The Suzuki Method

"Miss Inoue, you will count the strokes." Dr. Tanaka readied himself. "Miss Sato, you may begin."

**PIVOT**

The cane cut through the air with a vicious shriek. There was a loud CRACK, and Dr. Tanaka grunted heavily. Minami fell to her knees and covered her face with her hands, sobbing loudly. Ms. Sato felt something had gone amiss with the swing. She looked: The end of the cane was in the palm of Dr. Tanaka's right hand, which had intercepted it a few inches from Fumiko's bottom. His eyes were shut and his jaw was set tightly. Tatsuko looked slowly over at the scene. "Dr...?" asked Ms. Sato.

Dr. Tanaka opened his eyes and grasped the cane with his left hand too, pulling it gently from Ms. Sato's grip. "Thank you, Miss Sato, you may stand by." Confused but prompt, Ms. Sato stepped back to her original position, hands folded. Fumiko had opened her eyes, her expression still confused, but now also hopeful, looking up vulnerably at Dr. Tanaka.

"You may raise your panties and stand back up, Miss Inoue."

Dr. Tanaka took the cane back to his desk and returned it to its drawer. He sat slowly in his chair and opened his right palm tenderly, examining the damage. The welt was only pink; Ms. Sato had pulled the blow, unable to put her heart into beating the school's best student. He flexed it a few times and rubbed it with his left thumb, leaving the room in suspense as Fumiko slowly fumbled upright again. Ms. Sato touched Minami, still crying, on the shoulder. Her touch was gentle but her voice was sharp: "Stand up." Minami stood up first, then uncovered her face and wiped her hands on her skirt, sniffling and lifting her glasses to make a few passes at her nose with the backs of her wrists.

Dr. Tanaka pulled out the sliding shelf below his desktop and brought out a laptop, which he opened and turned on. After about a minute of intermittent typing he clicked once, decisively, and turned it around to face the room.

Here, in black-and-white but extremely clear images taken at one-second intervals, with timestamps in the upper-right-hand corner, a small slideshow played out. The scene: a corridor just off the gymnasium. The entry to the girls' locker room was visible on one side. A girl approached from down the corridor, carrying a bag over one shoulder. As she came closer to the locker room, her face came into focus: It was Tatsuko. She turned and entered the locker room.

Dr. Tanaka turned the laptop back to him, advanced the video, and turned it around again.

Now a second girl was approaching, this one without a bag. As she approached it became clear that it was Fumiko. She too went into the locker toom.

Minami began to cry quietly again.

Lastly, just a few moments after Fumiko, came Minami, again with no bag. Dr. Tanaka turned the laptop back to him and closed it with a soft, clear click.

Minami continued to sob, the top of her shirt collar beginning to dampen from running tears. Fumiko appeared dazed and uncomprehending. Tatsuko's face was drawn and hard. She looked angry and afraid. Ms. Sato looked on with a crystal-clear expression that Dr. Tanaka recognized as intense curiosity.

"In case it is unclear to anyone, let me explain what is visible in this footage," began Dr. Tanaka. "Miss Hideki can be seen entering the girls' locker room with a bag at 6:14 AM. Miss Inoue arrived at 6:19, carrying nothing. Lastly, Miss Tamashiro entered at 6:21."

"This timeline is in plain contradiction with that which you have all presented today. If Miss Hideki arrived before Miss Inoue, how can she have interrupted Miss Inoue in the act of vandalism? If the bag found at the scene belonged to Miss Inoue, why did she arrive carrying no bag, and why did Miss Hideki arrive carrying a bag? No, the story presented today was simply false."

He turned to Minami, whose crying, already threatening to move from light sobbing into open weeping, began to crescendo dangerously beneath his gaze. Closing his eyes briefly, he turned in irritation to Ms. Sato. "Miss Sato, take Miss Tamashiro and clean her up. We need her in a fit state to testify."

Ms. Sato laid a hand on Minami's shoulder and steered her out of the room. Dr. Tanaka took up the papers from his desk again, leaned back in his chair, and began to review them. Tatsuko and Fumiko stood awkwardly. Tatsuko seemed increasingly lost in herself, while Fumiko was slowly coming to life. After several minutes, she said, "Dr. Tanaka?"

Dr. Tanaka looked over the top of his papers at her. "Yes, Miss Inoue?"

"Does this mean I'm not in trouble?"

He regarded her for a long moment, then sat forward, straightened his papers, and set them aside again. He began speaking in a lecturing tone, the kind used to explain advanced concepts carefully to bright young minds. "'Getting in trouble' is an outmoded concept that has meaning only in punitive-authoritarian schemas. It is neither constructive nor meaningful to 'get people in trouble.' This situation will be rectified in a more comprehensive way."

He fell silent but held her gaze. After a moment she said "I see, sir," although of course she still had no idea whether she was in trouble.

He offered her a warm smile. "Good."

**REVISION**

Before he could return to his papers, the door opened and Ms. Sato returned with Minami. Her eyes and nose were red and she was still shaking, but her breathing was steadier. Ms. Sato parked Minami in her spot and returned to her post.

"Miss Tamashiro, are you ready to tell me what you saw in the locker room that night?"

"Yes, sir." Her voice was stronger.

"Proceed."

"When I got close to the locker room, I heard something going on inside, like a fight. I went in and I saw Fumiko and Tatsuko wrestling over the can of paint. Tatsuko got it from Fumiko and then started yelling in her face. She said nobody would believe Fumiko and if she told then Tatsuko would blame her and get her expelled. Then she saw me."

"She..." Minami started to shake again and had to steady herself. "She pushed me against the wall and said that I had to back her up or she would make everyone hate me. She said she runs the school and that if I knew what was good for me I wouldn't cross her."

"Then she went back to Fumiko and pushed her down. She put the spraypaint in her bag and was about to leave when Miss Sato came in. She lied and told her the bag was Fumiko's. I..." She sniffled. "I said so too."

Dr. Tanaka turned to Fumiko. "Is all of this true, Fumiko?" She shivered when she heard him use her given name. "Yes, Dr. Tanaka," she said.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

She hesitated a long time before answering. Her voice was thick. "I thought it would just get me in more trouble, sir."

Dr. Tanaka nodded grimly. Then he turned to Tatsuko. "Miss Hideki, is this the correct version of events?"

Tatsuko's jaw was more clenched than ever. She didn't even turn to look. Ms. Sato darted out like a snake and slapped Tatsuko on her plump rump with her crop, barking "Answer the vice principal!" The school skirts were of thick material, but Ms. Sato was an expert and it stung plenty. Tatsuko jumped and grumbled "Yes."

Ms. Sato landed one on her other cheek. "Use your manners, girl!" Tatsuko choked in a breath and said "Yes, Dr. Tanaka" through clenched teeth.

**THE SUZUKI METHOD**

Dr. Tanaka nodded sagely. He steepled his fingers again. "Miss Inoue, since you are such an excellent student, I presume you can tell me a little about our academy's founder?"

Fumiko, slowly beginning to believe she might not be framed and punished, felt even more in her element being quizzed. She brightened and rattled off an answer: "Dr. Uchiro Suzuki was a teacher in the post-war years who traveled abroad to learn how education was conducted in foreign countries. He was especially impressed with the Montessori schools of Italy and felt the insights of that method should be extended into post-primary education. He founded Namegara Preparatory to implement his theories and increase female enrollment in higher education in Japan." She was practically beaming by the time she was done.

"Very good, Miss Inoue. Our freely-structured classrooms and schedules are among the most remarked-upon features of the Suzuki system, but these rest on more fundamental principles."

He got up from his chair and began to pace with his hands behind his back, expounding at length on one of his favorite subjects.

"After many years studying disruptive behaviors in students, Dr. Suzuki articulated one of his most visionary insights. He came to see misbehavior as a product primarily of social, not individual, factors. Accordingly, misbehavior cannot be solved by correcting an individual student, or by serially correcting many students. What must be corrected is the way that the students relate to one another."

He turned to face the girls. "Miss Tamashiro, you are a classmate of Miss Inoue, and you owe to her the mutual respect and regard which that entails. She needed you to be her friend, and instead you disowned her." Predictably, Minami began to cry again.

He turned to Tatsuko, his voice growing sterner. She still would not look at him. "Miss Hideki, you aggressively dominated and intimidated Misses Inoue and Tamashiro, threatening them with physical intimidation and social ruin until they submitted to you. Your own social status is more important to you than justice or the suffering of others. You have no appreciation for what their lives are like or what kind of impact you have on them." She accepted this without sound or motion.

Lastly he spoke to Fumiko. "Miss Inoue, it is true you have done no wrong, but as I have explained, this is unimportant. Your passivity and lack of courage led you to conspire in your own framing. You defeat yourself before you even have a chance to fight." She looked down when he said this and blushed. "You will also have to change in order for this to be made right."

Dr. Tanaka continued his speech: "Dr. Suzuki not only constructed a framework for the understanding of all major categories of misbehavior found in the academic environment; he also developed a technique for the correction of these imbalances. In his theory, we mistreat others when we do not understand the lived experiences of others. We must come to understand another's experiences not only intellectually, but emotionally. The way to achieve this is to spend time in the social position of the other."

"He called this practice 'Inversion of the Social Dynamic.' When you occupy the place of another, this equips you to understand and empathize with them in future conflicts. Once this understanding is established, the vast majority of socially-driven misbehaviors dissolve. There is simply no more motive."

He turned to Tatsuko, still looking away. "Miss Hideki, your offenses are very troubling. Between the vandalism, the lying, and the intimidation, your enrollment in this school is seriously imperiled. If you intend to avoid expulsion, you would be well-advised to commit yourself sincerely to this process and to be cooperative. Look at me."

She looked up at him sharply, a bitter frown on her face, angry tears beginning to well in the corners of her eyes.

"Do you understand, Miss Hideki?"

She forced a look of calm onto her face. Her voice was as steady as ever. "Yes, Dr. Tanaka."

"Your arrogant, domineering attitude has been the scourge of the school. You are going to learn some humility. Remove your shoes and socks."

She paused for a moment and Ms. Sato stepped forward, then she knelt hastily and began to untie her shoes. Dr. Tanaka lectured the top of her head. "You have grown accustomed to being on top of the social hierarchy. Misfits and outcasts should not merit your attention, but still you take the time to heap scorn on them. You wield your power as a cudgel, forcing your will on others."

Tatsuko took her shoes off and set them to one side, then removed her socks and stuffed them into the shoes. She stood back up.

"Kneel in front of Miss Inoue" Dr. Tanaka instructed.

Tatsuko frowned at the floor and walked to stand in front of Fumiko. She stood there staring daggers at her until Ms. Sato darted in and swatted her on the calf. With a displeased snort, Tatsuko fell heavily on her knees, then sat on her heels. "No, sit up," said Dr. Tanaka, and Ms. Sato tapped her repeatedly on the back. She rose up on her knees again, staring at the waistband of Fumiko's skirt a few feet away.

"Closer," said Dr. Tanaka, and with Ms. Sato tapping, Tatsuko clumsily shambled a few steps on her knees until she was just a foot away from Fumiko. Fumiko glanced nervously down at the top of her head.

"Fumiko," Dr. Tanaka began, "Tatsuko did you a significant wrong. She framed you for her own crime and threatened you. You should be angry. You have a right to demand justice. It's important for you to stand up for yourself when you've been wronged. To that end, you should demand an apology from Miss Hideki."

"A-An apology?" stammered Fumiko. "I..." Dr. Tanaka let her trail off, keeping silent. "I don't know..." She looked to him and saw that his look was kind, not stern. Suddenly her heart leapt in her chest and she realized that she could do it. She looked down at the top of Tatsuko's head.

"Tatsu-" her voice hitched. "Tatsuko. Look up at me." Tatsuko lifted her head high to meet Fumiko's eyes, nostrils flared, looking as though she was still holding her nose in the air at all the little people.

"Tatsuko, I demand that you apologize for framing me."

"I'm sorry," Tatsuko said quietly. Dr. Tanaka opened his mouth to interject when, to his surprise, Fumiko spoke again. "That's not good enough. Say what you're sorry for."

Tatsuko dropped her head, shaking with indignation. Fumiko grabbed her by the chin and jerked her head up forcefully. Shocked, Tatsuko looked at her with wide, startled eyes. Fumiko's voice was stern. "What are you sorry for, Tatsuko?"

Tatsuko gulped, her throat pulsing beneath her straining neck, and said, "I'm sorry for framing you, Fumiko." Her voice was louder and shakier. Fumiko released her chin and Tatsuko stared down at the pleats of her skirt.

Dr. Tanaka looked on appreciatively, with a smile that touched his eyes. "Excellent. How does it feel to be in charge, Fumiko?"

Fumiko looked at him excitedly. "I love it, Doctor!"

"Do you think Tatsuko feels that way when she pushes others around?"

Fumiko was surprised by this question. "I... I guess I don't know. Maybe?"

"That's a fair answer," said Dr. Tanaka. "If she enjoys it as much as you do, it's no wonder that she behaves the way she does. But don't forget that it isn't so nice to be the victim. Miss Hideki, how does it make you feel to be in the inferior role?"

Suddenly Tatsuko had an idea. It seemed brilliant and clear in the moment of its conception. She had seen the Achilles' heel of that pompous ass Dr. Tanaka's psychobabble. She was going to plant her flag and make her stand.

She looked up at him, smiling broadly. "I like it, sir."

Dr. Tanaka raised his eyebrows and squinted in disbelief. "Really, Miss Hideki? You don't find it the least distressing?"

"No, sir! I am weaker than Fumiko, so it is proper that I should submit to her." Her grin grew ever more broad.

This did throw Dr. Tanaka a little off-balance, he wasn't fully expecting a maneuvre like this. He pressed on, though. Some resistance was not unexpected, especially from a stubborn case like Tatsuko, and the method was very clear on what was to be done in situations such as these.

He went to his desk and retrieved from a deep drawer some little-used items. The first was a two-inch-thick black leather strap with a buckle on one end, holes punched in the other, and a D-ring. The second was a three-foot-long leather leash with a swivel bolt snap. Last was a short roll of plastic wrap, just six inches long.

Dr. Tanaka walked around to stand by Fumiko and the kneeling Tatsuko. He said, "Miss Sato, bind Miss Hideki's hands." Tatsuko watched with an incredulous feeling as Ms. Sato forced her hands into fists and wrapped them thoroughly with the plastic wrap. She tried to put from her mind the uncomfortable intimacy of the feeling of hands on hands. When Ms. Sato was done, Tatsuko rested her hands on her thighs. She strained her fingers firmly against the wrap, but they barely moved. She couldn't even seperate the fingertips from the palms, or her thumbs from the sides of her index fingers. Dr. Tanaka observed the ligaments rising to sharp prominence in her wrists and forearms.

Dr. Tanaka said, "Miss Sato, gather Miss Hideki's hair." Ms. Sato moved to stand behind Tatsuko and leaned down to gather her hair in one hand, lifting it from her neck. Dr. Tanaka extended the first item towards Fumiko. "Miss Inoue, this is a collar. The buckle functions similarly to a normal belt buckle." He demonstrated at eye level. "Put it on Miss Hideki, please."

Smiling slightly, Fumiko eagerly took the belt from him. Ms. Sato, gripping Tatsuko's hair tightly near the scalp in a rough ponytail, angled her chin up forcefully. Tatsuko tried and failed to keep her expression neutral, her lips pressed together tightly, making them pale around the edges. Fumiko got down on one knee in front of Tatsuko and threaded the belt around her neck and through the buckle, pulling it snug. She secured the buckle, then tried to work a finger under it. It was easy against the smooth skin of Tatsuko's neck, but the collar still felt tight. Tatsuko endured this with her jaw clenched and her eyes shut. She could feel her pulse pounding in her carotids where they met the collar, and a little in her ears.

Dr. Tanaka passed Fumiko the coiled leash and she clipped the bolt snap onto the D-ring with a small, clear click. She took the looped end in her right hand and let the coils fall loosely. The leash was not long enough to touch the ground and it hung in a deep U-shape, swaying slightly. She already understood what was going on, they all did, but Dr. Tanaka explained anyways.

"Miss Inoue, Tatsuko didn't just make you show obeisance. It is well-known that she is your nemesis, tormenting you at every opportunity. She convinced you that you were powerless to challenge her. In the modern vocabulary, she made you her bitch."

"Since Miss Hideki clearly needs more exposure to inverted social conditions, she is now your bitch. You may instruct her to do whatever you please, and she will have no recourse. Miss Sato, please give Fumiko your crop." Ms. Sato flipped her crop over, grasping it by the paddle, and passed it handle-first to Fumiko, who took it with her left hand. She looked at the business end of the instrument, observing the pattern of deep and roughly parallel creases in the black leather.

Dr. Tanaka continued: "If she challenges you, or just if you feel like it, you are encouraged to dominate her with physical force and humiliation." Now it was Tatsuko whose cheeks were burning. Thoughts raced chaotically through her head. She hadn't realized things were going to go this far.

"Miss Hideki, since you are in the inferior position, of course you find this all to be right and proper." Tatsuko couldn't think of anything else to do but continue the gambit, but she couldn't muster a smile this time. "Yes, Dr. Tanaka," she said as neutrally as she could.

**RESISTANCE**

"Very well. Miss Sato, remove Miss Tamashiro's shoes and socks." Minami's stomach turned at the mention of her name - she had begun to hope that her part in this was over. Her knees buckled as Ms. Sato untied and removed her shoes. Her frame was so petite that, even wearing the smallest uniform size, her skirt fell well below the knee, and the socks rose well above, forcing Ms. Sato to reach far up beneath the hem to snag the tops of her socks. The feeling of the older woman's cold fingertips against the soft skin of her thighs made Minami shiver. Her glance ricocheted forcefully off Ms. Sato's calm face just inches from her thighs, then she scrunched her eyes shut forcefully and turned her head a little to the side as she stepped out of her socks. Ms. Sato rolled the socks neatly and laid them in the shoes, then gathered them with Tatsuko's and set them all in a ruler-straight line by the door.