"I accepted another request."
Hiyori sat down looking tired.
Sora asked worriedly. "Couldn't you refuse?"
"If I refuse, I feel like I'll be disliked."
Mira quietly served tea. Hiyori smiled and accepted it.
"Hiyori, you're always helping someone," Sora observed.
"That's my role."
"Role?"
Mira wrote in her notebook. "Want to be needed."
Hiyori was surprised. "You see through me."
Sora opened their notebook. "In psychology, this is called need for recognition."
"Need for recognition," Hiyori repeated.
"In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, humans have five levels of needs," Sora began explaining.
"Physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness and love needs, esteem needs, self-actualization needs."
Hiyori nodded. "Esteem needs is the fourth."
"Yes. The need to be recognized by others, to be needed."
Mira wrote. "Why is recognition necessary?"
Sora thought. "From evolutionary psychology, being excluded from the group meant death. So seeking recognition is instinctive."
"But excessive need for recognition causes problems."
Hiyori asked. "What problems?"
"Self-sacrifice," Sora answered. "Ignoring your own needs and continuously meeting others' expectations."
"What's wrong with that?"
Mira wrote. "You burn out."
"Exactly," Sora acknowledged. "It's unsustainable."
Hiyori looked out the window. "But I thought it was better than not being needed."
"Really?" Sora asked gently.
Hiyori fell silent.
Mira wrote more. "Conditional worth?"
"Conditional?" Hiyori asked.
Sora explained. "Carl Rogers' concept. Feeling you have value only when you meet others' expectations."
"It's contrasted with unconditional positive regard."
Hiyori nodded slowly. "I thought I only had value when being useful."
"That's painful," Sora empathized. "You must constantly prove yourself."
"It's exhausting."
Mira held her tea cup. She seemed like she wanted to say something.
"Mira, what is it?" Hiyori prompted.
Mira wrote. "Hiyori has value just by existing."
Tears welled in Hiyori's eyes. "Thank you."
Sora continued. "The need for recognition itself isn't bad. The problem is when it becomes the only source of self-worth."
"If there are other sources?"
"Balance is achieved," Sora answered. "Both internal value and external recognition are necessary."
Hiyori asked. "What's internal value?"
"Recognizing yourself."
"Myself?"
Mira wrote. "Self-esteem."
"Yes. Trust in yourself, independent of others' evaluations."
Hiyori thought. "How do you cultivate it?"
Sora made a list. "There are several methods."
"First, recognize your strengths. List what you're good at and what you like."
"Second, celebrate small achievements. Acknowledge progress even if not perfect."
"Third, self-compassion. Be kind to yourself."
Hiyori was surprised. "Be kind to myself?"
"Kristin Neff's research," Sora explained. "Self-compassion instead of self-criticism."
Mira wrote. "Don't blame yourself even when you fail."
"Correct," Sora nodded.
Hiyori took a deep breath. "I always blamed myself."
"Why?"
"I thought if I wasn't perfect, I wouldn't be needed."
Sora said gently. "That's cognitive distortion. No one is perfect."
"But I don't want to betray expectations."
Mira wrote. "Betraying expectations and setting boundaries are different."
Hiyori was surprised. "Boundaries?"
Sora explained. "Healthy relationships need boundaries. Lines of 'I can do this much, but no more.'"
"If I communicate that, I'll be disliked."
"True relationships respect boundaries," Sora stated. "Relationships that force you to cross boundaries aren't healthy."
Hiyori nodded slowly. "It's scary, but I'll try."
"Next time you're asked?"
"I'll ask for time to think. Won't answer immediately."
Sora encouraged. "Good start."
Mira wrote more. "Even if Hiyori refuses, we won't change."
Hiyori smiled. "Thank you."
Sora added. "The feeling of wanting to be needed is natural. But don't measure self-worth only by that."
"There's value in existing as yourself."
Hiyori stood up. "I feel lighter."
"Step by step," Sora said. "Let's learn to deal healthily with the need for recognition."
Mira showed her notebook. "We're learning together too."
Hiyori looked at them both. "Thank you. I'll try believing I'm okay even without being needed."
"You are needed," Sora corrected. "But that's not everything."
"There's value in existence itself."
The three sat quietly. The journey to find the balance between wanting to be needed and self-worth might continue for a lifetime. But having companions to walk that journey with was the greatest support.