NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25: Chapter 025
As the frog tongue flicked Aris's finger, Aris let out a scream and fell on her back, landing on her butt.
"Aaaaah! What is this!"
"Puhahahaha! You don't know much about this type of flower! This is a frog flower, and it is a flower that catches bugs with the frog's tongue. You were really surprised."
"I didn't know I would be this surprised. Sigh. Sorry~"
I extended my hand to Aris and helped her up.
Aris glared at me, but she didn't seem particularly angry. Aris asks me.
"Tell me in advance next time. Understand, right?"
"Okay."
We walked through the forest again and talked about various things. This is what I feel while talking to Aris: Aris seems to be a kind-hearted and active child. I guess she was simply oppressed by Durin and her adoptive mother.
We walked through the forest talking like that. At that time, I saw a spider the size of a human head hanging on a nearby tree.
'Find your target!'
I didn't say anything and just walked while looking at the spider. Then Aris turned her head to follow my gaze.
As soon as Aris saw her spider, her body stiffened like a stone, and she began to tremble.
'Huh? I thought you were going to hug me while screaming?'
"Aris? What are you doing? Are you okay?'
"Please save me… Please save me…"
I quickly looked at Aris' face. Her Aris eyes are unfocused and drool is flowing from her mouth. This is a phenomenon that occurs when fear trauma is too severe.
'Damn. If this continues, she will be ruined.'
I held Aris' head to my chest, so she wouldn't see her spider.
"Aris. Are you okay? I'm with you. It's okay."
I used mental magic on the spider to get rid of it.
"Horror!"
When the mana lump hit the spider, the spider trembled and quickly ran away to the other side of the forest.
I hugged Aris and comforted her with a soft voice for a while.
"Aris. There are no spiders anymore. It's just you and me here. Calm down. It's okay."
Aris came to her senses after about 20 minutes.
"I'm sorry. I, I, I, I'm so scared of spiders, I can't think of anything."
Aris speaks in gibberish.
I stroked Aris' head and spoke with a kind face.
"Huh. I know. The spider is gone. So don't worry. And even if there are spiders, I will protect you. You are not alone anymore." [T/N: Cringe]
Aris' legs were still shaking.
I put Aris on my back and started walking out of the forest. Aris stayed quiet as I walked, resting her head on my back. I think Aris is crying, and my back is getting wet. What is Aris thinking?
When I go out of the forest, the sunlight that was blocked by the trees falls directly on my body.
Aris spoke in a more stable voice than before.
"I'm okay now, so you can drop me off."
I dropped Aris off without saying anything. Aris was crying, and her eyes were slightly red.
As I looked, Aris lowered her head.
"Am I really pathetic? I was so scared of spiders that I started shaking. Actually, I tried a lot. Now I can endure seeing small spiders. But I guess I couldn't do it. To freeze like this when you see even a slightly large spider…"
I gently held Aris' hand.
"It is not so. I won't ask why you are afraid of spiders. You've worked hard so far. You weren't ready yet, and you just saw a spider that was too big. If you work hard, one day you will be able to overcome even the big spider."
"I don't know anymore… If I will be able to overcome the spider…"
"I will help you. Even if you are scared, I will hold you by my side. Then you will be able to overcome the spider. And the day will come when you will come out of your cocoon and fly like a butterfly." [T/N: I can't guy, can't anymore... urghhh.]
Aris stares at my face. Aris' expression was filled with suspicion.
Aris asks me with her serious expression.
"Why on earth are you so nice to me?"
Aris' question seems to be filled with many emotions. She want to lean on someone, but she's afraid of being hurt by someone again. It seems like she's asking me questions, but her deep heart is a desire to not be abandoned.
I paused for a moment, looking at the sky and the forest, as if thinking. Then I looked at Aris and spoke my true feelings.
"I just wanted to get to know you from the moment I first saw you."
Aris is surprised and her eyes widen. This is a phrase that can be interpreted in many ways. Maybe you really just want to get to know each other, or maybe it means something more than that.
Aris lowered her head and answered in a trembling voice.
"Well, I see. Thank you."
Aris' cheeks were as red as a sunset. Aris herself didn't notice, but her face looked happy, like a girl in love.
I think it's right to go back early today.
"Let's go back to school today."
"Yes."
We walked to school in silence, a little awkwardly. We both felt like we had to say something but didn't know what to say.
As I was getting closer to school, I called Aris.
"Aris."
"Uh, huh?"
"Really, what if? If there was a way to deal with your arachnophobia, what would you do?"
"What does that mean?"
Aris shows interest.
"What if I knew how to cure your arachnophobia?"
"Really? It's not a joke, right?"
"Huh. Phobia is a mental illness in which a person has a severe fear of a specific object or situation. This usually happens because something serious happened in the past that became a trauma. And the more things that happened to you when I you were young, the more severe your phobia becomes."
Aris nods her head in agreement. I continued what she said.
"Many people view phobias as a personal mental weakness, but in reality, this is not the case. Anyone can suffer from phobias, and it should be viewed as a disease that affects the mind."
"What does that mean?"
"When people eat spoiled food, they naturally get stomachaches, and when they fall from a high place, they naturally get hurt. Is it because people are weak that they get upset stomachs and hurt their bodies?"
"A very strong person doesn't get an upset stomach or get hurt?"
Ah. The way of thinking in this world is a little different.
I shook my head and said.
"That's not the point. Just as a disease requires a cause, phobia is also a disease caused by memories that cause trauma. In that case, you can get rid of the disease by removing the cause or taking a restorative medicine."
Aris asks with slight admiration.
"So, can you solve my phobia?"
"Huh. I can treat a person's mental illness with something called hypnosis."
"How many people have you treated so far?"
I was speechless for a moment. I have treated people on Earth and as a psychologist, but I have never treated anyone on this world. I am only 19 years old.
"Uh… Actually, Aris is my first patient. Ahahaha~"
I was astonished even thinking about it, so I pretended to smile to make up for it.
Aris glared at me and sighed.
"Hehe… Things won't work out that easily. Still, I'll trust you. Then, cure my phobia."
I answered confidently, feeling like I was holding on to a rope that had come down from the sky.
"Okay! I will definitely cure Aris!"
The way Aris looked at me seemed to be a little more trusting.
I quickly thought about where to hypnotize Aris.
'House? No. If Aris finds out I have a female housemate of hers, it's over. I guess I should go into any empty classroom.'
"To perform hypnotherapy, you need a quiet space where you can relax your mind. It would be best if there was a sofa or bed. Would you like to go to an empty classroom?"
Aris thought for a moment and then answered.
"Then I know a good place. Let's go to the library. There are many quiet discussion rooms there."
"Okay."
.
.
.
Me and Aris went to the library, and she went into one of the small discussion rooms. I removed the desk and chair and took out a sofa, soothing incense, and a candle from the subspace ring.
Aris is impressed.
"Are you still carrying that around with you?"
"Well. I am a hypnosis professional."
"Hahah, you said I was the first patient."
"You have to act like a professional to become a professional."
I made Aris sit on the sofa, turned off lights, and lit a candle. The soothing scent and gentle light of candles created a cozy atmosphere in the room. Aris squirms, and she says.
"Something feels strange about this."
"To get the best effect from hypnosis, being comfortable is the most important."
"I see."
"I'll look at your hypnotism sensitivity first."
"What is that?"
"Hypnotic sensitivity is checking how effective you can be with hypnosis. From now on, close your eyes and lift one arm straight out in front of you."
"Yes."
"Imagine in your head what I say."
Aris sat down on sofa and stretched her right arm forward. I began to tell her hints in a calm voice.
"The arm is getting heavier and heavier… It's like there's a weight on the arm. The arm is getting heavier and heavier… The arm is going down… The arm is so heavy that it keeps going down…"
As I give the hint, Aris's arm begins to gradually lower. This is an ideomotor response, a response in which a person's muscles move minutely to follow suggestions.
I spoke when Aris' arm went down to a certain extent.
"Aris. Open your eyes."
When Aris opened her eyes she was startled to see that her own arm was down.
"Wow! It really went down!"
"How did it feel?"
"It felt like my arms got heavy!"
"That's right. That's the hint. You seem to have very high hypnosis sensitivity. Maybe we can cure phobias."
"Thank goodness!"
"Then I'll start the real hypnosis now. Close your eyes comfortably."
Aris closes her eyes. I went behind Aris and gently placed my hand on her shoulder and spoke calmly.
"Relax her body. Stay comfortable."
Aris relaxes her body.
"Your body becomes increasingly drowsy and relaxed… Your body gradually loses strength, and you become very lethargic… Your mind becomes increasingly blank…"
.
.
Before I knew it, Aris had fallen into hypnosis and was lying down on her sofa.
.
.
.
.
.
You can always support author by joining—
PATREON:
patreon.com/Immortal_author
KO-FI:
https://ko-fi.com/immortalauthor
DISCORD:
https://discord.gg/KscfBegBPT
Enjoy Early Access To Future Projects and 20 Advance Chapters of each novel exclusively on PATREON!!