Starting with the Herrschers, I Cut Down All

For now, Elysia was still the protagonist of the dream. She had to repay blood with blood and kill An Yu, though... she couldn't kill him anyway.

"Though I'd suspected it... this conclusion still came rather suddenly to me."

Even though An Yu had considered this possibility long ago and was even fairly certain of it, he still instinctively wanted to ask the doctor: Are you reliable?

But Einstein's endorsement instantly dispelled all his doubts. A teacher's judgment couldn't be too far off.

"I understand. After all, she's the sister you've depended on for survival. Accepting this reality itself takes considerable courage."

Aponia nodded. The fact that one of your relatives had a mental illness really was difficult to accept.

"Is there any way to treat it?"

"...Even if it's only to ease some of the symptoms."

An Yu blurted it out, then felt that completely curing this kind of mental condition was simply too difficult.

Technology was indeed advancing. For symptoms like Delusional Disorder, there were actually methods of compulsory treatment.

But just like those internet addiction rehabilitation schools from decades ago, current compulsory treatments were... somewhat cruel. They really could affect mental stability and cause irreversible harm.

Though the mental world of someone with Delusional Disorder wasn't exactly stable to begin with.

"At present, the gentler and widely recognized effective method is to continuously strengthen the patient's 'anchor points' in the real world."

Aponia spoke sincerely, lightly tapping the tabletop with her fingertip. "From what I've observed, the relationship between you siblings seems to be one of your sister's most important ties to reality."

After all... everyone else in the group was fine. In the end, Elysia's connection to reality was simply too weak.

Of course, that was also related to the fact that the others were genuinely dreaming. Elysia possessed subjective initiative within the dream, and that was also the level Aponia had been repeatedly hypnotizing herself in an attempt to reach.

"Is that the only way?"

"Don't medication and other treatments help?"

Based on An Yu's research over the past few days, there were plenty of antipsychotic drugs in the world. Most stabilized the mind and assisted treatment.

Aponia hesitated for a moment. "There are some antipsychotic drugs, but based on my observations of this patient, the effects of taking them wouldn't outweigh the harm those drugs could cause to her mental state."

An Yu: ...

He really wanted to defend his sister and say she wasn't that fragile. She looked easygoing, but she was actually quite stubborn inside. But Elysia... anything was possible.

An Yu rose heavily to his feet.

"Please wait, Mr. An Yu. I haven't finished yet."

Aponia's voice rang out again.

An Yu's body stiffened, and he wailed inwardly. Ah!!!

"W-what else is there...?"

His voice trembled slightly without him meaning it to. Damn it, had his smooth-sailing first twenty-five years finally reached the point where everything would start going downhill?

"She has yandere tendencies."

Aponia was as concise as ever.

"???"

An Yu was stunned for a long time. Faced with such explosive news now, he actually felt relieved.

Was that all? Something so insignificant?

Just that?

Compared to a serious mental illness like Delusional Disorder, being yandere sounded... almost like child's play.

As for how Aponia had figured it out? She'd figured it out from the group chat.

After immersing herself in the dream for so long, she had long become curious about An Yu. But Elysia was the obstacle in her way.

"How do you treat that?"

An Yu's tone unconsciously relaxed a little. It was no big deal, even though yanderes really were terrifying...

He still couldn't forget the story online about some guy whose yandere girlfriend had cut off part of his pinky finger while he was asleep in the middle of the night and eaten it.

When he furiously yelled at her, she had even sweetly said that he'd be allowed to eat her pinky too, so a part of them would be together forever.

Yes, that was a real-life yandere.

"Why would it need treatment?"

Aponia looked slightly puzzled. "Romantic inclinations are perfectly normal, and the degree of possessiveness someone has is often rooted in the deepest layer of their personality."

"Changing the underlying color of a person's personality often takes years, even decades. That already exceeds the scope of psychotherapy. In reality, we generally call such long-term companionship family."

She shook her head and continued.

"I only mentioned it out of professional ethics, so you'd be mentally prepared."

"Oh... okay."

An Yu answered vaguely and sat back down. His mind was a mess now, and he didn't know what to say.

"So, do you still want to treat it?"

An Yu hated yanderes, but... "Didn't you say it was hard to treat?"

And it would require changing the foundation of her personality. It sounded like an incredibly long process, and if it was going to take that long... there was no need to treat it anymore. He might as well try adapting and dealing with it himself.

"Yes, a cure would be difficult."

Aponia agreed, but then changed the subject. Her slender fingers interlaced as she lightly rested her chin on them, revealing a meaningful expression.

"But I can help you intensify that aspect of her."

"Cough, cough, cough!?"

An Yu suddenly began coughing violently, despite not drinking anything or choking on food.

He raised his head and stared in disbelief at the gentle, calm-looking female doctor.

Was this clinic even legitimate?

"Doctor, don't joke around. Although we look like we're probably from the same generation, there are some outrageous things I really can't accept."

And this was way too messed up. It was like his sister tricking him into signing a marriage registration form, then solemnly telling him that their relationship had broken down and they were getting divorced, so under the law, he had to give her half his assets.

"During the process of intensifying it."

Aponia explained unhurriedly, as though laying out a rigorous treatment plan.

"I'll do my best to reduce the severity of her illness and lessen her violent tendencies for you..."

She leaned forward slightly, her gaze falling on An Yu's face. "What do you think?"

Why? Aponia's rationality told her that before figuring out whether the dream was a revelation from God or a whisper from the devil, it was best not to change An Yu and Elysia's circumstances.

But Elysia valued her own safety too much, and her hesitant manner could easily allow her mental illness to affect the siblings' relationship. So she needed to use some special means to lock things down first and ensure the relationship's basic foundation.

At the very least, until she figured out the nature of this dream.

An Yu fell silent. His lips moved, but in the end, he gave no answer.

He wanted to go home and play games. Games were better. Compared with hobbies like fishing and card games, they saved money and didn't require leaving home.

Seeing this, Aponia shook her head and stopped pressing him, turning instead to look at An Yu's assessment form.

"As for your assessment results..."

"The results show that you seem to have been somewhat repressed lately, and your mood is at a relatively low level."

Aponia fell silent as soon as she finished speaking, thinking of Elysia's situation.

She was so uninhibited in that strange dream, yet repressed in reality instead. Was she being restrained by her anchors?

She spread her hands, her fingertips repeatedly tapping the tabletop. She wanted to understand the connection, but there was simply too little information.

"Let's exchange contact information, Mr. An Yu."

Aponia made the suggestion.

Volume One: Let's Form a Band for Life

Aponia's contact information was very new. New... like an account that had just been registered, without even a single post.

"Sorry, my previous account had reached its friend limit. My work is rather special, so I generally can't remove visitors on my own initiative," she explained, her voice still gentle.

An Yu could understand. It was like employees at power companies or internet providers—their friend lists were generally packed full.

As he walked out of the consultation room, the night breeze carried a faint chill. He turned to look at his sister's silly expression, and for some reason, An Yu suddenly laughed.

"Let's go home, sis."

"Uh... what did the doctor say?"

Elysia curiously leaned closer. Judging by her little brother's reaction, he didn't seem to intend to keep talking to the doctor.

Had Aponia said something upsetting to him?

She should've told him earlier that Aponia's words could be pretty cutting.

"The doctor said~ she said you have Delusional Disorder, but it's not a big problem."

Elysia puffed out one cheek, looking deeply dissatisfied. "You're lying to me again."

If she really had Delusional Disorder, how could Aponia possibly not tell her? The two of them were such good girlfriends.

The two stood at the entrance of the clinic, gazing at the dazzling night sky.

"It really is beautiful."

Elysia took a deep breath, clasping her hands behind her back with a relaxed expression.

"What do you want to eat tonight?"

An Yu spoke lightly. "I'll cook myself. Let's be happy today and stop bickering."

No wonder his sister had seemed like a completely different person after graduating college and had gone crazy looking for work. He'd wondered how Elysia could possibly have spent two years lying around at home.

"As long as you don't bully me in your dreams."

Elysia muttered softly, lightly bumping into An Yu.

An Yu shrugged. "I'll try."

"Come to think of it, how did I bully you in the dream?"

It probably wasn't good to ask a mentally ill person something like that... but for some reason, he wanted to ask.

Elysia hopped onto the motorcycle seat and swung her legs, her tone becoming somewhat uneasy. "You became a Herrscher."

A Herrscher?

Oh, that was the boss's game setting. Had his sister just played too many games?

"And then?"

An Yu tapped his head and instinctively pressed on.

"And then..."

Elysia suddenly clutched her head. A tremor from deep in her bloodline made her freeze, and the scenery before her began spinning and blurring.

"Sis? Sis!"

Don't scare me! I won't ask you about something so upsetting anymore. His strange urge to investigate vanished completely.

He scooped up the collapsing Elysia in his arms and rushed back into the clinic, his voice already distorted.

"Doctor! Doctor!"

"Doctor, don't get off work yet!"

An Yu's face turned deathly pale. They had depended on each other for so many years—how had he been so possessed that he'd asked about something like this?

Wasn't that just asking for trouble?

After examining her, Aponia looked equally confused. "Judging from her physiological indicators, she seems to have... fallen asleep."

An Yu: ?

When people were extremely speechless, did they laugh?

Maybe they did.