I'm in Teresin, dedicated to playing badly

Then, the board hit her on the head, and his voice rang out.

"Anyway, although it's troublesome, I'll help you find a solution."

What a strange person, she thought.

She's clearly not a responsible person, she's clearly so afraid of trouble, and she's already said that this is fine, so why does she still insist on making trouble for herself?

Moreover, the reason she fell into that state was because of his words.

First, shatter someone's confidence and show them the harsh reality.

Then, taking advantage of the situation, he reached out to the girl who was stuck in the mud and told her that he would save her.

Isn't this going too far?

If her previous competition with the Emperor of the East Sea for that chair was mainly out of curiosity and a desire to tease the little girl...

From the moment the board struck her head a second time, she truly regarded him as her guinea pig.

But that was just the beginning.

There are so many mysteries surrounding him that even when she was conducting experiments in the lab, her mind was filled with questions about him.

Ultimately, this forced her to put aside her research and start circling around him, trying to satisfy her insatiable curiosity.

Curiosity and interest are essentially synonymous and are often seen as the beginning of a fall into a trap.

Not to mention that she doesn't have many friends to begin with because of her own circumstances.

He wasn't exactly popular at school, but he was definitely disliked by everyone. He was the kind of person who could instantly create a huge vacuum zone just by standing in a crowd.

She didn't think there was anything wrong with it before, after all, she was the kind of person who did things her own way.

But after he appeared, she gradually had more and more people around her.

Even the most independent-minded person, as long as they are human, will always need certain things.

People who can say they don't need those things either have other strong alternatives or have never been exposed to those things before, so they think they don't need them.

She initially thought she was the former, but after experiencing it firsthand, she realized she might be the latter.

Unlike others, he outwardly appeared afraid of her.

But after getting to know her better, you'll find that it's not so much that you're afraid of her, but rather that you're afraid of the trouble.

He was one of those rare individuals who didn't treat her like some kind of weirdo. Although he always complained about how troublesome it was, he was never absent when she needed him.

Even when she would sneak up on him to give him medicine, he would just helplessly defend himself, never getting angry even once, and never taking any words or measures to try to stop her from doing so.

She enjoyed it and really liked the feeling.

Moreover, although he brought in Alice Digital to take care of her, precisely because of this, in order to avoid being constantly clung to by this pervert, she had to start trying to learn how to be self-reliant.

Going out, buying food, doing laundry, especially underwear...

Although she didn't get rid of her "life's failure" traits, at least she made some changes.

Moreover, it's not just about changes in lifestyle.

After joining Shinji Kitahara's team, and with the increase in members, Alice was able to start talking to the others.

Although their relationship wasn't particularly close, at least her world was no longer just about experiments and drug trials, and her personality became slightly more outgoing and lively.

Meanwhile, thanks to her work as an assistant trainer, she collected more experimental data. This not only did not delay her research, but actually accelerated her progress, and she even discovered several previous errors.

Then, as time went by, when she looked back, she suddenly realized that his shadow was everywhere in her life.

Even she herself had been changed by him, both physically and mentally.

After that basic match, she didn't hate him, but after realizing something, she didn't know how to face him.

After a period of time, due to his long-term neglect, she gradually returned to normal and stopped thinking about, or rather, was unwilling to think about, certain things. She just stubbornly did not want her guinea pig to be taken away.

But now she understands.

She likes him.

It's not a side effect of the medication, but an undeniable fact.

However, that affection wasn't as lush and abundant as it is now. All her current feelings and courage are just a false prosperity, and she might even revert to her original state once the effects of the potion wear off.

But regardless of whether the drug had side effects or whether the overflowing love in her chest was genuine, she knew at least one thing was absolutely true.

That is, she didn't want to be disliked by Guinea Pig, and she didn't want to lose him.

But the potion only enhanced her affection, not her courage or desire.

Because of her excessive affection for him, she is now unable to harbor any dangerous or bad thoughts towards him and can only blindly obey his orders.

So, faced with his departure, she was unable to take any action. Instead, the intense emotions in her heart amplified her sadness and reluctance to part.

But what she didn't know was that this was precisely Shinji Kitahara's weakness.

So he came back.

So she stopped sobbing.

So she cautiously raised her head, stole a glance at his face, and, seeing his helpless expression, quietly moved closer to him.

After a period of silence, her mind returned to calm, and she began to think about what she could do now.

According to her estimate, the effects of the potion should last for about forty minutes, and nearly twenty minutes have already passed, leaving half of the time remaining.

During this half of the time, she had to do something to keep her guinea pig.

Otherwise, once the effects of the medicine wear off and she reverts to her old state where she doesn't even dare to face her own feelings, everything will be beyond saving.

So she raised her head.

"Guinea Pig-kun."

"......What's wrong?"

She looked at him, moved closer, leaned down to his ear, and spoke with a strange undertone.

"How about taking this opportunity to make me yours?"

Chapter 86: Forty Minutes of Love

Faced with Alice's mysterious remarks, Kitahara Shinji remained silent for a moment, then pushed her away and said helplessly.

"Oh right, I already know you like me a lot, but let's talk about it in half an hour..."

"Guinea Pig, I know what you're worried about, but it's okay."

She looked at him intently, her cold rationality and burning passion mingling in her mind, making her thinking unusually sharp.

"If you want, I can tell you right now where I hide all my potions, including the list of potion formulas I currently possess, as well as my computer and all my account passwords..."

"My weaknesses, my vulnerabilities, and some unspeakable secrets—with all these, even if I return to normal, I'll still have no choice but to obediently listen to you, Guinea Pig..."

"And you don't need to worry that I'll ask others for help, or that you'll insist on doing it after an experimental accident. Neither the chairman nor the president will doubt your words, after all..."

Boom——

A sharp flick on the forehead interrupted Alice's words.

She clutched her head, tears welling in her eyes from the pain, and looked at Kitahara Shinji, who looked at her with a dark expression.

"What the hell is going on in your head? And do you really think I'm that bad?"

"......No."

Alice lowered her head and spoke with a pitiful expression.

"But I really don't want to be hated by you, Guinea Pig, and I don't want to lose you."

Shinji Kitahara frowned.

"When did I ever say I hated you? And what do you mean by 'lose'? Am I going to die soon?"

"Guinea Pig, you don't need to comfort me, I know that."

Alice lowered her head, her voice dejected.

"Self-centered, willful, a lot of trouble, and poor grades..."

"Even though she has no one to take care of her and can't even take care of herself, she always acts so arrogant..."

"Besides, everyone else in the team is so nice—obedient, well-behaved, sensible, talented, and causes little trouble. They can even take care of you, so it's normal that they don't like me. I understand..."

Shinji Kitahara was shocked.

At first, he thought that this was just Alice pretending to be pitiful to trick him into coming back to be with her.

But now it seems that this thing might be, perhaps... her true feelings?

Realizing this, Shinji Kitahara remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded frankly.

"That's true, you are indeed quite troublesome."

Alice lowered her head even further.

But before she could feel any further disappointment, Shinji Kitahara spoke up again.

"But everyone has their own way of living. I'm not going to hate you over something like this. After all, if I can't stand this little trouble, I would have been unable to stand the eclipse long ago."

Upon hearing this, Alice paused for a moment.

"What's wrong with Miss Eclipse? Isn't she supposed to have a good personality?"

"That's because you're seeing her now. Before..."

Shinji Kitahara's eyelids twitched as he recalled the scene from their first encounter.

"I can't really describe it to you, but anyway, she's much more troublesome than you, and by more than just a little bit—but look at me now, I'm still putting up with her, aren't I?"

"And even putting aside solar eclipses, I've encountered more than just one or two troublesome guys in the past."

"Like that old lady who's always scheming and stirring up trouble, that old lady who's busy as a bee but still finds time to come and beat me up, that clumsy, insecure idiot who can't do anything right, that insecure idiot who's capable but just wallows in self-pity all day..."

"And you don't think the rest of the team are blameless, do you? You know about Ali Digital, and you also know about Special Week and Oguri Hat's appetites."

"And the others each have their own quirks and troubles, their fighting spirit and patience are truly astonishing... What I'm trying to say is that you don't know them well enough yet, so you're unaware of their problems..."

"And as for the solar eclipse... well, I really don't know how to tell you right now, but believe me, the level of trouble it caused was far beyond your imagination. It only seems fine now, but in the past..."

Shinji Kitahara's facial expressions were extremely rich when he spoke, especially when he talked about the solar eclipse. The struggle on his face and in his eyes didn't seem fake at all, which left Elisako stunned.

Really? Is the Eclipse really that scary?

While she was still in a daze, Shinji Kitahara turned his head, looked directly into her eyes, and said seriously.

"So, I've dealt with so many troublesome horse girls, one more won't make a difference, so don't worry that I'll hate you or even kick you out of the team because of this—although you are indeed quite troublesome."

"After all, as your trainer, it's one of my duties to take care of your troubles. As long as you don't do anything outrageous, I can take it as you're just messing around. But if you go too far... I'll go find Ms. Junchuan."

"Ah, that won't be necessary."

Eliseko's response was almost reflexive.

There's no way around it; if we're talking about who Alice fears most in the entire academy, it's undoubtedly that cuckolded devil.

She is elusive and her strength is unpredictable. Moreover, because Alice often causes trouble and increases her workload, she harbors a great deal of resentment towards her.

Whenever she gets the chance, she comes to raid and confiscate all sorts of contraband from her. And every time she finishes an incident, she comes over, smiles, closes the door, and then screams like a pig being slaughtered come from inside...

After this playful little incident, the atmosphere in the room immediately lightened, and Alice returned to normal.

—The "normal" here refers to the way Shinji Kitahara looked before he left.

Although things have returned to normal, and the side effects of the medication have shown signs of waning over time, for some reason, certain emotions within me are stronger than before...

It's also more realistic.

Guinea Pig, so you don't dislike me after all...?

She blinked and smiled again.

"Even so, I'm still in a lot of trouble, right?"

"if not?"

Shinji Kitahara glanced at her sideways.

"Do you believe me when I say you're easy to take care of, obedient, well-behaved, and sensible?"