"Hiyori, you look tired."
Sora said across the library table.
Hiyori forced a smile. "I'm fine. I like listening to everyone's problems."
"But aren't you putting yourself last?"
Kaito came in. "Listening to someone's problems again? Hiyori, you're too kind."
Hiyori shook her head. "That's not true."
Sora opened a reference book. "This talks about codependency."
"Codependency?" Kaito asked.
"A state where you try to find your own worth by fulfilling others' needs," Sora read aloud.
Hiyori went quiet. Those words struck deep.
"Isn't caring for others a good thing?" Kaito questioned.
"It's a matter of degree," Sora explained. "Appropriate consideration and self-sacrificing excessive care are different."
Hiyori stared at her notebook. "How are they different?"
"Healthy consideration values both the other person and yourself. But codependent consideration erases yourself."
Kaito thought about it. "Like having no boundaries?"
"Right. Psychological boundaries. The line that distinguishes you from others."
Hiyori said quietly, "I always prioritize others' feelings."
"Why?" Sora asked gently.
"I don't want to be disliked. I want to be needed," Hiyori answered honestly.
Sora nodded. "That's the mechanism of codependency. You try to confirm your self-worth by being needed by others."
Kaito asked worriedly, "Is that bad?"
"Not necessarily bad," Sora said. "But unsustainable. If you keep sacrificing yourself, you'll burn out eventually."
Hiyori pondered. "Lately, being relied on feels heavy sometimes."
"That's a sign," Sora pointed out. "Your heart is crying out at its limit."
"But if I refuse, they'll be in trouble."
"Thinking that way is also a codependent thought pattern," Sora said gently. "You feel others' problems are your responsibility."
Kaito was surprised. "I might have that tendency too."
Sora turned a page. "Codependent relationships have a structure of enabler and taker."
"Enabler?"
"Someone who helps too much, actually preventing the other's independence. The taker is the dependent side."
Hiyori breathed deeply. "I might be someone's enabler."
"Noticing is the first step," Sora acknowledged.
Kaito asked, "So what should we do?"
"Practice drawing boundaries," Sora answered. "Develop the power to say 'no.'"
Hiyori said anxiously, "But what if that breaks the relationship?"
"Relationships that break weren't healthy to begin with," Sora said quietly. "True relationships can respect each other's boundaries."
Kaito nodded. "True. If they're friends, you wouldn't want to push them too hard."
Hiyori wrote in her notebook. "Taking care of yourself isn't selfish."
"Exactly," Sora smiled. "Self-respect and respect for others can coexist."
"Sounds difficult," Hiyori admitted.
"It's difficult at first. But with practice, you can change."
Kaito encouraged her. "We'll help too. If you're pushing yourself, we'll tell you."
Hiyori's eyes welled up. "Thank you."
Sora said, "Overly considerate relationships will end eventually. But that's also the beginning of the next healthy relationship."
"A new beginning," Hiyori repeated.
"You don't exist to be useful to someone. Just by existing, you have value."
Hiyori nodded slowly. She felt like she'd taken the first step of a long journey.
Outside the window, the sun was setting. Old relationship patterns were ending, and a new self was about to begin.