"Nobody understands me."
Kaito exploded in the club room. The sound of him hitting the desk echoed.
Hiyori approached quietly. "What happened?"
"I consulted with my parents. About my future path. But they didn't understand at all."
Sora was observing. Kaito's emotions were running high.
"What did your parents say?" Hiyori asked.
"'That's being spoiled' and 'Face reality.' They had no intention of listening to my feelings."
Hiyori nodded. "That must have been painful."
Kaito was surprised. "Huh?"
"Having your feelings denied is painful."
Kaito calmed down a bit. "Yes... it was painful."
Sora asked. "Kaito, what did you want from your parents?"
"That's... I wanted them to understand."
"What does understanding mean?"
Kaito thought. "I wanted them to understand my feelings."
Hiyori said gently. "In psychology, there's a concept called 'validation.'"
"Validation?"
"Acknowledging the validity of emotions. Conveying 'Your feelings are reasonable.'"
Sora supplemented. "It's different from providing solutions."
Kaito had a realization. "My parents only gave solutions."
"A typical miscommunication," Hiyori explained. "One seeks empathy, the other gives advice."
"But isn't advice important too?" Kaito asked.
"It is," Sora answered. "But there's an order."
Hiyori continued. "First, have your emotions received. Then think about solutions. This sequence is important."
"Why?"
"When emotions are ignored, you become defensive. You have no capacity to accept advice."
Kaito agreed. "True, all my parents' words sounded like denial."
Sora analyzed. "That's a state of 'cognitive closure.' When emotions run high, information processing ability decreases."
Hiyori said gently. "Kaito, your parents worry about you, right?"
"That's... I think so."
"But their way of showing worry differed from what you sought."
Kaito nodded. "I see."
Sora asked. "Kaito, did you explain your feelings to your parents?"
"I did! But they didn't listen."
"How did you explain?" Hiyori asked in detail.
"I said 'I want to do this.'"
"That's not feelings but wishes," Sora pointed out.
Kaito was confused. "They're different?"
Hiyori explained. "'I want to do this' is the action level. 'I feel this way' is the emotion level."
"For example?"
"Not 'I want to choose this path' but 'I'm anxious about the future, but I also feel I want to find my own way.'"
Kaito understood. "Verbalizing emotions?"
"Yes. And your parents must have emotions too."
Kaito thought. "Maybe my parents are anxious too."
"Highly likely," Hiyori said. "But each other's anxieties clash, and you can't understand each other."
Sora supplemented. "The basis of communication is listening first."
"But my parents won't listen," Kaito objected.
"Someone needs to be the first to listen," Hiyori said gently.
Kaito was surprised. "I should listen to my parents?"
"Is that difficult?"
"But I'm the one who's hurt."
Hiyori nodded. "I understand that feeling. But unless someone breaks the cycle, the miscommunication continues."
Sora said. "When you think 'They don't understand me,' the other person might be thinking the same thing."
Kaito fell silent.
"Both are shouting 'Understand me,'" Hiyori said quietly. "But no one becomes the listener."
Kaito said slowly. "I've never thought about my parents' feelings."
"That's natural," Hiyori encouraged. "Because you're full with your own feelings first."
"But can I change?"
Sora answered. "You can. You can consciously take the other person's perspective."
Hiyori suggested. "Shall we role-play? You play the parent, I'll play you."
Kaito hesitated. "That'll feel weird."
"But it's an effective technique. Changing perspective creates new understanding."
Kaito agreed. "I'll try."
Hiyori began. "Dad, I want to talk about my future path."
Kaito answered from the parent's position. "Again? You always..."
He stopped there. "Huh, parents are this anxious."
"You noticed," Hiyori smiled.
Kaito continued. "I'm worried about the future and want you to walk a stable path."
"You can see your parents' emotions now."
Sora said. "Understanding isn't one-way. It's a bidirectional process."
Kaito exhaled deeply. "This is hard."
"It is hard," Hiyori acknowledged. "But not impossible."
Kaito asked. "How can we understand each other?"
"Complete mutual understanding might be difficult," Hiyori said honestly. "But the attitude of trying to understand is conveyed."
Sora supplemented. "More important than 'I understand' is 'I'm trying to understand.'"
Kaito nodded. "Trying to understand, huh."
Hiyori said quietly. "And don't expect to be perfectly understood yourself."
"Lower expectations?"
"Make them realistic. No one can understand perfectly. But partial understanding is possible."
Sora gave an example. "Even 70 percent understanding is enough to create connection."
Kaito laughed. "Doesn't have to be 100 percent."
"Rather, demanding 100 percent breaks relationships," Hiyori warned.
Kaito took out his smartphone. "I'll talk to my parents again. This time, I'll listen to their feelings too."
"Good decision," Hiyori smiled.
Sora said. "When you think 'They don't understand me,' maybe you're also 'not trying to understand.'"
Kaito nodded. "Mutual understanding. It's hard, but I'll try."
Outside the window, the sunset was beginning to set. The journey of understanding was just beginning.