Late night at the library. Sora was studying alone but couldn't concentrate.
"What's wrong?"
Hiyori called out. Mira was with her.
Sora looked up. "I'm anxious. Too many things to do."
"Did you make a list?" Hiyori asked.
"I have a list, but I get anxious every time I look at it. I feel like I'll never finish."
Mira wrote in her notebook. "Restlessness."
Hiyori said gently. "Restlessness is a form of anxiety."
"Anxiety?"
"Fear about the future. Born from a sense of lack of control."
Sora admitted. "True, everything feels unmanageable."
Hiyori began explaining. "In psychology, there are two types of anxiety. Realistic anxiety and pathological anxiety."
"How are they different?"
"Realistic anxiety is a response to manageable problems. Pathological anxiety is excessive and disproportionate."
Sora thought. "...I don't know which."
"Let's first specify the content of your worries," Hiyori suggested.
Sora began talking. "Three reports, two tests, club preparations too."
"That is certainly a lot," Hiyori acknowledged. "But you don't need to do everything simultaneously."
Mira wrote. "Priorities."
"Yes. First, what's most urgent?"
Sora thought. "Tomorrow's test."
"Focus only on that. Temporarily forget the others."
"But I can't forget. Worries keep surfacing one after another."
Hiyori explained. "That's worry rumination. Repeatedly thinking the same worries."
"I can't stop it," Sora said.
"Worry is an attempt at problem-solving," Hiyori said. "But worry without action doesn't lead to solutions."
Mira wrote. "Worry and action are different."
"Exactly," Hiyori nodded. "Convert worry time into small actions."
Sora asked. "What actions?"
"For test studying, first read one chapter. Just that. No need to be perfect."
Sora said anxiously. "But that's not enough."
"Whether it's enough, think about later. Do what you can now."
Mira wrote again. "Perfectionism creates restlessness."
Hiyori acknowledged. "Yes. Aiming for perfection makes you feel it'll never end."
Sora realized. "I was trying to do everything perfectly."
"That might be the cause of restlessness," Hiyori said. "Being satisfied with 'good enough' is also important."
Sora took a deep breath. "But the anxiety doesn't go away."
"You don't need to completely eliminate anxiety," Hiyori said gently. "Coexist with anxiety."
"Coexist?"
"See anxiety not as an enemy, but as a warning system. A sign that 'something important is here.'"
Mira wrote. "Anxiety is an ally."
Sora felt a bit better. "I see..."
Hiyori continued. "There's also a physical approach."
"Physical?"
"Deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, moderate exercise. Calming the body calms the mind."
Sora tried. "Slowly breathe in... breathe out."
"Good. Breathing is one of the few ways to control the autonomic nervous system."
Mira quietly took Sora's hand. It was warm.
"Thank you, Mira-san."
Hiyori smiled. "Connecting with people also eases anxiety."
Sora asked. "Why?"
"Humans are social animals. Connecting with safe people releases oxytocin and reduces stress."
Sora nodded. "True, I feel a bit better."
Hiyori said. "On nights when restlessness won't stop, don't seek perfection, do what you can now."
Mira wrote. "And don't carry it alone."
Sora smiled. "Thank you both."
"Let's focus on tomorrow's test," Hiyori suggested. "Think about other things tomorrow."
Sora opened her notebook. "One step at a time, I'll try."
The three quietly began studying. Restlessness might not completely disappear. But knowing you're not alone makes it a bit lighter.
A quiet sense of security filled the late-night library.