Page 47 of The Cute Psycho

Alas, this is not what I came here for.

But Vanya's not watching...

I firmly shut that thought down, trying instead to come up with a plan to study this phenomenon more in depth. But for that, I'd need Assisi's assistance. And I must admit I haven't made the best first impression.

Well, if she's not willing, then I'll have tomakeher willing.

Now it's only a matter of finding out what she wants most, and giving it to her.

Avoiding looking at her more than necessary, I leave the room, a plan already forming in my head.

"Why are you so interested in her?" Vanya asks from my side. I only spare her a glance, my eyes fixed on the computer as I comb through footage from Sacre Coeur, all in an attempt to understand Assisi better. If I can find out what she most desires, I can give it to her in exchange for her cooperation.

"She's pretty," I half-lie. I don't know why I'm hiding the truth from Vanya, since it's not like she's actually a sentient being that can get upset.

"She is," she agrees, coming closer to study Assisi's face. "But you've never been interested in a girl before. Not even a pretty one," she says, pinning me down with her inquisitive gaze.

"There's a first time for everything, right?" I mutter.

She shrugs, turning her head to watch the footage with me.

Sacre Coeur only has cameras in strategic locations, so the video doesn't give me much to go off.

By chance, though, I spot Assisi leaving the house with Catalina and her daughter, taking a car to go somewhere. My lips curl up as I congratulate myself for setting up a screen to track movement in and out of Marcello's house.

It takes me a while to track down the car, but I find it parked at a shopping mall.

Well, this should be interesting.

I end up spending an entire afternoon watching the women prance from store to store, trying to keep my focus as I file in every relevant piece of information.

Like the fact that she likes blue.

I'd never realized just how tedious women's shopping could be, but for the sake of data gathering, I must suffer through it.

In the end, the only noteworthy thing is Assisi's excitement about every single store. Even the most uninteresting thing seems to get her attention. The fact that she stops to marvel atfurniture —boring, commonplace furniture—makes me want to groan out loud.

She even stops at a toy store, browsing the shelves and looking at dolls and stuffed animals. Why, she can't seem to tear her eyes from a human-sized teddy bear. She keeps walking around the store, but she always ends up in front of the teddy bear, staring at it until she eventually musters up the courage to touch it.

Wait a moment. Could that be what she desires the most?

Well, that wasn't so hard.

Waiting until she's gone, I go to the store and buy the teddy bear, convinced this will get me into her good graces and make her cooperative.

As I struggle to carry the enormous bear to my car, Vanya decides to make an appearance, frowning as she takes in the stuffed animal in my arms.

"Why do you havethat?" she asks, a look of incredulity on her face.

I quickly explain to her that I'm trying to impress a lady, leaving out the reasonwhyI'm trying to do it.

"I can't believe you're my brother." Vanya shakes her head, pursingher lips and crossing her arms over her chest. "You thinkthatis what she desires the most?"

"Yes. She kept admiring it at the store," I explain myself, a bit taken aback by the vehemence in her voice.

She narrows her eyes at me, a look of disbelief on her face.

"And because she was admiring it, you think this is what she desires the most?"

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