"Nobody understands me."
Kaito slumped over his desk. In the after-school classroom, three people were listening.
Hiyori asked gently, "What happened?"
"I talked to my parents about my future plans. But they didn't understand at all."
Sora empathized. "I've had experiences like that too."
Mira quietly wrote in her notebook. "Misunderstood feelings"
"Misunderstood feelings," Kaito read. "That's exactly it."
Hiyori asked, "How did you want to be understood?"
Kaito thought. "I wanted them to respect my choice. Not whether it's right or wrong, but to acknowledge my feelings."
"You wanted empathy," Sora understood.
"Yes. But my parents just gave advice. 'You should do this,' 'You should do that.'"
Hiyori nodded. "A common pattern. Even when the other person gives advice with good intentions, the receiver feels misunderstood."
Mira opened a new page. "Empathy vs. Sympathy"
"The difference between empathy and sympathy," Sora explained. "Empathy is standing in the other's perspective, sympathy is pitying from your own perspective."
Kaito showed interest. "They're different?"
Hiyori gave a concrete example. "'That's tough, I feel sorry for you' is sympathy. 'That must have been painful, it's natural to feel that way' is empathy."
"My parents' advice was..."
"Problem-solving oriented. But what you sought was emotional understanding."
Kaito nodded deeply. "That's right. Not solutions, I wanted them to understand my feelings."
Mira said quietly, "Me too, always."
Everyone looked at Mira.
"Not understood," Mira continued. "Because few words. But feelings that can't be put into words exist."
Hiyori asked gently, "Where do those feelings go?"
Mira thought. Then wrote. "Accumulate in heart. Become heavy."
Sora had a realization. "That becomes a psychological burden, doesn't it?"
"Yes," Hiyori answered. "Misunderstood feelings lose their place to go. When they accumulate, they lead to alienation and helplessness."
Kaito asked, "Then what should we do?"
"First, acknowledge that complete understanding is impossible," Hiyori said.
"What?" All three were surprised.
"No one can understand another person's emotions 100 percent. Because experiences and perspectives differ."
Sora was confused. "Then should we just give up?"
"No," Hiyori smiled. "Even if not complete, the attitude of trying to understand is important."
Mira wrote in her notebook. "Effort to understand"
"Effort to understand," Kaito read.
Hiyori continued. "Rather than saying 'I understand,' convey 'I'm trying to understand.' Just that eases the loneliness of being misunderstood."
Sora tried practicing. "Kaito, it was painful not being understood by your parents, wasn't it?"
Kaito's eyes widened. "Yes, exactly that."
"That's empathy," Hiyori acknowledged.
Mira looked at Sora. Then wrote. "Thank you for trying"
Sora smiled. "I want to understand you too, Mira. I might not be able to completely, but I want to try."
Hiyori added, "Where misunderstood feelings go is to the hearts of those who try to understand."
Kaito thought. "Maybe I wasn't trying to understand my parents either. I just wanted them to understand me one-sidedly."
"You realized it," Hiyori nodded. "Understanding is a bilateral process."
Sora wrote in her notebook. "Complete understanding is impossible. But trying to understand is possible."
Mira quietly raised her hand. Everyone paid attention.
"Today, I feel a little understood," Mira said softly.
Hiyori smiled. "That's the power of empathy."
Kaito made a decision. "When I get home, I'll talk to my parents again. This time, I'll listen to their feelings too."
"Good choice," Hiyori acknowledged.
Misunderstood feelings might not completely disappear. But if there are people trying to understand, that weight becomes lighter.
The sunset colors the classroom. Today, the four understood each other a little more.