"I did it again."
Kaito kicked the wall. The club room door shook.
Leo asked calmly, "What happened?"
"I yelled at a friend over something trivial. I apologized later, though," Kaito said frustratedly.
Sora took out her notebook. "Your anger exploded."
"Yeah. I know in my head I shouldn't get angry. But before I knew it, I was yelling."
Leo began explaining. "That's emotional runaway. Brain mechanisms are involved."
"Brain?" Kaito asked.
"A part called the amygdala generates emotions," Leo drew a diagram. "Especially fear and anger."
"So?"
"The amygdala reacts quickly. Before thinking," Sora supplemented.
"That's why I'm angry before I realize it."
"Right," Leo nodded. "Meanwhile, the prefrontal cortex makes rational judgments. But it's slower to react."
Kaito understood. "The amygdala wins."
"Especially when stress is high," Sora added.
Kaito thought. "So what should I do?"
Leo answered, "There are several methods. First, cognitive reappraisal."
"Cognitive reappraisal?"
"Changing how you interpret the situation," Sora explained. "Like thinking 'there was a misunderstanding' instead of 'I was insulted.'"
"But what makes me angry makes me angry," Kaito countered.
"True," Leo acknowledged. "That's why advance preparation is important."
"Advance?"
"Knowing your anger triggers beforehand."
Kaito thought. "What makes me angry, huh."
"Yes. If you know the pattern, you can predict it," Sora wrote in her notebook.
Kaito answered, "I get angry immediately when treated lightly."
"Why?" Leo asked.
"I don't know. It's been like that since long ago."
"That's important," Leo said. "Deep wounds or beliefs become triggers."
Sora asked gently, "What do you feel when treated lightly?"
Kaito thought silently. "Like I have no value, like I'm being denied."
"There it is," Leo pointed out. "Beneath anger is wounded self-esteem."
"Anger is a secondary emotion," Sora supplemented. "Really, sadness or anxiety comes first."
Kaito was surprised. "Am I sad?"
"Anger is armor protecting sadness," Leo explained. "You get angry because you don't want to show weakness."
Kaito became quiet. "True... being angry might be easier than being sad."
"But the real problem doesn't get solved," Sora pointed out.
"So what do I do?"
Leo suggested, "When you feel anger, take a breath. Then ask yourself."
"What?"
"'What am I really feeling right now?'"
Kaito wrote in his notebook. "Look beneath the anger."
"Right. It might be sadness. It might be anxiety. Acknowledging that is the first step."
Sora taught another method. "Also, physical approaches are effective."
"Physical?"
"Deep breathing, exercise, washing your face with cold water," Sora listed. "Calm down physiologically."
Leo explained scientifically, "Amygdala activation is influenced by physical state. If the body calms down, the amygdala calms down."
"I see," Kaito was convinced.
"Also, prevention," Leo continued. "Do stress management regularly."
"Sleep, exercise, hobbies," Sora gave examples.
Kaito laughed. "Healthy living."
"Boring, but effective," Leo acknowledged.
Sora asked, "Kaito, are you sleeping lately?"
"Not much," Kaito admitted.
"That might be a cause too," Leo pointed out. "Sleep deprivation makes emotion regulation difficult."
Kaito reflected. "Everything's connected."
"Mind and body are one," Sora said.
Kaito decided. "Okay, I'll change from today. Sleep, exercise, and taking a breath."
"Don't rush," Leo warned. "Aiming for perfection becomes stress."
"Small improvements are fine," Sora encouraged.
Kaito nodded. "When anger runs away, take a deep breath and look for the emotion beneath."
"Perfect," Leo acknowledged.
Sora said last, "Emotions aren't enemies. They're messages."
"Even anger?" Kaito asked.
"Yes. A sign that 'something important is being threatened.'"
Kaito understood. "So it's not about eliminating anger, but understanding it."
"Exactly," Leo nodded. "If you understand, it won't run away."
Wind blew outside the window. Emotions come and go like waves.
"Next time anger comes," Kaito said, "I'll face it without running away."
"That's a brave choice," Leo acknowledged.
Sora smiled. "That's a new relationship with emotions."
Kaito took a deep breath. He understood the mechanism of emotional runaway. So he could cope too.
"Thank you," Kaito said to both.
"You're welcome," Sora answered.
Leo added, "Don't try to control emotions. Understand them and walk together with them."
Kaito nodded. A new journey had begun.