"I can't decide."
Sora murmured in the library. With a report topic in front of them, their pen had stopped.
Leo called out from the adjacent seat. "Something troubling you?"
"What I want to do and what I should do are different."
"What psychology calls internal conflict," Leo closed his book. "I have that often too."
Mira quietly approached and showed her notebook. "Parent / Adult / Child"
"Transactional analysis?" Sora recalled. "The theory that there are three ego states in the mind."
Leo began to explain. "Eric Berne's theory. Three ego states—Parent, Adult, and Child—dialogue internally."
"Which state am I in now?" Sora wondered.
"Probably Parent and Child are in conflict," Leo analyzed. "The Parent ego says 'You should do it properly,' and the Child ego says 'I want to do something fun.'"
Mira wrote. "Which voice is yours?"
Sora was struck. "Both are me... but which is the real me?"
Leo answered calmly. "Both are the real you. Humans aren't singular. Having multiple ego states is normal."
"But it's painful because they contradict."
"That's what makes you human," Leo smiled. "There's no one who's completely consistent."
Mira turned a page. Jung's theory was written there. "Shadow self"
"Shadow self," Sora read.
"Jung believed there are repressed aspects within the self," Leo continued. "Parts you don't want to acknowledge, parts you hide. That's the shadow."
"What's my shadow?" Sora questioned themselves.
"Integrating it is the process of growth."
Mira opened a new page. "Integration, not elimination"
"Integrate, not eliminate," Sora understood.
Leo gave a concrete example. "For instance, instead of denying the 'want to enjoy' ego within you, let it dialogue with the 'do it properly' ego."
"Dialogue?"
"Yes. Let the two voices negotiate. Find a compromise."
Sora began to think. "Write a proper report on an enjoyable topic...?"
"That's integration," Leo acknowledged. "Making both coexist without killing either."
Mira said quietly, "I have two as well."
Sora and Leo were surprised. It was rare for Mira to talk about herself.
"What kind of two?" Sora asked gently.
"The self that wants to talk and the self that wants to stay silent."
Leo nodded. "That's also internal conflict."
"Which should win?" Mira asked.
"It's not about winning or losing," Leo answered. "What's important is being able to choose the appropriate ego state according to the situation."
Sora understood. "Flexibility, right?"
"Yes. Rigid ego states hinder adaptation."
Mira wrote in her notebook. "Flexibility is strength"
"Flexibility is strength," Sora translated.
Leo continued. "In psychology, this is called ego strength. The ability to maintain balance while holding contradictions."
Sora exhaled deeply. "It's okay to have two selves, then."
"Not just 'okay,' it's natural to have them," Leo corrected. "The problem is making those two enemies."
"Make them allies," Mira murmured.
"Exactly," Leo smiled. "Turn internal dialogue into cooperation, not battle."
Sora picked up the pen. "I'll try to find a topic that's both enjoyable and worthwhile."
"That's the first step to integration."
Mira quietly stood up. As she left, she handed Sora a memo.
"Two selves, one person"
Sora smiled. There are two selves. That's fine. What matters is that those two cooperate.
The dialogue within the heart continues today too. But it's not a battle—it's a path to growth.