Psycho-Pass: Coping Mechanisms

Part 12 : Reflective Response

PART 12 - Reflective Response

-----back then-----

"Gino... how about we go out? We have been studying for hours! We should stretch our legs a bit. Buy a soda. Eat something. Walk your dog," Shizuka proposed, unable to focus. She was reading paragraphs over and over, but she wasn't making any progress. She couldn't remember a single thing.

It was partially because of him. Having him around was distracting as much as it was helpful. He wasn't aware... but in years, he grew into a quite handsome young man. Being so focused on studies gave him additional appeal. Being serious and strict also had its charms. He wasn't romance-oriented person, though. To her knowledge, he didn't like anyone in particular. Still, she liked him for his resolve and his objective to work on his future career, even if it meant he wouldn't have romantic pursuits.

No one was as sure of his career choice as Gino. She envied him a bit for that, being indecisive about it herself. He fixed his glasses, looking at her.

"You were the one asking for help, weren't you? I am helping. You have a test in a few days. With this amount of material, I'm surprised you didn't start earlier. We have a lot to cover."

She read between the lines. He was just nicely putting that she was an idiot. She was wasting her time.

"It's just... so difficult..." she complained.

Gino frowned. It wasn't all that difficult; she was just lazy. With all her treatments and all her recent obligations, she was getting easily tired and easily bored. She was looking at the law book, picking up the pen to circle the passage that she was trying to memorize. Using real paperback scripts instead of digital formats helped her study. It also helped practicing handwriting, which was slowly starting do die out due to era of digital advancing and technological development. Typing became essential, while handwriting, pen and paper were almost the thing of the past. But, the old ways made her engage studying, more than digital devices did. She was taking notes, paraphrasing paragraphs. Gino was scrolling on his notebook.

"Do you want some tea? Coffee?" she offered. He looked at the four emptied mugs and then glared at her.

"Shizuka."

There it was. His threatening look. That dangerous tone, never strong enough to stress her out, but reprimanding enough to warn her.

"Sorry," she mumbled. She read some more, hoping he wouldn't notice occasional small glances in his direction.

He was leaning onto his hand, using it to support his face as he was re-reading the source material for the subject. One look and his strict expression would stop her from daydreaming, making her concentrate. Another useful trait of having him as teacher. She was a bit of an air-head whenever she was supposed to study and he was there to keep her in check.

This time, they went through all clauses of ministry of public safety bureau's law. He was patient. Some of her responses were really good. The others, not so much. But, she was a fast learner, and with him, she progressed more than when she was studying on her own. Providing examples, he made topics interesting. She was focusing and even asked questions, showing more interest. No wonder Sibyl system marked her capable in several areas. A fast learner indeed... but her focus was all over the place.

Seeing how well she did, he added another book, dropping it on top of a larger pile in front of her. The dread on her face would make any other person laugh, but Gino was dead serious. He wanted her to do better since her capacity allowed her to cover more material in smaller amounts of time.

"You are kidding me," she stated, now officially discouraged. He took a good look at her face. She still had some childish features, but was certainly changing. Her structure was sharper. She was getting more mature. Her behavior, though...