The Lying Counselor’s Eloquent Reasoning - Chapter 17
“Medical report? Huh? I’m not a doctor, so I can’t give you a??”
“What are you talking about, dressing like that! You’re not a doctor by any stretch of the imagination!”
“Oh, this white coat is only for fashion. I’m a simple, humble counselor. My job is to listen to someone’s problems and lighten their load a little??”
“Forget it! Just diagnose me! It’s called PTA!”
The old man seemed to have a rather impatient personality. Since a while ago, he hadn’t listened to Uroma’s speech until the very end and was shouting at him as if to interrupt it. What could be the reason for such urgency? No, I mean…
“PTA?”
Tomomi, who was in the midst of a rave review, involuntarily spoke up.
“Haha, Tomomi, of course that stands for Parent Teacher Association, right? Elementary school parents’ association, isn’t it?”
“Ah, in other words, this old man wanted to be a part of such a group, hence he’s here??”
“How absurd!”
The old man made a comment as if he would have flipped over the table if there was one there. His temples were flushed with blue streaks.
“What the hell parents’ association! There’s no way I’m taking care of those kids! Use your common sense! I’m the one who’s being tormented by those kids!”
“Tormented? By children?”
“Yeah, that’s right! They have no regard for the neighbors, screaming and yelling all year long! It’s so goddamned noisy!”
“Disturbing the neighbors? Noisy? Do you mean the noise of children’s voices?”
“Of course. I’m referring to the noise from the kindergarten that recently opened next door to my house!”
“Oh, I see.”
Finally, the subject became slightly apparent. Uroma and Tomomi spoke in unison.
“In short, the noise from the kindergarten near your house was driving you nuts every day, making it impossible for you to exercise calm judgment, and you accidentally wandered into this shady and doubtful doctor’s office.”
Mm-hmm. Tomomi nodded. Uroma asked, “What do you mean by shady and doubtful?”, staring at her.
“Don’t be silly. I’m not crazy. It is true that the kids are getting on my nerves. But I came here to have my stress level assessed. With proper documentation.”
“Haha, I see. So you are claiming that the noise from the kindergarten has made you a PTSD patient. Not PTA.”
“Yes, that’s it! The PTSD!”
The old man exclaimed, flustered, at Uroma’s words. But Tomomi only tilted her head at the unfamiliar term, “PTSD?”. I believe it’s a name for… drugs or something like that?
“PTSD is an abbreviation for post-traumatic stress disorder, Tomomi. Roughly speaking, it’s a mental and physical disorder caused by some kind of severe mental stress experience.”
“Huh, stress-induced psychosomatic disorder?”
Considering that he was a patient, the elderly man in front of her was apparently full of energy.
“But grandpa, if the noise is so awful, why don’t you address the kindergarten directly first before coming to this shady place?” Tomomi gave him a common-sense remark.
“Ah, already done that! Many times! But they don’t listen to me! Things were quiet briefly at first when I complained, but then they started yelling all over again! How many Totoro songs do they have to sing every day to keep their spirits up!”
“Well, well, it’s a popular song among children…”
Tomomi was taken aback by the old man’s fierce attitude.
“I see. So you’re bothered by the noise from the kindergarten right next to your house. And you want proof that it’s causing you stress damage… for further protest?”
“Oh, yes, brother! You know the story! Make it right now! I want a medical report on PTSD!”
“Haha, don’t be so hasty. That kind of decision is not something that can be rendered so soon. First of all, let’s listen to your story in more detail. For now, please tell me your name, age, occupation, and family structure??”
“My name is Ishikawa Tetsuo, 78 years old, unemployed. Right now I live with my wife.”
The old man, Tetsuo, didn’t wait for Uroma to finish and began to introduce himself. His tone of voice was firm, and he didn’t seem to have dementia, but it was clear that he was impatient.
“I see. You live with your wife, is that right? Then, is your wife also bothered by the noise from the kindergarten?”
“Eh? She is not… No, I believe she said something like that before!”
In response to Uroma’s question, Tetsuo mended his words in a panic. So, your wife doesn’t think anything of it… Tomomi immediately recognized Tetsuo’s lie.
“I understand. Now, let’s start with the name of the kindergarten that’s causing the noise.”
“Oh, it’s called Hoshiyume Sakura Kindergarten. It’s not too far from here.”
“Hoshiyume Sakura Kindergarten and…”
Uroma seemed to have typed something on the keyboard of his laptop. Stretching her neck out from the side, she noticed that the online map service had just displayed a map of the area around the kindergarten.