"Hiyori, you're always so calm."
Leo said with admiration.
Hiyori smiled. "That may just be how it appears."
Sora tilted their head. "What do you mean?"
"Because I don't let emotions show," Hiyori quietly admitted.
Leo became interested. "Emotional suppression? How is that evaluated psychologically?"
Hiyori thought. "Short-term it's adaptive, but long-term it can cause problems."
"Specifically?" Sora asked.
"Stress accumulation, physical symptoms, relationship problems," Hiyori listed. "Emotions don't disappear, they accumulate somewhere."
Sora empathized. "I'm the same way. Even when something bad happens, I endure it."
"Why endure it?" Leo asked frankly.
Sora thought. "I don't want to disturb harmony. I don't want to trouble others."
Hiyori nodded. "I'm the same. Consideration for others takes priority, my own emotions come second."
"But that's not healthy," Leo pointed out. "In Europe, emotional expression is encouraged."
"There are cultural differences," Hiyori acknowledged. "But in any culture, moderate emotional expression is necessary."
Sora asked, "I want to stop this habit, but how?"
Hiyori began to explain. "First, notice the moment you're swallowing emotions."
"Just noticing is enough?"
"As a first step," Hiyori answered. "It's called self-monitoring. Observing your own behavior patterns."
Leo added, "That's the basis of cognitive behavioral therapy. Keeping records is also effective."
Sora opened a notebook. "What should I record?"
"The situation, the emotion you felt, how you reacted," Hiyori suggested. "Patterns will emerge."
Leo said, "In my country, we teach 'assertiveness' in school. The skill of appropriately communicating your feelings."
"Assertion," Hiyori nodded. "Being neither aggressive nor passive, but assertive."
Sora became interested. "How do you practice it?"
Hiyori gave an example. "Use I-messages like 'I feel...' Rather than 'You're wrong,' communicate your own emotions."
"But what if that breaks the relationship?" Sora said anxiously.
"Actually, it's the opposite," Hiyori explained. "If you keep swallowing emotions, they'll eventually explode, or the relationship itself becomes hollow."
Leo agreed. "Real relationships are built on honesty."
Sora said quietly, "I'm scared. Of being rejected."
Hiyori responded gently, "I understand that fear. But think about it. Does a relationship maintained by hiding yourself have real value?"
Sora fell silent.
Leo made a practical suggestion. "Start small. Express minor opinions first."
"Like what?"
"'I want to go to a café today' or 'That movie wasn't to my taste.'"
Hiyori added, "Practice in low-risk situations, gradually become able to use it in important situations too."
Sora thought. "Expressing emotions isn't selfish."
"Not at all," Hiyori stated firmly. "It's a basic human right."
Leo said, "I was also confused at first in Japan. Everyone doesn't say what they really think. But each culture has its own way."
"It's about balance," Hiyori said. "Not expressing everything indiscriminately, but with appropriate timing and methods."
Sora wrote in the notebook. "Stop swallowing emotions: self-observation, I-messages, small practice"
"Good summary," Hiyori acknowledged.
Leo laughed. "Sora, you'll change gradually."
Sora said shyly, "Actually, there's something I want to say right now."
"What?" they both asked.
"This club room, could we make it a bit brighter? It's too dark..."
Hiyori and Leo looked at each other and laughed.
"Perfect first step," Leo said.
Hiyori stood up. "Let's open the curtains right away."
Light flooded into the club room. Sora's expression also seemed a bit brighter. A small step, but the beginning of certain change.