was selective obstinacy. People with obsessive-compulsive disorders always try to keep such thoughts and actions hidden from others. Being aware of your own abnormality is a feature of this disorder. Those who have it don’t try to “make others understand.” Because they acknowledge they won’t be able to have people’s understanding. But despite having that level of objectivity toward themselves, that doesn’t mean they can stop their compulsions. Rational arguments are all but meaningless. Pharmacotherapy using SSRIs and exposure response prevention therapy are said to be effective treatments, but Kousaka tried them during college, and it only seemed to make things worse. It was questionable whether Sanagi noticed his disorder or not. Sometimes she would smell the antiseptic scent and complain “Smells like an infirmary,” but that was all. Belying her appearance of silver hair and earrings, Hijiri Sanagi was a bookworm. She might not have had any interest in novels and poems, though, as she read nothing but technical books and science magazines. Once, she fell asleep with her book open, so Kousaka was able to sneak a peek inside. The book she was reading then was about parasitic diseases. He later had more chances to peek at what she was reading, and found that 90% of the books Sanagi read were about parasites. It appeared she had an unparalleled interest