Chapter 11 – The Online Argument
The room felt too quiet.
Kotarō stepped in behind Haruka, his eyes flicking briefly toward the judges—three of them again, seated behind identical plastic desks. The classroom was the same as last time, but somehow it felt smaller.
The first-years from Class 1-A were already inside, arranged stiffly behind their table. Their suits didn't quite fit, and their printed notes were color-coded with wide margins. One of them was tapping their pen against a binder nonstop.
"They look like how I felt in Round One.
Small voices trying to fill a room that listens too hard."
Government First Speaker (1-A)
A petite girl with a neat ponytail stood. She clutched her script with both hands and began to read.
"Uh, we, um, support the motion today… because social media is harmful. It causes… uh, mental health problems and stuff."
She listed three arguments:
Mental health declineMisinformationBody image distortion
Her English was correct, but her tone never shifted. Her eyes stayed glued to the page.
"Not bad English. But not a speech. A report.
The words weren't wrong. They just weren't alive."
She bowed early. No closing statement. Just silence.
"I've never seen three minutes feel that long."
Haruka (Opposition First Speaker)
Haruka stood with no paper in hand.
"We've heard that social media causes harm. But we haven't heard why—not deeply. And without that, we can't call for regret."
She addressed each of the three arguments.
Mental health? Caused by isolation, not platforms.Misinformation? Older than the internet.Body image? Already a media issue for decades.
She reframed the debate:
"We don't defend toxicity. We defend access. We defend connection. And we oppose fear dressed up as safety."
"She's not just countering. She's unfurling the whole shape of the round.
Every point sounds like a decision."
Government Rebuttal (1-A)
The second first-year, a boy with glasses, stood nervously.
He started with a shaky restatement of their side. But halfway through, he lost his place, repeated two lines, then froze for several seconds.
"Social media is, um… people aren't safe. We think… we believe they shouldn't… have to deal with those things."
"He knows it's slipping.
That moment where you see your words melting and can't stop it."
He ended early. Bowed. Didn't look up.
Kotarō (Opposition Second Speaker)
He stood up with only a single sheet in hand. No shaking. No second thoughts.
"The Government gave you harm. We give you structure.
They offered fear. We offer context."
He used their exact phrasing against them, gently:
"They said people aren't safe. But what makes people safe?
Censorship? Silence? Or understanding and preparation?"
He walked through each of their claims, then finished:
"Regret is easy. But regret doesn't guide. And fear doesn't build.
We oppose this motion. Because we believe in building something better."
"Clean. Still said 'uhm' twice. But no collapse.
That landed. That lived."
Watanabe (Opposition Third Speaker)
Watanabe gave a slightly better summary than before.
"Uh, yeah, so we think social media is like… not perfect. But it's not evil. People just need better habits, right? And like, society needs to stop blaming the internet for everything."
"Still sounds like a group chat rant. But he didn't contradict us this time.
That counts as growth."
Post-Round
As they left the room, Kotarō noticed the girl from 1-A quietly rubbing her sleeve, eyes a bit red. Her teammate didn't say anything. Just stared ahead.
"They tried. Their English was clean. Their hearts were in it.
They just weren't ready. Not yet.
But someday… they will be."
Outside the room, Haruka held her folder with one hand and offered Kotarō a faint nod.
"That was a good match."
Kotarō nodded.
"Yeah. We didn't just win. We did it right."
Watanabe leaned on the wall, cracking his knuckles.
"That was less terrifying. Are we… getting better?"
Haruka raised an eyebrow. "You are not the measure of anything."
He grinned. "Fair."
The hallway was quieter now. Teams were dispersing.
A staff member walked past.
"Round 2 results will be posted after lunch."
Haruka looked out the window.
Kotarō followed her gaze. The sky was clear. Voices drifted in from the festival below.
"One round left. One more wall to climb.
Then the final.
And this time, I want it."
Chapter End