“Your predecessor is responsible for Naoki’s emotional difficulties,” she said. “If every teacher were as dedicated and enthusiastic as you clearly are, this would never have happened.” As I watched her, I knew Naoki hadn’t told her what you’d said and done to him that last day in class. If he had, she wouldn’t have been so full of herself, and she couldn’t have sat there bad-mouthing you. Since he hadn’t told her, that meant he was suffering up there all by himself.
