我们是孩子，不是傻子。我们未成年、我们是青少年，但我们不是智力发展迟缓。我们知道自己想要什么，我们只是不确定。我甚至不知道不确定是不是正确的词，我认为我们是很确定、很确凿、很清晰的知道自己喜欢什么、讨厌什么，不要什么、想要什么。与其说不确定，不如说是担心这样的“想要”是不是被外界接受的，好比我喜欢女生、我喜欢看书、我不喜欢读书、不喜欢体制等等。

在学会做选择、了解自己喜好、以及使用策略博弈获得自己想要的青春期，尝试是必须、犯错是收获，没有什么不能做的。未来有的机会被整个世界、社会否定，还需要着急吗？我不能接受，永远无法接受的，是和泉这种长期强行阉割Daiga和美音自我的行为。她的时而温柔、时而严厉、时而挂羊头卖狗肉、时而甚至加尖酸刻薄，不断地以各种温柔的、不合理的借口，阉割Daiga和美音的ego。庆幸的是，Ryo进行了反击。虽然在不断的自我保护和反击中消耗了很多精力，但至少他保护住了自己的ego。

保护住ego不够，如果真的要毫无保留地成为你应该成为的那个人，你必须给自己足够的时间、空间去不断尝试，发展自我。你会发现最合适自己的生活方式，并且在那个方向越走越远，越来越独特、独立、自由、本真，越来越自在、快乐，越来越少事情会真的让你烦恼。

听上去很好，但很多人做不到的原因，是他们总有某些预定的想法，以为对的方向是某类别、某自己之前接触过的、熟悉的事情，但其实，你需要保持开放的心态，最适合你的路会在不经意之间展示开来。你需要不排除任何可能性，如果好奇，就追上。如果想继续尝试，就一直做到你不想做为止。你会发现你走了好远的路，但是你好像才刚刚开始。

We are children, not fools. We are minors, we are teenagers—but we are not developmentally delayed. We know what we want—we’re just unsure. Or actually, I don’t even know if “unsure” is the right word. I think we’re very certain, very clear, very precise about what we like and dislike, what we don’t want, what we do want. It’s not that we’re unsure—it’s more that we’re worried whether our desires will be accepted by the world. Like: I like girls. I like reading. I don’t like studying. I don’t like institutions. And so on.

For teenagers learning how to make choices, understand their preferences, and use strategy to get what they want—trial and error is essential. Making mistakes is the lesson. Nothing is off limits. There are already so many future opportunities that will be denied by the world and society—why rush to deny ourselves? What I cannot accept—what I will never be able to accept—is the way Izumi has spent years systematically castrating Daiga and Mion’s sense of self. Her shifting moods—gentle one moment, strict the next, fake and manipulative the next, even cutting and sarcastic at times—always wrapped in some soft, but ultimately unreasonable excuse, always eroding their egos in subtle ways. The only silver lining is that Ryo fought back. Even though the constant self-defense and resistance has cost him a lot of energy, at least he managed to protect his ego.

But protecting your ego isn’t enough. If you really want to become the person you were meant to be—with nothing held back—you need to give yourself the time and space to keep trying and developing. You will eventually discover the way of living that suits you best, and once you start down that road, you’ll only go further. You’ll become more unique, more independent, freer, more authentic. You’ll feel more at ease, more joyful, and fewer and fewer things will truly bother you.

That sounds nice—but many people can’t do it. And that’s because they hold on to certain fixed ideas. They think the “right” path has to look a certain way, or it has to be something familiar, something they’ve encountered before. But in truth, you have to keep an open mind. The path that fits you best will unfold itself when you least expect it. You can’t rule anything out. If you’re curious, go after it. If you want to keep trying, keep going until you no longer want to. One day you’ll look back and realize how far you’ve come—and yet it’ll feel like you’ve only just begun.