He now had two "negative traits": "Kleptomania" and "Bad Gambler."
After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to get rid of "Kleptomania," the trait that had been with him the longest.
This time, Abengane's "exorcism" proved more difficult than expected and took longer, but in the end, he still managed to remove "Kleptomania."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and explained,
"This situation is probably because this 'Nen' has been with you for too long and has become deeply ingrained. Still, it can be dealt with in the end."
"Thanks for the heads-up." Gelman knew, of course, that Abengane was indirectly reminding him to clear away his "negative traits" promptly.
Gelman would remember that sensible advice.
After he and Shizuku left the "treatment room," they walked down the spiral staircase for a while before he suddenly called out to her.
"Stand right there. Don't move."
"Not move at all?" Shizuku obligingly stood beside the wall.
"Right."
Gelman watched Shizuku in front of him and slowly relaxed, putting aside any thoughts of guarding against "Kleptomania." After a while, he blinked and looked at his hands.
Nothing.
He checked his pockets to make sure he hadn't stolen anything from Shizuku, then told her, "All right, you can move now."
Once Shizuku could move again, she stretched her whole body, as if she'd been frozen in place for a long time. "Is this some kind of game?"
"Yeah." Gelman rummaged around in his trouser pocket, pulled out a die he'd prepared earlier, and showed it to Shizuku. "Let's see who rolls higher."
He tossed the die gently. It bounced a few times on the steps before landing on a flat surface below.
Shizuku blinked her big eyes. "How do the rules work? After we stared at each other, whoever moved first