"I don't know what I feel."
Mira quietly wrote. In the cafeteria, three of them were having lunch.
Hiyori gently asked, "Did something happen?"
Mira showed her notebook. "Someone confessed to me. I have to respond. But I don't know my own feelings."
Sora thought. "You don't know if you like them or not?"
Mira nodded. "It feels like both. It feels like neither."
Hiyori smiled. "That's not unusual."
"Really?"
"Emotions aren't black and white. There are many gray zones."
Sora supplemented, "In psychology, there's a concept called tolerance for ambiguity."
"Tolerance for ambiguity?"
"The ability to accept a state without clear answers."
Mira wrote. "But I have to respond. Yes or No."
Hiyori said quietly, "Before rushing to respond, why not face yourself?"
"How?"
Sora suggested, "First, observe your bodily reactions. How do you feel when you think about that person?"
Mira closed her eyes. She was quiet for a while.
"My heart beats a bit faster. But I don't know if that's happy or anxious..."
"It might be both," Hiyori said.
Sora explained, "Emotions are often mixed. Fear and excitement, anxiety and anticipation."
Mira wrote. "Too complex."
"Complex is okay," Hiyori acknowledged. "You don't need to simplify."
Sora asked from another angle. "How do you feel when you're with that person?"
Mira thought. "Calm. But no special excitement."
"That's one answer," Hiyori said.
"But isn't romance supposed to be exciting?"
Sora explained, "There's no single form of romance. There's gentle love and intense passion."
Hiyori added, "What's important is what you're looking for."
Mira looked intently at them. "What I'm looking for?"
"What you expect from romance. Security? Excitement? Growth?"
Mira pondered. After a long silence, she wrote. "Don't know. I don't know that either."
Sora said gently, "Then you might need to explore your values."
"Values?"
"What you hold important in life. Priorities."
Hiyori suggested, "Try answering a question. 'What's most important in life?'"
Mira wrote in her notebook. "Freedom. Growth. Quietness."
"With that person, can you have those things?" Sora asked.
Mira thought. "Freedom might be a bit restricted. But I might grow. Quietness is... I wonder."
"That's contradictory," Sora pointed out.
"It's contradictory," Mira admitted.
Hiyori said quietly, "Acknowledging contradiction as contradiction is also an answer."
"What do you mean?"
"A perfect relationship that fulfills everything might not exist. If you gain something, you let go of something."
Sora supplemented, "Tradeoff. Choices always have costs."
Mira thought deeply. "So how do I decide?"
Hiyori answered, "Which is more important, what you gain or what you let go?"
Mira wrote. "Current freedom is important. But I also want growth."
"Then," Sora said, "Look for a relationship where you can grow while maintaining freedom."
"Is that possible with that person?"
Mira thought. She was silent for a while.
"Don't know. But right now, I don't feel ready to give up freedom."
Hiyori smiled. "That might be your true feeling."
Mira was surprised. "This is?"
"Yes. 'I'm not ready yet.' That's also an honest emotion."
Sora nodded. "True feelings aren't always clear. 'I don't know' is also an answer."
Mira wrote. "Is it okay to answer 'I don't know'?"
"Of course," Hiyori answered. "Being honest is most important."
Sora added, "Telling them 'I don't know right now. I need time' is also sincere."
Mira felt relieved. "I see. I don't have to force a decision."
"Decisions need preparation," Hiyori said. "No need to rush."
Mira opened a new page and wrote. "Knowing my own feelings is difficult."
"It's difficult," Sora acknowledged. "That's why it's worth taking time."
Hiyori said lastly, "True feelings become visible when you face them quietly. Don't rush, explore slowly."
Mira smiled slightly. "Thank you. I feel better."
Outside the window, wind swayed the trees. The answer hadn't been found yet. But the direction to search became visible.
That was enough for now.