Expecting Too Much from Others

"Betrayed again."

Kaito was angry in the club room.

Leo asked quietly. "What happened?"

"A friend broke a promise. They said they had important business."

Sora observed. "And you're angry about that?"

"Of course. A promise is a promise," Kaito said.

Leo thought. "That friend, didn't they have some reason?"

"Reasons don't matter. If you promise, you should keep it."

Sora said quietly. "Kaito-san, your expectations might be too high."

"Expectations?" Kaito asked.

"Expectations of others," Sora explained. "When expectations are high, disappointment also becomes great."

Kaito argued. "But keeping promises is natural, isn't it?"

"Ideally, yes," Leo said. "But humans aren't perfect."

"Even if not perfect, they can at least keep promises."

Sora asked. "Kaito-san, have you ever broken a promise?"

Kaito was stuck. "Well... occasionally."

"Then others are the same," Sora pointed out.

Leo supplemented. "Expecting too much makes you prone to blaming others."

Kaito calmed down a bit. "But isn't not expecting cold?"

"Not no expectations, but realistic expectations," Sora explained.

"Realistic expectations?"

"Having the premise that people sometimes fail."

Leo gave an example. "In German, there's a saying 'to err is human.'"

Kaito thought. "So, allow failures?"

"Rather than allow, anticipate," Sora said. "When there's a gap between expectations and reality, you feel disappointed."

"But," Kaito said. "If I don't expect, isn't the relationship meaningless?"

Sora answered quietly. "Separate from expectations, there's trust."

"Expectations and trust are different?"

"Expectations are demands on the other person. Trust is accepting the other's essence."

Leo supplemented. "Expectations are 'should be this way.' Trust is 'this person is this way.'"

Kaito wrote in his notebook. "Expectations vs. trust."

Sora continued. "Expecting too much idealizes the other person."

"Idealize?"

"You expect not the actual person, but an image you've created."

Kaito began to understand. "So I'm disappointed by the gap with reality."

"Exactly," Sora nodded.

Leo asked. "So how should we change?"

Sora thought. "First, observe the other person. See the real person, not the ideal."

"The real person," Kaito repeated.

"Accept both their strengths and weaknesses."

Kaito said honestly. "Sounds difficult."

"It's difficult at first," Sora acknowledged. "But by adjusting expectations, disappointment decreases."

Leo suggested. "Don't think of promises as absolute either."

"What do you mean?"

"People sometimes can't keep promises depending on the situation. Understand that."

Kaito thought. "But isn't that lenient?"

Sora explained. "Understanding and forgiving are different. Just listen to the reason and judge."

"True," Kaito was convinced.

Leo said. "Not lowering expectations, but making them flexible."

Kaito asked. "But what about myself? If others expect from me?"

Sora answered. "Honestly communicate your limits. That you can't meet excessive expectations."

"What if that worsens the relationship?"

"Relationships based only on expectations are fragile," Leo said.

Sora added. "Real relationships are built on knowing each other's limits."

Kaito took a deep breath. "I was expecting too much, myself."

"Awareness is the first step," Sora said.

Leo encouraged. "There's no perfect human relationship. Everyone lives while adjusting."

Kaito looked out the window. "I'll talk to my friend again. Not with expectations, but trying to understand."

"Good attitude," Sora acknowledged.

Leo said. "Letting go of expectations isn't giving up on the other person."

"Rather, it's facing the real person," Sora added.

Kaito smiled. "If I reduce expectations, disappointment also reduces. And relationships become easier."

"Exactly," the two nodded.

Expecting too much from others hurts both yourself and them. Having realistic expectations is the key to healthy relationships, Kaito learned.