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

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Gao Hai scratched his head and apologized softly.

"What? You're not allowed to do things like that again. Since we're going to work together to get through this, we shouldn't do things like this. Even if I survive, I won't be happy. What I want is for us to get through this together, Haijun, understand?"

Maki took a deep breath, and her brownish-purple pupils shone with a fierce light.

Gazing at the light, Gao Hai paused for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle, as if he had finally released some burden from his heart, and laughed from the bottom of his heart.

"What are you laughing at? I'm talking to you very seriously."

Sensing that the other party's attitude was a bit strange, Maki muttered something in dissatisfaction. Then she saw Gao Hai lower his head and suddenly move closer to her.

"I'm happy because I've realized that I truly love every single thing about you, Maki. Your appearance, your body, your personality, your temper, everything about you—I can't find a single thing I dislike. I've discovered that what I love about you is everything—"

A murmur, like a whisper.

Accompanied by the pungent breath.

By the time you realize it, it's too late to react.

Lips gently touch lips, conveying each other's warmth.

"Woo..."

The girl stepped back after letting out a mournful cry, turned her head, and blushed across her cheeks.

kiss.

Once again, with this guy.

"What are you doing... doing this kind of thing..."

I want to get angry, but I can't seem to get angry.

I want to please them, but I don't know how.

The last words uttered sounded less like accusation and more like a coquettish plea.

"If you're scared, you can close your eyes."

Gao Hai, who came forward again, simply said this, and just like that, their foreheads touched again, and their breaths became close once more.

Zhenfei's body trembled slightly, but in the end she obediently closed her eyes slowly.

The second time their lips met, they were even closer together than the first time.

...

(1120 words omitted here)

...

And Zhenfei's small feet finally struggled to press against Gao Hai's chest.

"That's why I said I didn't want it—!!!"

The next moment, Gao Hai was sent flying into the air and crashed into the wall opposite the bed.

Taking deep breaths, Princess Zhenfei quickly got up and fled the room.

Gao Hai, who finally came to his senses at this moment, was slightly stunned, only then realizing what he had done under the girl's coy and accommodating attitude.

Ah, it seems I've messed things up a bit...

Interlude 1-09: On the way to the player's agreed-upon place

The gloomy rain curtain has gradually dissipated.

The sun rises, the moonlight shines on the earth, and then a new day begins.

People in the city repeat their unchanging daily lives.

For them, ghost stories don't exist; there are no death games, no strange things. Everything they see and hear in their daily lives is their entire world, and perhaps nothing will change much until they leave this world. Perhaps such days will suddenly end one day, but most people around them will continue to repeat the same rhythm, running this world like machine parts.

However, for those who are already outside the daily routine, those days are long gone.

Because their lives are often measured in months, and the death game woven from strange rules is staged once a month, surviving every time is probably not an easy task for most players.

Although he hasn't officially come into contact with the so-called player community yet, Gao Hai feels that his speculation shouldn't be too wrong.

At this moment, counting from the end of the Shirakawa Apartment instance, it has been four days, and counting from the information about the TV station that Kaguya Maki investigated, it is now the third day, which is the time when the player market was held.

Gao Hai stood at the entrance of the abandoned old town, located on the edge of the city, where water, electricity, and gas had been cut off and almost no one lingered except for homeless people. After waiting for a while, he saw Maki, dressed in casual clothes, walk out from the intersection not far away.

Good morning, Princess Zhenfei.

Gao Hai greeted the girl with a calm demeanor.

"...It's amazing that you can greet people so casually."

Zhenfei squinted at Gao Hai for a while, then finally snorted and stepped forward to walk alongside him.

After the awkward situation three days ago, Gao Hai called Maki to sincerely apologize. After a few moments of hesitation, the girl didn't actually distance herself from Gao Hai. She just seriously promised that he would never lay a hand on her again if they met.

Gao Hai really wanted to ask her what the specific criteria were for her touching him, but considering that the girl was still angry, he obediently chose to keep quiet.

After that, Maki calmed down quite quickly. Perhaps in a way, she herself felt a little guilty, after all, she had to admit that she had become somewhat engrossed in that increasingly intense kiss.

Could it be that I'm actually a somewhat promiscuous girl?

These questions troubled Maki for an entire day, but she gradually came to a realization. Ultimately, she was now caught up in this sacrificial game and had established an inseparable relationship with Takahashi. Since that was the case, instead of dwelling on these issues, she should look ahead and consider how to proceed with the next mission.

Although she said this as if she had already figured it out, when she actually met Gao Hai again, the girl still couldn't help but show her usual arrogant and tsundere side.

"Speaking of which, that earpiece... so Ms. Shinomiya has been listening to what's happening here, right?"

Gao Hai glanced at the miniature earpiece that Zhenfei was wearing on one ear and asked.

"Yes, my great-aunt's family was very strict. Unlike me, she couldn't go out freely, so this was the only way to get her involved as much as possible."

Consort Zhen nodded slightly, but she still wouldn't put on an arrogant attitude when it came to serious matters.

Have any players been testing you these past few days?

Gao Hai thought for a moment and then asked again.

"No, there haven't been any more tests since the first day. At least, none that I could detect. Perhaps they intend to wait and see. Now that we're in the open, we have no way of knowing whether the person hiding in the shadows is friend or foe. We can only hope that it's not an opponent like Lao Guo."

Zhenfei shook her head slightly, her gaze quickly glancing at Gao Hai beside her before looking away. After a while, she looked over again, then quickly looked away before Gao Hai could look at her.

After repeating this three times, she finally couldn't hold back any longer and spoke in a low voice.

"Have you encountered any problems these past few days?"

As soon as she said this, Princess Zhenfei frowned, feeling that she had chosen a topic that was too ordinary.

"These past few days have been alright. Apart from those things that start appearing every evening, I haven't encountered anything else. By the way, I heard that the underground market is pretty deserted. Are you alright?"

As Gao Hai spoke, he shifted his gaze to the pair of long, slender legs revealed beneath Zhenfei's skirt.

For a long time, Gao Hai has found it strange that Japanese people wear short skirts in cold weather. He doesn't know if this is a stereotype from anime or if many Japanese people actually like to do it.

"I have no problem with this. I'm not so stupid that I can't even think of something this small. Although it looks thin, it's a warm pair of stockings."

As Zhenfei spoke, she slightly lifted her skirt, allowing Gao Hai to see the white stockings she was wearing.

The sunlight was quite nice at the time. Under the warm light, two figures, one tall and one short, crossed the noisy border of civilization and stepped into the old town, which was piled with all kinds of garbage and debris, with the exterior walls of many buildings peeling off and overgrown with weeds.

Despite being separated by only one or two streets, this place felt like another world, causing both Takahashi and Maki to feel a chill as they stepped inside.

"Speaking of which, what was the reason this place was abandoned?"

Gao Hai turned to the girl beside him and asked.

"Well, it's a complicated story. This area was built many years ago, originally intended to be an economic zone. However, problems arose during construction, and many supporting facilities were not completed. Later, when the person in charge changed, there were problems during the handover. In addition, this area has never been very attractive to residents, and Japan is becoming increasingly economically depressed. In the end, this place was essentially abandoned, and basically no one comes here. Well, except for some homeless people and criminals, I guess? In the past, I probably wouldn't have come to a place like this."

As Zhenfei explained the situation to Gao Hai, she walked forward.

Both of them had studied the map before coming, so they didn't have to worry about getting lost and headed straight for their destination.

Sunlight streamed through abandoned buildings and broken windows, casting dappled light onto the dark streets.

Gao Hai turned his head and looked at Zhen Fei walking slowly beside him. After thinking for a moment, he took a step closer, reached out and took her small hand, and they walked forward hand in hand.

"What...what are you doing? Didn't I tell you not to touch me?"

Caught off guard, the girl blushed slightly and immediately looked up to ask a question.

Let's hold hands and walk together.

Gao Hai just smiled and said, using his sunny and cheerful boyish smile to pretend to be innocent.

"You... you're quite good at bullying girls."

Knowing he wouldn't let go easily, Zhenfei muttered softly, giving up on treatment and letting him hold her hand. The two of them then started walking forward together.

The unease in my heart seemed to have subsided a little.

It was only then that Maki realized that she was actually somewhat afraid and had a fear of the unknown underground plaza.

Could it be that he realized this, which is why he insisted on shaking hands?

Thinking of this, the girl couldn't help but steal a glance at Gao Hai, only to see his usual calm expression.

I don't understand. Sometimes this guy seems to be pretending to be stupid, and sometimes he seems genuinely stupid.

Well, the only thing that's certain is that he's really lewd, and the kind of lewd guy who'll take advantage of anyone. We have to be careful, he's really too dangerous.

As she was thinking this, Maki suddenly noticed a figure appearing in front of her.

That was a young girl.

A girl with long pink hair, carrying a guitar, and wearing sportswear. She was very pretty, but for some reason, her demeanor seemed somewhat gloomy.

In this deserted and quiet abandoned city, this girl, who seemed out of place no matter how you looked at her, walked out from the street corner. Judging from the direction she was heading, it seemed that she was going to the same underground shopping plaza shown on TV, just like Gao Hai and Zhen Fei.

Zhenfei had already withdrawn her hand and was watching the other person with some caution.

After a brief moment of reflection, Gao Hai quickly recognized the girl in front of him.

Isn't that Little Bochi?

Interludes 1-10: The Socially Anxious Veteran Girl and the Abnormal Newcomer

"Bochi-chan" is a transliteration of the Japanese word for "little lonely girl," which is also the nickname of this girl.