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

There's no need for further communication; that would be a sign of distrust towards your girl and a waste of time. Since you've already made up your mind, you must carry out the action without hesitation. If you fail, try again, and continue until there's no turning back. That's the simple principle.

Close your eyes.

Sitting in an empty room in an abandoned building, Maki let out a soft breath, and her body gradually relaxed.

A soft light began to envelop her body, gradually merging into it.

The first thing to be blocked was her vision. Maki felt as if a pair of hands were covering her eyes, so she subconsciously opened her eyes and found that she could only see pitch black. Only then did she realize that she had temporarily lost her sight.

Next, hearing is blocked; all sounds disappear in an instant, leaving only complete silence.

The process of masking the senses of smell and taste was not obvious. Maki didn't even clearly perceive it. She only felt a strange tingling sensation in her nose and tongue for a short time, which then quickly subsided and disappeared.

Finally, there was the masking of touch and mental perception. To achieve this, Gao Hai used his mental power to completely envelop Maki's body, guiding her thoughts into her subconscious, temporarily forgetting her connection with the real world. At this moment, Maki only felt a wave of drowsiness and quickly fell asleep following this sensation. Then, her consciousness quickly and automatically cleared, and amidst a series of strange sensations like rising from underwater, she gradually delved into the depths of her own consciousness.

This unprecedented experience is quite novel in a sense.

However, Maki knew very well that she did not have Takami seal her senses in the real world in order to gain some novel experience.

She must uncover the curse hidden within her soul, the eerie power originating from the hospital and activated by the love and connection between herself and her parents.

Where will it be?

The girl's consciousness peered into herself, but could only see a hazy, indistinct color.

Instinctively, Maki moved toward the hazy light, as if swimming in one direction in water.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Maki found herself in her elementary school classroom. Even her height had decreased from 1.5 meters to 1.1 meters, and her clothes had changed from loose clothes to elementary school uniforms, complete with a small yellow hat.

Am I... back in a familiar place from my memories?

Confused, Maki walked to the classroom door and went outside. To her surprise, she found herself not in the hallway outside the classroom, but in the garden of a country villa. She recognized the villa as the one she had visited with her parents when she was a child, and vaguely remembered running through the fields and mountain paths as a little girl. Lost in thought, she looked down and saw that she was wearing the loose clothes she remembered from that vacation, and even had a band-aid on her wrist. She remembered the cut she got while climbing a tree to catch a black beetle; she had cried for a long time then, and her parents had stayed by her side to comfort her.

These memories had become blurred, but now, as I delve deeper into my subconscious, these things from the past seem to be gradually becoming clearer.

It's somewhat poignant. As a child, I never thought there was anything in my life worth pondering, but now, looking back, I notice the unintentional love from my family and my own childish naiveté and unreasonable behavior. Perhaps that's just how people are; we always make all sorts of childish mistakes in our youth, and then a faint trace of regret remains in our later years.

However, Princess Zhenfei knew very well that she was not there to reminisce about her childhood.

Those sounds have temporarily ceased.

After standing still and carefully sensing for a while, Maki was certain that the sounds she had heard at the beginning were no longer ringing out.

Is it because I've entered my deep subconscious that the curse's power is no longer effective? Or is the curse's power still in effect, but because of my current state, I haven't yet grasped its original power, or perhaps the curse hasn't found me hidden in my subconscious?

While pondering, Maki continued forward.

She walked to the sports field of her junior high school, then to the amusement park she had visited in kindergarten, an aquarium that had now closed down, and a high-end restaurant that was said to be accessible to fewer than 10,000 people worldwide...

She struggled to describe what she was "seeing" or "feeling," as these things surfacing from her past memories intertwined and mingled. Sometimes coherent, sometimes absurd. This feeling of delving into her subconscious while fully conscious was unprecedented, and for a moment, Maki didn't know how to describe it. However, as she read on, she thought of "lucid dreaming." It was said that some people actively practiced waking up in their dreams, gradually learning to control them and enrich their experiences. She wondered if the world those who had lucid dreams saw and felt after falling asleep was similar to her own.

Actually, there's no one else here, just me.

Entering the next area, this time Maki arrived at a hot spring resort. She was wearing a bath towel, her long brown hair was loose, and she was walking barefoot on the stone path surrounded by mist, looking at the empty hot spring pool in front of her.

This place... I think it's the hot spring resort I visited during my summer vacation after graduating from sixth grade.

Zhenfei pondered and looked down at her body again, unsurprisingly finding that she had become shorter again, her body automatically returning to the size she remembered.

It's a really troublesome situation. Every time I go to a new place, my body automatically changes. If I encounter a situation where I need to track or escape, I might have problems due to the lack of coordination in my body.

Thinking this, Maki stretched her body. After confirming that her physical condition was no different from that of a player who had now surpassed the Red Moon level, and that she could even exert stronger power, she felt a little relieved.

It seems that, because of my own subconscious, I am stronger here than in the real world.

Thinking this, Maki continued forward, passing by the hot spring pool beside her, and then by Takami, who was soaking in the hot spring pool and watching her with a serious expression.

Shijou Maki: ?

Their forward momentum abruptly stopped.

The girl turned around and saw Gao Hai standing in front of her with nothing covering him.

"Huh, how come you—"

Zhenfei stared wide-eyed at Gao Hai, who appeared even taller now that she had become shorter, and instinctively opened her mouth, unsure of how to react.

"Don't forget, in the realm of the spirit, who truly holds the title of the strongest? To project my own consciousness into your subconscious and search for traces of strange tales and curses with you is a piece of cake for me."

Gao Hai gave a thumbs up and smiled, revealing a set of white teeth.

Just kidding. Who is Gao Hai? He could only let things go as they were, but now that he has the means to intervene in Zhenfei's case, he can't accept watching her risk her life alone.

Therefore, what Maki didn't know was that after sealing Maki's senses, Takami directly pulled her soul into his own spiritual world, protecting her in a way similar to how Kita Ikuyo had done before, and then projecting his own consciousness into her to accompany her.

Yes, the one currently appearing beside Maki is Takahashi's main consciousness, not some kind of split consciousness or anything like that.

"You actually have such methods? I'm truly impressed."

After learning the general situation from Gao Hai and clearly sensing that the other party was indeed the person in question, Zhen Fei tugged at the towel around her body, shook her head with a sigh, and said...

"That's right, that's exactly it. So without further ado, let me relieve some of the pressure."

Gao Hai nodded with a serious expression, squatted down to look at Zhenfei, who was less than 1.3 meters tall, and spoke in a sincere tone.

"Relieve stress?"

Zhenfei paused for a moment, then tilted her head up and looked at Gao Hai's tall figure with a puzzled expression.

The next second, the perspective flips instantly.

Gao Hai made an unexpected move, picking up Zhen Fei completely and then rubbing his head against her frantically while breathing heavily.

"Hissing sounds: Hissing sounds: Hissing sounds: Hissing sounds: Hissing sounds: Little Maki Hissing sounds: Oh oh oh, Maki is still a primary school student Hissing sounds: Hissing sounds: So good, so good, so cute, so kawaii Hissing sounds: Hissing sounds: Primary school Maki is really amazing, amazing, amazing, hahahahaha Hissing sounds: ...

As a world of memories constructed from the subconscious, Maki's body realistically reproduces her delicate touch.

It smells nice and is soft; you can hold it in your arms with one hand.

In Gao Hai's eyes, who is currently under immense pressure and constantly putting out fires, there is no more perfect way to relieve stress than this.

"What are you doing?!"

The person involved reacted quite violently, struggling fiercely, even having a towel waved around and covered their face. This situation, where the girlfriend is too innocent to accept intense displays of affection, is perhaps a facet of the degenerate age.

"Great! My current state is at 10000%. No matter what kind of enemy comes at me, I can take them down!"

Forty-five seconds later, Gao Hai, having relieved himself, put down Zhen Fei. The latter, in a fit of anger, hit Gao Hai several times before ignoring him and continuing forward.

Having already teased Princess Zhenfei in this way before, Gao Hai showed no remorse whatsoever. He even deliberately moved closer to her and spoke in a serious manner.

Next, the two walked out through a small door on one side of the hot spring house and arrived at a new area.

Yes, this time we arrived at a stadium.

Judging from the collapsed ground, it seems to be the battlefield of the Battle of the Five Armies.

"How did we end up here?!"

Princess Zhen's face turned completely red. She had always wanted to forget the absurd thing about joining the Five Armies War, but she never expected to see it again now.

"After all, it's a place that left a deep impression on me, so it's only natural that I would come back again."

As Gao Hai spoke, he looked at Maki, who had returned to her high school student form and was wearing a school uniform, and himself, who was also wearing the security guard uniform from that day. Finally, he turned his gaze to a half-open door not far ahead.

He had a premonition that something special might exist behind that door.

Chapter Sixty-Four: Breathing Time and Action Time with the Loli Princess

squeak-

Push open the door in front of you and slowly step inside.

Immediately afterward, Maki looked down at herself and realized that she had become even shorter. Compared to before, she was now less than a meter tall, reverting to her kindergarten-age appearance.

This experience of returning to one's childhood isn't too bad, since one's physical condition hasn't actually declined; only one's appearance has changed slightly.

However, with the man beside her now on the case, the situation became less optimistic.

"I didn't expect it to be Maki, who's in kindergarten. Hmm, that's really good. Good, good, I've found something nice."

Standing beside Princess Zhenfei, Gao Hai's face was full of a happy expression, as if he had received a great benefit.

"You're not allowed to hug me, kiss me, or breathe on my hair!"

Zhenfei took a step back with great vigilance, crossed her arms in front of her to form a cross shape, and looked at Gao Hai with great displeasure.

Before even entering this place, she had already been picked up, kissed, and rubbed against by Gao Hai more than once. For the thin-skinned Zhenfei, the feeling of being repeatedly tormented by Gao Hai like this was naturally hard to describe, so each time she would fiercely resist and struggle, constantly warning Gao Hai to stop. However, so far, her efforts have not yielded much result; Gao Hai either completely ignores what she says or pretends to agree before sneaking up on her, which is quite despicable.

"Why not?"

Unsurprisingly, Gao Hai did not agree. Instead, he asked with a hurt expression while quietly taking a few steps closer.

"We're here to investigate the unknown curse hidden in my consciousness, not to play some kind of sex game. Can't you be serious for once? Besides, I'm in a childlike state now, and you're still treating me like you usually do to tease me. Seriously, don't you think you're a weirdo?"

The wary little princess immediately took a few steps back, tilting her head back and angrily accusing Gao Hai of his behavior.

"I don't think so. If it's for the sake of the lovely Princess Maki, I can even overcome the law!"

Gao Hai's expression instantly turned serious, and he gave Zhen Fei a thumbs-up and swore an oath.

"What are you saying? Don't talk about defeating something like that! I don't want to get weird titles like 'married to a perverted member of the Shijo family'! It's fine if I like playing weird little games with Fujiwara-san, but at least don't pick up that kind of terrible habit that's popular in America!"

Clearly unaware that Gao Hai was joking, Zhen Fei let out a wail. The girl, who was less than a meter tall at the time, covered her face with her hands, revealing a helpless and desperate expression, as if she could already see Gao Hai going down the path of crime in the future, and she could only helplessly try to clean up his mess.

"Completely wrong, Maki, you're completely wrong. I don't like the cute Maki because I have a perverted fetish; rather, I wouldn't care if I developed a perverted fetish just to like the cute Maki. In the end, I'm not some perverted enthusiast, but a perverted Maki enthusiast—"

Just as Zhenfei was lost in her own thoughts and oblivious to her surroundings, Gao Hai suddenly lunged forward and grabbed the girl's small body once again.

Then, he would lift the struggling little Zhenfei high up, kiss and rub her, and then twist and lick her.

Hmm, seeing my daughter's huffy expression after shrinking is actually quite heartwarming. It's a shame she's gotten a little too small; she's already past my eating limit. At most, I can only tease her a little. I wonder if my future children will inherit her stubborn temperament.

After thoroughly teasing Consort Zhen and successfully bringing her to a fever pitch, Gao Hai quickly put her down, receiving a few light but firm punches in return.

As for the safety and danger of the surrounding environment, Gao Hai certainly couldn't be so engrossed in his pranks that he forgot his business. In fact, while teasing Zhen Fei, he was constantly aware of his surroundings, ready to defend and retaliate at any moment. However, despite being extremely cautious and prepared for any unexpected situations, after several minutes of investigation, Gao Hai still hadn't found anything unusual and didn't know when the real problem would finally arise.

Are those things avoiding me?

As he continued exploring, Gao Hai gazed at this world made up of memories, silently pondering in his heart.

He could vaguely sense a peculiar, unsettling aura.

Deep within Maki's subconscious, some kind of cursed power had indeed infiltrated and was secretly at work. During his previous explorations, Gao Hai had detected its presence more than once and attempted to track it. But no matter how many doors he passed through or how many different areas he traversed, he couldn't truly reach it. Meanwhile, Maki, standing beside him, couldn't even directly sense the unusual aura, often appearing even more oblivious than Gao Hai, the outsider.

Perhaps that's where the problem lies.