Lesson Learned

I think we made some progress!

"But there's a much quicker method than the ones you both used." Dad took the cube from her. "One that I believe requires less time to learn."

Mitsuko frowned when she saw their dad take out a screwdriver. "What method is—?"

She and her brother flinched back when their dad jammed the screwdriver into the Rubix cube and sent the small square pieces scattering across the red rug.

Mitsuko's chest tightened painfully when she saw her toy broken on the floor. "You broke it..."

"Exactly," dad said brightly, smiling down at them. "And now you'll need to put it back together—quickly now, gather all the pieces."

She looked confused but then quickly sank to her knees and gathered up the pieces in her arms.

"Now put it back together." Dad held up the timer. "Begin."

Mitsuko tensed and quickly tried to put the squares back into place, starting with the corners and then hastily did the sides until the cube was complete.

Dad stopped the timer. "35 seconds." He frowned faintly. "...Interesting."

She grimaced as he took the cube without even glancing at her. "Gakushuu, now you try."

Her brother's eyes narrowed in focus as the cube was broken again and the pieces scattered on the rug.

"Begin."

Mitsuko watched in surprise as her brother meticulously stuck each little cube back into place with accurate precision. His fingers were moving so fast she could barely see them move.

"Done." Gakushuu held up the finished cube as their dad stopped the timer.

"17 seconds." Dad looked pleased, smiling faintly. "Very good."

She hunched her shoulder up and lowered her gaze as her brother was patted on the head by their dad.

Dad took the cube from her brother. "Now, let's repeat the process to see if we can get a faster time and then we will compare the results again."

Mitsuko and her brother both frowned up at him and then winced when the cube was broken again.

Dad smiled and started the timer. "Begin."

***

"...And how many times did you break the cube?" Dr Yokoyama turned a page in his notebook to continue writing.

"Twenty-three times," Mitsuko replied, shrugging. "It broke on the 24th time because the plastic cracked."

"I see..." The therapist muttered, frowning. "And...why were you locked in the closet?"

"Oh, I got a 75% on a test and Gakushuu knocked over a vase by accident," she replied, shrugging.

Dr Yokoyama wrote something else down in his notebook. "Interesting..."

Gakushuu scowled. "He doesn't do it anymore."

"Yeah, he stopped doing that when we were thirteen and got too big," Mitsuko said quickly, giving a strained laugh. "Good thing too because that closet was pretty cramped already..."

"The point is we're perfectly safe at home!" Gakushuu said quickly, narrowing his eyes at the man. "So don't start getting any ideas."

"Ah." The therapist looked sheepish. "I'm not in the business of tearing up siblings and families."

Her brother eyed him warily. "But you have a legal obligation to report any abuse."

"Well, actually I have a standard of ethics I have to abide by," Dr Yokoyama replied. "If I believed your life was in danger, then yes, I would need to report it...but I don't believe that's the case here." He wrote something down. "Hm...how do you feel after telling me that story?"

Mitsuko frowned, shifting uncomfortably. "Um...okay, I guess." She fidgeted. "Dad's changed a lot since then so...so it doesn't matter as much, well at least not as much as it did." She shrugged. "There's no point staying angry when everyone's moved on, right?"

"We've already talked through our issues together." Her brother said firmly, holding her hand tight. "So how is talking to you meant to help us exactly?"

Dr Yokoyama hummed, tapping his pen against his chin as he stared at their clasped hands and then back at them, making her grow more uneasy. "Think of it as a...outside perspective to things."

Mitsuko frowned, remembering how Koro-sensei had said something similar. "He has a point," she said, smiling at the man. "It could be nice having someone to talk to."

Gakushuu scowled at her, looking annoyed. He looked back at the therapist and glared.

She squeezed his hand reassuringly and smiled. "It'll be okay."

Her brother's scowl stayed in place but his glare faded. "Very well..."

Mitsuko smiled, sighing in relief.

I think we made some progress!