This occurred the night after we stayed at Cormi Village.
“Ryouma! Are there a lot of people in school?” [Cormi]
“School? There’s certainly a lot of people in them.” [Ryouma]
“That sounds nice. I want to become a school.” [Cormi]
“That’s the first I’ve heard you say that, but sure. If you people start coming here in the future, then maybe you can become a school.” [Ryouma]
“Really!?” [Cormi]
“Well, there’s a lot we need to do to make that happen, but your ability could probably be used to teach people too, so I think it’s doable. Once the place has been patched up a bit, we can test it out with the goblins.” [Ryouma]
“Yes!” [Cormi]
After that Cormi peeked at the memory of my school days, but as a result, he became depressed and asked.
“Ryouma…” [Cormi]
“What’s the matter?” [Schieber]
“Why does bullying happen?” [Cormi]
“Ah… I don’t really understand it well either, but there are various reasons from the environment to the situation, so I can’t really narrow it down to just one clear reason. The memory you saw was probably from my student days, but to be honest, bullying is not just a problem for kids, it’s a problem even for adults, and it happens among animals too. So, unfortunately, you just have to accept that it’s something that will inevitably happen. If that’s annoying, well, you could also just stay away from people… In fact, I isolated myself once after I transmigrated.” [Ryouma]
“Then, what should we do to solve bullying when it happens?” [Cormi]
“Another hard question. You’ll just have to tackle it on a case-by-case basis.” [Ryouma]
“What about the ‘internet’? They seemed to be calling for harsher punishments?” [Cormi]
“You would have to define what exactly harsher punishments refers to. Don’t take the information you see in the internet in my memories at face value.” [Ryouma]
I wonder how a parent would answer a question like this.
I’ve had my fair share of harassment too, so don’t think I’m trying to defend the bullies, but if by harsher punishments, you mean early detection, intervention, and the establishment of a system to punish the perpetrators, then I’m all for that, but if it’s just about making the punishment harsher without any real thought, I don’t think that will do much.
From my personal experience, I’d say most of the people who bully don’t really recognize that what they’re doing is bad, or they think that if they do it secretly, they won’t get caught, or they don’t even consider the consequences.
I’ve seen cases where the bullies knew that they were in the wrong but still couldn’t stop because they were addicted, and there were kids too that were being bullied who would bully others just so they wouldn’t be the target. So, I don’t really think just making the punishments harsher will solve the bullying issue.
If deterrence is the goal, then rather than making the punishment harsher, it would be more effective to spread awareness of the consequences of bullying, and making sure that they are carried out.
“Kids aren’t stupid, after all… If teachers and parents don’t notice the bullying, or turn a blind eye, or just give a light warning, the kids can sense that. And then they think, ‘If it’s just this much, it’s not a big deal.’ Or at least, that’s what I’ve personally seen. If they continue learning the wrong lessons, it will be harder to stop. Especially for kids who haven’t even finished compulsory education, the things they learn early on will stick with them more.” [Ryouma]
I’m sure the teachers do their best to keep an eye out, but teaching is a very demanding job, and there’s no shortage of stories of parents that rely too much on the school and the teachers for the education and discipline of their children, so I don’t think it’s fair to throw all the blame on the teaching staff.
It’s also pointless to blame them. If there’s not enough teachers to handle the issue, then it would be much more productive to implement measures that presume there won’t be enough teachers to handle the problem, no?
Of course, this isn’t my field, but I can still think of some solutions, like for example, hiring security guards to patrol the school to monitor and protect the students, or installing surveillance cameras in the hallway or behind the school building where there are no people.
In fact, I hear they already do that in the States. They even have cops assigned to each school. As for surveillance cameras, I’m sure someone might be bothered by the privacy implications, but I don’t see schools as private spaces, so unless it’s the restroom or locker room, I don’t think it’s a problem.
Moreover, the concept of bullying also varies from person to person. Like that one time when someone said being reprimanded for being late was bullying. That’s a bit of an extreme example, but I do think the term needs to be properly defined to distinguish between legitimate scolding and bullying.
Also, it’s common for bully groups to coordinate and frame the victim, so fact-checking to discern the truth is really important.
“Another thing to consider is that it’s not just about punishing the perpetrator but supporting the victim too. Moreover, it’s not just the problems in the school, as there are students that stop attending altogether as well.”
I hate to bring up the west, as I feel like I’ve become one of those people that won’t stop comparing Japan with the west, but the fact is that there are differences in the education system of Japan and other countries.
Using the example of the security guards I mentioned earlier, in the U.S., there’s homeschooling as an option where parents take on the role of teachers and educate their children at home.
“Does that mean you won’t make friends anymore? Is the education there worse than at school?” [Cormi]
“Right, there are pros and cons to it, of course, but personally, I think it’s good to have the option at least. I often hear negative opinions like ‘School isn’t just a place for studying, it’s also a place to learn about human relationships,’ but when you’re being bullied, the relationships in school are already worthless. And just how are you supposed to study when you’re worried about your safety?” [Ryoum]
Once a relationship between a bully and a victim is established, it’s really hard for even adults to reverse it… Even if you try to endure it, it’s nearly impossible for the situation to improve, and feelings of inferiority only worm their way in deeper. I’m speaking from experience here.
And once a person is broken, it’ll take a lot of time to recover. So, really, it’s no exaggeration to say that if things go wrong, it could stay with you for life. There’s a risk of suicide too. So I think, people shouldn’t have to force themselves to stick with school. In fact, the risk of forcing people to go likely outweighs any potential benefits.
Of course, it’s important and admirable to strive to break the current situation and improve things, but I hope people don’t push themselves too hard.
What’s important isn’t whether you attend school, but whether you can gain enough confidence in areas such as ‘academics,’ ‘interpersonal experience,’ and ‘communication skills’. So, really, the question is whether the parents can create an environment to support that.
In my childhood, things were different, but before I died, the internet had already developed, so there should be even more options by now. It’s important to be cautious about not getting involved in bad communities or making bad connections, but I think even interacting with others only through online is better than having no interaction at all.
Compulsory education might be compulsory, but I believe that it isn’t the obligation of the child to attend school, rather it is the obligation of the parents to ensure that their child receives education. So, the way I see it, school is really just one of the facilities meant to lighten the burden of the parents in regards to fulfilling that obligation.
Also, I’ve heard that in the U.S., homeschooling requires parents to regularly report conditions and progress to the authorities to prevent educational neglect. Failure to do so, and the parents can be arrested.
Moreover, in Japan, the PTA just pushes their responsibilities to others, but in the U.S., parents take the initiative to accept positions, and they participate in events and charity work.
Really, it’s not just with homeschooling, the west’s approach to education altogether is different.
“…Anyway, I digressed there for a bit, but I think a person should be punished if they do something wrong. And even more important than the punishment itself is the quick discovery of the problem, intervention, and support of the victim. So, I think the focus should be put on creating systems that enable these things to happen. That’s my conclusion.
Other people have other opinions, of course. Just the phrase ‘harsher punishments’ makes me cough up so many factors, so you can just imagine what it’s like when even more opinions are brought into the fray. I’m not an expert too.” [Ryouma]
“I see.” [Cormi]
“Let’s broach this topic again when you’re able to interact with others.” [Ryouma]
“Well, that’s the gist of it.” [Ryouma]
“Those were certainly some hard hitting questions.” [Reinhart]
“Innocent questions but troubling no doubt.” [Reinbach]
“Well, he can read minds, so he’s probably a lot more understanding than normal kids, not that I’ve ever raised a kid myself.” [Ryouma]
At that moment, the three of them shifted slightly.
“I keep forgetting your age whenever we speak.” [Elize]
“It’s normal to be stumped by questions like those, but if it’s something like that, we should be able to help. We have quite a bit of experience raising children, after all.” [Reinbach]
“I hope you’ll introduce us to Cormi-kun when he’s ready. At that time, we’ll be more than happy to advise you.” [Reinhart]
“Thank you very much. I don’t know when he’ll be able to talk to others, but just hearing you say that brings me much relief.” [Ryouma]
Now that I think about it, these are the people who raised that straightforward Elia. Nothing could be more reassuring than to have their support.
As I became at ease, I realized I was thirsty. Apparently, I had been talking non-stop explaining.
So, I quenched my thirst with the tea that Sebasu-san had prepared, and the Madam spoke up.
“As I thought, you can hold even difficult conversations.” [Elize]
“Huh? Oh, no, it’s precisely because I can’t that the conversation ended up like that.” [Ryouma]
“It didn’t sound like that at all to me, so please, from time to time, please share with us your knowledge, Child of God, who possesses knowledge from foreign lands.” [Elize]
I’m not good at these deep conversations, though. Or rather I rarely experienced them back in my old life. Maybe the people around me just didn’t know how to engage in proper discussions. To be honest, I get cautious when talking to people because I never know if I’m about to step on a landmine.
“Specifically, what kind of knowledge are you hoping for?” [Ryouma]
“Oh, like how to manage our territory, politics?” [Elize]
“Please don’t, I’ll burst into flames.” [Ryouma]
“Die? Burst into flames?!” [Elize]
“How could you possibly catch fire so suddenly?” [Reinbach]
“Does speaking about politics cause a child of God to burst into flames?” [Reinhart]
“Could it be that the gods have placed some kind of restrictions on this?” [Elize]
Oops, I ended up causing a strange misunderstanding. I better explain.
“What I mean is that I will likely be heavily criticized and attacked. Sorry for the confusion.” [Ryouma]
“Oh, well. Different cultures are bound to miscommunicate at some point. I too apologize too for my reaction.” [Elize]
“In my country, we were often told not to discuss religion, politics, or the sport we refer to as baseball, but is it okay to talk about such things here?” [Ryouma]
“Well, as nobles, it is one of the things we must be knowledgeable of. Especially for families like ours that govern.” [Reinhart]
“It would be problematic if the lord of a territory couldn’t talk about politics, no? So, in our house, we discuss many things with Elia including politics. I’m sure other families do something similar to varying degrees.” [Reinbach]
After finishing my cup, Sebasu-san was quick to refill as he opened another topic.
“Your Grace, about that matter.” [Sebasu]
“Ah, right. Actually, we wanted to ask your help with something as our specialist.” [Reinhart]
“What is it?” [Ryouma]
“As we briefly discussed before going to the forest, we’d like your cooperation in building a new village, producing food through slime farming, and setting up a system to increase the production of preserved food as soon as possible.” [Reinhart]
“Of course, I’ll do my best to help. Are we in a hurry?” [Ryouma]
“We’ve only received the progress reports so far, but apparently, the crop yields haven’t been very good. You know how it’s been hot recently, right? Reports are coming in from villages within the territory that the temperature is affecting the growth of crops. It won’t lead to a famine right away, but we do need to prepare countermeasures.” [Reinhart]
As Reinhart-san explains it:
- It’s a climate issue, so the problem won’t be limited to just the Jamil Duchy.
- The neighboring territories, and in the worst case, the entire country, could fall into a food crisis.
- Moreover, if there’s a disparity in food conditions between regions, incidents of pillaging are likely to increase.
- So to avoid that, we must also offer aid to surrounding territories.
And so on…
“It looks like this could turn into a big deal.” [Ryouma]
“The weather issue can’t be helped. We’re already fortunate to have backup plans in place.” [Elize]
“And I’m happy to be of service.” [Ryouma]
Speaking of which, Glenn wanted to buy some of that preserved food too. I better it mention it now while I remember.
“Glenn-san is quite the big eater and tends to spend money generously, so he’ll likely want to buy in large quantities.” [Ryouma]
“Alright. We were planning to build a production facility anyway, so we can just prioritize it.” [Reinhart]
“You decided just like that?” [Ryouma]
“He is renowned nationally. Just being an S-rank gives him high social credibility, so if it’s something he uses, that preserved food is sure to turn significant profits. The specifics of the production facility and the development of the village have been entrusted to Lady Eleonora, so please check with her once you’ve been appointed as her aide.” [Reinhart]
“We may be pushing the scheduele forward, but it’s not something that can be completed in a week or two, so please don’t push yourself too hard.” [Elize]
“I understand.” [Ryouma]
They didn’t forget to remind me that.
“Now, I’m sure Hyuzu and the others would want to talk to you.” [Reinhart]
“Yes. I’ve prepared some ‘souvenirs’ from the forest too.” [Ryouma]
Like that, our private discussion concluded. From here on is the celebration banquet for my return.
Leave a Reply