Replacement

Kimura-san walked in with a sigh and a smile today. She's a secretary to the tea. She's been there forever. She gossips, she cackles, she does errands and she couldn't care for the authority (the Kocho-sensei), because without her it wouldn't function (without his green tea). She even sneaks off early when the teachers are all in a meeting in another room, late in the afternoon.

There was a visitor early today, earlier than Kimura-san, and K-T showed her into the secretary's office where she waited. K-T announced the visitor to Kimura-san when she bumbled through the door at her usual sort of time, which was when she gave that sigh while smiling.

There's a farewell party on Friday for Kimura-san because she has to retire, though she doesn't want to, or something. Didn't really understand that. And it was only after half the day had passed that I put two and two together and realised why this visitor was shuffling around behind Kimura-san everywhere she went, paying attention to everything she said and why Kimura-san sighed with that smile this morning.