"Leo is great. Smart and good at sports too."
Kaito sighed. After school in the club room.
Leo showed a puzzled expression. "Why suddenly?"
"I saw your photo on social media. You won the club tournament."
Sora quietly observed. Kaito's voice mixed envy and irritation.
Hiyori gently intervened. "Kaito, are you comparing yourself to someone?"
"What else? It's a fact. I can't do anything."
Leo shook his head. "That's not accurate."
"How so?" Kaito objected.
Sora wrote in her notebook. "Social comparison."
Hiyori began explaining. "People tend to form self-evaluation by comparing themselves to others. That itself is natural."
"Then what's the problem?" Kaito asked.
"The target and direction of comparison become problems," Leo supplemented. "Called upward comparison and downward comparison."
"Upward comparison?"
"Comparing yourself with someone superior. It can sometimes be motivating, but often lowers self-evaluation."
Sora understood. "Kaito is making an upward comparison with Leo."
Kaito fell silent.
Hiyori continued. "Another problem is choosing which dimension to compare. Aren't you comparing in areas where you're weak?"
"Like grades or athletic ability..." Kaito muttered.
"What are your strengths, Kaito?" Hiyori asked.
Kaito pondered. "...I don't know."
Leo said calmly, "You're sensitive to people's feelings. When friends are down, you notice immediately."
"That's a strength?"
"Of course," Sora nodded. "Empathy is a very important ability."
Hiyori supplemented. "In psychology, there's multiple intelligence theory. Intelligence isn't one thing, but multiple types."
"For example?" Kaito asked.
"Linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, etc."
Leo added, "My logical-mathematical intelligence might be high. But in interpersonal intelligence, Kaito is superior."
"Everyone's strengths are different," Sora organized.
Kaito still had an unconvinced face. "But society values grades and stuff like that."
Hiyori said quietly, "That's just society emphasizing certain intelligences. All intelligences are equally valuable."
Leo shared his experience. "In my home country, I was an 'exemplary student.' But coming here, I struggled with the language barrier."
"And then?"
"The foundation I thought was 'excellent' crumbled. But it was also liberation."
Sora showed interest. "Liberation?"
"Liberation from measuring myself by specific standards. An opportunity to reconsider what my true self is."
Hiyori nodded. "Identity reconstruction."
Kaito asked, "Without comparing, how should I evaluate myself?"
"Have absolute standards," Leo answered. "Compare with your past self. Did today's self grow compared to yesterday's self?"
Sora wrote in her notebook. "From comparison with others to self-comparison."
Hiyori supplemented. "Set goals based on your own values. Not others' expectations, but what you value as standards."
Kaito pondered. "What I value..."
"Finding that is the journey of self-understanding," Hiyori smiled.
Leo said, "Just because I have good grades doesn't mean you're inferior. People are too diverse to compare."
Sora added, "Everyone's different, everyone's good. Each has their own strengths."
Kaito slowly nodded. "The habit of comparing, I don't think it'll go away immediately."
"That's fine," Hiyori acknowledged. "Noticing is the first step. And when you notice yourself comparing, stop and think."
"Think about what?"
"Is this comparison for growing myself? Or for blaming myself?"
Kaito took a deep breath. "It was for blaming."
"Noticing that is big progress," Leo acknowledged.
Sora showed her notebook. "Befriending your weak self. That's accepting yourself without comparing to others."
Hiyori smiled. "Yes. Your value isn't determined by comparison with others. Existence itself has value."
Kaito's expression relaxed a little. "I feel lighter."
Leo said, "Escaping the trap of comparison is the path to freedom."
The four sat quietly. A peaceful time recognizing each other's value.