"Mira, you seem down lately."
Hiyori said with concern.
Mira nodded slightly. She wrote in her notebook. "Unstable relationship"
Sora approached. "With a friend?"
Mira nodded. She wrote again. "Always anxious"
Hiyori asked gently, "What kind of anxiety?"
"Might be disliked. Might be abandoned." Mira's handwriting trembled.
Sora opened her notebook. "Have you heard of attachment theory?"
Mira and Hiyori shook their heads.
"A theory proposed by psychologist Bowlby. Relationships with caregivers in early childhood affect adult relationships."
Hiyori showed interest. "What kind of impact?"
"There are roughly four attachment styles. Secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized."
Sora drew a diagram.
"Secure types can feel safe in relationships. Anxious types have strong abandonment fears. Avoidant types avoid intimacy. Disorganized types mix anxiety and avoidance."
Mira wrote in her notebook. "I might be anxious type"
"Why do you think so?" Sora asked.
"Always want to confirm the other's feelings. If reply is slow, think I'm disliked."
Hiyori empathized. "I have that tendency too."
Sora continued explaining. "People with anxious attachment excessively seek relationship stability. But that behavior can actually destabilize relationships."
"Why?" Hiyori asked.
"Excessive checking and dependence pressure the other person. When they distance themselves, anxiety increases. A vicious cycle."
Mira nodded. She must have experienced this.
"What are signs of insecure relationships?" Hiyori asked practically.
Sora listed them. "Inconsistent attitudes. Broken promises. Intense emotional waves. Atmosphere where you can't express your feelings."
Mira added in writing. "Need to fake yourself"
"That's also an important sign," Sora acknowledged. "Relationships where you can't show your true self aren't safe."
Hiyori pondered. "But do perfectly safe relationships even exist?"
"Maybe not," Sora said honestly. "But relationships that can be a 'safe base' do exist."
"Safe base?"
"Bowlby's concept. A secure place to return to when in trouble. Same with relationships. Not rejected even after failure. Can be yourself."
Mira said quietly, "Want that kind of relationship"
Hiyori said gently, "Mira, you can feel safe here."
Mira's eyes moistened.
Sora continued. "Attachment styles can be changed. They're not fixed."
"Really?" Mira felt hopeful.
"Through therapy and experiencing stable relationships, you can modify them. This is called 'earned security.'"
Hiyori asked, "How can we earn it?"
"First, notice your attachment pattern. Next, understand where that pattern comes from. Then, experience safety in new relationships."
Mira wrote in her notebook. "Small accumulations of safety"
"Exactly," Sora smiled. "You don't need to change everything at once. Little by little, relearn trust."
Hiyori suggested, "It would be nice if we three could be each other's safe base."
Mira smiled for the first time.
Sora said, "Conditions for secure relationships are predictability, responsiveness, and acceptance."
"Predictability?"
"The other's reactions are consistent. Their attitude doesn't change with mood."
"Responsiveness?"
"They properly respond to your needs. You're not ignored."
"Acceptance?"
"They accept you as you are. Not conditional love."
Mira nodded slowly. "Want to build that kind of relationship"
Hiyori extended her hand. "Let's practice together."
Sora also placed her hand. "Safety isn't given, it's created."
Three hands overlapped. In the instability, a small safety was born.
Outside the window, rain began to fall. But inside the room, it was warm. A safe base takes shape little by little.