The next day, the sun was shining brightly, but the weather forecast on his phone predicted a turn to overcast later in the day.
Shu waited until Rice Cake lazily crawled out of its cat bed. It was still the same little idler, absolutely refusing to wake up until it had slept its fill and was completely comfortable.
I really envy its sleep quality... Shu wished he could experience that feeling of waking up naturally and feeling completely refreshed.
He wasn't sure if it was just him, but whenever he slept for even a little too long, he'd wake up with his whole body aching. His mouth would be painfully dry, sometimes even swollen and sore as if he were coming down with something.
Based on his own post-sleep side effects, Shu could easily deduce why the first thing a person waking from a coma always asked for was water.
The sensation was just that agonizing.
Wait, is it possible I'm not actually sleeping, but just passing out on a schedule every night?
Shu figured it probably wasn't that serious. His brain was definitely exhausted, but probably not that exhausted.
He prepared a lavish breakfast of fresh food for Rice Cake. After the kitten had finished its meal, Shu, on a whim, opened the laptop he had brought out into the living room.
He pulled up an anime that could be set to autoplay, then placed Rice Cake on the sofa directly in front of the screen.
After setting everything up, he suddenly felt a bit foolish, but it didn't matter. He trusted that Rice Cake was a very smart cat.
"Rice Cake," Shu said, stroking the cat's head as he began to explain. "I have to go out today. I probably won't be back until very late.
"You'll have to make do with kibble for dinner tonight, but I'll make you a big feast when I get back to make up for it.
"You be good while I'm gone... actually, never mind. I'll lock all the doors and windows, so just play however you want. Wait for me to come back, okay?"
"Meow," Rice Cake replied instantly.
Go forth, human!
This one shall await your return from the hunt!
"You haven't been out at all?"
Shu fell silent for a long moment. "I went on a long-distance trip about a month ago."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Dr. Bai exclaimed, a hint of relief in his voice. "Young people should get out and see the world more. A love for travel is a good thing... You did go out to have fun, right?"
Shu didn't speak. After a brief hesitation, he simply nodded.
Dr. Bai let out a visible sigh of relief and jotted down a few more notes on the chart.
Looks like the core of his condition hasn't improved much. The kid was still deconstructing every single word he said, every answer a meticulously crafted product.
Just looking at the results gave Dr. Bai a headache, bringing back vivid memories of the grueling, two-year-long ordeal that had ended just two years prior.
That feeling of being forcibly dragged into a thought process so complex and convoluted it was physically nauseating... He was over sixty now. This old man couldn't take much more of this.
Dr. Bai had already made up his mind. After he cured this young man—who had single-handedly aged him from looking forty to looking seventy—he was retiring.
If he cured him, he'd retire honorably from the field of psychiatry. If he failed, he'd retire directly from the biosphere.
"So, where did you go? Got any pictures? Share them with this old man, why don't you?" The doctor smiled amicably, tapping the tip of his pen on the desk.
"...A lot of places..."