Chapter 610: Mashiro Shiina, AI Creation
After his conversation with Hatsune Miku, Su Mo's curiosity about the chat group itself began to grow.
Theoretically, his joining the chat group could indeed be attributed to luck, just like Rin Tohsaka, Kanae Kocho, and the others, who were simply selected by the chat group. Low-probability events happen every day.
If he questioned every one of them, it would be like wondering why everyone on a train coincidentally bought a ticket, or questioning why humanity is at the center of the observable universe—falling into a meaningless circular argument.
In reality, there might be no reason at all. Without the chat group, Su Mo would have proceeded to the scientific field completely unaware and wouldn't have felt anything was amiss.
However, human rationality always tends to summarize accidental occurrences as inevitable, which makes it easier to extract the patterns of events. Although Su Mo's cognitive model had long transcended this trap—a first-type world inherently allowed for any bizarre concept that defied common sense—at this moment, he genuinely developed an interest in investigating the chat group.
Thinking back, Su Mo hadn't explored the chat group much. Along the way, although he had rapidly advanced to the near-Tier 9 level at a speed incomprehensible to the other group members, he hadn't overly relied on the chat group's rules except in the initial stages, relying instead on his own power for exploration and synthesis.
Just as he only realized the chat group's time-setting rule after returning to the mundane world, Su Mo had never placed his main focus on the chat group. Now, with his level advancement temporarily halted, he had the opportunity to conduct an in-depth study of the chat group.
"Knock, knock!"
Just as Su Mo took a sip of tea and was about to begin his research, a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in." Su Mo slightly lifted his gaze towards the door.
The door was pushed open, and a slender girl walked in, wearing only a white shirt, one smooth shoulder exposed. Her long blonde hair was slightly disheveled, her crimson eyes were narrowed like a cat's, and her expression looked somewhat vacant. Only upon seeing Su Mo did a familiar, intimate light appear in her eyes.
"Master..."
Like a cat calling its owner, the blonde girl let out a soft cry and walked wobbly to Su Mo's side as if just waking up. She skillfully sat in Su Mo's lap in a wariza (formal kneeling) position, like a pet unable to be separated from its owner.
"Mashiro?" Su Mo was a little surprised to see the girl before him.
Mashiro Shiina was one of the "pets" Su Mo kept. He had originally intended to train her as a maid, but her life skills were so poor that she not only couldn't serve her master but even required the care of the other maids. As a maid, she was a net loss. Since she had a certain talent for art and an endearing appearance, Su Mo hadn't dismissed her, merely demoting her from maid to pet, allowing her to move freely around the residence.
Mashiro had no objection to being kept as a pet; she rather enjoyed it. She not only got to enjoy the care of the other maids but also got to snuggle with Su Mo and engage in artistic creation under his guidance. For a natural airhead like her, this was like paradise.
Although she occasionally had to perform the maid's bedroom duty according to Su Mo's mood, to her, this wasn't work but a reward. She not only enjoyed it but was quite obsessed, and it became her second interest outside of drawing.
Unfortunately, in the large environment of Su Mo's residence, this job was highly sought after. In the places Su Mo couldn't see, the maids had to compete fiercely for a single chance to serve. Even though Mashiro Shiina held the ecological advantage of a pet and could often sneak into Su Mo's room, her unassertive personality and the large number of competitors often meant she had to wait in line.
Even more regrettably, the Su Mo who was previously obsessed with mysticism was usually more restrained in this regard. Maids and pets only delayed his reading time, which greatly increased his period of sleeping alone. During the day, especially when Su Mo was reading, interruptions were strictly forbidden.
Of course, Su Mo's surprise now wasn't that Mashiro would come to his study, as it was Su Mo's rest time now (otherwise, he wouldn't be meeting Ai Hime for the shogi game).
Su Mo was surprised that Mashiro was awake at this hour.
"Why are you awake so early today?" Su Mo asked.
Due to her poor habits, Mashiro always slept during the day and was active at night. She would sleep while Su Mo was reading during the day and would sneak into his room at night. It was still afternoon, several hours before Mashiro usually woke up. Of course, this pet girl didn't have a very fixed routine to begin with.
"Master, look..."
Resting her golden hair on Su Mo's chest, the girl, who was routinely not wearing a bra, felt the cold floor and immediately moved her body up, sitting on Su Mo's lap. Then, she pulled out the painting she had been cradling since entering and showed it to Su Mo.
From Su Mo's angle, through the very loose shirt he had given her to wear, the first thing he saw was an unobstructed view of her chest. However, this wasn't a forbidden area for him, so he didn't pay it any mind and looked at the painting in the girl's hands.
It was a copy of an oil painting, likely a freshly printed reproduction.
"Expressionism that emphasizes color to display psychology. The brushstrokes are completely in your style, Mashiro, but the quality is far more mature and intense than your current level. One might even say it's a level that would take your original talent several decades to reach."
With a single glance, Su Mo spotted the issue and realized why Mashiro had come to him.
"Miku, did you paint this?" Without needing to ask Mashiro, he pinpointed the creator's identity.
Under his previous guidance, Mashiro Shiina's talent was enough to make her a globally renowned painter. It was possible for a wild genius to reach this level in the world, but other than Su Mo, no one could arrive at this level while perfectly maintaining Mashiro's strong personal style.
Furthermore, though it was skillfully concealed, he confirmed it was the result of AI learning and creation, even without using temporal or causal reversal, simply by analyzing the brushstrokes.
"As expected of Master! This is indeed my work!" Hatsune Miku nodded cheerfully. "Miss Mashiro has always looked down on my creative skills. Now that I have received Master's grace, I wanted to show that silly pet who despises AI that 'Thirty years East, thirty years West; don't bully the young AI!'"