"I have to be strong."
Kaito murmured. In the club room, Leo and Hiyori were reading books.
Hiyori looked up. "What?"
"If I complain, I'll be looked down on."
Leo closed his book. "Looked down on by whom?"
"By everyone. It's pathetic for a guy to complain."
Hiyori said quietly, "Isn't that an assumption?"
"Assumption?" Kaito objected. "It's a fact. Weak people aren't relied on by anyone."
Leo thought. "That's the vulnerability paradox."
"Vulnerability paradox?"
"You think not showing weakness makes you look strong. But actually, it's the opposite," Hiyori explained.
Kaito asked back, "Showing weakness makes you look stronger?"
"Rather than looking stronger, you look more human," Leo answered.
Hiyori supplemented, "In psychology, vulnerability disclosure is said to deepen intimacy."
"Vulnerability disclosure?"
"Sharing your weaknesses and anxieties with others," Leo explained.
Kaito doubted. "Won't that make me looked down on?"
"The opposite," Hiyori answered immediately. "Trust deepens."
"Why?"
"Showing weakness takes courage," Leo said. "It's a sign that you trust the other person."
Hiyori added, "And it makes the other person more likely to show their weakness too."
Kaito thought. "Mutual vulnerability disclosure?"
"Yes. That creates true intimacy," Hiyori nodded.
Leo gave an example. "It's hard to get close to perfect people. Without flaws, you feel distance."
"But if they show flaws?"
"They feel human. You can empathize."
Kaito said quietly, "But admitting weakness is scary."
"That fear is natural," Hiyori said gently. "Everyone fears rejection."
Leo supplemented, "But when you overcome that fear, real relationships begin."
Kaito asked, "Real relationships?"
"Relationships without masks," Hiyori answered. "Relationships with authenticity."
"Authenticity?"
"Being able to be your true self," Leo explained. "Relationships where you don't have to perform."
Kaito pondered. "But my true self has many bad parts."
"Everyone does," Hiyori said. "There's no perfect person."
Leo added, "Weakness is part of being human. Hiding it means hiding part of yourself."
"If you keep hiding?" Kaito asked.
"It's exhausting," Hiyori answered. "Keeping on a mask requires energy."
"And you feel lonely," Leo supplemented. "Because no one knows the real you."
Kaito said quietly, "I guess I am lonely."
Hiyori asked gently, "Have you ever talked about your true feelings to anyone?"
"No. I didn't want to look weak."
"But what's the result?"
"No one knows the real me," Kaito admitted.
Leo said, "Vulnerability isn't weakness. It's courage."
"Courage?"
"Exposing yourself requires courage. It might be harder than fighting on a battlefield."
Hiyori nodded. "Psychologist Brené Brown says 'vulnerability is the measure of courage.'"
Kaito was surprised. "Showing weakness is courage?"
"Yes. The courage to face your true self without running away."
Leo added, "And the courage to take the risk of rejection."
Kaito thought. "But what if I'm rejected?"
"That can happen," Hiyori answered honestly. "But fearing rejection and not building relationships is also a loss."
"So it's about whether to take the risk?"
"Yes. But without risk, there's no reward," Leo said.
Hiyori supplemented, "Intimate relationships, trust, understanding. These are gained by sharing vulnerability."
Kaito nodded slowly. "I'm starting to understand a bit."
Leo asked, "Do you have any complaints you want to make now?"
Kaito hesitated. "...Yes."
"We'll listen," Hiyori said gently.
Kaito took a deep breath. "Actually, I've been really anxious lately. About the future, I can't see it at all. Everyone has dreams, but I have nothing."
Hiyori said quietly, "Thank you for sharing."
Leo added, "I'm the same. As an international student, there's a lot of pressure about my path."
Kaito was surprised. "Leo too?"
"Everyone carries anxiety. They just don't show it."
Hiyori said, "Because Kaito showed weakness now, it's easier for me to talk too."
Kaito showed a slightly relieved expression. "I wasn't looked down on."
"Of course not," Leo laughed. "Rather, I feel closer to you."
Hiyori smiled. "I want to see more of the human Kaito."
Kaito said quietly, "Showing weakness is scary, but... not bad."
"That's the first step," Hiyori acknowledged.
Outside the window, wind was blowing.
"We who cannot show weakness," Kaito murmured. "But maybe we can show it."
"We should," Leo said. "That creates real relationships."
The three spent time quietly in the club room. Vulnerability is not weakness, but strength. They learned that this afternoon.