“the thing about loneliness is that, i don’t see it as something simple that will just disappear once it’s been appeased. you could say it’s like a shadow that walks with you for all your life. still, once in a while i feel the need for something to comfort me — but as the things i mentioned to you earlier are embracing me so fully*, i’m going through a healthy loneliness right now.”

at his self-assured response, the woman stopped typing and looked up to meet his eyes.

eyes that, without a trace of wavering, showed only conviction. she kept seeing the image of another man overlap with the one before her. could that have been the reason? she wanted to find out more about what loneliness meant to people like them.

“a healthy loneliness, you say. that’s an interesting way to put it.”

“is it? i think that sort of thing is necessary. a method of consoling yourself that only you can understand, and no one else. some days you feel lonely, some days you feel worn out, and some other days you might feel idiotic, or pathetic, even. though of course, there are also many days where you feel cheerful in between. the important thing is that since the remaining days of our lives stretch out so far that they seem to have no end, there needs to be something that can neutralize whatever emotion you might have. whether my day is a happy or sad one, i don’t filter any of them out. as my tumultuous emotions quietly subside, the graph of my condition for the day returns more or less to average, you see. i enjoy dramatic remedies, but the beginning and end would probably be better off as something neutral. for you, too — anything will do. it doesn’t have to be something complicated like mine. whatever the method, if you wrap up your day in a similar way each time, it will ease your mind.”