The Lying Counselor’s Eloquent Reasoning - Chapter 6
It was exactly the same room where Tomomi had visited yesterday. However, unlike yesterday, there was a folding chair in front of the office desk. It was almost as if someone had anticipated Tomomi’s arrival in advance. For the time being, Tomomi settled down on it. Her bag was placed on the floor near her chair. Uroma immediately sat down on the chair of the office desk across from her.
“Now, before we begin, may I have your name, please?”
“Ayasaki Tomomi. The kanji are aya from ????”
Although unwilling to reveal her name to such a shady man, it was the only way to progress the conversation. She explained rapidly.
“I see. So, Tomomi, let’s get started with the counseling.”
Uroma narrowed his eyes, folded his arms, and shifted his upper body, then leaned back against the back of the chair. For a moment, a sharp light seemed to dawn in his stagnant eyes, like a dead fish.
“Counseling… it’s not like I have anything to share with you.”
“Haha. Don’t be so defensive. What I would like is for you to describe the circumstances that led to your condition. These things are essential above all else.” The man smiled and said. But his smile was far from refreshing, it was rather unhealthy.
“Like I said, there’s nothing to talk about??”
“No, no. Even if you consider it so yourself, by talking about it while reliving the past, you may discover new insights. And often, a solution emerges from there, you see?”
“Huh.”
The more fluently the man before her spoke, the more he struck Tomomi as a fraud. His tone of voice seemed polite, but if you listened attentively, you would recognize that he was using a loose honorific that seemed to bootlick people.
“Well, why don’t we start with the basics first, let me ask you a question. Tomomi, when did your skin color first change?”
“About a month ago.”
“Oh. That’s unexpectedly recent. What were the circumstances of the change?”
“Circumstances, not really…”
At once, Tomomi was at a loss for a reply. That was something she didn’t want to be exposed to often.
“Surely you didn’t wake up one morning from a disturbing dream like Gregor Zamsa did when he transformed into a poisonous insect, right? Please tell me, even briefly, how your body ended up that way.”
“There’s nothing to tell.”
“Really? For example, do you have any idea what that borderline line of skin color is on your neck?” Uroma then suddenly raised his left hand. A scarf was clutched in it. It belonged to Tomomi.
“When did you…”
Tomomi was startled and touched her neck with her hand to check. Her scarf was not there, and her neck was bare. It seemed that Uroma had ripped it off without her knowledge.
“The way I see it, the border of your skin color is horizontal, crossing in a neat circle around your neck. It’s really strange how you can achieve such a separation, isn’t it? It’s like some kind of… cord??”
“Y-Yes, that’s right! I just pulled the cord around my neck! That’s it!” Tomomi shrieked, unable to bear it as Uroma grew closer and closer to the heart of the matter.
“Under what circumstances would you pull a cord around your neck?”
“I-It happens all the time, okay! There are plenty of cords out there!”
“Well, I guess so. At any rate, is the change in skin color from the neck down due to that cord?”
Uroma’s reaction was subtle as if he was not convinced, but he abruptly redirected his question, perhaps assuming that it was fruitless to probe further into the issue.
“By the way, Tomomi. Is your family in harmony?”
“Family? Harmony?”
Again, out of the blue, I wonder what this man is asking me.
“This is a vital question. For adolescent boys and girls like you, who are at a sensitive and troublesome age, whether your family is harmonious or not plays a crucial role in your physical and mental well-being. So, yeah.”
Uroma continued, sweeping his hands open and closed in an exaggerated manner, like an accordion player.
“My family, they are… normal.”
Even though she could understand his point of view, Tomomi had difficulty in comprehending how he could be so obnoxious with his speech and gestures.
“Well, I suppose so. If anything, I would say that your family is a harmonious one. Your mother prepares and provides you with a homemade lunch box every day.” Uroma lifted her lunch box and shook it lightly to indicate that it was empty.
Huh? Why is my bento box in that person’s hand…? Tomomi flinched and glanced down at her feet. Then, the bag that was supposed to have been left there disappeared.
“If you are looking for your bag, you can find it here.” Uroma had apparently placed it on his lap and carelessly flung it on the desk.
“W-When did you…”
It was indeed Tomomi’s bag. Her bento box must have been in there.
“How dare you take someone’s bag and rummage through the contents!”
“Haha. Isn’t it fine?”
No matter what she said, Uroma’s response was always the same; an arm around the noren, a wind in the willows.
“Furthermore, these spontaneous searches of personal belongings are also an integral part of counseling. The contents of a person’s bag can reveal a lot about who he or she is.”
“I think all I saw was your self-indulgent personality.”
Fuming, Tomomi retrieved her bento box and bag.
T/N:
An arm around the noren, a wind in the willows – Proverb, it’s like talking to a brick wall, handling things without making waves