"I won't trust anyone anymore."
Kaito said as if spitting out the words. He was alone in the club room, looking out the window.
Hiyori quietly entered. "Did something happen?"
"A friend betrayed me. Told someone else my secret."
Leo also appeared. "That's painful."
"I won't speak my true feelings anymore. I'll only get hurt."
Hiyori sat beside him. "The feeling of not wanting to be hurt is natural."
"Right? So I'll close my heart now."
Leo said quietly, "But can you really protect yourself that way?"
"I can. If I don't get hurt, it won't hurt."
Hiyori wrote in her notebook. "Emotional armor"
"Armor?" Kaito asked.
"Locking up emotions to protect the heart. It's a type of defense mechanism."
Leo added, "Effective in the short term. But in the long term..."
"What happens long term?"
Hiyori explained, "You become lonely. You can't make real connections."
"That's fine. Being alone is easier."
Leo objected, "Really? Humans are social creatures. Without connections, you can't be happy."
Kaito fell silent.
Hiyori gently asked, "You're afraid of being hurt, right?"
"Obviously. I don't like pain."
"But," Hiyori continued, "if you completely avoid the possibility of being hurt, you gain nothing."
"There's nothing to gain anyway."
Leo gave examples. "Close friends. Deep conversations. Trust relationships. All of those are gained by showing vulnerability."
"Vulnerability?"
"Showing weakness," Hiyori explained. "Exposing your true self."
Kaito resisted. "If I show weakness, I'll be attacked."
"Sometimes yes," Leo acknowledged. "But not always."
Hiyori added, "Showing vulnerability is a risk. But it's also an opportunity."
"Opportunity?"
"A chance to meet someone who truly understands. A chance to build deep relationships."
Kaito thought. "But if I'm betrayed like this time?"
"That's painful," Hiyori acknowledged. "But you can also learn from that experience."
"Learn what?"
Leo answered, "Who to trust. How much to share. And how you deal with it."
Kaito calmed down a bit. "So instead of avoiding everyone, I should choose?"
"Yes," Hiyori nodded. "Not all or nothing, but gradually."
"Gradually?"
"Start with small secrets. Watch their reaction. If you find them trustworthy, go deeper."
Leo added, "And accept that betrayal can happen."
"Accept?" Kaito was surprised.
"There are no perfect people. Everyone makes mistakes," Hiyori explained.
"So it's okay to be betrayed?"
"Not okay exactly," Leo said. "But understand it as a possibility. Then judge if the relationship is worth continuing despite that."
Kaito asked, "What should I do about this friend?"
Hiyori suggested, "First, try talking? Why did they tell the secret?"
"I feel anger welling up."
"That anger can be conveyed too," Leo said. "Not suppressing emotions, but expressing them appropriately."
Kaito thought briefly. "But I might get hurt again."
"You might," Hiyori acknowledged. "But I think it's more honest than cutting off the relationship without saying anything."
Leo added, "Living in fear of being hurt is the same as fearing to live."
Kaito looked at the notebook. "I need resolve to be hurt?"
"Not so much resolve as acceptance," Hiyori said. "That being hurt is part of life."
"That's difficult."
"Difficult for everyone," Leo acknowledged. "But that's growth."
Outside the window, rain began to fall. The impulse to avoid being hurt is a natural defense response. But when dominated by it, life becomes narrow. Not fearing hurt, but not being defenseless either, finding balance. That might be what growing up means.
Kaito said quietly, "Tomorrow, I'll talk with my friend."
"Good choice," Leo smiled.
"Though I'm scared," Kaito added.
"Being scared is natural," Hiyori encouraged. "But taking a step forward is important."
Kaito took a deep breath. Accepting the possibility of being hurt and moving forward. That was true courage.