While the two bodyguards went to the bedroom to catch the patient, Fushimi Roku, using his social charm, handed a bottle of Coke to the caregivers and casually asked, "What kind of mental illness does that girl have?"
The young caregiver, without any caution, casually replied, "She’s not sick; she almost drowned before, was asphyxiated for too long, and it damaged her brain..."
Upon hearing this, Minamoto Tamako’s ears perked up.
The older caregiver turned around and elbowed his junior to interrupt him, awkwardly smiling as he said, "It’s related to patient privacy, not convenient to disclose."
After speaking, the two bodyguards dragged Uesugi Shion out of the bedroom, who looked like a pig about to be slaughtered during the New Year, twisting and flailing mid-air, looking just like a fool.
The caregivers quickly stepped forward, putting restraining straps on Uesugi Shion. She howled and bit, forcing the caregivers to seal her mouth as well—at first glance, it looked like some kind of bondage play...
Before leaving, the older caregiver took the opportunity to ask, "Ah right, may I ask if the patient said or did anything after coming here? The doctor needs to confirm the reason for the patient’s escape, do you two know why she broke into your home?"
Upon hearing this, Minamoto Tamako squinted her eyes, the soul of the detective burning fiercely, she struck a pose just like Conan’s and seriously speculated:
"It could be because the Sugamo Apartment delivers milk at 6 AM every day. This female patient ran away all night, her throat parched, she noticed the milkman and sneaked into Sugamo Apartment to steal some milk; the reason she snuck into our home could be because I caught her attention when I went out to throw the trash in the morning..."
"Uh," the caregiver interrupted, "No need for such logic. She basically has no thinking ability... What I meant to ask is, have either of you seen her before, because some patients instinctively seek out memorable people."
Minamoto Tamako shook her head; she had no impression of this woman.
Fushimi Roku remained silent, escorting them to the door, as the caregivers and bodyguards bowed in gratitude, deeply apologizing for the patient-caused disturbance. The older caregiver gave him a health check coupon for future use at Tokyo University Affiliated Hospital, offering a 50% discount.
Uesugi Shion glared wide-eyed at Fushimi Roku, making muffled noises. He ignored her, took the health check coupon, bade farewell, and closed the door.
"Alright, everything’s explained now."
Fushimi Roku smacked his palm with the health check coupon, headed to the living room to find Minamoto Tamako, "I told you, I’m innocent. Who could’ve known this would happen..."
"What’s with the handcuffs?" Minamoto Tamako interrupted.
This little episode dispelled all her internal tension and romance, leaving only deep distrust towards Mr. Fushimi.
Before confessing, she had a tiny bit of distrust towards Mr. Fushimi; but after she knew she confessed, her doubts grew rapidly into a towering tree, now she looked at Mr. Fushimi, feeling something was off, always thinking he had shady intentions and lacked discipline.
Fushimi Roku had long prepared an excuse, sprawling on the sofa, "I handcuffed myself to the headboard last night to quit smoking."
As he spoke, he emptied his pockets and said, "Look, no cigarettes, which means I’ve succeeded in quitting..."
Minamoto Tamako didn’t believe it; quitting smoking isn’t like quitting drugs, does it require handcuffing oneself to the bedhead? Even leaving marks? Who would believe that!
She decided to learn from Mama-chan, to bluff Mr. Fushimi.
"Sakurako told me about last night," Minamoto Tamako put her hands on her hips, pouting, "You better tell the truth!"
Minamoto Tamako technically wasn’t lying; Sakurako did say that she heard distorted screams from Mr. Fushimi’s room last night...
Fushimi Roku thought Taira Sakurako ratted him out, saying some weird stuff. After all, Taira Sakurako suspected he was up to no good the night before — if Minamoto Tamako ended up thinking he XXOO’d her, the trouble would be even bigger. Who knows, Kujo Yua might bring a SWAT team to his door, drag him to Tokyo Bay, and feed him to sharks.
He weighed his options briefly and decided to tell the truth, choosing the lesser of two evils.
Continuing to argue would only be endless.
This girl couldn’t tolerate the slightest excuse; she had to get to the bottom of everything. With his patience worn out, Fushimi Roku decided to let everything spill out, ending up in mutual social death.
After all, he was a goner anyway, face be damned.
"Alright, I’ll tell you the truth. Last night, you bound me, clamped my... here with a wooden rack." Fushimi Roku gestured at his chest, "And you told me a secret, that you were the villain holding me hostage in the back seat of the taxi."
The truth was far more terrifying than Minamoto Tamako ever imagined.
That matter was the biggest secret of Minamoto Tamako’s life. She planned to take it to her grave, never letting anyone know, especially not Mr. Fushimi himself.
"And, and then?" she asked shakily, "Why does my bum hurt when I woke up this morning?"
Fushimi Roku was about to say there was nothing after that, but he felt if he tried to hide more, Minamoto Tamako would just delude herself into thinking he wasn’t speaking honestly.
"Then I got really angry, spanked you, made you apologize. I admit I was a bit drunk too, not entirely rational, but this can’t be pinned on me; after all, you attacked me with a wooden clamp first."
He now withheld absolutely nothing.
"That’s it?" Minamoto Tamako’s mind buzzed. "What about the confession..."
Fushimi Roku shrugged, "I made it up."
Minamoto Tamako turned into a salted fish, collapsing onto the sofa. She shifted from lying flat to lying on her side, hugging the cushion and curling up, silently sobbing for a long ten minutes.
Fushimi Roku felt overwhelmed, sat beside Minamoto Tamako, and whispered, "Why are you crying again? Just because you missed your chance to confess? Hey, I’m not saying I can’t give you another chance, even now it’s not too late... I already demonstrated the lines for you just now, just recite them."