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

I cannot make this decision for you.

Gao Hai answered the girl calmly.

If it were me, I would choose my family. I would do that because for me, only by saving the people closest to me first can I have the energy to consider helping others.

So, if Chika decides to help your family, I will support you. Don't worry about the responsibilities you might bear; this isn't just your problem. Right now, everyone in this city is working hard, everyone is fighting. To truly end this, to save this city, is the responsibility of everyone here right now.

The answer was exactly as expected.

Ah Hai is indeed that kind of person, and perhaps that's part of the reason I chose him. After all, he's the kind of person who prioritizes loving those around him before extending that love to others when he has the capacity.

And I... I am now...

Indeed, if I had to make a choice, family would definitely be more important.

The girl closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh.

Although making this decision was difficult, it was precisely because she came from a family of politicians that she understood how to carefully consider and choose between the present and the future, and knew what was the rational and farsighted approach.

{For Ahai, I'm one of the most important people in his life, so you'll prioritize protecting me. On the other hand, that band member, um, is called Yamada Ryo, right? The reason Ahai values ​​Yamada Ryo so much is ultimately because Ichiri and Kita are his girlfriends, so he'll do everything in his power for their most important friends.}

Chika smiled as she spoke through the mental link.

{In that case, I can only ask Ah Hai to put in even more effort to protect my family. They're all in the safe zone now, so Ah Hai, you should be able to manage by using your resources to protect them through the Crimson Domain fragments, right?}

The girl's words carried a hint of teasing.

Are you sure you want to do this?

Gao Hai, who had already realized the other party's choice, spoke in a low voice.

{In this respect, it's just that you, Ahai, aren't using your brain.}

Chika opened the door in front of her and stepped into the new corridor, speaking even more happily in the mental link.

{As I've said before, if I had to choose, family would definitely be more important.}

My parents, my older sister, and my younger sister are all my family, the most important people in my life.

{But Ah Hai, you're still family to me now. I'll never forget who's truly suffering and bearing all the burden. So, if there's any extremely important clue hidden here, if there's anything that can help Ah Hai turn things around, even if it's just something to lighten his burden a little, I will definitely find it for him.}

As they spoke, Chika stepped into a new corridor and sensed the approaching point of divergence.

And in her words to Gao Hai, there was no longer any confusion, only an unwavering determination.

"...I understand. Then, I will do everything in my power to protect your parents and sisters, and I will never let them suffer any harm!"

After a brief silence, Gao Hai replied to the girl who was walking forward with the same firm answer.

The girl, who simply smiled, continued on her way and opened a new door once again.

This time, she saw the child lying in the corridor, who had tried to escape but was caught and killed.

The pungent smell of blood rushed into my nasal cavity.

She could even see the children's wide-open eyes, their faces unseeing as they died; she could see the bodies of victims who hadn't quite breathed their last, trembling slightly; and she could hear the loud sirens blaring in the corridor.

I took a step forward and came to the door next to the corridor I had passed countless times.

Chika looked into the room and saw Yoshimura Naga lying on the ground, still struggling to breathe, and the child she was holding in her arms who had stopped breathing, as well as the other dead people around her.

She didn't pay much attention to what was merely a relic of the past; her gaze was fixed on a window in the room, an open window through which the wind was blowing, and the blood-stained curtains were still fluttering.

She knew that was the window through which Taro Funada escaped.

Because the other person chose to escape through the window and eventually returned to Jin'yō Apartments, as long as Chika goes out through this window, she will definitely be able to reach Jin'yō Apartments and her family, just like Funada Taro did back then.

Turning her head, the girl looked ahead, towards the end of the circular corridor, at yet another door.

If she goes in from here, she will miss the fork in the road and begin to enter the real hidden spot in this instance area.

While it's not impossible to use Eriko Asamoto's spatial blessing to set up a spatial point here and teleport back at a crucial moment, if she were to actually enter that hidden area, she definitely wouldn't be able to escape in a short time. Furthermore, even if something serious happened at the apartment that required her to return, the time difference between returning to this spatial point and going out the window to the apartment would be enough for many things to happen.

However, she has already made her decision.

Therefore, there is no reason to hesitate any longer. To remain stagnant here would be letting everyone down.

"Om-"

Qianhua set a spatial coordinate, and then she continued forward without the slightest hesitation, walking to the door at the end of the corridor, opening the door and stepping inside.

The intense smell of blood vanished completely in the next moment.

The girl squinted slightly as she looked at the dusty corridor in front of her, which seemed to have been deserted for a long time.

The body had disappeared, leaving only a few traces of dried blood.

The lines drawn by the police on the body are still there, but even the lines themselves have become blurred.

This place has been abandoned.

This place has been abandoned for many years now.

Chika took a step forward, letting her footsteps carry into the distance in the darkness.

Then, she stopped in front of a door next to the corridor, turned her head, and looked into the doorway, which was empty but seemed to have something else inside.

That's a painting.

In the empty room, on the walls that should have been covered with children's graffiti, a painting with rich colors was overlaid.

A grotesque and terrifying painting depicts screaming, distorted children, a man laughing maniacally while wielding a sharp blade, and large smears of blood.

Is this painting a depiction of the attack that took place years ago?

tread--

For the first time, Chika stepped into the room, no longer simply walking through the corridor, but entering the room herself to begin a real investigation of the place.

She walked up to the painting.

The people in the painting also looked up at her.

The bloody color was spreading silently.

The words hidden within also became recognizable.

A distorted, murmuring voice, as if someone were truly reciting something softly, rang out one phrase after another.

Blades flashed, bullets pierced through.

The bloody ritual ended in horror.

But the madman's purpose was not torture.

No, he did it for liberation, to liberate those poor souls sooner, so they could escape hell and fall into depravity sooner.

But all of this is meaningless; everything he did was preordained, a script that had already been written.

The devil, who feeds on despair, is ready to ascend the throne.

[And a perfectly timed killing is the key to unlocking this path.]

Ah, the first sacrifice, such a perfect sacrifice!

After all, children are the future and hope.

【The Artist of the Night - Coz】

Chapter 47: The Real Crucial Point, the Moment of Explosion in the Name of Despair

ceremony.

Some unknown ritual was being performed here.

Perhaps it wasn't the intention of the person performing the act, but in fact, something that happened here did achieve the effect of a "ritual".

The question of what happened is irrelevant. After all, from the moment she entered this kindergarten, the tragedy that had been revealed to Chika in different ways was something she could never ignore.

So, what kind of ritual did this massacre of kindergarten children and teachers complete? What effect did it achieve?

What did the deaths of those children and teachers bring us?

No, no, that's not the case.

As Fujiwara Chika pondered, she continued forward.

Another door opened, but this time what appeared behind it was not a circular corridor, but a dark, eerie space with no visible boundaries.

Without hesitation, the girl stepped into it naturally and continued forward.

The effect of [Guidance for the Lost] is weakening.

Since Chika herself is unsure of what she will find next, the blessing [Guide to the Lost] cannot function at its full potential and is greatly weakened. Therefore, Chika has lost the ability to "know in the dark where the destination is and how to proceed," but her other ability [Detective Vision] is now operating at full capacity, and she has begun to do her best to analyze and investigate the surrounding situation.

First and foremost, it is certain that this massacre at the kindergarten did not produce any direct, ritualistic effect.

Taro Funada eventually died at Jinyang Apartment. After receiving treatment, Nagayo Yoshimura also returned to Jinyang Apartment, where she fell ill after allegedly drinking water containing chemical contaminants. She remained in her room for a long time after falling ill, and it is even possible that her body was not taken away by the Danso Company and was still hidden somewhere in her room.

The two individuals' fates ended at the Sheep Nest Apartment, and at the time of their deaths, the apartment had likely not yet become a ghost story. Conversely, the kindergarten at that time was also certainly not a ghost story and hadn't been pulled into the alternate world. This implies that, regardless of the ultimate outcome of the attack on the orphanage, it must have been something subtle, long-term, and whose effects would gradually become apparent over time.

Therefore, what she needs to find is a point in time after the incident, preferably a point in time that is far removed from the exact moment of the incident. It's very likely that the further away from the point of the incident, the closer she will get to the truth. Just like the artist's message, it's certain that this mysterious artist has investigated some important clues. However, the distorted space created by this circular corridor somewhat fragments the clues, preventing Chika from obtaining all the clues she wants in that area; she must continue to delve deeper.

From this perspective, why do kindergartens present such a strange structure and appear in this infinite loop?

Could it be that the way this place appears to be dismantled is deliberately guided by some force?

The girl pondered as she slowly made her way forward.

The boundless darkness seemed empty and endless, but Chika knew where she was and how far she was from the next clear area.

At the same time, she could also sense the distance between herself and the thing that was chasing her from behind.

Stop.

Look back.

A flash of light, and the twisted, grotesque creature was frozen in place, standing motionless in the darkness like a sculpture.

This thing attacks with incredible speed, making it one of the most dangerous types among Dark Night-level monsters. But against Chihaya, this level of power is meaningless. She only needs to glance at it to freeze its movement, completely severing it from her location. Therefore, no matter what kind of rules or abilities this thing possesses, or how ferocious and terrifying it is, it is all irrelevant to Chihaya.

It's a Dark Night-level monster after all, there's nothing that can be done about it. If it really wants to threaten me, it would have to be at least a Red Moon-level monster.

Lost in thought, Chika continued walking forward. As she walked, the surrounding darkness suddenly vanished, and she found herself back in the corridor, back in that familiar, dark corridor filled with the stench of blood.

This time is different from before.