The Seven Wonders Of Inumaki Toge

No. 6 Cough Syrup

Rumor has it that Inumaki Toge has cursed speech. Rumor has it that cursed speech is dangerous and takes a big toll on his body. Which is why he doesn't ever talk.
And just in case he does, he always keeps cough syrup nearby.

~~~~~

Inumaki was sitting in front of Shoko. She has had many patients in the past, people who looked and acted miserable in any possible way, but Inumaki is a totally new case. His eyes are bloodshot and had dark bags under them, as if he hasn't slept for months, and if anything his bruised and scrawny body make it clear that he's not treating himself well.

Other than that, it didn't help that his mother made a sudden emergency appointment for a kid who refuses to talk to Shoko. She wonders what he's doing here. Sure, she can see that he's not in a healthy state of mind, but from just seeing this kid, she can't diagnose and treat him like his mother is asking of her. She can make an assumption, like say he's probably got some eating disorder or harms himself, but his mother was clear about the fact that he has hallucinations and delusions. Bad ones, that need to be treated as soon as possible.

Shoko can't blame Inumaki's mother for being worried; seeing as Inumaki had to be carried in my her. He was crying and apparantly he'd been sceaming because of his hallucinations to the point that his doctor decided he needed to see someone as sooner than later.

That's where she came into the picture; Inumaki's mother insisted on having Shoko treat her son.

"Inumaki, can you tell me something about yourself?" Shoko asks the teenager.

When he shakes his head once before averting his gaze to the table's surface, Shoko decides that he's probably a little anxious about talking to strangers. Which is fair, since he was probably forced to visit her and talk against his will.

That's why she tries introducing herself first, so maybe that hurdle won't be too big. This doesn't help as much as she hoped it would though, and instead of talking Inumaki grows even more silent.

He lowers himself futher into his seat, cowering under the pressure of her asking him to talk.

"He doesn't talk much," Inumaki's mother says, refering to her son.

Shoko shows her a glance and nods. She appreciates the help Inumaki's mother gives her, but somehow she wishes his mother would just leave. Maybe the problems he has have to do with her, for all Shoko knows, she could be acting innocent while in reality she's the one who injures her son like this. And even if this isn't the case, she being in here could really influence his behaviour no matter what; Shoko has more than enough clients to know that they often don't talk about the real things when loved ones are around. Or in Inumaki's case, they don't talk at all.

Shoko turns back to Inumaki. There's a polite smile on her face when she asks, "Would you like to have some privacy?" She waits for an answer, expecting Inumaki to nod.

Eventually, she shakes his head. It's slow and careful, but a defenite shake.

"Okay," Shoko replies, leaning back into her seat. She will have to grant his request; his mother will be in there with them, even though Shoko knows both she and most of her clients defenitely don't appreciate their parents or other close family nearby during such a personal talk. "Then, could you tell me a little bit about yourself? Your age for instance?" Shoko asks in her kindest voice.

"He's seventeen," Inumaki's mother answers for him; typical mother's instict, something Shoko finds utterly annoying since it doesn't even give her client an opportunity to talk.

"Thank you, miss," Shoko says, regardless of her irritated feelings. "Next time I would like your son to reply to me. If that doesn't bother you."

Inumaki's mother's face turns somewhat shocked, before changing into pure annoyance as well. "He doesn't talk, okay." She gestures at her son. "That's one of our main problems here; he refuses to. You can sit here for hours, wait until he talks, but you'll be waiting for a long time."

"If that's the case, I will note that down," Shoko says, but quickly adds, "But only if I'm sure he doesn't just stay silent because he knows you'll answer for him." She's just speaking her mind, since she's not someone to do it the polite way. Maybe it's a questionable method, really, but it has always worked up to this point; her clients know what they can and can't expect from her.

She turns back to Inumaki. "So, try talking." She doesn't say it in a begging tone, or stern, she's just asking him, in hopes he'll listen. "Try, for yourself, your mother and me."

Inumaki lowers his gaze to the table's surface and swallows audibly. It's almost as if he's afraid of something; but whether it's Shoko, or having to talk or his mother, she doesn't know.

Eventually he just shrugs. It's not even somewhat of an answer, just a shrug and a pained expression as if he's saying "I can't, I'm sorry".

"Don't worry, kid," Shoko says, smiling lightly. "You'll get there."

She takes a second to think about how she wants to approach this Inumaki Toge case; should she make scans to see if there's nothing wrong with his brain or vocal cords that keep him from speaking, or should she just get him on meds and see what they'll do? She doesn't know.

"I know something," she says after a while. "I do want to make some scans." It seems the wisest, considering she barely knows anything about this kid. For all she knows he's got an anurysem or tumor causing his strange behaviour, she just wants to make sure. "It's nothing scary," she quickly adds when she sees Inumaki's shocked expression. "It's just so I can see a little better what's going on in your brain, get it?"

He nods once, and next he follows her out of the tiny room in silence.

~~~~~

Shoko has taken scans, tests, everything to determine what's wrong with Inumaki. Yet, everything seems off somehow; not in the way of his thoughts and behaviour are caused by something abnormal, but rather the opposite, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to why he's acting like this. It's not a tumor or anurysam, not a neurological disease, causing this sudden change.

Sure, it could be some mental disorder, it could be any even, but Shoko can't properly find this out unless Inumaki talks to her. Shows her what she's dealing with.

Normally her clients come to her because they want to relief their heart, talk about what exactly is bothering them, but in Inumaki's case that's not the the same. Which, though she is an expierenced psychologist, she's not able to take a diagnosis from just this kid sitting in front of her, speechless.

"The results were clean," she announces, knowing it'll be a relief to Inumaki and his mother, but to her it isn't. So the stern expression on her face shows. "Which is both good and bad news."

Inumaki's face barely changes, because he probably doesn't realize what this means just yet, but his mother's face falls in doom. "Does this mean—"

"I would suggest you let me keep him here just a couple of days." Shoko turns to Inumaki, who is looking less than even a little amused now.

When he shakes his head once, Shoko knows she needs to convince him.

"Don't worry," she says. "It'll only be a couple of days; you'll be treated like you would have been if you stayed on a normal ward with your injured arm. You can have guests and such." She doesn't know if she's saying it to convince him or rather to calm his nerves, because since he's under eighteen it's his mother's say whether he stays or not, and she wants him to go into this least nervous as possible. "It won't be as bad as it sounds."

He shakes his head once more, glancing at his mother before mumbling something that sounds like "bonito flakes", glaring up at her intensely as if begging her to tell Shoko no.

"He can stay," his mother says, though. She turns to her terrified son, patting him on the head calmly before telling him he'll be okay. "It's just for a couple of days, right?"

Shoko nods once more, before turning to Inumaki as well. She looked at her young, new client, observing his expression as it goes from terrified to a little bit calmer.

He nods carefully, granting her permission to keep him here for a couple of days.

She thanks him in response, promising him and his mother, she'll take good care of him.