Love Healing Manual

Chapter 94 "Shy Smile" (Bonus Chapter 13)

"On September 28th, I conducted my fifth treatment on Senior Kitagawa, during which I discovered a certain pattern in her symptoms..."

"The right approach is to stabilize her condition before starting treatment; otherwise, it's a waste of time. A more vivid analogy would be to compare her physical condition to boiling water..."

"In addition, establishing a stable relationship based on high trust is very helpful for therapy and can, to some extent, prevent the behavior from spiraling out of control..."

The desk lamp was shining.

Lin Ze's handwriting is just like his personality; he writes neatly in his notebook, and the spaces between the characters seem to be consistent. However, because he writes quickly, there are slight ligatures.

He finally had time to sort out and review his treatment records for Kitagawa Ayane-senpai, writing down all the key points of the process without reservation.

I didn't have time to write before.

I have to write even if I don't have time now.

As the countdown drew ever closer, Lin Ze glanced at the screen and saw that only 454 hours remained. Of course, as he reviewed the situation, the panic gradually subsided. He was confident that Shimazu Kazune would be able to grasp the content at a glance; her talent was undeniable.

The above is the worst-case scenario.

Based on this, if he could withstand the torment of illness, he would not easily hand over this record; it would be best to bury it permanently.

"So, that's all the patterns I've summarized about the symptoms. However, there's one hypothesis I have to point out. It's very interesting that after studying all of Kitagawa-senpai's symptoms, I discovered that they all manifest in the same brain region. Abnormal behavior, cognitive collapse, hallucinations, and uncontrollable emotions all belong to the frontal lobe, but the most crucial function of the frontal lobe, as we know it, is actually the storage of memories and the transmission of information."

"Recently, I often feel that my memory is hazy. For example, someone tells me that I have done something, but I can't remember it at all. This can't be a coincidence. There is a necessary connection between the above symptoms and memory. This may help me to further understand the secret of the disease."

"Do you remember, senior sister? Modern medicine's research and exploration of the prefrontal cortex of the brain was halted as early as 1970 because of the prevalence of a certain surgical method."

Suddenly, Lin Ze stopped writing.

Perhaps he's thinking a little too far ahead.

However, after sorting things out, the treatment approach became much clearer.

Today he discovered that his relationship with his senior, Kitagawa, was growing closer, and she trusted him enough. So, he should try to find out the root cause of her illness and see if he could help her remember some things from the past.

It's okay if you can't remember.

That at least proves that amnesia symptoms are indeed related to the various abnormalities manifested by the disease, or may be an early symptom.

The night is getting darker.

However, for Lin Ze, such a quiet night was a much-needed opportunity for reflection.

……

the other side.

A one-bedroom apartment in an old residential area on Tokyo Electric Shokai Road.

Under the soft light, Kitagawa Ayane looked quite excited. She paced back and forth in the small space, seemingly very nervous, holding her phone for a long time without letting go.

Her long legs reflected the light brightly, and her fair skin was delicate.

In the morning, Kitagawa Ayane mustered up her courage and messaged Nao, whom she hadn't spoken to much before, to inquire about her part-time job.

Although I was rather withdrawn at school, I had known some classmates for several years and we got to know each other quite well.

Nao Kuraki is known for her popularity in the Economics Department at the University of Tokyo. Also a graduate student, she has an oval face, neat short hair, a slender yet strong build, and a cheerful personality. Ayane Kitagawa knows that Nao has been working part-time. Since entering university, Nao has been called a "very capable girl" because she is never shy, dares to think and act, and never hides the fact that she comes from a poor family.

Nao has worked as a waitress, part-time worker, day-wage worker, and receptionist. She has also delivered packages, distributed flyers, and run an online shopping agency.

At the beginning, Kitagawa Ayane met her because they worked day jobs together. Nao felt that the two of them had a natural affinity, so she repeatedly extended an olive branch to Ayane, hoping that they could work together to do something and get rid of their poverty.

However, the two have completely different personalities.

One incident illustrates this point: after paying off her loans, Nao saved enough money to live comfortably through university, but instead used it to "start her own business." As a result, the business not only failed but also left her with a new debt.

This is quite a well-known topic in the Department of Economics at the University of Tokyo. Kaoru Murayama once told Ayane Kitagawa, "People who are too proud will not have a good ending."

That statement is certainly malicious.

However, from Kaoru Murayama's perspective, she was right, because Kaoru and Nao were enemies—not at first, Nao had even stayed at Kaoru's house many times, but later they became enemies.

Kitagawa Ayane knew some inside information, which was mostly Nao's fault. She suddenly neglected her friends and started making new friends. Afterwards, she kept showing off in front of Kaoru, which led to a confrontation on the rooftop and a complete falling out.

It's really scary when women fall out; they'll be enemies for life. The fight on the rooftop is quite dramatic. Kaoru Murayama not only scolded Nao for having smelly feet that could be smelled throughout the house when she stayed there, but also scolded Nao for snoring like a pig when she slept, which directly broke her defenses.

Therefore, Kitagawa Ayane also kept her distance appropriately, after all, she had a good relationship with Kaoru.

To her surprise, Nao didn't hold anything against her. Instead, she told her that she was busy and that they should talk about the part-time job that evening.

The phone rang just now, and the two of us talked for more than half an hour.

Kitagawa Ayane felt exhilarated because she knew how to make money using her knowledge, and it was surprisingly convenient. As an economics student, statistics, market analysis, and business risk reports weren't difficult; they were just time-consuming and required a lot of data collection. Nao, on the other hand, had many similar assignments and was overwhelmed, earning money by conducting market research and risk reports for small and medium-sized enterprises.

In a sense, they are low-cost outsourced employees.

Kitagawa Ayane inquired about the prices and found that they were indeed quite high. She could get a base fee of around 15000 yen after submitting a research document and getting it approved, while the price for data analysis and risk assessment reports would be even higher.

She has excellent academic performance and is familiar with some of the software used for data processing, so I believe she will be able to become familiar with it again soon.

So Kitagawa Ayane felt like she had seen the sun after the clouds had parted; she had finally found a way to get rich that wouldn't disrupt her life but could still create value.

"Ring ring ring ring——"

Suddenly, the phone rang, and Ayane Kitagawa's cell phone began to vibrate in her hand.

She hurriedly answered the phone and put it to her ear.

"Manager, yes, I am Kitagawa Ayane."

"Ah~ Ayane-chan, the shop was really busy just now. May I ask what's up with your call?" A gentle female voice came from the other end.

This mature woman in her thirties is the owner of the maid café.

"Well... I was planning to quit my job at the store, and I was thinking of picking up the clothes sometime, so I was wondering when you'd be available?"

The maid shop has a special changing area, and each maid outfit is designed by the shop owner herself—she was originally a designer, and then gave it to the staff as payment, using a week's wages to repay the designer. So the maid outfit was Kitagawa Ayane's own clothes, but she could only wear it inside the shop and couldn't wear it outside.

Getting the clothes would normally be a simple matter, but the key issue is that the store still owes Kitagawa Ayane her salary. She naturally wants to take this opportunity to get her salary back, which is why she asked the store manager if he has time.

"I'll be at the shop tomorrow afternoon. You can come over then and I'll settle your wages... Oh, by the way, Ayane-chan, are you really not planning to work at the coffee shop anymore? I'll really be heartbroken if you leave."

"I don't have that plan for now," Kitagawa Ayane said calmly, yet with a certain firmness in her voice.

She was going to seek the value Lin Ze had mentioned, and from then on, she would abandon these seemingly simple but actually wasteful jobs.

"Alright, since you've made your decision, there's nothing more I can do to advise you. See you tomorrow afternoon."

"Thank you, store manager."

Hang up.

Kitagawa Ayane stood there for a while, then couldn't help but wave her little fists twice.

A smile spread across her delicate face as she suddenly pounced onto the bed, picked up the large bone doll, and rolled around in the cramped space.

The crib creaked and groaned.

After a brief moment of madness, Kitagawa Ayane quickly picked up her phone and turned on the screen.

Her fingers moved deftly, opening the chat interface with Lin Ze on LINK. She quickly sent two "shy smile" emojis and then turned off her phone.

An unexpected harassment.

Kitagawa Ayane certainly didn't dare share this matter immediately, because things were still very uncertain, and if she messed things up later, Lin Ze might think she was even more stupid. However, not saying anything would be too painful, so Kitagawa Ayane decided to only post two emojis.

It is foreseeable that Lin Ze will ignore this behavior.

Kitagawa Ayane muttered to herself, counting her income on her fingers.

She earns 2200 yen per hour at the maid cafe and works about 20 hours a week. She hasn't been paid for two weeks, so she should have earned more than 80,000 yen. That should be more than enough to buy a second-hand computer from Nao, and the remaining money should be enough to cover her daily expenses for about 20 days.

If she's lucky enough to get an order within these twenty days, that would be the most optimistic outcome.

It's okay if she doesn't get any orders; she still has time to hone her skills and adapt to this new job. Because she's still tutoring Xin Chuan, a well-behaved sixteen-year-old girl who just started high school, she absolutely can't lose this tutoring job; it's her guarantee for paying her rent.

"If I can really make money, I'll pay off the loan as soon as possible... Speaking of which, shouldn't I give Lin Ze a gift too? Oh no, I mean Lin Ze-kun~ That girl calls him Lin Ze-kun, I should do that too... Lin Ze-kun~ This is a gift for you, please accept it no matter what!"

She pretended to be serious and presented the gift to thin air with both hands.

However, she couldn't help herself for a moment and started laughing uncontrollably, her cheeks buried in the blanket and her shoulders trembling.

A long time passed.

She was lying on her back.

Reach out to touch the backlit lamp.

……

"Okasan, even though you're choking me, Ayane still wants to breathe properly."

(End of this chapter)