Rhodes Island's Psychologist

Ch 32: Even A Devil Needs to Take Her Medicine (Part 2)

It is not a psychotropic drug.

Nightingale is an Infected, and her infection is quite severe. And today, Lin Yie noticed that she can't walk around easily, and she has to rely on her black staff as a cane to stabilize herself.

This drug helps control her oripathy, the reason she is in this stat to begin with. It is what Rhodes Island has fed her since her arrival. In the past, the medical staff could make her take it without much difficulty, but not anymore. 

Now, Nightingale seems to resist medication intuitively, so when Lin Yie took out the medicine bottle, she let go of his sleeve and backed away with an uneasy face on her.

"It is time for your medicine." Lin Yie says.

Nightingale shakes her head.

Lin Yie sighs.

He thought he would live a different life here in Rhodes Island, but things have not changed much when he was at Chernobog.

Back in Chernobog, his job involved treating pets, comforting them, feeding them medicine, sterilizing them. Now in Rhodes Island, he treats operators, comforts them, feeds them medication, and sterilizes them.

(Um?)

Did he add another job in the list?

Lin Yie thinks for a moment and realizes.

(Oh. There is no sterilizing here...... for now.)

"Liz." Lin Yie calls Nightingale's name directly, she seems to like it when he did that.

"You need to take your medicine."

Nightingale backs away again and looks out the window. A blue dot can be seen outside of it.

Looking at it closely, there is a bird flying in the blue sky.

Nightingale says softly, "That bird often appears in my dreams. Sometimes, I chat with it, and sometimes, I become the bird... I envy it."

Her words make him feel a tinge of sadness. He follows her gaze and says softly, "Do you envy that bird?"

"Um."

"We all do because they can fly while are stuck on the ground."

"Not only that." She shakes her head, 

"I also envy how it doesn't have to take medicine."

"..."

Nightingale hugs her staff closely and insists, "I don't want to take it."

"Liz...Please... For me..."

"Don't call my name while holding that medicine," Nightingale says carefully, 

"Otherwise, I will think you are as disgusting as the drug."

Hand meets face.

Lin Yie facepalms. It is way easier being a vet. If a pet refuses to take its medicine, he could just press it down and force the medicine inside its mouth.

But he can't do that to her. Setting aside the fact that he can't overpower her, a bunch of people from Rhodes Island would kill him if he does that. For example, there is that devil who is both a doctor and a sword saint.

(I love living, thank you very much)

Orchid suddenly chuckles. From her point of view, she lost to him the other day, but now she sees Lin Yie losing to Nightingale. She feels vindicated. 

(That's karma.) So, she doesn't press on the issue that he is late on the first day of his job, and more importantly...

Orchid looks at Nightingale.

(This poor kid is saved. Thank goodness.)

Orchid thinks.

After Lin Yie and Nightingale remain in a deadlock for a while, Orchid hands a folder to him.

"Uh?" Lin Yie takes it, "What's this?"

"Something for you to record your work," Orchid says, 

"You are Rhodes Island's psychologist now. Although you are still an intern, you still have to take care of the basic things. Today is your first day, and Nightingale should be your first patient, so write that down."

Orchid gives her pen to him.

Lin Yie takes it and smiles. Then, he opens the folder and begins writing.

"Thanks, but there's something you said that I want to change."

"Um? What is it?" Orchid asks curiously.

"Rather than a psychologist, I think of myself as a counsellor." Lin Yie says, 

"So that people who come to me because they need help, not because they are sick. I think this will make them feel more comfortable."

Orchid looks at him with surprise. She never expected to hear that from him, so the last bit of dissatisfaction in her disappeared. She realizes that Lin Yie is actually a good person. Maybe she really misunderstood him. Maybe Shining was right that he can be trusted.

Orchid smiles, "Yes....You are definitely correct."

But her smile disappears the moment she sees what he wrote about Nightingale --- "Mentally sick."

--------------------

Translator's Note

Lin Yie wrote "脑子有病," which literally means the brain is sick, but it actually means mentally sick in this context. On top of that, it feels like a practical joke, so when Lin Yie was a vet, he recorded the pets' problems in a semi-joking manner to amuse himself.

--------------------

Orchid says expressionlessly, "You are so cheap."

Lin Yie crosses that out awkwardly, "Sorry. I wrote without thinking. Always wrote it when being a vet."

He wasn't lying. Back when he was a vet, he wrote whatever he diagnosed with some twists. It was how he tried to entertain himself, so he didn't expect to trip over his old habit. YOu know the saying, old habit die hard, and with how he is still wanting to write it, the saying is very valid now.

Orchid doesn't want to talk to him anymore. She thinks he is fake, so she ends the conversation quickly after telling him he can use the reception room for his work until the doctor or Amiya is back. Then, she leaves for the medical room. When Orchid is gone, Nightingale walks to him.

"Who's mentally sick?" Nightingale asks.

Lin Yie hides the folder behind him awkwardly, "I am. I am mentally sick."

"Oh." Nightingale nods, "If you are, then take your medicine."

"Yes. Yes. I should take my medicine." Lin Yie also nods, 

(...)

but then he realizes what happened, "Hey!! That should be you! You sneaky little devil, you!!"

Never change to the idiot of a Psycho-- Counsellor. It makes it more entertaining in the long run.

(Hey!!!!)

.....Don't break the fourth wall, please...