Chapter 23 – Voice Under Fire
Kotarō stood slowly.
The gym was still settling from Ayumu's speech. Judges scribbled. Students shifted in their seats. A low, uncertain murmur hovered over the crowd.
"The room doesn't know what just happened.
Even 3-C's third speaker is checking his notes like they changed the language."
He stepped forward. Fingers loose. Not shaking. Not anymore.
_"The rules changed. The pressure tripled.
And Ayumu didn't flinch. He moved like it was his format. His timing. His narrative. He didn't blink.
Even the storm listens to him."_
The judge signaled. Kotarō nodded.
"Leader of the Opposition spoke well.
But this isn't a case about what looks noble.
It's about what works."
He let the silence stretch. Then began.
"They say volunteering must be chosen.
But if only the privileged can choose, is that freedom? Or is that just another name for inequality?"
He let it hang. Then leaned in.
"We don't argue for labor.
We argue for presence. We argue for learning beyond the textbook."
He laid the case brick by brick:
Rebutted the idea that mandating service destroys virtue:
"We mandate math. It doesn't kill numeracy.
It builds a shared foundation."
Reframed service as a structured education, not an emotional burden:
"It's not unpaid work.
It's guided exposure to the society you'll soon vote in."
At minute two, someone stood. Opposition 3rd speaker.
"Point of Information?"
Kotarō turned, voice steady. "Declined."
He continued:
Refuted the burnout argument:
"This isn't overtime. It's part of the learning track.
We don't ask students to save the world.
We ask them to touch it."
_"Ayumu flooded the room with imagery. So I anchor it. Precise. Grounded. He floats. I cut."
At minute three, Ayumu stood.
"Point of Information?"
Kotarō nodded. "Accepted."
Ayumu:
"If structure is required for contribution,
What separates this from soft conscription?"
Kotarō didn't blink.
"Intention. Conscription demands sacrifice.
This demands presence. One is a weapon. The other is a bridge."
There were murmurs again. Not loud. But deeper. Resonant.
"He wanted rhythm break. Instead, I folded him into my cadence."
The final part of his speech slowed. Sharper.
"We ask students to solve equations.
Why not compassion? We prepare them to compete. Why not contribute?"
He stepped back slightly from the podium. Not to retreat. To breathe.
"This motion doesn't take freedom. It returns it. It says: You belong here.
Here's how you give back."
He bowed lightly. Returned to his seat.
Haruka looked over, nodded once. Watanabe whispered, "Nice."
_"The crowd didn't explode. But they heard me. And Ayumu—"
He looked up. Ayumu was scribbling. Calm. Not rattled. Just writing.
_"He's not reacting. He's adjusting. Even his teammates look rattled. But him?
He's already preparing the next strike."_
Chapter End