Chapter 21 – Blueprint for the Final
29:59
The timer started with a soft beep. Kotarō stepped to the whiteboard and wrote the motion slowly:
This House would make volunteering for national service a high school graduation requirement.
The room was silent. Even Watanabe stopped fidgeting.
"It looked harmless in print.
But the moment we speak it, it becomes a battlefield."
Kotarō capped the marker and stepped back. Haruka was already pulling papers from her folder.
Haruka: "It's not military. It's not combat. National service includes things like disaster relief, elderly care, infrastructure support, and community work."
Watanabe: "So... free labor, basically."
Haruka: "No. Shared responsibility. That's the key."
Kotarō wrote down three words: Purpose. Equity. Belonging.
"This isn't about forcing kids to work.
It's about making service feel like part of growing up.
Not punishment. Not burden.
Proof that you belong to something bigger."
29:04
They moved quickly. A blank sheet became their strategy map.
Framing Options:
Societal: Civic trust and common experience.Educational: Experiential learning and emotional maturity.Economic: Closing class gaps through unified service.
Haruka: "The strongest version of this motion is not the defensive one. We don't treat it like a system to justify. We treat it like a standard that should've existed already."
Kotarō: "We need to link service to rite of passage. Frame it like the emotional equivalent of a graduation thesis. Not mandatory chores. A societal signature."
"We make it sound like growing up without it is the real disadvantage.
And if Ayumu wants to argue individual freedom,
We paint that freedom as a privilege for the disconnected."
26:20
Ayumu's ghost lingered. Not physically. But in Kotarō's mind, he was pacing around every angle they formed.
Watanabe: "He'll say if it's valuable, people will do it without being forced."
Haruka: "And that's where we hit. Not everyone has the same freedom to give time.
We turn his empathy angle against him."
Kotarō: "Voluntary service only works when you have the time, resources, and support to do it. Requiring it makes the system responsible for giving everyone those chances equally."
"They'll argue 'choice.'
We argue 'structure.'
They'll argue 'freedom.'
We argue 'equal access to contribution.'"
22:45
They reviewed speech structure:
Haruka (First): Define, frame, ground the narrative.Kotarō (Second): Refute Ayumu, fortify internal logic, reframe burdens.Watanabe (Third): Anchor in moral unity. Strong, clear summary.
Haruka: "Kotarō, don't fight his rhythm. Break it.
Speak deliberately. No rush. Make him wait."
_"We always tried to outpace him.
This time, we control the temperature."
Watanabe: "So what's my role again?"
Haruka: "Emotion. Remind them that service isn't just policy. It's meaning.
End it with something that sounds like truth."
Kotarō: "Try: 'Serving your country shouldn't be an act of charity.
It should be part of graduating with honor.'"
Watanabe scribbled it down.
"We're not just prepping a case.
We're writing the argument the judges will wish they believed in."
17:30
Haruka leaned forward.
"Ayumu will bait us. He'll dangle emotional hooks. Don't bite."
Kotarō nodded. His eyes were on the board.
_"He'll try to trap us into sounding cruel.
We argue like justice isn't emotional. It's foundational."
Haruka turned to him.
"You ready to rebut him?"
"Yes."
"No shaking. No blink. Because I am. I have to be."
4:12
Final check.
Pages arranged. Key quotes circled. Opening lines memorized. Closing points trimmed to rhythm.
"We don't defend a program.
We deliver a worldview.
We don't beg to be right.
We expect to be."
0:05
Kotarō capped his pen. Haruka slid her folder shut. Watanabe folded his paper once and tucked it into his sleeve.
0:00
"This is it.
No more outline.
Just voice, reason, and time.
Let them hear us."
Chapter End