"Kaito, you seem down today."
Hiyori called out with concern. In the club room, Kaito was staring blankly out the window.
"Huh? Really?" Kaito turned and smiled. "I'm totally fine."
Sora looked up from the book. "That smile feels forced."
"I'm not forcing anything." Kaito smiled again. But somehow, that smile was stiff.
Hiyori gently asked, "Did something happen?"
"Not really. Just a bit worried about tomorrow's presentation." Kaito shrugged.
Sora closed the notebook. "Isn't that surface acting?"
"Surface acting?" Hiyori asked back.
"A psychological term," Sora began explaining. "Pretending expressions and attitudes. A type of emotional labor."
"Emotional labor, like what's often mentioned in customer service?" Kaito asked.
"Yes. Showing expressions or attitudes different from true emotions. There's surface acting and deep acting."
Hiyori showed interest. "What's deep acting?"
"Trying to actually change the emotion itself," Sora answered. "For example, with an unpleasant customer, thinking 'this person has circumstances too' and trying to genuinely empathize."
Kaito thought. "So what I'm doing is surface acting?"
"Probably. You're really anxious but creating a smile."
"Is that bad?"
Sora shook her head. "Not necessarily. Social life requires some degree of emotion regulation."
Hiyori added, "But if done too much, the psychological cost becomes high."
"Psychological cost?"
"Mental fatigue and risk of burnout," Hiyori explained. "Continuously suppressing true emotions accumulates stress."
Kaito became quiet. "Actually, I've been feeling tired lately."
"Surface acting smooths relationships with others in the short term," Sora said. "But long-term, it creates a disconnect from your own emotions."
"Emotional disconnect?"
"Not knowing what you truly feel," Hiyori said gently. "Always smiling makes you lose sight of what you really feel."
Kaito took a deep breath. "Actually, I'm terrified about tomorrow's presentation."
"Good that you could say it," Hiyori smiled.
"I'm bad at speaking in public. But I thought it'd be pathetic to complain."
Sora said quietly, "That might be an issue of social masks."
"Social masks?"
"Playing the 'ideal self' that society expects," Sora explained. "Like 'men shouldn't complain' or such."
Kaito nodded. "Yeah, that exists."
Hiyori said, "But true strength might be being able to acknowledge weakness."
"Acknowledge weakness?"
"Feeling anxious is natural as a human. There's no need to hide it."
Sora added, "In psychology, appropriate expression of emotions is considered important. Not suppression, but expressing in appropriate forms."
"How?" Kaito asked.
"Talk to someone you trust. Write a diary. Take deep breaths and recognize your emotions," Hiyori listed.
"Recognize emotions?"
"Become aware that 'right now, I'm feeling anxious,'" Sora answered. "Just that alone lightens the psychological burden."
Kaito thought a bit. "So I don't have to force a smile?"
"In places you can trust, yes," Hiyori said. "This is a safe place. You can be honest."
Kaito's expression softened. "Thank you."
"There are also good examples of deep acting," Sora said. "Positively reinterpreting anxiety."
"Reinterpretation?"
"Reframing 'presentations are scary' as 'this is a growth opportunity.' It's called cognitive reappraisal."
Hiyori nodded. "But that's also after acknowledging, not denying the anxiety."
"Not ignoring emotions, but facing them and handling them constructively."
Kaito laughed. This time, it was a natural smile. "I feel a bit lighter."
"That's important," Hiyori said. "Not suppressing emotions, but processing them appropriately."
Sora summarized. "Surface acting is sometimes necessary. But it's important to be able to express true emotions in safe places."
"Balance," Kaito murmured.
"Yes. Adjusting how you express emotions in social situations versus private situations."
Hiyori said warmly, "It's okay to be anxious about tomorrow's presentation. On top of that, just do what you can."
Kaito nodded deeply. "Yeah. I'm scared, but I'll try."
Outside the window, the sunset was fading.
"No need to hide anxiety behind a smile," Sora said quietly. "But sometimes it's necessary in society. The important thing is not lying to your own emotions."
"Being honest with emotions while adjusting according to situations," Hiyori added.
Kaito opened his notebook. "Let me prepare for tomorrow's presentation. I'm anxious, but that's okay."
The three spent time quietly in the club room. Acknowledging and accepting emotions. That was the first step to mental health.