Chapter 8 – Break the Silence
The room felt smaller now.
The first speaker of the Opposition stood with the calm confidence of someone who had done this before. Maybe not this exact match, or this exact motion, but the rhythm—the posture, the slight dramatic pause before beginning—it was all familiar.
He didn't speak loudly. He didn't need to.
"Today, the Government speaks of the environment as if it exists in a vacuum," he began. "They offer protection as principle but forget the people whose lives depend on growth to survive."
"He's going emotional. Pathos over clash. Obvious. But effective."
"We don't reject sustainability," he continued. "But we refuse to let it become an excuse to paralyze industry. Without growth, we lose hospitals. Infrastructure. Hope."
He stepped forward slightly, hands open.
"Tell a factory worker in Hokkaido that protecting wetlands matters more than feeding his kids."
"Framing us as detached. Cold. The contrast hurts. I knew they might try this. So why does it still land?"
Kotarō scribbled something. Then another line. Then stopped.
"My turn is next. And I can't speak like him. Not even close."
He stared at the page, and suddenly all the words blurred into shapes.
"What if I freeze? What if I forget? What if I mess up and no one looks at me the same again?"
He swallowed.
Then a hand rested gently on his back.
Haruka.
She didn't say anything. Just gave a calm, short smile.
She leaned in and whispered, "I'll take notes for Watanabe. Just go."
Kotarō blinked once. Nodded. Looked back at his outline.
Straightened his collar. Fixed his tie.
Then stood.
"Uh… good afternoon," he said. "I'll begin the Government's rebuttal."
"Too slow. Too nervous. Six words and I already sound like I don't belong."
He paused.
"The Opposition said our position is idealistic. But what's idealistic is imagining long-term growth without a planet to grow on."
That got a look from the middle judge.
"They told you about factory workers. Infrastructure. But when floods destroy farmland and heatwaves crush productivity, who pays the cost? Growth isn't just slowed—it collapses."
He moved his eyes across the room. Not at the audience. Just scanning. Keeping steady.
"Slow down. You're rushing. Breathe between arguments. Haruka always does."
"We accept their stories. But we reject their framing. It's not 'either/or.' We're saying the environment is the condition for growth."
He hesitated briefly.
"They called our stance reckless. But betting on short-term expansion while ignoring long-term collapse isn't brave—it's blind."
Another pause. Too long?
"I said 'uhm' twice already. Or was it three? Maybe they're counting. Maybe they care. Maybe everyone does."
"In conclusion, we're not choosing nature over people. We're choosing people through nature. Government rests."
He sat. Shoulders tense. Breathing sharp.
Haruka passed him a water bottle. No words. Just presence.
"It wasn't perfect. But I said it. I didn't break."
The Opposition's second speaker was already standing.
She was faster. Sharper. Punchier.
"The Government tells us collapse is coming. But collapses come from fear, not from caution."
Her eyes moved, controlled. She gestured with precision.
"They speak of change like it's gentle. But shutting down coal doesn't feed anyone tomorrow."
She countered their first point directly:
"They assume environmental protection creates growth. But correlation isn't causation. And while they wait for new systems, real families bleed."
Kotarō took notes rapidly, even as his internal voice clawed through everything she said.
"She hit our second point hard. We didn't nail the economic upside clearly enough. Their angle's sharp. The judges are nodding."
"We don't deny the future," she finished, "but we won't sacrifice the present to chase it blindly."
The timer beeped.
_"Their points are finished.
Onto summary. And the result."_
Chapter End