exception of a long nail on the index finger of his dominant hand. This was his backup measure for when he was driven into situations that called for touching elevator or ATM buttons with his bare hands. Another part of Kousaka’s body that was dubiously “clean” was his hair. He’d let it grow somewhat long. He recognized it was better to have short hair for keeping his room clean, but he really couldn’t handle salons and barber shops, so he had a habit of putting off haircuts as much as he could. While it would be easiest to call him a clean freak, he really had a variety of conditions. If you dig into such people’s perceptions of “uncleanliness,” you’ll discover a number of irrational beliefs. People who call themselves clean freaks in spite of having messy rooms are a superb example. Kousaka’s image of uncleanliness was “other people.” More than actual dirtiness, the major issue lied in whether or not another person had some involvement. If it came to having to eat food another person’s hand had touched, he’d rather eat something that’s been expired for a week. He saw people other than himself like petri dishes generating bacteria. He felt just the touch of a fingertip would make microorganisms propagate and contaminate his body. Kousaka couldn’t hold hands even with someone he was close to - of course, for better or worse, he had no one to hold hands with right now anyway.