"I'm not sad."
Mira said quietly. But her voice trembled.
Sora observed carefully. Mira's eyes were slightly red. There seemed to be traces of wiping tears.
"Mira-san, you don't have to force yourself," Hiyori gently called out.
"I'm not forcing anything."
Mira denied immediately. But that reaction itself told a story.
Sora opened the notebook. "I recently read about emotional denial."
"Denial?"
"A psychological mechanism where you don't acknowledge your true emotions," Hiyori explained. "Used to protect yourself from painful feelings."
Mira listened silently.
"For example," Sora continued. "Saying 'I'm fine' when you're sad. Answering 'whatever' when you're angry."
"What's wrong with that?" Mira asked quietly.
Hiyori looked out the window. "Short-term, it protects your heart. But long-term, problems accumulate."
"Emotions don't disappear even if unrecognized," Sora supplemented. "Suppressed emotions appear in other forms."
Mira thought for a moment, then asked. "Other forms?"
"Physical symptoms, excessive fatigue, unexplained anxiety," Hiyori enumerated. "Emotions seek an outlet."
Sora turned the page. "In psychology, this is called 'somatization'."
"By not acknowledging emotions, the body cries out instead."
Mira stared at her hands. "I've had many headaches recently."
"Stress or suppressed emotions might be the cause," Hiyori said gently.
"But," Mira squeezed out her voice. "What happens if I acknowledge emotions?"
"I feel like I'll crumble."
Sora understood. "That's what you're afraid of."
Hiyori nodded. "Many people have the same fear. That acknowledging emotions means losing control."
"But actually it's the opposite," Sora said. "By recognizing emotions, you can control them for the first time."
Mira looked doubtful.
"You can't handle emotions you can't name," Hiyori explained. "Only by recognizing 'sadness' can you deal with that emotion."
Sora gave an example. "'I feel somehow bad' is harder to handle than 'I was hurt by my friend's words,' right?"
Mira nodded slightly.
"Acknowledging emotions is not weakness," Hiyori emphasized. "Rather, it's strength."
"Courage to look inside yourself," Sora added.
Mira slowly exhaled. "But how?"
"First, observe emotions," Hiyori suggested. "Without judgment, just notice."
Sora wrote in the notebook. "'I'm feeling sad now.' That's enough."
"Neither deny nor affirm, just acknowledge."
Mira said quietly. "Sounds simple but difficult."
"It is difficult at first," Hiyori admitted. "Changing long-standing habits takes time."
"But you can practice," Sora encouraged. "Starting with small emotions."
Mira thought for a moment, then said in a small voice. "Right now, I'm a little sad."
Hiyori smiled. "That's the first step."
"The world didn't crumble when you acknowledged sadness," Sora gently pointed out.
Tears welled up in Mira's eyes. But this time, she didn't wipe them.
"It's okay to shed tears," Hiyori said. "Emotions need an outlet."
Sora quietly sat nearby. "We're here."
Mira cried quietly. The curtain of denial slowly opened.
"Acknowledging emotions is caring for yourself," Hiyori finally said.
Outside the window, rain began falling. Like suppressed emotions being released, quietly but surely.