When it came to Yu Lele's situation, one word immediately came to the teacher's mind: PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
"...No."
The old woman shook her head. "Lele..."
"Doesn't like going to the hospital."
"We don't want to force her."
The car accident, and the month she spent lying in the hospital afterward, had been a nightmare for the child.
At its worst, even the smell of disinfectant had made her want to throw up.
They felt too sorry for a child who had been through all that.
How could they bear to force her?
"...We also think that as time passes... she'll slowly accept the fact that her mom and dad are gone."
Time healed all wounds.
The old woman put it that way, and the teacher found herself unable to press the matter.
The main reason was that Yu Lele's behavior up until now hadn't given her any reason to suspect something was wrong.
If not for today, she might never have discovered this lingering effect of the trauma.
As a teacher, she felt she'd failed in her duty.
What the old woman said... did make sense.
Time healed all wounds.
Everything was fleeting and fragile in the face of time...
Rather than make the child suffer now...
It might be better to leave it to time, and let her come to understand the truth as she grew up...
But...
The teacher couldn't shake a vague sense of worry.
There were downsides to handling it this way.
What if...
She meant, what if...
No one shattered the child's utopia, and she stayed immersed in it...
What if she couldn't pull herself out?
Then, if they tried to bring her back to reality...
It wouldn't be easy.
No.
It would be extremely difficult.