"It's better not to expect. Then I won't get hurt."
Leo said quietly. At a cafe, the three were studying.
Hiyori looked up. "What happened?"
"A friend invited me to a party. But it was disappointing."
Sora asked. "What were you expecting?"
"A fun time. New encounters. But I couldn't talk to anyone and felt lonely."
Hiyori said gently. "There was a gap between expectation and reality."
"Yes. So I thought. If I don't expect from the start, there's no disappointment."
Sora analyzed. "Defensive pessimism."
"Defensive pessimism?"
"A strategy to protect yourself from disappointment by lowering expectations," Hiyori explained.
Leo nodded. "Exactly that. If I don't have expectations, I'm safe."
"But," Sora continued, "does that really lead to happiness?"
Leo thought. "Maybe not happy. But safe."
Hiyori said quietly. "Safety and happiness don't always align."
Sora asked. "Leo, why are you afraid to have expectations?"
Leo looked back at his past. "I've been betrayed many times. Expected, then disappointed."
"That must have been painful," Hiyori empathized.
"So I learned. Not expecting is easier."
Sora pointed out. "But not having expectations also closes possibilities, doesn't it?"
Leo fell silent.
Hiyori explained. "In psychology, expectations have two aspects. Risk and reward."
"What do you mean?"
"Having expectations is taking a risk. But there's also joy that comes from it."
Sora gave an example. "Buying a lottery ticket. Because you expect, you get excited about the possibility of winning. But if you lose, you're disappointed."
Leo said. "So it's better not to buy."
"True, there's no disappointment," Hiyori acknowledged. "But there's no excitement either."
Leo pondered. "But the pain of disappointment feels bigger."
"That's the 'loss aversion' bias," Sora explained.
"Loss aversion?"
"Humans are more sensitive to losing than gaining. Psychologist Kahneman's research."
Hiyori supplemented. "The joy of gaining 100 yen feels smaller than the sadness of losing 100 yen."
Leo understood. "So to avoid disappointment, I don't have expectations."
"Yes," Sora nodded. "It seems like a rational strategy."
"But?" Leo prompted the continuation.
Hiyori said quietly. "But it restricts living."
Leo fell silent.
"Not having expectations means not having hope," Hiyori continued.
Sora added. "Without hope, motivation to act also decreases."
Leo objected. "But shouldn't we be realistic? Optimism is dangerous."
"Optimism and realism don't conflict," Hiyori said.
"What do you mean?"
Sora explained. "There's a concept called flexible optimism."
"Flexible optimism?"
"Expecting the best while preparing for the worst. Having expectations while also seeing reality."
Hiyori gave an example. "For an exam, expect 'I'll pass' while preparing 'But I might fail. If that happens, I'll work hard next time.'"
Leo thought. "Balance expectations with preparation."
"Yes," Sora nodded. "Expectations become motivation, preparation softens disappointment."
Hiyori said quietly. "Completely not expecting is giving up."
Leo looked down. "But I don't want to get hurt."
"Not wanting to get hurt is natural," Hiyori empathized. "But is living to avoid getting hurt really living?"
Leo fell silent.
Sora said gently. "Having expectations is showing vulnerability."
"Vulnerability?"
"Accepting the possibility of being hurt. That takes courage."
Hiyori supplemented. "But only with that vulnerability can deep connections and joy be born."
Leo asked. "But what if I'm betrayed many times?"
"That's painful," Hiyori acknowledged. "But one betrayal doesn't become a reason to close all possibilities."
Sora said. "Past experience doesn't determine the future."
Leo pondered. "But isn't learning from the past important?"
"Of course," Hiyori answered. "But being imprisoned by the past and learning from the past are different."
Sora explained. "Learning is 'I'll be careful in this situation.' Being imprisoned is 'Everything will be the same.'"
Leo nodded. "Over-generalizing."
"Yes. In cognitive therapy, it's called 'overgeneralization.'"
Hiyori said gently. "Leo, having expectations is a choice."
"A choice?"
"What to expect and how much to expect. You can decide that yourself."
Sora supplemented. "You don't need to expect everything with full force. Expect selectively."
Leo asked. "How should I choose?"
"Direct expectations toward what's important to you," Hiyori answered.
"And start small," Sora proposed. "Not big expectations, but small ones."
Leo thought. "For example?"
"Like, hoping to talk with one person at the next party."
"That much I can do," Leo smiled a little.
Hiyori smiled. "And when you achieve it, praise yourself."
"What if I fail?"
"That's also learning," Sora said. "You can use it next time."
Leo exhaled deeply. "Having expectations is scary."
"It is scary," Hiyori acknowledged. "But beyond that fear, there are possibilities."
Sora said quietly. "Not expecting is easier. But easy isn't always better."
Leo nodded. "Growth involves discomfort."
"Exactly," Hiyori smiled.
Leo said slowly. "I'll try. Try having small expectations."
"That's enough," Sora encouraged.
Hiyori said gently. "Expectations are vitality for living. Not completely eliminating them, but having them wisely."
Outside the window, the sunset was setting. Whether to have expectations for tomorrow or not. That's up to you.
Leo smiled. "Thank you. I can see a little hope."
Reasons why not expecting is easier. It's because you don't want to get hurt. But only by accepting the possibility of being hurt can you grasp true joy. Living with that contradiction, people go on.