Chapter 1559: with translation of chapter title

NO. 174: Suzi: I have my plan

Experiments, trials, what should be done? Ailisuzhi appeared to be seriously washing her hands, but her thoughts floated like outer space.

Monsters… yes, they are monsters.

For a long time they were lumped into the UMA (Unidentified Mysterious Animals) category, but then over countless even longer years, those scattered records were integrated, and under the initiative mainly led by Japan, they gradually became an independent discipline.

But later still…… Japan was superseded by Jidong, then covered by the spreading Pacific; were it not for global rescue archaeology, hardly any cultural remnants would remain. Yet it is precisely because of that grand rescue boom that Jidong culture not only revived from near extinction in full vigor, but even in terms of development state it could be considered to have progressed beyond its former self.

The data on monster definition research is included as well.

Today monsterology has become a formal discipline encompassing many minor subfields; although it remains the lowest tier amidst the vast sea of knowledge factions, it still represents a qualitative breakthrough compared to the past.

Just as the saying goes, beginnings are hard, middles are hard, ends are hard—you could say that monsterology becoming a formal discipline was a crucial step, but afterward there are obviously many more crucial steps to take.

How extensive is this? If you casually pick a monster organization to study, you'll likely find no reference material.

It can be said to be an excellent place to avoid plagiarism in a thesis, and it also means that devoting oneself equals being a pioneer—every step is breaking new ground, filling blanks that previously had none.

Strictly speaking, this is capital's fault.

Because from ancient times to the present there has never been a lack of groups studying monsters, and even nowadays those companies mostly set up by extraterrestrials are no exception.

However, they mostly chose to keep their research results secret.

The reason there are so many blank subjects is not because nobody researches them, but because nobody publishes while also the number of people actually involved is indeed small.

As for monsters, people either want to avoid them or destroy them; as for research… it truly takes courage to step out of one's comfort zone into a field with so many blanks.

Unlike Shinjo Akane, who inherently likes the monster symbol altogether, Ailisuzhi, who initially had no favorable bias, indeed entered this field relying on a burst of unrestrained confidence and arrogance.

She indeed has that kind of capital, able to quickly synchronize steps in her collaboration with Akane while also making the research progress in the activity room surpass that side—

——Of course, this also stems from the fact that Akane's research time is inherently limited.

Attending classes, watching anime, sculpting models, grinding game scores, for a period also having to process the 'Gridman Universe' special effects, and at midnight forming a light‑sharp squad to challenge demon dungeons…… With such a schedule, it's truly not easy for that pink‑haired JK to carve out time to go to the underground lab.

Compared to Ailisuzhi, who aside from training can freely devote herself to experiments, it's like heaven and earth.

Thus, this exceptionally professional brown‑haired horse girl can even catch up and far surpass her in progress—while simultaneously advancing other experiments, producing some drugs unrelated to monsters yet still possessing bizarre effects and side effects.

This isn't much pressure for her, after all the latter has been her main occupation before, while monster research is only a topic she's recently become interested in.

While such research blanks are usually seen as a great pressure by many other scholars and researchers, to her they are mountains waiting to be conquered.

Ailisuzhi possesses abundant research enthusiasm to fill those blank achievement columns, while her past slow exploration within the comfort zone can also serve as a means to adjust her mindset and restore her state; the interweaving of these two schedules easily guarantees her perfect condition on the research path, so that under this abnormal condition——

She subconsciously seeks this private remedy of hers, yet she hasn't even grasped the treatment sequence.

"…When your condition is poor, you should choose to return to your original research, right?"

"Chazuo?"

A sudden blotch of black spread in, turning into the gravity that pulled her space‑filled thoughts back to earth, causing Suzi to blink.

A silhouette of black hair like a waterfall stood at the door, just as familiar to her as ever, yet it caused the dark red beneath the light grid to condense with a hint of focus.

"The digital classmate asked me to look after you."

"Ah, truly her style."

I can easily picture that pink‑haired roommate stammering in front of Chazuo; Suzi chuckled, then immediately blew on the hand dryer beside her.

"But there's no need for that, right? It's not like I'm sick."

"Do you really think so? Clearly even your basic judgment is gone."

"What judgment…" the brown‑haired researcher let out a hollow laugh, "It's not that serious; you won't think I'll make some low‑level operational mistakes later, will you?"

"You shouldn't be doing experiments right now."

Without the slightest hesitation she'd usually have before speaking, Chazuo strode forward and bluntly lifted her hand to cover the button she had just pressed on the test bench.

"Trainer, it's precisely because of this that they let me come."

"They only let you come?" She frowned, chewing on some implicit meaning in that phrase, then smiled again and said, "Indeed, having to spare time for such crucial training to see me really is a considerable loss for you."

"Not for that reason."

"……"

"It's just the two of us here… what are you still holding back?"

Faced with this silence—whether to call it a toxic friend or a karmic bond—the black‑haired horse girl's words were like a knife, easily splitting the center of gravity the other tried to shift.

Is it hard to do… to admit one's mindset is unbalanced?

"……"

"You normally are the most able to express these things directly, yet now you choose silence?"

"Chazuo," Ailisuzhi turned to face her, her freshly dried hands still hanging in the air, "This isn't something you said, is it? You must have learned it from someone… like… that guy Aimu Zhiji."

"You usually call her the self‑torturing guinea pig, or else Aizhi‑kun," Chazuo muttered.

"Of course, you can also have moments like this now."

She lowered her hands, slipped them into the pockets of her lab coat, Ailisuzhi turned her head toward the window, leaving Chazuo a beautiful jawline.

"I don't care about anyone, I don't mind anyone; I want the guinea pig to say something, yet I don't want to hear what he says—unconsciously I've become such a troublesome woman, troublesome to the point that life has lost its sense of reality……"

"……"

"Why won't you speak? Don't you want me to admit that this is exactly it? This unsightly version of me?"

"…Actually, this situation is because……"

"Ah, because of the monster cards, because of this Karumira!" She flung out her right hand from her sleeve, and a card snapped against the edge of the test bench; the figure on the card, wrought in silver, black, and gold, stood out strikingly, differing from the usual stereotypical monster card imagery.

"I certainly understand; I've also wondered what's been going on these days, what exactly I'm depressed about—I haven't truly lost anything, and the guinea pig hasn't rejected our feelings either."

"An inexplicable weariness of the world has let me notice it, yet it's hard to oppose—just because of one impulsive act, one instance where we had to step back and keep distance from each other, a span that at first glance seems uncrossable yet hopeful? Right?"

"…Then……"

Chazuo was about to speak, but then she saw the opponent's palm emerge from the long cuff; the card that had just lain at the corner of the test bench, like metal drawn to a magnet, shot straight to her palm in a crisp sound, and she grasped it.

"So should I give it up, hand it over to the guinea pig?" She turned her head, staring at the friend whose words she had interrupted.

We all know this thing is just reflecting our own hearts.

Is the loss of control Karamira or me—what do you think?

... is... both together.

So, let's get ready for the experiment.

Suzi said, beginning to slip on the gloves, and this sudden change left Chazuo a bit dazed.

?

Don't just stand there, come get yours—you need to help me, use your Gatanjea card.

I...

Directly using the power of Gatanjea… Chazuo didn't know her professional considerations, but it felt too extreme; instead of questioning or protesting, she felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu and instinctively turned her head toward the clearly empty single sofa.

That was the trainer's dedicated seat, with nothing on it.

Not even the traces left by constant pressure from an adult male about 1.8 meters tall and weighing nearly 200 catties.

That guinea pig guy can't interfere, but he still couldn't help speaking up— not bad; actually I've always had a plan, always stuck in this mindset, unable to get interested in doing it, but now I can muster a bit of enthusiasm to push it forward.

... yes, is it like that?

That's how it should be! Hurry up! Lend a hand!