"Hiyori, aren't you tired lately?"
Sora asked worriedly. Usually energetic Hiyori seemed a bit lifeless today.
"I'm fine," Hiyori forced a smile. But the smile was a bit weak.
Kaito brought drinks. "That's the face of someone pushing themselves."
Hiyori sighed. "You can tell."
"Did something happen?" Sora gently prompted.
"I'm doing almost all the cultural festival preparations for my class by myself. But no one notices..."
"That's tough," Kaito empathized.
Hiyori continued, "The decorations, the schedule, I'm coordinating everything. But on the day, everyone just enjoys themselves, and no one mentions the preparation."
Sora wrote in her notebook. "The weight of unnoticed effort"
"That's not such a big deal..."
"No, it is a big deal," Kaito said. "When I was only doing club chores, I felt the same way."
Sora began explaining. "In psychology, having your effort go unrecognized is a major stressor."
"Why?" Hiyori asked.
"Because humans are creatures that need social recognition," Sora answered. "Especially work where contributions are hard to see tends not to be valued."
Kaito gave an example. "Cleaning, preparation, behind-the-scenes work—they don't stand out."
"But without them, the whole thing doesn't work," Hiyori said.
"Right. So it's even more painful when you're not recognized," Sora nodded.
Hiyori asked, "But I'm not making the effort to be recognized. I'm doing it because it's necessary. So why does it still hurt?"
Sora thought. "It might be the balance between intrinsic motivation and external rewards."
"Intrinsic motivation?"
"Motivation where the act itself is satisfying. Feeling fulfillment even without recognition."
"But I..."
"It's hard to continue forever on intrinsic motivation alone," Kaito said. "Sometimes you want to be told 'thank you.'"
Sora added, "That's a natural desire. When completely ignored, motivation drops."
Hiyori said quietly, "At first, I purely wanted to be helpful. But lately, not being recognized has become painful..."
"So you're approaching burnout," Sora diagnosed.
"Burnout?"
"Burnout syndrome. A state where excessive effort goes unrewarded and you become exhausted."
Kaito asked, "What should we do?"
Sora suggested, "First, make your effort visible."
"Visible?" Hiyori tilted her head.
"Show everyone the preparation task list. Make clear who did what."
"But that seems like self-promotion..."
"No," Kaito said. "Transparency is basic to organizational management. Hidden effort can't be evaluated."
Sora continued, "And it's important to ask for help."
"Help?"
"Don't try to do everything alone. Divide tasks. Ask 'Could you help with this?'"
Hiyori hesitated. "But others seem busy..."
"That might be an assumption," Sora pointed out. "Some people don't know what to do unless asked."
Kaito laughed. "That's me. I'll do it if asked, but won't notice otherwise."
Hiyori felt a bit lighter. "I might have been shouldering everything alone."
Sora said finally, "And don't forget to recognize yourself."
"Myself?"
"Even if others don't recognize you, you know your own effort. Tell yourself 'well done.'"
Kaito nodded. "Self-recognition. Difficult, but important."
Hiyori smiled. "Thank you. I feel a bit lighter."
"From tomorrow, I'll try making a task list."
Sora encouraged, "That's good. And don't hesitate to rely on us."
"I'll help too," Kaito declared.
Outside the window, the sunset was fading. Unnoticed effort is heavy. But there are ways to lighten it. Don't shoulder it alone, make it visible, and recognize yourself.
Hiyori said quietly, "I'm glad I talked today."
A small step was beginning to lighten the burden.