Interlude 4-07: The Troubles of Yotsuya Miko and the Verification of Her Dreams

Seeing that Zi was still somewhat uneasy.

While everyone else was preparing for the impending unknown disaster, she was the only one who couldn't do anything and could only continue her daily school life. This fact made Miko feel somewhat frustrated. Even though both Takami and Maki comforted her, saying that her talents lay elsewhere, she was still uneasy even after the day's classes ended, still wondering if she could be of any use.

Unfortunately, even with the powerful ability to foresee the future, Miko's mental strength is insufficient, as she has only recently awakened this ability. At most, she can only predict events 10 seconds in advance. If she were to attempt to project her consciousness into a more distant timeline, she risks brain death due to the overwhelming mental strain. Therefore, despite her strong desire to help, she ultimately ends up alone.

Of course, considering that Gao Hai himself wasn't involved in the initial planning stages, Jianzi wasn't really a lone wolf. It's just that she felt too embarrassed to ask Gao Hai out while everyone else was busy. Therefore, on the day after the dungeon mission ended, Jianzi simply attended classes like any other student.

However, although Jianzi tried very hard to hide her emotional changes, her best friend, who had been with her since childhood, still noticed Jianzi's depressed mood. So in the afternoon, this best friend dragged Jianzi to a dessert shop. After finding that the delicious desserts did not improve Jianzi's mood much, she even said that she wanted to come to her house to play, clearly unwilling to leave easily.

Miko was genuinely grateful for her friend's somewhat clumsy attempt to cheer her up. However, the thought of the unknown pressures ahead made it impossible for her to relax. Not to mention, because her friend wasn't a player, Miko couldn't truly share her own pressure and unhappiness with her. And without being able to speak her mind, letting go of the pressure became nothing more than empty words.

Forget it, let's not think about it too much. I'll just play with Xiaohua for a while tonight.

While thinking, the girl glanced again at the boisterous and energetic girl beside her, and then looked at the girl with an enviable figure and short orange hair.

In terms of physique alone, she's completely comparable to Chika and Ichiri. Such amazing talent—why don't I have it? If I could have a physique like that, would my senior's attention be more...? No, no, no, don't think so much. My senior isn't that superficial. After all, yesterday the first person he touched was that not-so-good-looking Shinomiya. So, for my senior, the focus has never been on physique; he's the type who likes everyone, big and small.

Unbeknownst to her, perhaps due to the subtle influence of someone in the team on the other members, Miko could now naturally contemplate lewd questions that she would never have considered before. Initially, Miko resisted this unusual development, but as her in-depth discussions with Takami in her dreams increased, she gradually became accustomed to these matters. Later, when she occasionally fell asleep without those dreams, she even felt a little uneasy.

How strange, why am I thinking about those embarrassing things again?

Feeling a bit disoriented, Miko gently patted her cheek, temporarily banishing some unsettling thoughts from her mind.

Anyway, I'll spend some time playing with Xiaohua tonight. She's energetic, but also a good student who gets sleepy around 11 PM and never stays up late. However, if she plans to stay overnight, I'll have to sleep on the floor. After all, my friend's figure isn't what it used to be, and the small bed in my bedroom is simply too small for two people.

"Auntie, auntie, I'm sorry to bother you!"

Amidst energetic shouts, Yurikawa Hana squeezed into the house before Miko opened the door and greeted Miko's mother, who was wearing an apron and preparing to cook, as she came out of the house.

"Xiao Hua is here to play. I'm making dinner right now, so why don't you stay and eat with us?"

Miko's mother was a gentle, middle-aged woman who raised Miko alone after her father passed away early. Therefore, although she wasn't actually very old, her hair was streaked with gray, and her face had more wrinkles than her peers. Of course, this was her original state. Recently, she was surprised to find that her back and leg problems had inexplicably disappeared, her physical strength and energy were much better than before, and even her wrinkles and gray hair were fading, as if she were slowly regaining her youth.

The same thing has happened to several of the girls' family and friends, including Miko's close friend, Yurikawa Hana, who has noticed a slight improvement in her physical condition since yesterday, as well as increased appetite and energy. These minor abnormalities haven't attracted much attention yet, and Miko, who is aware of them, has no intention of explaining. After all, although changes have indeed occurred in her family and friends, the cognitive barriers that still shroud the world are still in effect, so even if she did explain the situation to them, they would only forget about it completely in a few hours.

I really don't know how we'll handle rescue efforts should a large-scale catastrophe occur, given that the cognitive barrier between players and ordinary people hasn't been removed.

However, based on what I'd heard through the mental link, it seems that both those in Tokyo and the other large player organizations that have taken action are prepared for a drastic reduction in the global population, with heavy casualties and only a small number remaining as the spark of civilization. Some player organizations in Europe and America have even begun considering how to preserve their culture should all be wiped out.

While sighing inwardly, Jianzi tried her best to maintain a normal expression on the surface, followed Xiaohua, closed the door, took off her shoes, went inside, and returned to her home.

How did today's lesson go?

In the living room, the mother brought out freshly cut fruit and casually asked Xiaohua, who was sitting on the sofa.

"I don't understand at all."

Xiaohua answered with great pride that after transferring to Xiuzhiyuan, her grades, which were not very good to begin with, completely fell behind the course and had entered a stage of self-abandonment.

"It is indeed very difficult. After all, it is a truly top-tier school. Even if the difficulty level is reduced, it is still difficult to keep up with the courses."

As Jianzi sat down on the sofa, she nodded and said that, like Xiaohua, she couldn't understand what the teacher was saying at first because the difficulty of the courses jumped too much. As a result, she went through a period of failing all subjects, just like Xiaohua.

In fact, after becoming a player and undergoing several enhancements, Miko's thinking ability has improved significantly. Courses that were previously difficult to keep up with are now partially understandable to her. And if nothing else interferes, Miko should be able to fully catch up with the course in about three months at most, and might even be able to challenge the rankings of Shuchiin Academy.

The world is about to end, yet I'm still thinking about classes and exams. Something's definitely not right here, is it?

Jianzi silently berated herself in her heart, but her expression remained unchanged as she chatted and laughed with Xiaohua and her mother. After having dinner together, Xiaohua and Jianzi cleaned up the dishes together, and then they went upstairs to Jianzi's bedroom. Because Xiaohua's grades were so bad, Jianzi, who had nothing else to do, decided to tutor her, so she opened the bedroom door with textbooks and workbooks.

Then, Miko saw Takami lying on her bed, who was deliberately concealing his presence and thus not seen by Xiaohua who followed him into the room, nor by Miko, who had suppressed and sealed his senses.

Huh, senior?

The unexpected figure surprised and delighted Miko, but at the same time, a sense of doubt arose within her. She didn't quite understand why Gao Hai was there.

{Hey, Miko. Don't worry about me, I was just bored and came over to hang out. Just pretend I'm not here and keep tutoring your classmate.}

Lying on the bed, Gao Hai casually waved his hand and spoke in his private mental link.

{Oh, is that so?}

Seeing Zi blink, she was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly standing still?"

However, unable to see that Yurikawa Hana, who was in a semi-ethereal state, had already spoken again, Miko could only nod to indicate that it was alright. She then sat down at the small table in the bedroom, took out paper and pen, and tried to ignore Takashi's instruction to Hana. Of course, it was only a superficial ignoring; in reality, Miko and Takashi's private chat channel had never been interrupted.

"It'll be faster to calculate this using this formula..."

So why did you come to my room and sleep in my bed? Isn't it a bit inappropriate to sneak into a girl's room?

The girl's voice was very calm as she guided the students through the questions, but her voice when she asked her husband questions carried a clear hint of emotion.

{It's really not good, but there's nothing I can do. I can't find anything I can participate in, and after resting all day, I feel like my soul is filled with guilt. In this situation, I have to find a way to relieve it, so I came to play with you, Xiaojianzi.}

Gao Hai's voice was confident and self-assured, not at all like someone who would sneak into a girl's boudoir.

"The grammar in this sentence requires the past tense to be used, Xiaohua, you're using it wrong..."

{You know I'm at school, so why did you come to my house? Your purpose and actions don't match at all, especially since you lay down on my bed… well, that's really not appropriate, is it?}

During the one-on-one tutoring session with Xiaohua, Jianzi's little mind couldn't help but start recalling those discordant things that had just been left behind.

She had previously suspected that she might not be the only one experiencing that strange dream, especially after she didn't dream one night and learned from other girls the next day about Gao Hai's absurd actions the night before. This made Jianzi even more suspicious of the coincidence.

Unfortunately, the senior was lying in his own bed, in that place that always served as the battlefield in his dreams...

"See you, see you, what's wrong?"

Noticing that the girl seemed a little distracted, Xiao Hua shook his head and asked.

"Ah, it's nothing, I was just thinking about something. Sorry for daydreaming. Let's move on to the next question. If you practice these types of questions, your score should improve a little in the next exam, Xiaohua."

Seeing that Zi shook his head slightly, he refocused his attention on the question in front of him.

But at that very moment, Gao Hai's long-delayed reply once again disrupted her thoughts.

{Why am I sleeping in Miko's bed? To be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself. Is it some kind of intuition? After all, Miko, your perception and mine are arguably the two highest in the team, and after Fujika Middle School, we were the first to establish a deep spiritual connection. So I've thought many times about whether our spirits might resonate under some special condition, like… having the same dream.}

{And in those recurring dreams, this bed often holds a very important place, so it's impossible to ignore it. Lying down on it this time, I just wanted to feel it and see if the tactile sensations in the dream corresponded to the tactile sensations in reality.}

Gao Hai's voice was very serious and earnest, as if he were discussing an academic issue.

But Zi could no longer face these words with a normal mindset. In fact, the moment Gao Hai brought it up, her cheeks immediately turned red, and her whole body began to sway.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong, Miko? Are you really okay?"

Her changes were naturally noticed by Xiao Hua, who was already paying attention to her, and she asked questions in confusion.

"No...I'm fine...really, I'm fine..."

Seeing Zi take a deep breath, trying to control her expression, she planned to answer Xiao Hua in the most normal tone possible.

But before she could finish speaking, she froze again.

{Well then, I'll try to verify it in a slightly different way. I hope you won't mind, Jianzi?}

As Gao Hai spoke in the mental link, he silently appeared behind Miko, sat down cross-legged, and gently picked her up, letting her sit in his lap.

Interlude 4-08: A Familiar Prankster and a Girl Unable to Seek Revenge

Yotsuya Miko was extremely nervous at that moment.

Across the table, her best friend Yurikawa was still frowning at her homework, occasionally twirling the pencil in her hand.

Meanwhile, Jianzi herself was guiding her friend's studies. Well, at least on the surface, that's how it seemed; from Xiaohua's perspective, there was nothing wrong with it.

But that's not entirely true.

In a realm beyond the reach of ordinary people, under the influence of supernatural forces that obscure cognition, what Xiaohua sees is not entirely real; some things hidden in the shadows remain undiscovered.

Therefore, she did not realize that Miko was not actually sitting on the ground.

Even though she would slightly raise her head every time she spoke to Miko because of the abnormal height difference between them, she couldn't realize that the other person was inexplicably a little taller than her even though she was kneeling in a similar posture.

Even the abnormal flush on Jianzi's cheeks, her slightly swaying body, and her occasional glances back filled with anger and shyness were ignored by Xiaohua, who was unable to truly accept and understand the information related to her.

To be honest, when she realized this, Miko felt a little relieved. After all, if her best friend had found out about her situation, it would have been the worst possible outcome for her. Well… although… she felt the current situation wasn't much better…

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