"I envy people with many friends."
Sora muttered in the library. Mira and Hiyori looked up.
Hiyori asked gently, "Why do you envy them?"
"Because I have few friends," Sora laughed self-deprecatingly. "I'm always alone."
Mira nodded quietly. Showing empathy.
Hiyori closed her book. "Do you think quantity matters?"
"Huh?" Sora was surprised.
"The number of friends. Are more friends necessarily happier?"
Sora pondered. "...I don't know."
Hiyori began explaining. "Psychological research shows quality of relationships matters more than the number of friends."
"Quality?"
"Even just one deeply trustworthy relationship can provide psychological stability."
Mira's eyes sparkled. She was interested.
Sora wrote in her notebook. "Just one is enough?"
"Precisely, at least one," Hiyori smiled. "There's a concept called secure base."
"Secure base?"
"An existence you can rely on when troubled, who accepts you as you are. With that person, you can face the world."
Sora thought. "But everyone has lots of friends."
Hiyori shook her head. "Even if it looks that way superficially, few can truly open their hearts."
Mira said quietly, "I don't have one."
Hiyori looked at her gently. "Really?"
Mira looked confused.
"Mira, you're here now. Not alone."
Sora realized. "Hiyori, you're everyone's secure base."
Hiyori blushed slightly. "I'm supported by everyone too."
"But," Sora said, "how do you create such relationships?"
Hiyori thought. "Time and mutual trust."
"Specifically?"
"Being able to show weakness. Relationships where you don't need to pretend to be perfect."
Mira wrote in her notebook. "Scary."
"Yes," Hiyori acknowledged. "Showing weakness has risks."
Sora asked, "But if you don't show it, the relationship won't deepen?"
"Exactly," Hiyori nodded. "It stays superficial."
Mira said quietly, "What if rejected?"
Hiyori became serious. "That hurts. But someone who rejects you wasn't your secure base."
Sora understood. "A true secure base accepts weakness."
"Exactly," Hiyori smiled.
Mira asked, "How to find one?"
Hiyori answered, "Perhaps it's more about cultivating than finding."
"Cultivating?"
"Gradually opening your heart. While watching the other's response."
Sora added, "It's a reciprocal process."
"Yes. Not one-sided, but mutual."
Mira pondered. "Takes time."
"Yes. No need to rush," Hiyori said. "A secure base isn't built overnight."
Sora had a new question. "What happens to people without a secure base?"
Hiyori answered carefully, "They tend to be psychologically unstable. But it can be created even as an adult."
"Really?"
"Yes. Attachment theory says experiencing safe relationships can provide correction."
Mira's expression showed hope.
Sora said, "So it's not too late even now."
"Not at all too late," Hiyori said firmly.
Mira asked quietly, "Will you be my secure base, Hiyori?"
Hiyori was surprised. Then smiled gently. "Of course."
Sora was moved. "What a beautiful moment."
Hiyori looked at both. "You're also my secure base."
"Huh?" Sora and Mira said simultaneously.
"Mutual support isn't one-way. We can be secure bases for each other."
The three sat quietly. Soft light streamed through the library window.
It doesn't matter how many friends you have. But having just one truly trustworthy person stabilizes the heart. And that one person was here now.
Quality over quantity. This truth was deeply engraved in their hearts.