Chapter 395: Educational Issues |
Hoshino Gen kept his hands shoved in his hoodie pockets. He watched his little cousin walking ahead of him, her hands nervously wrringing together behind her back. "Not bad," he remarked flatly.
"Huh?" Monica glanced over her shoulder as she walked, looking at her older cousin in confusion. "What's not bad? Do you mean my prank?"
"Your response to the situation," Hoshino Gen replied, lengthening his stride to catch up and walk beside her. A rare, faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "For someone with no personal ability and no background, bowing your head and enduring bullying is understandable. But with your status, it would be incredibly disappointing if you couldn't mount an effective counterattack."
Monica tilted her head to gaze up at her cousin's profile. Her already bright eyes lit up with a brilliant, elated gleam.
In truth, even though she claimed earlier that she had no intention of admitting fault, she knew she had gone a bit too far. If Rei had been the one to meet the teacher today, she might have softened, hidden the incident from Monica's parents, and neatly smoothed over the fallout. However, Rei almost certainly would have lectured her about getting along with her classmates.
On the other hand, if a family nanny, bodyguard, or driver had shown up, she would have undoubtedly faced a stern lecture from her parents by the end of the day.
Instead, the person who arrived was Hoshino Gen, a mysterious older cousin she knew almost nothing about. At first, she had been quite nervous.
But now, she realized that this cousin of hers was actually a kindred spirit.
She couldn't hold back a massive grin as she asked, "So, did my counterattack pass the test?"
......
"Hello, may I ask if you are Monica's..."
Monica's homeroom teacher was a young woman who looked to be in her late twenties. She wore glasses and exuded an intellectual air.
Perhaps because classes were currently in session, there were no other faculty members present in the office.
Monica beat Hoshino Gen to the punch, eagerly answering the teacher's question. "Teacher Tina, this is my older brother, Jane!"
Given that this was an international school, the teacher, who was clearly a local person, was accustomed to being addressed by her English name by the students.
Teacher Tina did not make a fuss over the introduction, though her gaze lingered on Hoshino Gen's azure left eye for a fleeting moment.
Since Monica was a student in her class, she was naturally well aware of the girl's family background. She had initially expected a nanny or a driver to show up for this meeting. Having an actual older sibling arrive was already a much better outcome than she had hoped for.
She let out a faint, imperceptible sigh. "Since you are Monica's brother, may I address you as Mr. Isabelle?"
"Whatever works." Hoshino Gen glanced around the room, pulled up a chair from a vacant desk, and looked at Monica. "Wipe it."
Monica blinked, immediately catching on. She dug a packet of tissue paper out of her pocket and meticulously wiped down the seat of the chair.
Only then did Hoshino Gen take a seat. He looked up at Teacher Tina, whose brows had furrowed slightly. "I've already heard about Monica's situation from her," he stated evenly.
"I would now like to know how your esteemed school views the issue of campus bullying, and exactly how you intend to handle it."
Teacher Tina froze slightly. Having the control of the conversation instantly snatched away from her was deeply uncomfortable. However, considering his identity and background, it wasn't too surprising that he possessed such a strong desire for dominance, despite his young age.
She carefully composed her response before speaking. "Regarding campus bullying, our school naturally has a zero-tolerance policy. However, I believe that what we need to discuss more urgently right now are the educational issues concerning Monica."
"Educational issues?" Hoshino Gen shook his head. "No, Teacher, you are entirely missing the point."
"First of all, your belief that there are issues with Monica's education stems solely from the fact that she hurt her classmate. But in my view, the far more critical issue is exactly why she felt the need to hurt her classmate in the first place."
"Do you know the reason why, Teacher?" Hoshino Gen asked calmly.
"That..." Teacher Tina opened her mouth, at a loss for words. Of course she knew the reason. When she pulled Monica aside to speak with her after the incident this morning, Monica had explicitly explained her motives. But...
Before she could properly formulate a reply, Hoshino Gen turned to the little girl beside him, who was currently gazing at him with exceptionally bright eyes. "Did you explain to your teacher why you did what you did?" he asked.
Monica nodded vigorously.
Hoshino Gen offered Teacher Tina a faint smile. "Since you already know the cause, why do you still insist that Monica is the one with educational issues?"
"..." Teacher Tina's lips twitched slightly. Was this what it meant to be a scion of a prominent family? His ability to seize control of the conversation had reached perfection. Once he took command of the pacing, he became so overwhelmingly overbearing that he left no room to breathe. Anyone walking into the room right now would probably assume she was the one being hauled into the office for a lecture...
However, she had been working as a teacher for several years now. Naturally, she wasn't going to be completely struck dumb by a few aggressive remarks.
Masking her helplessness, she sighed. "Mr. Isabelle, I can understand your desire to protect your younger sister. However, blind doting offers no benefit to a child's development. Just look at the current situation. You are defending Monica at every turn, but surely you can't deny that she was fundamentally at fault in this matter, can you?"
"When bullied, the correct course of action is to report the incident to the teachers and the school, rather than taking matters into her own hands to retaliate. This is especially true when her retaliation involves scaring her classmates with a snake, or even worse, unleashing snakes to harm them."
Hoshino Gen shot her a genuinely puzzled look. "Why shouldn't she retaliate?"
Teacher Tina furrowed her brow. "Isn't it obvious? Even in the context of social laws, taking private revenge when someone wrongs you is highly frowned upon. The proper procedure is to call the police to ensure the perpetrator receives their just punishment and the victim receives appropriate compensation..."
"Naturally, the same principle applies within a school environment. It provides a much healthier framework for a child's growth."
"So you believe that taking revenge after being bullied is detrimental to a child's growth?" Hoshino Gen asked, his tone still perfectly flat.
"I believe that if you posed that question to any teacher, the answer would go without saying." Teacher Tina was smart enough not to answer the trap directly.
Hoshino Gen ignored her deflection entirely. He simply stood up and looked down at her. "But tell me, Teacher... Do you have any idea how I would react if the exact same thing happened to me?"
Teacher Tina furrowed her brow deeply.
Hoshino Gen continued, "You don't know nearly enough about me, nor do you fully comprehend the true depth of Monica's family background. Perhaps this conversation would be better suited for your school principal or a school board member. They would know whether or not Monica's actions were truly problematic. They would also understand exactly what kind of education is actually beneficial for her growth."
......