CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The therapist's office was a dusky blue, with soft lighting illuminating the walls. It was a cozy space. The posters on the walls with words like "You're safe here" and other accessories made it a more casual space than Rio expected from a doctor's office.
Though the effort to make the place comfortable ended there. Rio could see the wallpaper fraying, the chipped edges on the table, and the dusty collection of books. This place had seen better days, made worse by the fact its major inhabitant put little to no effort into it.
The doctor wore a pair of round glasses. She probably wore them to seem more intellectual, but she unfortunately came across as a character from a children's book. Maybe that was the intent. With her shaggy hair, coarsely knit sweater, and long pleated skirt, she didn't exactly come across as professional—more like a high school art teacher.
"Ah, please come sit. This is a safe space. Why don't we all take deep breaths and relax?" the lady said with a smile, pointing at the only other seats in the room.
Rio and his mum took their seats, both quietly observing the would-be doctor.
"It's nice to finally have you here. This was abrupt, but I'm glad to see I was able to fit this into my schedule. So, Mrs. Hayami, I didn't quite understand what you were getting at on the phone. Now that you're here in person, would you mind relaying what exactly prompted you to make this decision to bring little Rio here for therapy?"
Izumi went on to explain how Rio had been involved in two villain attacks—and how he had actively sought out that confrontation.
"My, my, that's terrible. Still, Mrs. Hayami, you were being very vague about which incidents in question Rio was involved in. I'd like to know why that is," the doctor said curiously as she leaned in, head resting on her arms.
"I don't think I'm obligated to tell you that information, Dr…" Izumi paused, trying to recall—the lady had never given her name, after all.
"Dr. Hibiki. Just call me Dr. Hibiki."
"Right, Dr. Hibiki. I don't think that information is very important," Izumi said, leaning back into her seat, arms crossed.
"I understand if you don't want to share. Being attacked by villains is an undoubtedly traumatic experience for anyone. Still, while it isn't required, I would like to understand the whole situation before proceeding."
Izumi remained tight-lipped, determined not to say anything more on the topic. The two locked eyes in a silent confrontation. The therapist finally relented.
"I understand. I'll skip through that. Let us proceed," the lady sighed as she picked up the files on the table.
They waited for a good minute while she went through the files. Rio just scanned the room indifferently, wishing to be anywhere else but here. He didn't like the way the lady addressed him but since the lady had been professional so far, he didn't want to be rude, and just did his level best to ignore her.
"Hmmm, I see. Yes, that is possible." Whatever the lady was reading, it was clearly interesting enough to start mouthing her internal monologue.
"I see that little Rio here does have a violent streak to him. Most people who are brought here on charges like this tend to be teenagers—you know, youthful rebellion and the strong urge to question authority. Though Rio is quite young to be having those thoughts."
Bullshit, Rio thought to himself. Why's she making me out to be some angsty teen with delusions of grandeur?
"Still, I don't like to assume, but perhaps—is little Rio acting out because of his father's death? Young minds tend to process trauma quite differently from adults. Little Rio, are you committing acts of vigilantism to compensate for being unable to save your father from that robbe—"
"Hibiki-san, I don't quite know where you're getting at with this. I need to know if you can offer any assistance, not some twisted psyche evaluation. You're stepping out of line," Izumi said sternly, all her earlier amicability gone as she settled into her default indifferent stare.
Rio was having none of this. The lady clearly knew what she was doing—she wanted them uncomfortable, and she was clearly succeeding in riling them up.
"I'm truly sorry if I was being hurtful, but you need to understand that children from unhappy families tend to lash out more often—barring few exceptions. I understand that little Rio here doesn't seem to be one of them, though," Dr. Hibiki said with a small, uncompromising smile on her lips.
Rio made sure to make his displeasure known by mouthing a quick fuck you, lady to the doctor when he was sure his mother wasn't looking.
Far from being displeased, the doctor smiled even more widely and continued to double down on her statements.
"Seven out of ten children brought to quirk counseling are usually here because of problems at home—barring, of course, those whose quirks affect their quality of living and are uncontrollable. It's just statistics. There's no need to be so alarmed, Mrs. Izumi."
Rio's mum deflated at that statement, looking down at her feet. Rio could tell she had already started blaming herself for failing him. That wasn't true. Izumi may not have been a perfect mother, but she was trying her best.
Rio wanted to comfort her, to tell her it was okay, but he knew she wouldn't listen. This evil witch was feeding into her insecurities. Her wide grin as she continued to hammer down her point was indicative of that.
Rio flipped her off.
While he wanted nothing more than to rip off that nasty wig from her hair and shove it down her throat, it wasn't something he could feasibly do to a government official. Not without getting caught, at least.
"Once again, I'm sorry if you've felt distressed at my words. Know it is not my intention. But I'm committed to the healing process, and what I've found in my years of practice is that we need to uncover those scars and face them—for a better tomorrow.
I would like you to leave the room for a bit while I address little Rio here for a while."
Izumi turned to Rio worriedly. Before she could say anything, however, Dr. Hibiki cut in.
"Don't worry, this is normal procedure. I'll just ask Rio here a few questions, get to know him a little. Don't worry—it'll be quick."
Izumi quietly acquiesced, not before telling Rio to be good as she closed the door behind her.
Dr. Hibiki's signature smile, which she had held for the entirety of the conversation, faded away as she turned to Rio.
"Hey, you little shit. They don't pay me enough to watch you criminals in the making prance around like the beasts you are. So why don't you make this easy—on yourself and on me—and behave, okay? You don't want me passing you off as unstable. Or maybe better yet, I'll recommend electrotherapy. That will be really fun."
Rio just smiled at her. Ah, the witch is finally revealing her true colors. Couldn't keep up the act anymore, huh?
"For a doctor, you're pretty fucked up, lady. How about I tell my mum about this interesting conversation we just had?" Rio smirked. If she expected a horrified child, she would be in for a rude awakening. She had no idea she was dealing with an adult with corporate experience. Compared to his former boss, she was a cute puppy.
Dr. Hibiki, for her part, raised an eyebrow at Rio—clearly not the reaction she was expecting. Then, she immediately burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA! Oh my, you're precious, aren't you? Calling for mummy." She grinned. "You know, you're cute enough that I might've let you go, but you caught me on a bad day. I am so looking forward to our time together, brat."
Rio ignored her as he continued his rant.
"Just picture it on the news—Licensed psychologist threatens eight-year-old with violence! The media would love this. They'd run the story for months."
He exclaimed in faux excitement, waving his arms wildly as if to emphasize just how much they would love it.
"I've been playing this game longer than you've been alive, kid. It's your word against mine. And for someone who's here for violent crimes, you aren't trustworthy enough to cast doubt on me. In this community, I have a stellar reputation."
"That's why I have a recording, old lady. You really shouldn't be saying anything that comes out of your mouth."
Rio smirked as he pulled out his phone, the recording still going. He noticed the lady had finally understood the gravity of her situation.
"Ah, good one. You got me there. I seem to have underestimated you. Well played." Dr. Hibiki clapped mockingly.
"Still, that won't be career-ending for me. This is a very unpopular field, after all. Don't get it twisted, kid. You need me more than I need you. A word from me is enough to make your life miserable."
"Oh yeah? And how's that? I'm curious," Rio said teasingly. He had already caught his prey—there was no way he was letting the food that had gotten into his mouth fly away.
"It's a very small circle. Everyone who works in the field knows each other. You take me down, and one phone call later, you've made an enemy of every single counselor in town. You don't believe me, do you?" Dr. Hibiki asked, noticing he hadn't stopped recording and was still smirking in victory.
"The government didn't take this department very seriously, but they did give the counselors very high decision-making power. Take it from me, kid—there are many ways to forge a fake voice recording. If I lose, I get maybe—what? A revoked license? I have enough contacts to ensure that I live a fulfilled life.
You, though? If you lose... trust me, you'd wish you never met me today. You'll have a résumé so bad not even restaurant staff would hire you—not when you're at risk of snapping their heads off. After all, it is an official government report."
Rio stood his ground, holding the phone over his head, while the lady stood over him triumphantly with her arms crossed. The Mexican standoff went on forever, until finally, the doctor relented.
"Fine. I'll cut you some slack and treat your case properly. Just delete that stupid recording you have," Dr. Hibiki sighed in exasperation.
Rio scoffed at the proposal. He had leverage—and that was the only reason this crazy woman wasn't going out of her way to destroy him. There was no way in hell he was deleting that.
"Fine! Keep the stupid recording. See if I care!" the doctor exclaimed in a huff as she rang Izumi in.
That was dangerous. Still, I was lucky to have started recording when I did. Thankfully, she didn't call my bluff. I only started recording the later parts of that particular conversation.
Puppy she may have been but she was a particularly vicious one. This was not what he had signed up for.