"I couldn't do the presentation."
Mira whispered quietly. In a corner of the library, just the three of them.
Hiyori asked gently, "What happened?"
"When I stood in front, my voice wouldn't come out."
Sora observed. Mira's hands were trembling slightly.
Hiyori said quietly, "You were afraid of failure."
Mira nodded.
"Fear of failure," Sora wrote in her notebook. "Where does that come from?"
Hiyori began explaining. "There are several factors. Past failure experiences, fear of others' evaluation, perfectionistic thought patterns."
"I was once laughed at during a presentation," Mira quietly confessed.
Sora understood. "That became trauma?"
"In psychology, it's called conditioning," Hiyori supplemented. "The situation of presenting becomes linked with an unpleasant experience."
"How can we break that link?" Sora asked.
"There's a cognitive behavioral therapy approach," Hiyori explained. "First, becoming aware of your thought patterns."
Mira wrote in her notebook. "If I fail, everyone will mock me."
"That's automatic thinking," Hiyori pointed out. "Let's examine whether that's really true, the evidence."
Sora thought. "Certainly, just because you fail doesn't mean everyone will mock you."
"Rather, there might be more people who empathize with failure," Hiyori said.
Mira wrote another fear. "If I fail, my value disappears."
Hiyori gently negated it. "That's also a cognitive distortion. A person's value isn't determined by one failure."
Sora added, "Failure isn't the person themselves, right?"
"Yes. The result of an action and the value of existence are separate."
Mira stared at Hiyori. "But I'm scared."
"Being scared is natural," Hiyori acknowledged. "The problem is being controlled by fear and avoiding action."
Sora asked, "Avoidance behavior?"
"Yes. Avoiding situations to ease anxiety. But that's only a short-term solution."
"Long-term?"
"The more you avoid, the stronger the fear becomes. Because the belief 'I can't do it after all' is reinforced."
Mira said quietly, "Vicious cycle."
"Yes. Fear → avoidance → increased fear → further avoidance. To escape this loop?"
Sora thought. "Face it gradually?"
"Exactly," Hiyori nodded. "A technique called gradual exposure. Start with small steps and gradually approach the feared object."
Mira showed interest.
Hiyori explained concretely. "For example, first practice speaking aloud alone. Next, speak in front of a trusted friend. Then, present in a small group."
"Eventually, you can present in front of the whole class," Sora understood.
"What's important is accumulating success experiences at each step. That leads to confidence."
Mira wrote in her notebook. "Small successes."
"Yes. The presentation doesn't need to be perfect. Just standing in front and saying something is success."
Sora thought deeply. "Changing the definition of failure."
"Exactly," Hiyori smiled. "Failure is not trying. Attempting and not succeeding isn't failure, it's the learning process."
Mira's expression relaxed a little.
Hiyori continued. "Another important thing is self-compassion. When you fail, treat yourself kindly instead of blaming yourself."
"Being kind to myself..." Mira repeated.
"Yes. When a friend fails, what do you say?"
"'It's okay' 'There's next time,'" Sora answered.
"Can you say that to yourself?"
Mira pondered. "Difficult."
"It's difficult for everyone," Hiyori acknowledged. "But you can practice. Practice saying kind words to yourself."
Sora wrote in her notebook. "Failure is an opportunity for growth."
"Exactly. You can learn much from failure. What didn't work well, how to improve next time."
Mira said quietly, "I'll try challenging again."
Hiyori smiled happily. "That's a courageous choice."
"I'm not alone," Sora said. "We're here."
Mira nodded slightly.
Hiyori said finally, "The mind that fears failure is trying to protect yourself. But real safety lies beyond overcoming fear."
"Accepting your weak self and still moving forward," Sora organized.
Mira closed her notebook. "Thank you."
The three sat quietly. The fear of failure felt a little lighter.