Psycho-Pass: Coping Mechanisms

Part 45 : Placebo Effect

PART 45 – Placebo Effect

"My, my... what are we to do with you, Akibara Shizuka?"

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She slept in the next day. When she woke up, it was already afternoon. She hardly overslept like that during weekends, but this Saturday was an exception. Memories came rushing in, running the first few blessed moments of ignorance that came in with longer intervals of sleep. Shizuka remembered. Obviously... the night before was a marathon. With Nobuchika, no less. And what a marathon. At the very thought of him, she felt her pulse quicken.

She rose from her bed... remembering.

She got out of his bed when he was already asleep. She gently stroked his hair, admiring his sleeping expression. He seemed so young... so sweet and gentle when he was like this. There was a certain vulnerability to him when his guard was down. Very unlike his usual demeanor.

She placed a light kiss on his cheek, proceeding to pick up her clothes. She was still trembling. Her face got red after she recalled what Gino and her did. How many times did they make love? Three times before they took a break. Two or three more times before they both fell asleep. She was so exhausted she had to drink a gallon of water before returning to his side to sleep some more. She felt like she was about to collapse. Damn, he took advantage of that 'one-night stand' exclamation. For a supposed one time, he did take her too many times, engraving himself into her.

But surely, after all they've done that night... he must have known it wouldn't just end there.

She silently dressed up, checking on her wristwatch. It was half past five in the morning. She took her things and snuck out, passing by Dime's box. She sipped some dog food to his bawl, and stroked his fur. The dog yawned, still heavily asleep.

She then went to her apartment, undressed again, and crushed into her bed, falling fast asleep. No wonder she slept for so long.

She activated Nyx, thinking about how awkward it felt now to look at all her pictures with Shinya. She remodeled her space to look like a cabin in the woods. She needed that feeling of alienation from the world. Her apartment now resembled Saiga's house, and her weekend-cottage, passed on to her from Ayumu Akibara. She used to go there as a child, on vacations. From time to time, she'd go and visit in order to maintain the place from degradation.

Small, red sea star danced in the digitalized air, cheerfully floating around Shizuka.

"Akibara-san, good afternoon! The weather is sunny, a walk in the park is highly recommended. You lack vitamin D!"

Vitamin D? She got some last night, she thought. Her face was almost as red as Nyx at that point.

"You also lack regular, healthy, night sleep. It's recommended you lie down earlier tonight! Your blood pressure is a bit high now. It's recommended you change your food regiment for a while."

Shizuka looked at her expression in the mirror. She was pale... and she definitely felt a bit nauseous. Her head was also starting to hurt. It's been a while since she felt like that.

"You show signs of exhaustion. You should probably take it easy today!" the star kept singing as it moved around Shizuka. Yeah, she probably should take it easy.

"Other than that, your hue is pastel blue today! Your healthy, strong psycho-pass should be maintained through additional exercise and prolonged physical activity!"

"For real?" Shizuka rolled her eyes, thinking how the physical activity from the last night certainly must have influenced her Psycho-Pass' repair. Damn. How shallow am I?