"I still can't get those words out of my head."
Kaito said in a tired voice.
Sora looked up. "When was this?"
"Three weeks ago," Kaito answered. "A senpai said 'your thinking is shallow.'"
Hiyori listened quietly.
"Three weeks?" Sora was surprised. "That might be rumination."
"Rumination?"
"Repeatedly recalling the same thought," Sora explained. "Especially about negative content."
Kaito nodded. "Again and again, I remember the same scene. Before sleeping, when I wake up."
"That's a typical rumination pattern," Hiyori said. "Do you know why it happens?"
Kaito shook his head.
Sora opened the notebook. "The human brain has a negative bias."
"A tendency to remember negative information more strongly than positive."
"Why?" Kaito asked.
"Evolutionary reasons," Hiyori explained. "Remembering danger was important for survival."
"Remembering criticism rather than praise helps avoid the same failure."
Sora supplemented. "So the brain automatically focuses on negative information."
Kaito thought. "But isn't three weeks too long?"
"I think so," Hiyori admitted. "When rumination becomes excessive, it's a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
Sora read a list. "Depression, increased anxiety, decreased problem-solving ability."
"Rumination doesn't find solutions, it just repeats the same thing."
Kaito's face darkened. "Then what should I do?"
Hiyori said gently. "First, notice that you're ruminating."
"Notice?"
"Recognize 'I'm thinking about the same thing again,'" Sora explained. "That alone makes it easier to break the loop."
Kaito tried. "Now, I'm thinking about that time... indeed, I don't know how many times."
"Good start," Hiyori acknowledged. "Next, there are techniques to stop that thinking."
"Thought stopping," Sora said. "Say 'stop' in your mind. Direct attention to something else."
"Can it be stopped that easily?" Kaito doubted.
"It's difficult at first," Hiyori admitted. "But with practice, it works."
Sora suggested another method. "Or, transform rumination into constructive thinking."
"Constructive?"
"Ask 'Are those words really correct?' 'What should I do next?'"
Hiyori nodded. "Rumination repeats the past. Constructive thinking looks to the future."
Kaito pondered. "True, I never once thought about solutions."
"Many people are like that," Sora said. "Rumination only re-experiences emotional pain without moving forward."
Hiyori suggested. "Kaito-kun, shall we think about it now? Was that criticism really correct?"
Kaito thought quietly. "Shallow thinking... probably, I was underprepared at that time."
"But not always."
Sora asked. "Then what will you do next?"
"Prepare more. Ask senpai and learn how to think deeply."
Hiyori smiled. "That's constructive thinking."
Kaito's expression brightened a little. "For three weeks, I just repeated it."
"Now you tried a different way of thinking," Sora pointed out. "If you can make this a habit, rumination will decrease."
Hiyori supplemented. "It doesn't have to disappear completely. If you can notice and redirect, that's enough."
Kaito nodded. "Thank you. I feel a bit lighter."
"Dwelling on others' words is a natural brain response," Sora said. "But you can choose how to deal with it."
Hiyori said finally. "Words are one-time events. Replaying them repeatedly is yourself."
Kaito stood up. "I won't repeat it anymore. I'll look forward."
Sora and Hiyori watched him leave. Kaito took the first step out of the rumination loop.