"I couldn't refuse again."
Hiyori said tiredly.
"Someone asked you for something?" Sora asked.
"Helping classmates with homework... three of them."
Leo was surprised. "Why three?"
"If I refused, I thought they'd hate me."
"That's the trap of need for approval," Sora pointed out.
"Need for approval?"
"The basic desire to be recognized by others. It's not bad in itself."
"But?" Hiyori prompted.
"But when it becomes excessive, it destroys your boundaries."
Leo supplemented, "It's called people pleasing behavior."
"Pleasing people... is that bad?"
"It's about motivation," Sora explained. "Helping not because you really want to, but because you don't want to be disliked."
Hiyori realized. "That's me..."
"Fear of being disliked controls your actions."
"But being disliked is scary," Hiyori said honestly.
"Why?" Leo asked.
"I might be isolated. No one might talk to me."
"That's catastrophic thinking," Leo pointed out.
"Catastrophic thinking?"
"Assuming the worst and believing it will definitely happen."
Sora gave an example. "Refuse → Get hated → Become isolated. This chain isn't inevitable."
"But it's possible."
"Possibility and inevitability are different. Also, healthy relationships don't break from one refusal."
Hiyori pondered. "Healthy relationships..."
"Relationships that respect each other's boundaries," Sora explained.
"Boundaries?"
"The psychological border between self and others. Having this isn't selfish."
Leo added, "Rather, relationships without boundaries create dependency and exploitation."
Hiyori wrote in her notebook: "Refusing isn't selfish."
"Right. There's a concept called assertiveness," Sora said.
"Assertiveness?"
"Communication that respects your rights and others' rights equally."
"I've only been respecting others' rights..."
"And ignoring your own rights," Leo said gently.
Sora asked, "Hiyori, do you think you have the right to refuse?"
Hiyori hesitated. "Do I... have that right?"
"You do. Everyone has the right to say no."
"But if they hate me..."
"Let me change the question," Sora said. "Do you want to continue a relationship with someone who doesn't respect your 'no'?"
Hiyori fell silent.
"Healthy relationships respect each other's 'no,'" Leo supplemented.
"People who leave when you say 'no' might not have respected the relationship in the first place."
Hiyori nodded slowly. "What is the courage to be disliked, really?"
"It's an easily misunderstood phrase," Sora said. "It's really 'courage to respect yourself.'"
"Respect myself?"
"Acknowledge your needs, limits, and values. Communicate them to others. That's the essence."
"You don't act to be disliked," Leo continued. "You act to be yourself. As a result, some people might leave. The readiness to accept that is 'courage to be disliked.'"
Hiyori took a deep breath. "Respecting myself comes first."
"Yes. And knowing it's impossible to be liked by everyone."
"Impossible?"
"Everyone has different values. Trying to match all of them means losing yourself."
Hiyori looked at her smartphone. A message from a classmate.
"Tomorrow, I'll try refusing," Hiyori resolved.
"What will you say?"
"'I can't help this time. I want to value my own time too.'"
"Perfect," Sora smiled.
Leo encouraged, "That's the first step in drawing boundaries."
"I'm scared... but valuing myself is important too."
"Very important," Sora nodded.
The three quietly thought about the balance between approval and self-respect.
The courage to be disliked was actually the courage to love yourself.