Psycho-Pass: Coping Mechanisms

Part 35 : Dissociative

PART 35 – Dissociative

She knocked softly, almost inaudibly, and played a little game. If he opens... then she is supposed to be here. If he doesn't... it probably means that he is at the gym, or sleeping, or that he doesn't want to be bothered... and that she should go home.

She didn't have to wait long. Merely seconds later, Kogami appeared at the door. Somehow, he didn't seem surprised to see her.

"Inspector... is there a case?" he teased, leaning against the doorstep. He had a book in his hand... she didn't manage to catch the title.

"No... my visit is unofficial," she said. "I just... wanted to see you."

He moved to let her in, closing the door behind them. The moment he turned to face her, she put her arms around his neck.

"As much as I like it... I have to warn you. This might be... a bad idea," he warned.

"And here I am, trying my best to look like a seductress. You are making my attempt lame. It's bad for my confidence," she smiled, tracing his lower lip with her thumb.

"It's precisely because it's working that I have to say it," his hand slid down her back, following the delicate line of her spine. Her body stiffened. Her hand twitched.

"Shizuka..." he tried, but she shook off whatever feeling made her recoil.

"It's alright, Shinya. It's fine," she claimed, reaching for his arm on her waist. He slowly picked her up, feeling her relax a bit.

She kissed him, looking for some kind of reassurance. But who was she trying to reassure... he couldn't tell.

------------The office-------------

"Her tenacity is astounding as much as it's annoying. I have to admit, I didn't expect her to recover from that case."

"She's burdensome. Both to herself, and to her unit members. Maybe it's high time to move her to the mechanical. Let her be an engineer... she's done enough as an Inspector."

"And risk her getting an insight about the true nature of the system? Akibara simply can't stay put. Even if we change her profession at this point, she will just find another, substitute case to work on. If we put her in mechanical department, what do you think her instinct of an inspector would do? Build a case. Against us. She could examine, analyze then threaten our very existence. She might expose us."

"That's not a high probability, we shouldn't go that far. She wouldn't get that far. She believes we are super-computer, just like any other citizen. And even if she knew about the system... she wouldn't expose it. Calculations are highly in our favor."

"You claim so because you share a personal connection to Akibara Shizuka."

"And precisely because of it, I can predict her behavioral patterns better than most. She won't move a finger against such a perfect system. She will know we are necessary to maintain the perfect order. Even if she doesn't like it."

"And what if that's not the case? Escapists are anomalies. Similar to us, but still a separate category. So, let's look at the objective picture here. She's doubted the effectiveness of the Sibyl system for quite some time. How many mechanical engineers chose to thoroughly study Dominators and the distributing networks? She knows something doesn't add up. Wasn't that the reason she was first transferred from the mechanical to Division Three?"

"That's of lesser concern, since she has no proof of anything. Something about her worries me more. Are we sure she's merely an escapist? After all, with that inconvenient ability of hers... if she learns to control her episodes, she might even manage to control her crime coefficient at will."