A Candid Interview

While the 9th Squadron was successful in preventing the terrorist attack, the entire operation was a bit of a disaster. One of the perpetrators got away and an apartment building burned down.

Hamazaki certainly wasn’t happy with this performance, but situations like this were where he shined. He managed to smooth things over with both the public and the higher-ups.

However, Naoki didn’t really care about any of that.

While he thought they managed to evacuate all the residents, it turns out that one had been left inside. An elderly widow. She had lost most of her hearing and likely hadn’t heard the fire alarm. Additionally, she had a lung condition, so once the smoke thickened, she was immobilized.

Naoki never regretted joining the Special Security Unit, until now.

He was supposed to be protecting the people, but in this case, he had been the one to start that fire. He had left the residents of that apartment homeless, and he had killed that elderly woman.

He tried talking to Hamazaki about this, but the commander wasn’t very empathetic.

“Look, Naoki. This is just what happens sometimes. It was an accident. And besides, it’s the terrorists’ fault anyway. They’re the ones who put the people of that building at risk.”

“I get that, but it’s still my fault!”

“Maybe so, but you just did what was necessary.” Hamazaki leaned forward onto his desk. “Think about it this way… Do you know how many people die from car crashes every year in Japan?”

“How many?”

“About 2,600.”

“And why are you bringing this up?”

“We could hypothetically save a lot of lives by restricting or even banning cars, but ultimately, they do so much good for the economy and welfare of our society that the deaths are negligible.” Hamazaki leaned back in his chair. “It’s the same with the SSU. It’s tragic whenever a civilian gets caught in the crossfire, but if we let these terrorists run free, the damages would be thousands of times greater.”

It was a rational answer from Hamazaki, but it just didn’t sit well with Naoki.

***

It was a rainy day in Minato City, but it fit Naoki’s mood perfectly. He was still upset over the apartment raid. At the very least, it had been a quiet few days, so he was able to continue his ordinary school life.

But it wouldn’t be so ordinary today…

“Naoki Nakajima, right!?”

Naoki jumped as he looked over to where the voice came from. It was an especially short girl dressed in an Asahi Academy uniform that he swore he recognized, he just couldn’t remember from where.

“I’m with the school newspaper.” She clicked her pen while holding a notebook. “Care for an interview?”

“Since when did we have a school newspaper?”

“We will after I finish this first issue.”

Naoki chuckled and looked away. “No, thanks.”

“Come on, please?” She got up real close to him. “What frontpage article would be better than an interview from Naoki Nakajima, the Lion of Asahi?”

“What!?” He could hardly believe his ears. To have such a goofy nickname…

“So, first question.” She readied her pen. “Why did you join the SSU?”

“I never agreed to an interview.”

“Okay, we’ll save that for later, how about…”

But as she went through her notes, Naoki realized where he recognized her from. This short but spirited journalist… She wasn’t a student at all!

“Wait, I remember you!” Naoki stood up. “You’re that journalist from the train incident!”

She laughed awkwardly. “Looks like I’ve been found out.”

“What the hell are you doing here!? And why are you wearing that!?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” She stood up proudly. “I’m looking for scoops!” With a slight bow, she introduced herself, “Kiki Motomura, head writer of the Japanese Patriot.”

“The Japanese Patriot? Isn’t that that one far-right website?”

“Actually, I think we’re supposed to be left-wing…” She paused to think about it. “But that doesn’t really matter.”

Naoki rolled his eyes. “Where’d you even get that uniform?”

“I have connections, don’t sweat the details. Let’s just continue the interview!”

“I told you, I’m not doing the interview!”

“Come on, why not?”

“I’m a captain of the SSU, I can’t go around giving interviews to two-bit tabloids.”

“Okay, that’s a bit rude.” Kiki sighed. But she smiled after coming up with a new idea. “How about this? Instead of Naoki Nakajima, I’ll interview an anonymous student of Asahi Academy, does that sound okay?”

“So what? You just ask me some random questions and keep my name out of it?”

“Exactly!”

Naoki chuckled. He was still skeptical, but it surely wouldn’t hurt to indulge her a bit. Besides, he had some feelings he wouldn’t mind getting out. “Fine. Let’s do it.”

“Great! So, first question…”

***

The interview was brief, only taking a few minutes.

“Thank you very much, Naoki Nakajima!” Kiki started packing up her things. “I’m glad I got to interview you, you’ll make a good foil.”

“A foil?”

“I interviewed quite a few students. Most weren’t very satisfied with the current state of things, so it’ll be good to add in some pushback, you know?”

“You interviewed other people?”

“Plently. There was this one kid…” She smiled. “He really spoke his mind. Honestly, I thought about offering him a job.”

“Who was this guy?”

“I can’t tell you that. These are anonymous interviews, remember? But if kids like him will be graduating from Asahi Academy then maybe we got a chance, after all.”

***

STUDENTS HAVE LOST FAITH IN JAPAN?

By Kiki Motomura

To many, the once great nation of Japan seems to be on the brink of total collapse. However, this predicament affects one group disproportionately. The youth. Therefore, it’s paramount to seek out the opinions of the ones who will build our nation’s future.

The prestigious Asahi Academy had many students with strong opinions regarding the current state of the country.

One student in particular, A-kun, had a lot to say. “Our government now is comparable to the Tokugawa Shogunate in their final days. They have allowed the economy to stagnate and their governance to become rigid and corrupt. The people have taken notice as jobs disappear, pay plateaus, and prices rise, all while the politicians claim that everything’s fine.”

When asked about the terrorist epidemic, he answered, “I would never condone the actions of the Ghosts. However, what they are doing is expressing deep frustrations with the current system, frustrations that the government refuses, and is likely unable, to address.”

Continuing, A-kun gave his opinion on the Special Security Unit, “The SSU perfectly exemplifies the government’s ignorance of the people’s needs. It is effectively a modern day Shinsengumi, a paramilitary organization whose primary objective is the elimination of enemies of the state by force. Of course, such enemies never existed prior to the extreme conditions that have befallen our nation.”

While A-kun was quite spirited, not all students shared his opinions on things.

Another young man, N-kun, offered a different perspective. “Of course we are in a recession, but the complaints are overblown. This downturn affects the entire world, and the Japanese government is doing what they can to alleviate it.”

When asked about the Ghosts, N-kun said, “The Ghosts are terrorists. Whatever legitimate criticisms they might have are nullified by their violent actions. If they want change, there are peaceful avenues to do it such as voting or protesting.”

While many students at Asahi Academy have completely lost faith in our society, there are still those who defend it ardently.

Either way, it’s more than a bad omen that one of the most prestigious high schools in Japan, one that has churned out the best and brightest year after year, lacks confidence in the nation as it is.

***

Kiki Motomura was very proud of the article she had written. It even became the Japanese Patriot’s most popular article of the month.

But it was also the last article that the Japanese Patriot would ever publish.