Ichiko heard this term for the first time.
She hadn't been exposed to ACG culture, nor had she grown up stably like ordinary people.
She was an orphan from a young age and often had to struggle for a living. Before she picked up Haruko, she lived with an old lady who collected garbage.
The old lady's son didn't care for her, and she had no grandchildren. Her legs and feet were inconvenient, so living with Mimi was a form of mutual care. It was because of the old lady's guidance that Mimi was very sensible from a young age.
It was just that the old lady passed away early. After helping her get through the most difficult period, she left the world.
Then, in elementary school, she met Haruko, who was being bullied.
Haruko's family was also very poor, but they still took Ichiko in.
After that, besides working part-time, she studied hard. The occasional happiness in her childhood was brought by Haruko. Every time she heard a cute little girl calling her'sister' from behind, she felt that everything was worth it, no matter what.
Even now, her hobbies are still reading books, listening to music, and the like.
She doesn't watch dramas, doesn't read novels, doesn't play games, let alone video streaming. Her internet usage is mostly for reading news.
When Haruko brought up the concept of 'yandere', Ichiko immediately searched online.
During this time, Haruko was not in a hurry and waited for Ichiko to reply.
In the adjacent hospital room, Ichiko looked at the information she searched for, dumbfounded.
"Based on how Haruko acts, does it really seem like the 'yandere' the Doctor mentioned?"
"This is actually considered a 'moe' trait online!"
Ichiko was stunned.
Whether it was in the basement or on the rooftop, she deeply felt the terror of Haruko's strange state.
But in the eyes of netizens, this was actually a lovable trait in the world of anime and manga.
She looked at the explanation and read it out word by word, "A pathological, twisted psychology resulting from deformed love, leaning towards possessiveness with extreme thoughts or behaviors, leading to excessive words and actions beyond normal understanding..."
"Excessive words and actions refer to extreme behaviors such as crazy declarations of love, exclusion, stalking, destroying what they can't get, and self-harm."
"Hiss!"
Ichiko thought carefully, wasn't this exactly how Haruko was?
Declarations of love, exclusion, self-harm, it perfectly fits!
"How do netizens think such a twisted thing is a 'moe' point? Does no one have love?"
Then, Ichiko searched again for whether 'yandere' can be cured.
Few doctors give opinions on this because 'yandere' in reality also refers to a type of mental illness.
It was better not to search; searching again scared her.
If extreme enough, 'yandere' can also turn dark. Many examples of 'yandere' given by netizens involve dismembering people and putting them in the refrigerator, which made Ichiko's scalp tingle.
After a while, Ichiko held onto hope and sought out this "Dr. Kaito."
Mimi: "Doctor, I just learned about what 'yandere' is. I feel my friend is a bit serious. Do you have a solution?"
Dr. Kaito: "Of course, this old man has been diagnosing for thirty years. What kind of situation haven't I seen? Handling 'yandere' is my forte."
Mimi: "That's great! How do you charge?"
Dr. Kaito: "No rush, this is still the consultation stage. I will give some initial treatment suggestions based on your friend's situation. If you find it helpful, we can discuss it further. However, there is little medication assistance in this kind of treatment."
Dr. Kaito: "For this type of mental patient, you need to use actions and words for spiritual treatment."
Upon hearing this, Ichiko felt much more at ease.
Yuri truly was a good best friend, so good to her.
The uncle she introduced was not only capable but also serious and responsible. She had just been worried if the other party would demand an exorbitant price.
After all, she really didn't have money. If the other party asked for a lot of money, she would have to borrow it.
With a serious little expression on her face, Ichiko replied, "Then I'll trouble Dr. Kaito."
Haruko's lips curved upwards, and she lightly snapped her fingers.
Got her!
Now she could completely cooperate with the identity of the Doctor to customize a better 'yandere' plan, forcing Ichiko to take bolder actions because she had to "treat" her.
And the persona she had previously faked for herself now came into play.
She typed to Ichiko, "Peach Miss, 'yandere' also comes in many types. In my opinion, your friend should be the Dependent type, but she has had instances of kidnapping you, so it's likely she also has some Possessive traits."
Dr. Kaito: "However, you said she is mostly normal, so she should be mainly Dependent, with less of the Possessive type."
"The former develops a deformed love for you and gradually becomes dependent on you. If you leave her or don't put her first in your heart, she will have various negative emotions, and in severe cases, she may have suicidal tendencies."
Ichiko recalled everything that happened on the rooftop last night and immediately agreed with what Dr. Kaito said.
Dr. Kaito: "And the Possessive type often manifests as twisted love and strong possessiveness. The person will want their beloved to become their property, and if words are useless, they often resort to imprisonment."
"The good news is that her Possessive traits are less prominent, and her dependence on you will not cause social harm. As long as you are nice to her and go along with her ideas more, she won't act too excessively."
While talking, Haruko also sent Ichiko explanations of various 'yandere' traits.
For example, the Exclusive type and the Aggressive type, killing people at the drop of a hat would be too terrifying.
But even so, it still gave Ichiko a headache.
She hesitated for a moment, but still asked Dr. Kaito the question that had been bothering her, "Doctor, according to you, Haruko says she likes me, so for treatment..."
Dr. Kaito: "Do you like her?"
Mimi: "Uh... well, I said we're both girls."
Dr. Kaito: "I also said that's not the point."
Mimi: "But that is the point!"
Mimi: "You might not think much of it as a Doctor, but I'm the person involved. Two girls and all that, this... this isn't right, is it?"
Haruko looked at the panic between the lines in Ichiko's words and smiled calmly, "She really doesn't understand anything. Cute girls are treasures in this world, so two cute girls aren't double the happiness?"
She continued typing, in Dr. Kaito's tone, "Actually, you've fallen into a misunderstanding. You don't need to actually like her; you just need to pretend to care about her by going along with her liking."
Ichiko's eyes lit up: "That's right, Doctor, this is indeed a method. First, soothe her emotions, and then slowly help her resolve her mental block during treatment. When she recovers, it will be fine, right?"
Dr. Kaito: "Yes, you grew up together and have a good relationship, right? If you can't accept her, then use this method, pretend to like her, but there is one thing you need to pay attention to."
Dr. Kaito: "Yandere are often very sensitive. If she finds out you are faking your liking, if her psychology collapses, there will be more serious consequences."
Mimi: "This..."
Dr. Kaito: "That's why I asked if you like her or not. This is very important. If you don't like her at all, it might be difficult to pretend."
Dr. Kaito: "Have you really never liked her at all?"