"Hiyori, you're quiet today."
Sora said worriedly. Hiyori, who usually listened calmly, was barely speaking.
Kaito had noticed too. "Did something happen?"
Hiyori smiled. "I'm fine."
But that smile was unnatural.
Sora observed. Her eyes weren't smiling. Her shoulders slightly drooped.
"Are you really okay?" Sora asked again.
"Yes," Hiyori answered. The words said okay.
Kaito tilted his head. "But something feels different."
Sora opened her notebook. "Nonverbal communication."
Hiyori was a bit surprised. "You know well."
"When words and behavior don't match, which should we believe?" Sora posed.
Kaito answered, "Behavior?"
"Right," Hiyori acknowledged. "People can lie, but the body is honest."
"So Hiyori, you're not really okay now?" Sora asked gently.
Hiyori fell silent. That was the answer.
Kaito was surprised. "Hiyori, were you forcing it?"
"Always listening to everyone, I put my own matters last," Hiyori said quietly.
Sora understood. "Listeners find it hard to express their own feelings."
"Perhaps so," Hiyori admitted.
Kaito pondered. "But sometimes not feeling anything is easier, right?"
Mira looked at Sora with a slightly surprised expression.
"No pain certainly might be easier," Hiyori acknowledged. "But there's also no joy."
"A trade-off," Sora murmured.
"Right. Emotional numbing is protective short-term, but can be problematic long-term."
Mira said quietly, "What if it stays this way?"
Hiyori smiled gently. "It will return. The mind has surprising resilience."
"Really?"
"Yes. But awareness is the first step. Mira, you're aware of your state now."
Sora added, "That's important, right?"
"Very important," Hiyori nodded. "Some keep pushing without realizing emotions are numb."
Mira took out her notebook and wrote. "Feeling the not-feeling."
Sora laughed. "Strange expression."
"But accurate," Hiyori said. "Shows metacognition."
Mira asked, "How to get back?"
Hiyori thought. "Don't force emotions back. First, rest."
"Rest?"
"Recover mental energy. Enough sleep, relaxation, safe environment."
Sora suggested, "Go home early today and do something you like?"
Mira thought and nodded. "Maybe draw."
"Good," Hiyori approved. "Creative activities help restore emotions."
Sora looked outside. "Maybe you realize emotions' value when gone."
"Keen observation," Hiyori said. "Too natural to usually notice."
Mira wrote again. "Emotions are proof of living."
"Exactly," Hiyori smiled. "Good and bad, emotions make us human."
Sora gently touched Mira's shoulder. "Even feeling nothing now, it's temporary."
Mira nodded slightly.
Hiyori stood. "If you want to talk, we're always here."
"Thank you," Mira said quietly.
The three left the club room. Mira felt a little warmth returning. Full recovery might take time. But Mira learned there were people to walk with.
Days of feeling nothing pass. The heart will surely feel again.
Words are convenient but can't convey everything. True feelings sometimes hide in silence. The ability to read that becomes key to building deep relationships.
Today, the two read Hiyori's silence. And Hiyori felt their compassion. Communication beyond words was certainly there.