"Leo, you pulled an all-nighter again?"
Hiyori called out with concern. Leo had deep circles under his eyes.
"A bit," Leo answered looking tired. "I wanted to perfect my report."
Sora observed. "Perfect, you say."
"Yeah. I don't want to do half-hearted work."
Kaito asked, "But that report isn't due for another week, right?"
"I want to finish it perfectly early," Leo said stubbornly.
Hiyori gently asked, "Leo, you always seek perfection."
"What's wrong with that?" Leo became slightly defensive.
Sora explained, "There's adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism."
"What's the difference?"
"Adaptive perfectionism has high goals but flexibility. Maladaptive perfectionism believes you have no value unless you're perfect."
Leo fell silent.
Hiyori continued, "Leo, when you make even a small mistake, don't you harshly blame yourself?"
Leo nodded. "I can't forgive myself for not being able to do something."
Kaito was surprised. "But Leo, you're always excellent."
"If I'm not excellent, I have no value," Leo said in a small voice.
Sora wrote in her notebook. "Root of perfectionism: conditional self-worth."
Hiyori explained, "Meaning you feel you have value only when you achieve something."
Leo admitted, "That might be true."
Sora asked, "What have you gained from seeking perfection?"
Leo thought. "Good grades, recognition, being acknowledged."
"And what have you lost?"
Leo answered quietly, "Sleep, time with friends, enjoyment... and health."
Kaito was surprised. "Isn't that a loss?"
Hiyori said calmly, "Perfectionism brings success at first. But long-term, it causes burnout, anxiety, and depression."
Leo asked anxiously, "So you're saying I should lower my goals?"
"No," Sora answered. "Having high goals is wonderful. But also accept yourself when you're not perfect."
"If I could do that, I wouldn't struggle," Leo protested.
Hiyori asked, "Leo, when a friend fails, what do you think?"
"Nothing. Everyone fails."
"Then why can't you forgive your own failures?"
Leo had a realization. "...I have a double standard."
"Exactly," Sora nodded. "Kind to others, harsh on yourself. This is also a characteristic of perfectionism."
Kaito said, "There's no such thing as a perfect person, so you should just relax."
Leo smiled bitterly. "I understand in my head. But I can't do it."
Hiyori said gently, "That's a long-standing thought pattern. It takes time to change."
Sora proposed, "Why not start with small steps? For example, try submitting at 80% completion."
Leo asked anxiously, "What if I get a bad evaluation?"
"See it as an experiment," Sora explained. "What evaluation comes at 80%? Often, a perfectionist's 80% is better than someone else's 100%."
Hiyori added, "And use that time for other things. Spend time with friends, rest, enjoy."
Kaito encouraged, "Leo, you should smile more. You're always tense."
Leo thought a bit. "True... I haven't genuinely laughed recently."
Sora observed, "Perfectionism steals joy. Always chased by the next goal, the next task, unable to enjoy now."
"Enjoying now..." Leo repeated.
Hiyori explained, "It's a concept of mindfulness. Exist in this moment. Accept the imperfect present, not the perfect future."
Leo slowly nodded. "I'll try. Next report, I'll submit at 80%."
Kaito laughed. "That'll still be better than my 100% though."
Leo laughed for the first time in a while. "Thanks."
Sora smiled. "You don't need to be perfect. Just being good enough is fine."
Hiyori added, "Good enough is good enough."
Leo took a deep breath. "I'm scared to let go of perfectionism. But if I continue like this, I'll break."
"One step at a time is fine," Hiyori encouraged. "You don't need to let go perfectly either."
Kaito teased, "Don't try to be perfectly imperfect."
Leo laughed. "That's contradictory."
Sora watched quietly. Perfectionism looks like a path to success but is actually a path to self-destruction. Accepting your imperfect self is true strength. Today, Leo took that step.