Miss Assassin is heavily addicted

Chapter 143, Section 17: Hesitation
Questioning is a technique frequently used in psychotherapy. Doctors use a series of systematic questions to understand the patient's preferences and values, and determine different treatment plans based on the patient's physical and mental condition.

It can be said to be the foundation of everything.

He is currently using this treatment on Yugiri.

The stethoscope's chest piece touched the other person's soft skin, and the unbuttoned shirt slipped down to the elbows and then stopped. The black-haired girl sat opposite him as if sitting upright, her hands obediently placed on her lap, her eyes beautiful and silent.

"It's so cold."

After a moment she murmured.

Well, it wasn't that silent.

It was probably because He Ye's 'chest piece' (the name for the part of the patient's body that the stethoscope touches) had been pressed against her right chest for a long time, and he didn't say anything for a while, which seemed strange, so this murmured complaint came out.

He Ye had no choice but to focus his energy in his lower abdomen, as if he were an old monk passing away in meditation, and opened his eyes after making full mental preparations.

Despite the striking impact of the black lace fabric, He Ye lowered his gaze and remained expressionless. He looked at the psychotherapy record, flipped to the back, and asked questions as required.

"You feel more comfortable here with me than in the organization's lounge...?"

The problem is a declarative sentence, not a question, because of the unique nature of Yugiri itself.

Conventional psychologists typically guide patients through questioning because a dialogue between the two can be effective.

However, because of Yugiri's taciturnity and irrelevant answers, the psychologists at headquarters took a different approach to her—they determined whether she responded to the question by the frequency of her heartbeat, and then tried to guess her true thoughts.

After all, in her psychotherapy records, her answers were mostly just "I don't know".

"Ah."

Yugiri nodded.

He Ye could feel her heartbeat quickening.

In fact, Yugiri could answer questions, but she was listening to Heno before, so she mostly answered "I don't know"—and although the psychologists in the organization noticed this, her deteriorating physical condition made them suspect other things, so she was still diagnosed with a worsening mental illness.

He Ye took a deep breath and continued asking questions.

"You like to be in crowded places."

Rapid heartbeat.

You prefer heat to cold.

Rapid heartbeat.

"You like... uh, wait."

He Ye held his head and stopped; he couldn't ask any more questions.

Why is my heart beating faster and faster?

As the bodice left Yugiri's chest, the thunderous heartbeat vanished from her ears. He took a deep breath and slipped the bodice inside her clothes to listen to her own heartbeat, which was steady and muffled.

Therefore, there is no problem with the stethoscope.

That means the other person's heart is really beating faster and faster.

The record didn't specify whether this situation was good or bad, but He Ye could deduce that it should represent a sign of 'improvement,' or at least an emotional fluctuation. He hesitated whether to record it carefully... but in the end, he wrote down the truth.

"What? Leon?"

At that moment, Yugiri asked, sitting opposite him.

He Ye shook her head and continued with the remaining steps, which actually didn't take much time. The last two questions were also answered with a high-pitched heartbeat, indicating that she had a positive attitude towards all the questions.

He Ye took another look at the question.

Very good. After obtaining this record, the people in the organization should be able to guess some things. Although at this stage, they can only deduce that Yugiri prefers to be with him. They probably only think of him as an acquaintance and a teammate of many years.

In short, the psychotherapy record for the evening ended in two minutes. He Ye closed the psychotherapy record book with mixed feelings.

"Alright... don't catch a cold," he said, turning his eyes away.

Without a word, Yugiri closed her shirt again, first lifting the shoulders, then the buttons, and finally tying a bow with her fingers.

During this time, He Ye walked over to the side and rummaged through the box left by the female assistant to find some pills. Because the treatment record stated, "Provide 2-4 sleeping pills as needed," and then noted, "Measure body temperature half an hour after taking the pills."

Yugiri probably rarely sleeps at headquarters, and the organization was worried that she wouldn't be able to sleep here either, so they came up with this solution.

He Ye understood that she had this problem, and he didn't know how to solve it either, so doing as she said was the best course of action. He remembered that her insomnia gradually disappeared after they moved in together; it couldn't be that she suddenly stopped having insomnia after moving here… However, judging from her reply, she was more comfortable here now, so providing two tablets should be about right.

"Take these two more pills and it'll be over."

He Ye brought over a water glass and some pills, and handed over two pills.

Yugiri hesitated for a moment before taking the pill. She didn't like this kind of medicine. Although it made her feel sleepy, she would have a headache when she woke up the next day.

However, she silently accepted the drink and drank it.

After taking the pill, he opened his mouth slightly towards He Ye, looking quite adorable.

"..." He Ye was so frightened that he took a half step back.

However, Yugiri quickly closed her lips.

The black-haired girl returned to her original calm and sat quietly, which gave He Ye a false alarm. He realized that she didn't mean to do anything. She just opened her mouth after taking the pill so that He Ye could check her oral cavity. He saw that she hadn't hidden anything and had actually taken the pill.

Although she may not have intended not to swallow it, the people in the organization, just in case, allowed her to do so.

Looking at Yugiri's appearance, He Ye hesitated for a long time before finally asking the question:
"Speaking of which... did the organization always treat you like this when you came back before?"

He Ye knew that spies' physical and mental health would be monitored by people in the organization. He had also undergone psychological diagnosis, but his results were always green, belonging to the category that required the least worry. He didn't know about Xi Wu, but such a special existence must be more important.

He Ye needs to confirm something.

Yugiri nodded, then shook her head.

“Dr. Helen said my heart had become emptier and that I needed some hobbies; Dr. Smith said I was in worse shape than before and asked if I was having scary dreams; Dr. Kal'tsit told me to eat more sugar cubes and think about happy things, because that would make me feel better.”

“They never checked me this thoroughly before, and they would send me home quickly. But this time they seemed to think I had a serious problem… However, I didn’t say anything.”

As Yugiri spoke, she looked at Heno, as if to say that she had kept her promise.

He Ye remained silent for a long time, then simply lowered his head.

"Do you know why you're being given special treatment this time?"

"...Because I didn't tell the truth?"

"That's part of the reason. If you tell the truth, they should know where the problem lies... Do you feel that your psychological problems are indeed getting worse?" "I don't know."

This time, Yugiri gave the same answer as in the psychotherapy record, speaking softly and gently touching her chest.

"I just know that thinking about you makes my chest feel strange."

"Sometimes it feels really dull, sometimes my heart races, sometimes it makes me feel warm inside, and sometimes I really like that feeling, but I don't know how to express it... I haven't told the doctors about this. Is this also a psychological problem for me, Leon?"

"..."

At this point, Yugiri's eyes looked a little melancholy, as if she was saddened by the fact that she was not a normal person.

She didn't know; she knew nothing at all.

All she knew was to keep what happened that day a secret.

She wasn't even sure if her condition had really worsened, because she felt that this kind of psychological treatment happened every time she came back. It was just that this time, because she was hiding something and didn't tell the truth, the psychologist thought she was strange and treated her specially.

However, she thought she had managed to keep it a secret.

……

Ten minutes later, Yugiri was sent away.

He Ye personally escorted her to room 303 next door, made sure she had finished washing up and that the doors and windows were closed, then quietly said goodnight and left, as she would be sleeping there tonight.

Just as I was about to return to my home.

In the stairwell, He Ye bumped into a little girl, the granddaughter of Grandma Louise who lived across the street. She was a lively girl with healthy freckles.

Ruby said she came to see Nicole, carrying a literary book called "The Fatal Rose," which was probably a love story.

"Good evening, Mr. Winn! I'm here to see Nicole. Could you please call her for me?"

Ruby said with a smile that she had finished chatting with Nicole five minutes earlier, and Nicole had closed the door looking sullen.

Because of her friend's relationship problems, although she talked a lot about it and Ruby couldn't really help, it didn't mean she was unwilling to help.

After thinking it over, Ruby went upstairs to ask a friend who was studying at the grammar school. The friend recommended a romance novel about the protagonist's forbidden love for the count. Although it wasn't as intense as the relationship between an ex-wife and a younger woman she was living with, the relationship between a servant and the count was just as thrilling!
Ruby had read the book and thought it could help Nicole's friends.

"Are you here to see Nicole...? Just a moment."

He Ye forced a smile, but was a little absent-minded, as he was thinking about Xi Wu Li.

However, he treated Nicole's friends patiently when they came to visit. After all, this was her social circle, and as her brother, he naturally had to maintain a good image and not embarrass her. Besides, He Ye was also happy that she had friends.

"Ok!"

Ruby nodded emphatically, thinking that Nicole's brother was really reliable, handsome and rich. The car that picked him up that day was so cool, it was enviable.

Soon, Nicole, who was locked in her room hugging a pillow, was called out.

"Nicole, a friend is here to see you." He Ye knocked on the door.

“...Coming.” A weak voice came from inside.

Nicole reluctantly opened the door, but seeing He Ye's gesture, she had no choice but to go out. Ruby, who was standing at the door, was overjoyed, holding a thick book.

"What's wrong?" Nicole sighed.

Ruby said with great emotion, "Nicole, you're so loyal! You're so heartbroken over your friend's situation. But I can understand. I would be very sad if Rebecca were heartbroken too!"

“…” Nicole hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

"Here, lend this book to your friend. I'm sure it will cheer her up after she finishes reading it."

"what is this?"

"A great love story."

Ruby was very proud and smug, and was about to tell Nicole its origins when she remembered what she had told Nicole earlier. Suddenly feeling guilty, she decided not to tell her its origins.

After all, Nicole had told her not to tell anyone, and Ruby had promised to keep quiet, but she forgot.

After chatting for a couple more minutes, Ruby chuckled awkwardly and left. Nicole, however, didn't take it to heart, took the book back to her room, and prepared to take a look, albeit tentatively.

It's still early, no more than 7:30.

However, upon seeing Nicole return to her room, He Ye still said, "Remember to rest early." Nicole responded with two soft hums, whether it was "Mind your own business" or "Okay," it was probably the former, a rebellious response.

He Ye shook his head, not paying much attention. He sat on the sofa in the living room, where he was the only one left. Occasionally, a kitten would wander around, but as night deepened, it would soon go to sleep in the old clothes nest that Nicole had prepared for it.

During this time, He Ye went to the bedroom to get the psychotherapy record and continued to read the part he hadn't finished reading that afternoon.

There were a lot of technical terms, and I felt a bit lacking after reading half of it, so He Ye went to find something to refresh herself.

On the living room table were some mint candies that He Ye had bought at the department store a couple of days ago. He Ye picked one up, slowly unwrapped it, and popped the mint into her mouth.

It's very cool and refreshing.

He Ye watched and thought, and by the time she finished watching, an hour had passed, and she couldn't help but feel a little guilty...

She is like this because of herself.

If it were about helping her with her treatment, He Ye thought that besides getting her to give up and distract herself, perhaps the only other way was for her to accept her feelings.

Through formal contact and interaction, make her aware of those feelings, and then handle them appropriately, such as fulfilling some of her desires and guiding her thoughts. Perhaps the accumulated psychological problems will gradually subside.

As for letting the organization know about this, they might use extreme measures... such as making Yugiri lose her memory to forget this memory, and as the person involved, He Ye will definitely be implicated and will be punished to some extent, and may even never be able to meet again.

Therefore, you still have to deal with this yourself. After all, the organization can't possibly handle such psychological issues better than you can.

Unfortunately, He Ye wanted to be a person with a clear conscience, and now he really couldn't convince himself to accept it... He currently only had feelings for Yugiri as a teammate, and it would be too difficult to suddenly say something like that.

Just as he was lost in thought, there was a knock on the door.

He Ye remained silent for a moment, then stepped forward and opened the door to the room. He saw Xi Wu with her head down.

"You've already taken the pills but still can't sleep?" He Ye realized that the dosage might be too low, so he sighed and asked.

"Can't you sleep?"

Yugiri nodded, then said softly:
I want to sleep next to you.

As soon as he finished speaking, He Ye had a feeling that this was expected. After hesitating for a moment, he sighed again, already having a solution.

(End of this chapter)