"I made another mistake!"
Kaito crushed the test paper. Irritation filled the club room.
Sora gently approached. "What happened?"
"A calculation error. In such an easy part," Kaito blamed himself.
Leo observed calmly. "Aren't you demanding too much perfection?"
"Of course. Mistakes shouldn't exist."
Sora looked at Kaito's test paper. It said 95 points.
"Isn't 95 points a very good score?"
"I lost 5 points. It's not perfect."
Leo opened his notebook. "In psychology, there's interesting research on perfectionism."
"Perfectionism?" Sora asked back.
"The psychological tendency to try to be perfect. It seems good, but actually often harms mental health."
Kaito objected. "What's wrong with having high standards?"
"The problem is setting unattainable standards and continuing to blame yourself for not reaching them," Leo explained.
Sora understood. "Not being satisfied even with 95 points is because you only accept 100?"
"Yes. In psychology, this is called 'all-or-nothing thinking.' It's a type of cognitive distortion."
Kaito fell silent.
Leo continued. "There are two types of perfectionism. Perfectionism directed at oneself and perfectionism directed at others."
"The difference?" Sora asked.
"Self-directed perfectionism generates self-criticism. Other-directed perfectionism destroys interpersonal relationships."
Kaito muttered, "I feel like both apply to me."
Sora said gently, "But even without being perfect, you have value, right?"
"Value?"
"Getting 95 points. Making effort. Growing. All of that has value."
Leo supplemented. "In psychology, there's the concept of 'contingencies of self-worth.' It's about what you base your self-worth on."
"If you place self-worth only on grades, when grades are bad, your whole self feels worthless."
Kaito looked out the window. "So what should I do?"
"Accept imperfection," Leo answered quietly. "Humans are essentially imperfect. That becomes the starting point."
Sora nodded. "Admitting you're not perfect isn't weakness. It's the strength to see reality."
"The strength to see reality..." Kaito repeated.
Leo shared his own experience. "I was also a perfectionist before. I thought I always had to be the top in my home country."
"And then?"
"I was exhausted. And I realized. By pursuing perfection, I was losing sight of what's truly important."
Sora asked, "What's truly important?"
"The joy of learning. The process of growth. Time with companions. When you obsess over perfection, these become invisible."
Kaito looked at the test paper again. "95 points... not bad, maybe?"
"Not bad. Rather, wonderful," Sora said.
Leo smiled. "Self-acceptance means accepting yourself as you are. Including strengths and weaknesses."
"Doesn't accepting an imperfect self lower self-esteem?" Kaito asked.
"The opposite," Leo answered. "Demanding impossible perfection lowers self-esteem more. Because it's never achievable."
Sora added, "Accepting imperfection and then gradually growing. That's healthier."
Kaito slowly nodded. "Befriending your weak self, that's what it means?"
"Exactly," Leo acknowledged. "Not denying weakness but accepting it. Real growth begins there."
Sora wrote in her notebook. "Liberation from perfectionism is kindness to yourself."
"Self-compassion," Leo supplemented the term. "A recently noted concept."
Kaito took a deep breath. "It's okay not to be perfect... huh."
"You don't need to be perfect. But it's worth doing your best," Leo said.
Sora smiled. "That balance is important."
Kaito carefully put the test paper in his bag. It felt like he could see 95 points positively for the first time.
"Thank you," Kaito said quietly. "I feel a bit lighter."
Leo nodded. "The courage to accept an imperfect self. That's the first step to befriending your weak self."
The three sat quietly. Light streaming through the window gently illuminated the club room.