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

"Really? Thank you for your compliment."

Unlike before, this time Shizuko Ogiyama responded to Yuuji Hisaya very politely, and even showed a clear happy expression on her face, as bright as a primary school student who had been praised by the teacher.

“These are my heartfelt words. I’ve never been to this library before. I’m so glad to hear about your learning experience here, Ogiyama. I imagine it must have been a tough time. But after the storm comes the sunshine and the rainbow. I have high hopes for you.”

After the next sentence was uttered, Hongxia finally understood what the old man was doing.

She remembered that, according to the old man himself, the area where Yuuji Hisaya and Shizuko Ogiyama met was in the library.

He had been to this area before.

He has completed one cycle and has arrived at the place he has been before.

However, unlike Asaka Kasakawa, he pretended that he had never been here before. He mixed his lies with his praises when he spoke to Shizuko Ogiyama, and Shizuko Ogiyama actually believed him. As a result, Yuyu Hisaya, who should have triggered something according to the rules, was able to leisurely stroll around here as before.

Then, on this basis, the old man deliberately mentioned their side, emphasizing the location of the "classroom" to Shizuko Ogiyama.

Why did he have to emphasize this at this particular time?

What will be the next area after the library?

Could it be... the classroom is next? After this area, they'll return to the classroom area, and she and her sister will complete one cycle? If so, will Shizuko Ogiyama, who was specifically reminded, pay extra attention to their reactions? If our responses don't satisfy her, will...

Having come to terms with the harsh reality, the girl's face turned pale.

She couldn't understand why such people existed. They had gotten along well before, but inexplicably they used their information to lure the monster over to investigate. Then, because their actions were interfered with, they developed hatred towards them and wanted to take revenge on them to the death.

Hoshika hadn't yet realized Hisaya Yuu's scheme. Perhaps due to differences in thinking stemming from their different age groups, Hoshika found it harder to understand the influence of verbal communication and hints on the monsters' activities compared to Nijika. Therefore, she was completely clueless about the current situation, only instinctively realizing that the old man's inexplicable chatter must be suspicious, and that there might be some hidden clues in his words. But if asked to elaborate on what those clues might be, Hoshika could only stammer, "Aba aba aba."

"Sister, we must take action now; we can't wait until the next round."

Hongxia grabbed Xingge's wrist and said to her seriously.

"You understood what that old man meant?"

Seeing her sister's strong reaction, Xingge immediately understood and leaned over to ask in a low voice.

"The next area is likely to be the classrooms. We'll be completing a cycle soon, and that will definitely attract attention. If a problem arises, even the slightest misstep in our response could lead to an attack. We must find a way to escape from here. We must act now, or we'll definitely face serious problems in the next area!"

As Hongxia spoke, she continued to observe the situation ahead.

So far, Shizuko Ogiyama and her four followers have simply continued to move forward without taking any further action.

Hisashi Yuu-o hasn't been paying attention to the situation here yet, but it's not hard to tell from the smile on the old man's lips that he's ready to watch the show, and is even getting a little impatient.

He must have gone through more than one cycle.

Hongxia silently made a judgment in her heart.

Although we don't know what happened before, or how many people have been caught up in this cycle, this old man named Yuyu Hisaya must have experienced the cycle more than once, otherwise he couldn't have dealt with it so skillfully.

So, does the fact that the other party chose to take the initiative at this point mean that there was no way to escape from the library area in the first place? Could it be that he did this only after confirming that there was no other way to go?

Despite being just unverified and unfounded suspicions, Hongxia still became nervous.

"Must we find a way out here...?"

Xingge also became nervous because of Hongxia's words. She kept looking around, searching for any direction that looked special and might lead to a way out, but she couldn't find any valuable clues.

Nothing at all.

Every bookshelf is exactly the same, and every corner is exactly the same.

No matter how you observe it, no matter from which angle you look at it, everything here is a duplicate, exactly the same clean and tidy appearance, and there is no way to find the slightest difference.

Are they exactly the same?

"It can't be found by searching."

Hongxia said in a low voice, stopping her sister's actions.

"Can't find it?"

Xingge didn't quite understand what Hongxia meant.

"As we go deeper, our senses begin to be affected. Like those dust particles, we can't see them unless we touch them with our hands. Vision has become less reliable now, so even if there really is another path, we can't see it, so we absolutely can't find it by just searching."

Hongxia shook her head slightly to make a judgment, and then looked ahead again at Ogiyama Shizuko, who was chatting and laughing.

In the shadows behind me, the number of garbage bags is slowly increasing.

Although they didn't know how Yuuya Hisaya would survive the various other death factors and live through multiple cycles even after dodging Shizuko Ogiyama's attacks, judging from the changes around them, he and his sister had to make a decision in this area. After all, if they couldn't find a way out before reaching the entrance to the next area, they would have to deal with attacks from the 1+4 monster combination, or perhaps even more.

"Let me talk to her. This is something I have to do. Sister, now is not the time to play the hero."

Taking a deep breath and then clearing her throat, Hongxia quickened her pace, bypassing Xingge and heading towards Ogiyama Shizuko.

"Didn't I say it wouldn't work? There must be other ways. If all else fails, I'll go and discuss it. You're the one who shouldn't try to be a hero, okay?"

Already anxious due to the impending life-or-death crisis, Xingge unsurprisingly grabbed Hongxia again. Hongxia truly didn't know what to say. It seemed her older sister was increasingly hesitant to let her act, especially in situations like this. Even before, Xingge hadn't let her speak. If she hadn't spoken up when they were blocked at the convenience store, Hongxia guessed Xingge would never have allowed her to actually say a word in any other situation with a choice.

In that case, there's nothing I can do. I'm sorry, sister, but this is something I really have to do, because only I can see what Ogiyama-san didn't express in her words.

As if throwing a tantrum, Hongxia ducked down to avoid Xingge's hand pressing on her shoulder, and then started to walk forward.

Xingge immediately took another step forward, grabbed Hongxia's arm and pulled her back. At the same time, she noticed that Hongxia had opened her mouth, so she immediately used her other hand to cover Hongxia's mouth.

click-

Then Hongxia bit her hand.

"Ow!!!"

Hoshika, who hadn't expected her sister to pull this move, let out a scream. So this time, without Hisaya Yuuyuki's help, Ogiyama Shizuko's head immediately turned 180 degrees and looked back. Then, just as Nijika blinked again, she appeared right next to her.

What are you doing?

A cold, emotionless voice, as if it could freeze people, rang in Xingge and Hongxia's ears.

The four people, including Midori Saeko, stood around like dolls, each with their heads bowed and their bodies as pale as corpses.

With death looming, Xingge had no doubt that if her and Hongxia's next words were even slightly off, these strange creatures would immediately launch an attack.

"Everyone will definitely approve of you, Ogiyama-kun."

Then, Hongxia spoke calmly.

"Hey?"

Xingge was stunned for a moment, not expecting her younger sister to say such a thing.

【…】

Shizuko Ogiyama did not react.

The girl, now transformed into a monster, stood motionless, staring at Hongxia without any expression. The eerie chill still lingered around them, but Hongxia could faintly sense that the cold was gradually fading away.

So she took a deep breath, enduring the dusty smell in the air, and continued speaking to the girl in front of her.

"I know what you're trying to say, I know what you want."

"You study hard, work diligently, and constantly strive to improve yourself. You work very hard, you really work hard, so you will definitely get the reward you want."

"Whether it's your parents, teachers, classmates, or your future colleagues, no one will look down on you for coming from a rural background, nor will anyone despise your limited knowledge. Everyone will only marvel at your talent and praise your strength."

"I believe that day will come. Your efforts and the sweat you shed will surely be rewarded."

"So, keep going, Ogiyama-kun! I'll always support you and look forward to the day you truly succeed!"

To be honest, Hongxia had no idea whether these motivational platitudes would actually work.

But she knew that Shizuko Ogiyama's obsession would surely be recognized.

She constantly tried to tell others how hard she worked, constantly talking about the hardships and exhaustion she endured, like an awkward child trying to gain attention and approval from others by showing her wounds and setbacks.

Hongxia understood the other person's thoughts, so she decided to try telling them those words.

Even though this was no longer the real Shizuko Ogiyama, but a ghostly entity formed from her posthumous obsession, she believed that since the existence of ghostly entities was inseparable from the obsessions of the living, then what she had just said must have been what the living Shizuko Ogiyama longed to hear.

After all, for those who are truly struggling alone, even a few words of encouragement are very precious and will be remembered for a very long time.

【…】

Shizuko Ogiyama remained silent. She did not revert to her previous cheerful self, nor did she become even more ugly and terrifying. She simply stood motionless in place.

However, Hongxia could feel that the coldness around her was gradually fading, and that in the blank gaze of Shizuko Ogiyama, who had been watching her the whole time, human emotions were slowly returning.

Reach out.

Hongxia saw Ogiyama Shizuko reach out her hand and point to her side.

Following the other person's gaze, Hongxia saw the slowly moving bookshelf and the door hidden behind it.

Is there another road there? Is it a way out of this area?

The girl was stunned for a moment, and in the blink of an eye, both the four figures surrounding her and Shizuko Ogiyama herself had vanished. Ahead on the road, Shizuko Ogiyama's voice, tinged with reminiscence, rang out once more.

"What... just happened?"

Xingge blinked, looking at Hongxia with a hint of confusion in her eyes.

My sister didn't seem to see Shizuko Ogiyama raise her hand? Does that mean I was the only one who saw it?

Seeing Xingge's actions, which were clearly not acting, and then looking at Ogiyama Shizuko and the others walking and talking not far away, completely ignoring her, and Hisaya Yuu, who was looking over with suspicion and clearly didn't know what was going on either, Hongxia only paused for a moment before realizing what she needed to do.

"Come on, sister, hurry up, I know the way out."

The girl quickly turned around and headed in the direction that Shizuko Ogiyama had just pointed out to her.

At this moment, in Hongxia's eyes, the door still existed; it hadn't disappeared or been hidden by the bookshelf again. But Hongxia had a vague feeling that this door wouldn't last forever. If she couldn't open the door and get out in time, it would probably disappear soon. Then, getting out again wouldn't be so easy.

Tread-

Realizing something from Hongxia's reaction, Xingge quickened her pace, and the two sisters ran quickly toward the door that represented the way out.

As expected, footsteps quickly followed from behind. Without turning around, Hoshika could tell that it was Hisaya Yuo who had caught up from behind.

Will they catch up? Should we try calling them over?

Upon hearing footsteps behind her, Xingge instinctively panicked, and random thoughts involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

The problem is we're so close now; if we call things over from over there, Hongxia and I might get caught in the crossfire. No, we finally got a chance to escape; we can't afford any more complications!

Don't panic, don't lose your composure, speed up, now is not the time to overthink!

Clear your mind of cluttered thoughts.

Xingge quickened her pace, pulling Hongxia along as they sprinted forward with all their might. The combined speed of two young women, both under thirty and diligently training, was naturally much faster than that of a white-haired man nearing sixty. Therefore, even though Hisaya Yuyu was giving it his all, he couldn't catch up with the two ahead.