Chapter 484: Chapter 350: I Could Never Hurt a Woman!
Minamoto Tamako quickly stepped forward to shake hands, claiming to be a criminal police officer from Nakagawara Police Station, here to escort a suspect for emergency treatment, hoping the doctor could help extract case-related information.
Doctor Arima scratched his head and gently refused.
"Sorry, my schedule is full today..."
Minamoto Tamako widened her eyes, thinking, then why did you agree to take the patient? Didn’t we agree on the fee over the phone earlier? Now that the person is here, you’re saying your schedule is full?
Fushimi Roku maliciously speculated, leaning close to whisper in Minamoto Tamako’s ear, "Perhaps he just wants to get more money from you... Such a quack, I think it’s better not to bother."
At this moment, Doctor Arima changed his tone: "However, my assistant is available; she can conduct an initial diagnosis, and we can then discuss a follow-up treatment plan..."
"Follow-up treatment?" Minamoto Tamako was taken aback.
"Of course, treating psychological disorders is not a one-time thing."
After saying this, Doctor Arima checked Uesugi Shion with his eyes, indicating there was no guarantee she would return to normal, much less provide the information the police sought from someone with no cognitive ability.
"Rest assured, Miss Shizuka’s professional skills are equally outstanding..."
Doctor Arima highly recommended his assistant, leaving Minamoto Tamako with no choice; she thought it best to let the assistant take a look since they were already here.
As the three spoke, Miyazaki Shizuka had already started ’chatting’ with Uesugi Shion. The two communicated instinctively through eye contact and body language. With Minamoto Tamako’s consent, Miyazaki Shizuka led the three to her private consulting room.
In Minamoto Tamako’s imagination, a psychological clinic should resemble a hospital set, with nothing but white walls, cold medical instruments, and a hard white bed.
However, the consulting room in front of her eyes was more refined than she had imagined.
A wall-length bookshelf made of dark walnut occupied one side, filled with journals of "Clinical Psychology Research" and yellowed first editions of Freud’s books. Wedged between the book spines was a dried eustoma with its petal edges curled into a caramel color. On a rattan coffee table, a porcelain teapot was gently steaming, with a ring of black tea stain on the coaster.
"Please have a seat."
Miyazaki Shizuka helped Uesugi Shion lie on the brown couch recliner. Surprisingly, the latter obediently complied, as if she could understand what Shizuka was saying.
"Will you please step out for a moment while I perform a simple examination on Miss Uesugi..."
As she spoke, Miyazaki Shizuka seemed to recall something and asked, "Is she the Miss Uesugi who went missing on TV?"
Uesugi Shion’s disappearance had already made the news, broadcasted on television, and led to a 24-hour lockdown of the Sugamo district; nearly half of Tokyo knew about it.
"Yes..."
Minamoto Tamako was a bit guilty, as, in a way, her current actions were a cover-up.
Fushimi Roku seized the moment to chime in, avoiding suspicion by saying, "We’re the criminal investigation department police in charge of the search; you can rest assured about this." Then he showed his police ID, indicating Miyazaki Shizuka could call Nakagawara Police Station anytime for confirmation.
"Alright, I believe neither of you is lying."
After speaking, Miyazaki Shizuka asked them to leave, as she needed to conduct a one-on-one consultation with the patient.
Minamoto Tamako and Fushimi Roku returned to the waiting room, sitting on separate sofas, with the latter casually picking up the serving tea to sip. Finding it to be a low-quality teabag, unexpectedly bitter and lacking fragrance, he put it down again.
"What do you think?" Minamoto Tamako asked abruptly.
"Think about what?" Fushimi Roku asked in return.
"About Doctor Arima and his assistant, do you find them reliable?"
Minamoto Tamako was quite worried. Doctor Arima’s words made her increasingly feel that the hope of curing Uesugi Shion was slim. If they couldn’t extract the antidote method from her, wouldn’t Fujimura-kun have no choice but to wait for death?
I suppose Fujimura-kun is more anxious now than I am?
Minamoto Tamako stole a glance at Fushimi Roku, who had just put down the teacup, smacking his lips with a bitter expression, confirming her suspicions.
"Probably reliable."
Fushimi Roku responded nonchalantly.
"It’s either reliable or not, what do you mean by ’probably reliable’?" Minamoto Tamako was not satisfied with such an ambiguous answer: "Don’t you have skills like Qi Observation Technique or cold reading? Didn’t you notice anything?"
"I’m not a superhero!"
Fushimi Roku casually retorted.
In fact, from the first moment they met, he had already glanced over their criminal index panels.
Arima Toshio and Miyazaki Shizuka’s criminal indices were normal, arguably lower than average people—the former being 18%, and the latter 13%, with an average person’s criminal index generally between 10–20%.
However, it’s worth noting that Miyazaki Shizuka’s personal skill level was higher than Arima Toshio’s:
"Criminal Index: 18%"
"Vices: Coin Collecting Habit"
"Clearance Reward: Clear the evils of Arima Toshio to gain Level 6 Psychology Knowledge"
...
"Criminal Index: 13%"
"Vices: Severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder"
"Clearance Reward: Clear the evils of Miyazaki Shizuka to gain Lv 8 Hypnosis"
...
Fushimi Roku thought perhaps both had specialties in different areas, akin to the difference between an all-rounder and a specialist in academics. The former has an advantage in total score, similar to how exams only count total scores, rather than individual subjects, and competitions only allow consistently performing participants.
Minamoto Tamako’s Super Cold Reading Skill failed her; she couldn’t gauge their depths, which led to her questioning.
"If the examination results are unsatisfactory, we’ll report to the investigation department and have them come and take over."
She was already preparing for the worst outcome.
"Sure, fine by me."
Fushimi Roku didn’t mind, in fact, he rather hoped Uesugi Shion wouldn’t recover.
The two waited in the waiting room for about two hours until Fushimi Roku nearly fell asleep before Miyazaki Shizuka finally emerged.
Minamoto Tamako hurried to meet her, her demeanor resembling that of a worried family member, repeatedly inquiring, "Doctor, how is she? Is there any hope for her recovery? Can she recall past events?"
Miyazaki Shizuka stated that the patient was resting in the consulting room, first closing the door to ensure soundproofing wouldn’t disturb, then sat on the sofa and gently said, "Miss Uesugi’s condition is quite severe. She has organic brain damage; generally speaking, there is no hope for recovery..."
"Ha!"
Seeing both turn back in surprise, Fushimi Roku feigned regret, "Oh! That’s truly unfortunate."
Minamoto Tamako felt crestfallen, having worked so hard only for it to amount to nothing. It was like seeing a slim ray of hope in despair, only to have it suddenly snuffed out, leaving her heart heavy.
Miyazaki Shizuka changed the tone: "However, strictly speaking, Miss Uesugi hasn’t lost her memory. Her capacity for recall is intact; it’s just her cognition that’s disordered."
She paused, then continued, "If the goal is merely to retrieve case-related information from her memory, this should be achievable through hypnosis... Of course, complete recovery is fundamentally impossible."
"Eh?!"
Minamoto Tamako’s face lit up with joy; she quickly shook Fushimi Roku’s arm, exclaiming with excitement, ’There’s hope, there’s hope’!
Fushimi Roku advised her not to be too hasty in her happiness, seriously asking, "Are there any side effects from hypnosis?"
"For normal people, hypnosis has no side effects," Miyazaki Shizuka said with a troubled expression, "But for someone like Miss Uesugi, the situation is uncertain..."
"Forget it then."
Fushimi Roku turned his head, hinting at Minamoto Tamako to notify the investigation department to take over.
Minamoto Tamako froze, realizing something, she suddenly covered her mouth in disbelief, looking at Fushimi Roku: "Y-you mean..."
"Indeed, I can’t hurt someone for personal gain, not even if there’s a slight risk; it goes against my principles!" Fushimi Roku declared earnestly, arms crossed, voice stern: "This is my criminal police way!"
Minamoto Tamako was stunned.