Luo Shu's sudden appearance diverted Kisara and Utaha's attention from their intense staring contest.
It was then that Luo Shu noticed their nurse uniforms.
The white angel tops were fine, but what on earth were Utaha's black stockings and Kisara's white ones?
"Change."
Luo Shu pointed to the nurse's changing room nearby, speaking with complete seriousness.
"What?"
Utaha, who'd been about to say something, froze at his words.
"I said, change out of the stockings. Into trousers. Full-length trousers."
Luo Shu emphasised "full-length" while glaring at Kisara:
"You too!"
"Hurry up and change."
"Don't you like them, Shu?" Kisara shrank her neck slightly, asking hesitantly.
He always liked her wearing white stockings at home. Why the sudden change?
Utaha seemed to realise something, giving Luo Shu a knowing look:
"I see. Male possessiveness, is it?"
"Understood." Utaha chuckled lightly, pulling Kisara along. "Come on, let's change into trousers before our petty god gets jealous."
Watching them enter the changing room, Luo Shu sighed before laughing:
"Those two... don't even consider that this isn't home."
He shook his head and took out his phone, adding a LINE contact.
The LINE number had been texted to him by Verde - it belonged to the Kamijou Hospital staff liaising with the SDS. Thanks to prior arrangements, the contact request was approved almost immediately.
Luo Shu reported his location and then stood by the door, waiting.
Within minutes, Utaha and Kisara emerged from the changing room one after the other, now dressed in long trousers that concealed their figures.
"Good." Luo Shu nodded approvingly and gave them a thumbs-up.
Without the black stockings to accentuate their looks, the nurse outfits were purely a test of facial beauty.
And Utaha's face...
Naturally flawless and well-maintained—if this woman ever decided to charm someone, Luo Shu was sure he wouldn't stand a chance.
After complimenting Utaha, Luo Shu turned his attention to Kisara with practised vigilance:
"Kisara looks adorable in that outfit, too. Hmm, gives off a girl-next-door vibe."
Though he wasn't sure how a nurse uniform could evoke that feeling, Kisara seemed delighted by the remark.
After flattering them both, Luo Shu then asked:
"But speaking of which, didn't you both have things to do? Why are you here again?"
Utaha rolled her eyes at him and said irritably:
"How long do you think it takes to get an injection?"
"Besides, weren't you the first in the department to receive it?"
Luo Shu sighed and explained: "My situation was special. It doesn't count."
Thinking it over, she elaborated:
"After the genetic testing, the injection process is just like a vaccine—it only takes three minutes, so it was over quickly."
"According to the nurse, the real focus is the 14-day observation period. During these 14 days, I have to come to the hospital daily for check-ups and nutritional supplements to support development. Once the observation period ends, the Adjustment will be complete."
"So that's how it is..." Luo Shu rubbed his chin, looking enlightened. "Seems the R&D Department's tech is pretty impressive."
Based on his understanding of Adjusters, such modifications were typically only possible during the embryonic stage.
Moreover, while the benefits were numerous, the risks included emotional detachment and fertility issues.
But now, thanks to the research of Verde and the R&D team, not only had these side effects been eliminated, but the procedure—originally limited to embryos—could now be applied to adults. The process had even been simplified to resemble a routine vaccination, with just an added 14-day observation period.
Utaha tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear:
"After the injection, I can start training to ignite Dying Will Flames."
"Though according to the R&D Department, I could technically begin now, it's better to wait until after the Adjustment. They say the awakened flames will be stronger that way."
Hearing this, Luo Shu smiled and explained: "The intensity of Dying Will Flames depends on mental state and physical strength. It makes sense for them to advise you to wait."
As he spoke, he glanced at Kisara.
Noticing his gaze immediately, Kisara tensed up and hurriedly explained:
"Mr. Yoshimura and Ms. Takatsuki Izumi said gathering the Ghouls would take until at least 3 p.m. Especially since Ms. Takatsuki Izumi insisted she absolutely didn't want to run into Mr. Yoshimura... so..."
"So the meeting was scheduled for the afternoon and evening?"
Luo Shu sighed—partly at Kisara's puppy-like nervousness, and partly at the absurdity of that father-daughter relationship.
"These two are nothing but trouble..."
After saying this, Luo Shu shook his head and glanced at them both before declaring:
"Since things have come to this, you might as well act as my temporary accompanying nurses for now."
At this, he turned to Utaha and asked, "In Japan, do doctors usually have nurses with them during ward rounds?"
Utaha fell silent for a moment before replying softly, "...I've never been hospitalised before, especially not in a university hospital."
"That's a good thing." Luo Shu chuckled before adding wryly, "In that case, we'll probably have to trouble the attending doctor here quite a bit more."
Utaha sighed. Though she had secretly been pleased earlier when she guessed Kisara might sneak off, now that she couldn't be of help, it felt awkward.
Meanwhile, Kisara beside her asked with innocent curiosity, "By the way, Shu-kun, do you have a specific illness in mind?"
"A few possibilities."
Luo Shu scanned the corridor and, spotting a doctor approaching from around the corner, raised his hand in a gesture of greeting. The doctor nodded in understanding and smiled at him.
Seizing the moment, Luo Shu casually explained:
"The goal is to find conditions causing immediate, intense pain. After some preliminary research, I found trigeminal neuralgia and renal colic from kidney stones rank highest on the pain scale at 0.7, so those are our current targets."
As he finished speaking, the doctor arrived before them—unexpectedly, a blonde, blue-eyed foreign physician.
At that moment, Luo Shu sensed something subtly off about the other's presence and frowned.
"It's me."
The blond-haired, blue-eyed Faust, with purple lipstick even applied to the corners of his mouth, smiled:
"Director Luo, you may also address me as Faust VIII."
"Faust VIII?"
Upon hearing this name, Luo Shu felt a vague sense of familiarity. After hesitating briefly, he searched the Mysticism Encyclopaedia, then looked at the displayed answer with silent resignation.