"I haven't been able to sleep lately."
Sora said in a late-night message. Leo and Hiyori joined the online call.
"What time is it?" Leo asked. On the other side of the screen, he hadn't been sleeping either.
"3 AM," Sora answered. "Thoughts won't stop."
Hiyori asked gently, "What are you thinking about?"
Sora fell silent. Seemed unwilling to answer.
"If you don't want to talk, you don't have to force it," Hiyori said.
There was silence for a while. Then Sora said quietly.
"My grandmother passed away last month."
Leo and Hiyori waited quietly.
"The funeral is over, I should have returned to normal life, but," Sora continued. "At night, I suddenly feel sad. But I can't cry."
Hiyori said quietly, "Facing sadness is very difficult."
"I'm fine during the day," Sora explained. "Go to school, study, talk with friends. But at night, alone..."
"You're avoiding it," Leo observed.
"Avoiding?"
"Keeping busy to turn away from sadness," Hiyori explained. "An unconscious defense mechanism."
Sora admitted. "Maybe so. I keep doing things because I don't want to think about it."
Leo asked, "But you can't avoid it at night?"
"Too quiet," Sora said. "Thoughts overflow. About grandmother, how I should have spent more time together."
Hiyori said gently, "That's a natural response. It's part of the grief process."
"Grief process?"
"Stages of accepting loss proposed by psychologist Kübler-Ross," Hiyori explained. "Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Not necessarily in that order."
Sora asked, "Which stage am I in now?"
"Perhaps between denial and depression," Hiyori answered. "You haven't fully accepted the reality of the loss yet."
Leo asked a practical question. "What specifically should one do to face it?"
Hiyori thought. "Give yourself permission to feel emotions. If you want to cry, cry. Don't suppress sadness."
"But I can't cry," Sora was confused.
"That's also natural," Hiyori said. "Sadness comes when you're ready. You don't need to force it out."
Leo suggested, "How about writing? Memories with your grandmother."
Sora thought. "Won't writing make me sadder?"
"In the short term, maybe," Hiyori acknowledged. "But long term, it helps process emotions."
Sora hesitated. "I'm scared. Of being swallowed by sadness."
Hiyori said quietly, "Sadness is like waves. It surges and recedes. It doesn't last forever."
"But when it's really painful?"
"Then talk to someone," Leo said. "Like us. Don't carry it alone."
Hiyori added, "Sharing sadness makes it lighter. It doesn't completely disappear, but becomes a bearable weight."
Sora said quietly, "Grandmother always listened to me. Without saying anything, just listened."
Tears finally overflowed.
Leo and Hiyori waited without saying anything.
Sora spoke while crying. "I wanted to talk more. I wanted to be together more."
"Please cherish those feelings," Hiyori said gently.
After finishing crying, Sora felt a bit lighter.
"Does sadness have an end?" Sora asked.
Hiyori answered. "It may not completely end. But it changes form. From intense pain to quiet nostalgia."
"How long does it take?"
"It's different for everyone," Leo said. "No need to rush. Go at your own pace."
Sora took a deep breath. "I think I can sleep a bit tonight."
"Good," Hiyori smiled.
Leo said, "If you can't sleep again, contact us. Anytime."
"Thank you," Sora said. "Facing it is scary, but knowing I'm not alone makes it easier."
Hiyori said finally, "Facing sadness takes courage. But that's the path to healing."
The screen went dark. Sora quietly closed their eyes. Sadness was still there. But they felt a bit more ready to accept it.