Psycho-Pass: Coping Mechanisms

Part 28 : Root Problem

PART 28 - Root Problem

"Regarding this one... the answer is more than obvious."

Neither of them seemed to presume what he was referring to.

"He is afraid."

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

"I scored five hundred! I can't believe it!" Kaori Yumena expected her entrance exam results to be worse. She didn't know answers to a few questions upon taking the test, she left them empty. She feared the score would be really bad, but now, she was overjoyed. She will have a chance to work as a holographic developer, like it was evaluated beforehand by the grace of Sibyl. She will live up to her full potential.

"I got four hundred and seventy. Well, it could have been worse, considering my condition," Sayo was casual about it, like her future didn't depend on it.

"You mean by how drunk you got the night before the test. You are so reckless sometimes, Azumi!" Kaori referred to Sayo by her first name only when she'd screw up badly. "What about your Psycho-Pass?!"

"It will be fine; I took all recovery measures before I did the test!" Sayo pinched Yumena's cheek, to which her friend grimaced. Sayo checked the list again, looking all scores.

"I can't believe this!"

Shizuka, who was spacing out for a few moments, was startled by her friend's high-pitched scream.

"Shizuka Akibara, I can't believe you scored six hundred and eighty points!" the girl was in awe, looking further.

"I just got lucky," Shizuka stated. The taste of achievement was soiled by an unfortunate situation with the evaluator.

"No one gets that lucky!" Sayo pointed out, and Shizuka was embarrassed. She didn't like to look like a nerd in front of her girls. But, she did study hard. Her whole future depended on Sibyl's judgement.

"I just... got all the questions I studied for," she felt lame even by saying that.

"Well, we were studying too," Sayano Azumi smirked. "Just not with Kogami. I guess it makes all the difference."

"Now that you mention it... were you two studying at all?" Kaori teased. The girls laughed at Shizuka's reddish face. She pouted, annoyed by their remarks.

"Come on. Stop with that."

"Imagine her score hadn't she had those points removed," Kaori pointed out to Sayo. "She would probably score more than seven hundred! Close to Kou. Or, at least... she would get close to Gino's own score."

Shizuka thought about that.

"I doubt it. The general result is more than I hoped for, considering how my responses from psychology section made the evaluator's hue cloud. I am surprised they didn't take even more points from my result, so all is quite good in the end."

She still felt guilty about that interrogator's state. The damage wasn't drastic... but still.

"Well, look at the bright side of it. You definitely caught professor Saiga's attention," Sayo said, which made Kaori's eyes widen.

"How is that a good thing?! That man is dangerous for his students! It's said he makes hues cloud just by talking!"

"Well, it's a feature our Shizuka shares with the professor, obviously. At least they'll have something in common!"

Shizuka looked at Sayo, feeling a bit hurt.

"It's not funny, Azumi," Kaori said. She also called Sayo by her first name when she disliked her remarks.