Phantom Thief of Heart!but conan

Chapter 786 The beginning of suffering

"Please ask me to take care of Tang Zejun? Why do you suddenly have such a strange request?"

"Well, Tang Ze's situation is rather special, which you should know, Mr. Kihara. He has not been in good condition these days, and we are all very worried that something might happen to him. Anyway..."

Conan sneaked into the teaching building of Teitan High School, listened to the noise on the other end, and listened to Mao Lilan's excuse that she needed to tell Kiharakawa about some situation regarding Karasawa. He quietly placed the eavesdropping device and took a deep breath.

This is very likely related to cognitive science, so naturally there is a high probability that the guy is connected to the organization. He must be prepared for the possibility that his eavesdropping will fail and that the other party will quickly detect it.

Anyway, the purpose of this wiretapping is not to obtain any intelligence or information, but mainly to eavesdrop on Tang Ze's treatment process. If the bug is really discovered, he will find a way to immediately interrupt Tang Ze's treatment and prioritize the other party's safety.

Tang Ze's mental state is already unstable. If we allow a psychologist whose background we don't know to contact him, the threat he poses to Tang Ze may be greater than that of the organization.

There was a noise coming from the psychological counseling room on the other side. After Mao Lilan left, Kiharagawa seemed to be preparing for the next meeting. The friction sound of the table being dragged on the floor and the sound of the curtain moving on the slide rail seemed like he was taking great pains to change the layout of the counseling room.

After a long while of busy work, Conan only heard the crisp sound of paper turning and the slight collision sound of the knob as it was adjusted. After waiting for four or five minutes, he finally heard the sound of the door opening again.

The chairs moved, and there was a slight sound of springs being compressed. It seemed that Karasawa and Kiharakawa sat on the sofa and office chair respectively, ready to officially start the treatment and conversation.

"Good afternoon, Karasawa-kun." Kiharakawa's voice was steady and gentle. "Mori-san said that you have had severe insomnia these days, and it seems to have triggered some bad memories. Are you in pain, Karasawa-kun?"

"…It's okay. I just couldn't sleep for a while, that's normal." Tang Ze paused for a few seconds before answering his question. His voice was flat, just like usual.

If Conan hadn't seen with his own eyes this guy sitting downstairs with his eyes wide open staring at the light bulb, he would have thought that Tang Ze's condition was really nothing serious.

"Really? I thought you would be a little nervous about my presence, just like last time. Have you adjusted, or has your dissociative symptoms worsened, so you are unable to give sensitive emotional feedback now?"

Kiharakawa lowered his voice a little, and a gentle rhythm slowly penetrated into it, making his plain voice have a sense of pause and a kind of gentleness that comes from a leisurely conversation.

Even Conan, who had been alert and prepared, couldn't help but relax a little as he spoke.

Realizing that he had relaxed, he immediately woke up, touched the earphones in his ears, and became more alert.

This person's voice seemed to have some kind of magic, and it immediately reminded Conan of the Joker's strange and mysterious accent.

Could it be that he really has abilities similar to Joker's...

"I'm not sure, Dr. Kihara, but I do have some insomnia."

"What's the reason? Do you feel your brain is too excited and active, or do you have concerns about the sleeping environment?"

"Probably the latter. I don't really want to stay in a closed little room."

"Well, I see..."

Accompanied by the regular rustling sound of the pen tip, Kiharakawa, just like the diligent and responsible psychologist in Conan's impression or imagination, began to constantly ask about Karasawa's feelings, and occasionally chatted about Karasawa's situation in Tokyo and Izu these days. The counseling and conversation seemed to be very ideal.

Conan patiently listened carefully to what Kiharakawa said. Although he couldn't determine whether this man had other intentions, he was certain that this doctor's professional ability was indeed good.

The speaking pace is slow, with almost no preset conversation content, and he keeps using questions to guide Tang Ze to actively bring up his emotions or communication problems.

He couldn't tell whether this was very professional, but his intuition told him that this guy was definitely better than guys like Fuuto Kyosuke who liked to say a lot of leading content.

Conan, who was only eavesdropping through the audio, did not feel it very clearly, but Karasawa, who was sitting opposite Kihara River, actually felt it.

It is not clear whether Kiharakawa has learned enough from Karasawa Ikawa, but in terms of psychotherapy, he may have inherited some of his father's true skills.

Unlike the last time when they surrounded him and almost forced him to answer, today's psychological counseling room was obviously arranged in a targeted manner.

All the curtains were drawn, and no light source with too cold a tone was chosen. A warm yellow floor lamp was placed next to the sofa.

The dim light enveloped the sofa, but did not include Kiharakawa who was sitting opposite him and recording something. This made the patient who was clearly under observation have the illusion that he was not being stared at and that he was still closed and safe.

The whole room seemed like a quiet world, and the atmosphere was particularly peaceful.

If he was really in a state of stress, nervous and frightened like a bird as he acted, he could indeed be soothed by such an environment.

"...I roughly understand the situation. In short, you recalled some experiences in the closed environment, so your emotions are a little out of control. Don't deny it, I think you are not truly calm now, it's more like a self-protection mechanism, trying to separate your emotions from your consciousness."

As Muharakawa spoke, he slowly leaned forward and put half of his face into the range of the light.

"Although you don't realize it, you are still nervous. Let go. You are holding the sofa cover too tightly. Your fingers will swell if you keep doing this."

Tang Ze followed his instructions, looked down at his hands on both sides of his legs, pretended to have just noticed something, and suddenly pulled his hands back.

With his head lowered, Tang Ze narrowed his eyes and looked at his shadow on the ground with interest.

Given the environment and the tone, he didn't even need to use his brain to guess what Kiharakawa was trying to do.

It seems that the information that Mao Lilan provided to Kiharakawa is very important to him. The fact that "Karazawa's mental state is unstable and his memory is fluctuating" is more tempting than the phenomenon.

When people face difficult problems, they will instinctively use the part they are best at.

Why is it often possible to easily determine whether the murderer is left-handed or right-handed simply by examining traces? It is mainly because under extreme conditions such as committing a crime, people will instinctively use their stronger and more familiar hand to operate the weapon, even if the strength of the other hand may be able to achieve the same effect. This is still an instinctive reaction.

The current Karasawa is a problem for Kiharakawa.

This proves that Kiharakawa’s best part as a psychotherapist is…

"I have talked to your current guardian. You seem to have some resistance to drug treatment. You also need some adjustments in dosage and specific medication. Let's not consider the medication plan for now. I want to try some other treatments today. Are you willing to give it a try, Tang Zejun?"

Here I come, waiting here.

"If, you don't need to take medicine." Following his words, Tang Ze nodded and did not refuse.

Even if Muharakawa didn't introduce the following content, Tang Ze knew what was going on. Muharakawa probably wanted to hypnotize him.

This did not exceed Tang Ze's expectations. It should be said that it was because he had some guesses about Kiharakawa's method that he discussed with Amuro Toru and chose to show the symptom of being unable to sleep due to anxiety to the other party.

His mental state was not good, he couldn't sleep, and he showed very clear symptoms, so it was only natural for Kiharakawa to propose some interventional therapies.

Upstairs, Conan, who was feeling a little sleepy after hearing what Kiharakawa said in a steady voice, caught the key words and immediately perked up.

"Have you heard of hypnotherapy, Tang Zejun? It should be very famous. Whenever it comes to psychology, there will inevitably be a lot of discussion about it."

"You mean, the technique of controlling people through suggestion?"

"It's not that exaggerated. It's just that many literary and film and television works exaggerate its effects and forms of expression. In fact, it is a technique that allows you to relax as much as possible, give you some positive suggestions, and avoid the influence of negative emotions and trauma. It still relies on communication. If people are so easy to control, how invincible would psychologists be?"

"Yes, yes..."

"Well, this kind of treatment requires the cooperation of the patient. If one consciously resists the concept of suggestion, it will be difficult to succeed. I think our communication is not sufficient and you don't trust me enough, so this is just an attempt. Don't be frustrated or worried even if it fails. This is a very normal phenomenon."

"So, there won't be a real loss of consciousness experience, right?"

"Yes, I promise that even if the treatment is successful, you will be conscious and autonomous throughout the whole process."

The treatment room fell into silence again.

It is not known where Mao Li Ran placed the bug, but this time, Conan could hear Karasawa's clear breathing. Obviously, Karasawa was also thinking and struggling.

But Conan wasn't going to wait any longer.

He stood up and ran downstairs, trying to find Mao Lilan who was anxiously waiting and try to stop the treatment from continuing.

In any case, no one can say whether hypnosis, a therapeutic technique involving cognitive modification, is still hypnosis therapy in the conventional sense when it is in the hands of someone who is proficient in cognitive hypnosis.

Even if he was present, due to the different environments and differences in the five senses, his feelings based solely on hearing would be very different from those of Tang Ze who was actually facing the Kihara River, and the safety of this treatment could no longer be guaranteed.

However, when he just found Mao Lilan and had not yet found a chance to call her away alone, Tang Ze, who had been silent for a long time on the other end of the eavesdropping device, had already made his choice.

"Then, I'll leave it to you, Dr. Kihara."

"Why is this guy Tang Ze..." Conan gritted his teeth.

This is too imprudent. Faced with such a person's safety, how can you agree to the new treatment proposed by the other party?

Conan, who could only hear Karasawa's voice, became anxious. However, from his invisible perspective, when Karasawa, who was leaning on the sofa, gave Kiharakawa a bitter smile of giving up, his half-closed eyes were faintly flashing with light.

Come on, come closer, let me take a closer look at what is hidden under this stolen mask of yours...

----

On the other side of Tokyo, Ireland, who was carefully smoothing out the stolen mask, pressed the edges of the mask to make sure that every part of it fit his face, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As he wiped away the water droplets, he glanced at the closed cubicle door behind him and clenched his teeth.

Otherwise, considering his current status, it would be inappropriate to make such an expression, and he almost couldn't control the urge to grind his teeth.

What's wrong with the police in Tokyo?

He was invited to investigate this serial murder case related to mahjong tiles. According to Adachi Toru's original plan, he reported to the Metropolitan Police Department leisurely and prepared to inquire about the information of other police officers in the joint investigation team of the case.

You know, in the first two days of the meeting, the organization will need other people to infiltrate and make preparations for the support. Just in case, he needs to collect information in advance to facilitate Vermouth's actions.

He had planned very well, even taking into account Adachi Toru's background of having worked in Tokyo many years ago, and prepared several plans for the next contact, thinking that his disguise was perfect.

Who would have thought that he almost failed less than twenty minutes after entering the Metropolitan Police Department.

He found the office area of ​​the First Investigation Division on the pretext of understanding the case, picked a pretty policewoman who looked easy to talk to and approached her to start a conversation, when he was suddenly splashed with tea in the face.

He was really frightened and almost thought that his disguise had been seen through at first sight and he was about to be exposed before he even took any action.

Then the woman said that she accidentally slipped?!
Do these policemen think he is a fool? How can someone slip and spill the tea on the table directly on someone's face?
Isn't that basically throwing a cup of tea in his face!
What is this? This is Japanese-style workplace bullying. Is this discrimination against police officers from small places who have not been appointed yet?!
After taking a minute to calm himself down, Ireland walked out of the restroom and was about to head towards the search section when a hurried policeman ran past him.

The man kept looking at his watch while running, holding a stack of documents tightly in his hand. He seemed to be in a hurry to deliver something and didn't have time to care about what was happening around him.

Therefore, when Ireland was caught off guard and was stepped on hard by him, his toes hurt and he almost fell split on the smooth tiles in front of the toilet. He frowned and turned his head, but the other person's back had disappeared around the corner and he couldn't find him at all.

Ireland was very angry, but he didn't even know who he should be angry at: "..."

Qianye, who was running with his head down, slowed down as soon as he turned the corner. He looked at his colleague who was already standing there waiting and gave a thumbs up: "I stepped on it, and it was very heavy. I heard the guy taking a deep breath."

"Well done." Takagi Wataru patted his shoulder. "Did it leave any marks? I think he likes his leather shoes. They are shiny and look new."

"Yes, I took a walk through the corridor that was under renovation and maintenance..."

Miwako Sato looked at her colleagues who were high-fiving each other and shook her head. "They are not elementary school students. It is childish to step on someone's foot as revenge."

Upon hearing this, Shiratori Renzaburo, who was self-respecting and had not joined in the fun last time, turned around and looked at her with an indescribable look. When he saw her beautiful face, he did not feel like complaining.

You weren't very mature when you threw tea at him, Miwako...

However, although he has no interest in getting involved, he definitely would not object if someone were to discipline this rubbish policeman who took advantage of his position to bully minors in prison.

(End of this chapter)