"Mira-san, are you okay?"
Hiyori approached worriedly. Mira was in the corner of the library, hiding her face.
Her shoulders trembled slightly. She was crying.
Sora quietly called out. "What happened?"
Mira didn't answer. She didn't even try to write in her notebook as usual.
Kaito passed by. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know," Hiyori answered. "But something..."
At that moment, Mira spoke. In a small, trembling voice.
"I can't anymore."
The three waited quietly.
"I've been enduring all this time," Mira continued. "Pushing everything down."
Hiyori sat gently. "What?"
"Sadness, anger, anxiety... everything."
Sora took out the notebook but thought this was different. Just time to listen.
"I always tried not to show emotions," Mira's voice grew louder. "But today..."
Tears overflowed. Emotions long suppressed flowed out like breaking a dam.
Kaito was confused. "Um, what should I..."
Hiyori quietly raised her hand. "You don't need to do anything. Just be here."
Mira kept crying. For a long, long time.
Sora observed quietly. This is catharsis in psychology. Release of suppressed emotions.
After a while, Mira's tears calmed.
"I'm sorry," Mira said softly.
"You don't need to apologize," Hiyori said gently.
Kaito asked. "Why have you been enduring until now?"
Mira answered quietly. "I thought if I showed emotions, they wouldn't stop."
"I was afraid of losing control."
Sora understood. "But how is it after letting them out?"
Mira thought a little. "They stopped. Naturally."
"Yes," Hiyori smiled. "Emotions have a natural flow."
"If you keep suppressing, pressure builds. But if released, they naturally calm."
Kaito supplemented. "I feel lighter after crying too."
Sora opened the notebook. "Opening the lid of emotions takes courage."
"But after opening, you can breathe."
Mira said quietly. "I was scared. I thought I'd crumble."
"You didn't crumble," Hiyori pointed out. "Even showing emotions, you're here."
Sora supplemented. "Emotions are not enemies."
"Not things to push down. Just things to feel and let flow."
Mira took a deep breath. "I feel lighter. Just a little."
Kaito encouraged. "That's what matters."
Hiyori suggested. "From now on, shall we practice expressing emotions little by little?"
"Not closing the lid completely, but keeping it slightly open."
Mira nodded. "I'll try."
Sora said finally. "Opening the lid of emotions is not a one-time thing."
"You open it many times, little by little."
Hiyori added. "And opening becomes less scary."
Kaito laughed. "I might not even have a lid."
The three laughed. Tension eased.
Mira smiled a little. "Thank you. Today, I could open the lid."
"That's your own courage," Hiyori said.
Sora supplemented. "We only watched over."
Mira stood up. Her eyes were slightly red, but her expression was light.
"Can I feel emotions more from now on?"
"Of course," the three answered simultaneously.
Outside the window, the post-rain sky spread. The world after opening the lid looks a bit brighter.
Feeling emotions is proof of being alive. No need to fear it.