"I feel nothing today."
Mira suddenly said. In the club room by the window, Sora turned around at those words.
Hiyori asked gently, "Nothing at all?"
"Not happy, not sad, not angry. Nothing." Mira stared at her palm.
Sora approached. "Doesn't that hurt?"
Mira shook her head. "I don't know if it hurts."
Hiyori sat next to Mira. "It might be emotional numbing."
"Numbing?" Sora asked back.
"The mind sometimes shuts down emotions to protect itself from excessive stress," Hiyori explained. "It's a temporary defense response."
Mira nodded quietly. "A lot happened until yesterday."
"Your mind's capacity may have been exceeded," Hiyori continued. "To avoid breaking from feeling too much, it stops feeling."
Sora wrote in her notebook. "A type of dissociation?"
"Close. It's sometimes called emotional dissociation."
Mira looked out the window. "Everyone is laughing and crying. But it seems far away to me."
"You feel distance," Hiyori empathized.
Sora pondered. "But sometimes not feeling anything is easier, right?"
Mira looked at Sora with a slightly surprised expression.
"No pain certainly might be easier," Hiyori acknowledged. "But there's also no joy."
"A trade-off," Sora murmured.
"Exactly. Emotional numbing may be protective short-term, but can become problematic long-term."
Mira said quietly, "What if it doesn't come back?"
Hiyori smiled gently. "It will definitely come back. The mind has surprising resilience."
"Really?"
"Yes. However, awareness is the first step. Mira, you're aware of your state now."
Sora added, "That's important, isn't it?"
"Very important," Hiyori nodded. "Some people continue pushing themselves without realizing their emotions are numb."
Mira took out her notebook and wrote. "Feeling the not-feeling."
Sora laughed. "That's a strange expression."
"But accurate," Hiyori said. "It shows you have metacognition."
Mira asked, "How do I get it back?"
Hiyori thought. "You don't need to force emotions back. First, rest."
"Rest?"
"Recover your mind's energy. Sufficient sleep, relaxation, a safe environment."
Sora suggested, "Like going home early today and doing something you like?"
Mira thought for a moment and nodded. "Maybe I'll draw."
"That's good," Hiyori approved. "Creative activities can help restore emotions."
Sora looked out the window. "Maybe you only realize how precious emotions are when they're gone."
"That's a keen observation," Hiyori said. "They're so natural we don't usually notice them."
Mira wrote again. "Emotions are proof of being alive."
"Exactly," Hiyori smiled. "Both good and bad, having emotions makes us human."
Sora gently placed a hand on Mira's shoulder. "Even if you feel nothing now, it's temporary."
Mira nodded slightly.
Hiyori stood up. "If you want to talk to someone, we're always here."
"Thank you," Mira said quietly.
The three left the club room. Mira felt just a little warmth returning to her heart. Complete emotional recovery might still take time. But Mira learned that there were people to walk that path with her.
Days of feeling nothing also pass. The heart will surely begin to feel again.