Reincarnated in Beyblade Burst

Counselling Session

Warning: Mentions of bullying, self harm and depression.

Shu was obviously a complete mess. He stayed with Valt during the weekend and Valt informed me that Shu refused to eat at all and it seemed like Shu didn't sleep at all.

"I tried tempting him with some brownies, but he didn't even have one nibble," said Valt. "And I caught him self-harming again at night. It scares me."

The Beyclub learned about Shu's condition and everyone tried to help him. Kairi told Shu to listen to his favourite music. Rantaro told him that maybe he would feel better after spending time with his friends. Daigo suggested writing down his feelings in a journal or a diary.

Wakiya told Shu that maybe he needed to clear his thoughts. Valt said that Shu should distract himself with things he likes.

Well, I thought that Daigo's suggestion of writing down feelings would be the most useful, so I told Shu that he should get a diary. Well, that didn't work out well.

On Monday, I asked Shu if he was okay. He didn't answer, which made me feel that he wasn't doing so good.

Anyone could tell that Shu wasn't taking care of himself. He smelt weird, as if he haven't showered for days. He had dark circles under his eyes and actually fell asleep during Math. Luckily I quickly woke him.

"Shu, you should get some rest," I told him. "It doesn't look like you have been sleeping well."

But Shu said that he always had nightmares now and was too afraid of falling asleep now. I sighed. I was running out of ideas of how to help him.

In spite of Principal Shinoda's warnings about bullying, people were still mocking Shu and bullying him. It was pretty awful.

But then Sora took things to the next level. She stole Shu's diary and read out everything written in it during lunch.

"Dear Diary, I can't stand it anymore," said Sora in a mocking voice. "I hate having those nightmares. I want it all to stop."

I gasped in horror. "Sora, that's not yours. Return it to Shu at once!"

"I don't think I will," she said. "Dear Diary, I received a hate letter wishing that I will die. I try not to get this go to my head, but..."

I snatched the diary away from Sora. Well, we ended up fighting on the ground. It ended with both of us getting sent to Principal Shinoda's office.

Luckily, we were both let off with only a warning. It seems like Sora didn't listen to what Principal Shinoda said to her at all about not bullying.

Shu didn't want to go to his first counselling session as he was feeling really bad that day. I had also noticed that Shu's grades were starting to drop. He actually failed a History test for the first time. And he didn't do any of his homework. It was pretty awful watching Shu get worse.

Miss Chinen was actually quite patient. She started off with asking Shu his name and age. Then she asked him why he was here.

"I... Have been feeling really depressed lately," said Shu. "I... Made some mistakes and did some bad stuff. But people make me feel so bad for it. And..." He went quiet.

I spoke up. "Shu got possessed by an evil Beyblade and ignored his friends. He apologized and all his friends forgave him, but he has been receiving hate mail and is getting tormented for it. It took a toll on his mental health."

"Okay," said Miss Chinen. "So do you have any changes of appetite?"

"Yes," said Shu. "I haven't felt hungry and don't really eat nowadays."

"Sleeping habits?" asked Miss Chinen.

"I don't really sleep," said Shu. "I have really bad nightmares."

"Loss of interest in usual activities?"

"Yes, I lost interest in beyblading. I haven't touched my bey in weeks."

"Anxiety?"

"Sometimes."

"This might be a bit harsh, but any suicidal thoughts?"

Shu went silent, so I said, "Yes. But he hasn't really acted on them yet."

"Okay... Self harm?"

"Yes," I said, showing her Shu's bandaged arms.

"Okay... It seems like you are depressed," said Miss Chinen. "And it stems from all the bullying and harassment you have been facing lately."

"Do you have any suggestions?" I asked.

"Well, for starters, I suggest you take some time off school to heal."

"What? I can't miss school!" said Shu. "What if I miss something important?"

"Well, it seems like you are unmotivated to do your best in class, so I don't think going to school would benefit you. Also, you could talk to your parents about..."

"I can't," said Shu. "My parents... They are always busy. They don't have time for me."

"Oh. Then talk to any adult that you trust," said Miss Chinen. "I wouldn't advise on taking anti-depressants as they don't actually help and you are a little too young for them anyway."

"Can I help?" I asked.

"Yes," said Miss Chinen. "Try to find out what still makes him happy. And don't focus on the bad things."

"But I... I..." Shu dissolved into tears again. I decided that maybe we should go out now.

"Thank you Miss Chinen. We will be setting off now."