Which lines include the concept or words of bully or bullying?

Bullying is a theme of the novel. Nao is bullied for being different. She is not as smart as her classmates because of her education in America where students are not as driven as the Japanese students. The fact that she is older than her classmates does not help. Nao is also bigger than her fellow classmates because of her eating habits that she learned in California.

The entire class and her teacher are part of the bullying. The students pinch and cut her in the hallways and videotape an assault on her in the bathroom. They shun her in the classroom and pretend that she does not exist. They even prepare a funeral for her, in which the teacher participates. Ruth and Oliver cannot understand the mental bullying that Nao is made to endure. They cannot understand how a teacher can join in on terrorizing a young girl.

Nao’s great uncle, Haruki #1 is bullied by his commanding officer. He is seen as weak because he does not believe in war and was drafted to fight. The officer abuses his power by making Haruki #1 do whatever he asks. He also enjoys physically harming the young man. He uses his authority to make himself feel superior. A bully bolsters their sense of self by making someone else feel inferior.