The Lying Counselor’s Eloquent Reasoning - Chapter 26
“By the way, you mentioned earlier that your son could no longer retain his employment due to his asthma condition, what was the type of workplace precisely? Even if he had severe asthma, it may have been an unfair dismissal in some cases. Could you please elaborate?”
“Oh, well, it wasn’t much of a workplace by any means. It was a small Russian restaurant not far from here, called Fukusuna. Naoharu worked there as a server but the air quality was so poor that he soon became unwell. I kept telling the manager to install a proper air purifier in the restaurant. But he didn’t listen to me at all. Consequently, Naoharu’s condition deteriorated…”
“I understand. That means he has no choice but to quit.”
“Would this be considered unfair dismissal?”
“That’s a difficult question. It is not unreasonable for a small, privately owned store to be unable to accommodate a working environment for asthmatic employees. They are different from the big companies that have more physical resources.”
“Well, that’s true, I suppose. It was good that they let him resign from such a place.”
Nobuko gave a smile. It suddenly occurred to Tomomi that something was off with her smile. Why was she talking so joyfully about how her son had lost his job?
Besides…
“Um, I was wondering, why do you insist on intervening in your son’s workplace so much, Mrs. Kikuchi? Your son’s workplace is strictly his business, isn’t it?”
Yes, she felt that even as a mother, she was overstepping her boundaries.
However, the second Tomomi said this, Nobuko’s once cheerful expression changed drastically.
“What are you talking about? It’s only natural for parents to be concerned for their children!”
Her face was one of rage, resembling that of a demon. Tomomi was so startled that she stiffened involuntarily. Why was she suddenly that mad? Had I said something really strange?
“Well, well, Mrs. Kikuchi. Please don’t be offended. Actually, she is simply a student that I hired recently as a chore worker here. She is an amateur who doesn’t understand anything about asthma, let alone counseling. There was no way she could understand how we, parents of asthmatic children, felt. As her superior, I sincerely regret that she misspoke, and I am deeply sorry, but please tolerate her.”
Uroma said in a rather soothing way to Nobuko. Though the way he dealt with Tomomi was somehow awful.
“… Well, you seem to be a young girl, so it’s no wonder you’re uneducated.” Nobuko glared at Tomomi, but her expression softened again as if Uroma’s words had convinced her.
What is it with this auntie…? Tomomi’s sense of discomfort only grew more intensified.
“Anyway, let’s get back to your son, Mrs. Kikuchi. You said that he is sometimes violent towards you, but it may be due to his asthma, and his mind may be a little affected by the yin energy.”
“Yin energy?”
Nobuko tilted her head curiously. Tomomi did the same. She wondered why such a suspicious word had suddenly surfaced. Is he a qigong therapist or something?
“I’m actually quite a foolish parent. I have been doing a lot of research on my daughter’s asthma in order to control it. And I found out one thing. Asthma is a disease of disordered respiration. And it seems that this disordered respiration has an adverse effect on the mind.”
“Well…”
Nobuko’s eyes widened in surprise, but for Tomomi, she raised her brows. First off, the premise of the story that he was actually a foolish parent was weird.
“You know, there are breathing exercises in yoga and in tai chi. Breathing is profoundly related to one’s mental state. In fact, there is even a research report from overseas that shows that practicing Sudarshan Kriya breathing significantly improved symptoms of major depression. Maintaining proper breathing promotes a healthy mind. In essence, the reverse is equally true.”
“So could asthma be the cause of Naoharu’s violent behavior?”
“I can’t say for sure, but it’s a possibility. So, if you can expel the yin energy that has accumulated in his body due to disordered respiration, your son may no longer be violent. This is where this product comes in handy.”
Then Uroma retrieved a large bottle from the bottom drawer of his office desk and placed it on top of it. Looking at it, she saw that the bottle seemed to be filled with many white squares of lumps.
“Is these… sugar cubes?”
“Yes. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary sugar cube. But in fact, it has a mysterious power.”
Uroma’s tone of voice now resembled that of the host of a television shopping show.
“Mysterious power? It’s nothing more than a sugar cube, isn’t it?”
“No, no. This is a special kind of sugar that is derived from the theory of homeopathy, a traditional European medicine. It is infused with a trace of yin energy. By taking it into the body through the mouth, the yin energy in the body can be counteracted. It’s called Remedy-X!”
“Remedy-X?”
Nobuko tilted her head again, half in skepticism.