"Mio, do you never get angry?"
Haru asked frankly. She was curious about the always-calm Mio.
Mio tilted her head. No answer.
Noa said instead, "Maybe not that she doesn't get angry, but doesn't show it."
"What's the difference?"
"Not feeling and not showing are different."
Haru looked at Mio. "Do you feel anger?"
Mio nodded slightly.
"But don't express it?"
She nodded again.
Noa asked, "Why?"
Mio wrote in her notebook. "Pointless"
"Pointless?" Haru translated.
Mio continued writing. "Hurts others. Hurts self."
"Hurts others and hurts self."
Noa pondered. "But suppressing also has a cost."
"Cost?"
"Unexpressed emotions remain inside. That can erode the mind."
Haru said anxiously, "Mio, are you okay?"
Mio smiled. But what lay behind that smile was unclear.
Noa said quietly, "Anger is a form of self-assertion."
"Self-assertion?"
"Declaring boundaries of 'this is unacceptable.' When you suppress that?"
Haru understood. "Boundaries become vague?"
"And you don't know what you value."
Mio wrote in her notebook. "I know what I value"
"I know what I value," Haru read.
"Then why don't you get angry?"
"Expressing anger doesn't change anything"
"Expressing anger doesn't change anything."
Noa countered. "But it reaches the other person. It becomes communication."
Mio shook her head. "Not always"
"Not always."
Haru thought. "When you get angry, the other person becomes defensive and won't listen?"
"Sharp," Noa acknowledged. "Anger can also close dialogue."
Mio wrote. "Calm words, stronger"
"Calm words are stronger."
Noa nodded. "Assertive communication. Conveying firmly without anger."
Haru asked. "So anger isn't needed?"
"No," Noa said. "Anger has a role."
"Role?"
"Emergency signal. Immediate response to serious violations."
Mio pointed at her notebook. "But I don't face emergencies"
"But I don't face emergencies."
Haru laughed. "True, emergencies are rare in daily life."
Noa became serious. "But Mio. Are you really happy suppressing anger?"
Mio stopped moving for a moment.
"By suppressing anger, aren't you losing something?"
Mio slowly wrote. "Maybe spontaneity"
"Maybe spontaneity," Haru translated.
"Spontaneity?"
"Reacting without thinking. Raw emotion."
Noa said gently, "That's something precious."
Mio smiled slightly. A somewhat lonely smile.
Haru asked. "Is suppressing anger different from controlling emotion?"
"Different," Noa answered. "Suppression is ignoring. Control is understanding."
"Is Mio suppressing?"
"...I don't know. Mio herself should answer."
Mio wrote in her notebook. "I don't know either"
"I don't know either."
The three fell quiet.
Noa said softly, "Losing anger might mean losing passion."
"Passion?"
"The power to feel strongly. The impulse to change something."
Mio was pondering.
Haru said, "But Mio has her own way."
"Yes. Everyone doesn't need to be the same," Noa acknowledged.
Mio wrote lastly. "But maybe I should try"
"But maybe I should try."
Haru was surprised. "Try getting angry?"
Mio nodded. Small, but certain.
Noa smiled. "Courageous choice."
"Is anger scary?" Haru asked.
Mio wrote. "Yes. Losing control is scary"
"Yes. Losing control is scary."
Noa said, "But sometimes letting go of control is necessary."
"That's living?"
"Yes. Accepting your imperfect, raw self."
Mio took a deep breath. An expression never seen before. Tension and anticipation.
Haru laughed. "If Mio gets angry, I'd be shocked."
Mio smiled. This time, a slightly brighter smile.
Noa said quietly, "You can keep peace by suppressing anger. But don't lose yourself."
The three looked at the window. Outside, wind blew strongly. Perhaps suppressed emotions also need to be released someday, like the wind.