Kokoro

Occasionally, Sensei would try to talk about the issue with K. However, he could find no suitable way to raise the subject. Thinking about this, he feels “dizzy with remorse” (213). Gradually, as the two men went back and forth between the university, Sensei was able to talk about topics such as love. Having confided in Sensei, K talked about the secretive nature of his romantic feelings. He had told no one else. Sensei used K’s own academic opinions to criticize K, referring to him as a “fool” because he had betrayed his spiritual aspirations. The comment had a dramatic effect on K. Sensei, noticing his friend’s reaction, goaded K into demonstrating his discipline, daring him not to think about Ojosan. K stubbornly agreed to do so, though he seemed distant and withdrawn from Sensei after that point.

To the narrator, Sensei reflects on K’s personality. He regarded K as a stubborn, principled person. He does not doubt the sincerity of K’s romantic feelings toward Ojosan. One night, he heard K trying to wake him from the doorway. He did not respond to K’s request to talk but instead waited until the following day to raise the matter.