Published: August 15, 2025
Today, three chapters posted simultaneously.
This is the first chapter.
Perhaps because there were many participants, the main conference hall had a podium and a blackboard at the front, with desks and chairs arranged before them. The setup looked just like a school classroom.
Once all the participants were seated, the man who first spoke stood at the podium and began to speak.
“Thank you all for taking your valuable time today. I am 'Wanz,' the initiator of this meeting. Though inexperienced, I will also serve as the moderator today. I appreciate your cooperation.”
When the man introduced himself as Wanz and bowed, scattered applause broke out.
“Thank you. Without further ado, how do you all view the current public safety of this town?”
Thus began a speech emphasizing just how dangerous Gimul presently was, stressing the need for cooperation and countermeasures.
“Gimul’s security force isn’t incompetent. I’ve heard they have increased their numbers and strengthened their guard system.”
Some would occasionally object, but then came a rebuttal:
“Indeed, I too have heard about the reinforcements and enhanced security. I do not consider Gimul’s security force incompetent. However! The reinforcements and enhancements were necessary precisely because the usual number of guards couldn’t handle the increase in incidents! They cannot fully prevent crimes! The need for reinforcements and strengthening exists! Isn’t that the conclusion the security force reached themselves?”
“Um, well...”
“Reinforcements and bolstering security are measures taken out of necessity—a ‘last resort.’ Moreover, the guards hastily added tend to be less experienced, resulting in more cases where perpetrators escape or the guards themselves fall victim.
Of course, I acknowledge their efforts. But! The very guards who should protect the townspeople are instead becoming victims. That is reality! Can you confidently say, ‘Leaving it to the security force is safe and absolutely secure?’ Can you truly trust the current guards that much?”
“B-but…”
“There is no ‘but’! If your trust is betrayed even once, the victims might be you—or worse, your loved ones.”
“……”
Thus, Wanz bested his opponents with words. Each time he did, he planted a seed of unease in those who lost and in the observing participants.
Thinking about ‘just in case,’ I suppose I’m similar in some ways.
Maybe that’s why, although I understood what he was saying, “I also felt a strong sense of discomfort.”
Considering the cause of that discomfort, the differences between Wanz and me became clear.
I tend to think about worst-case scenarios and want to be prepared to handle them should they happen. But I never try to force that thinking onto others.
Wanz, on the other hand, seemed to urge participants to prepare seriously by presenting a dire future based only on assumptions and possibilities, stirring their anxieties.
Furthermore,
“I was allowed to start my own shop this year after many years of training. In other words, I’m just a young novice finally fledged. And I’m a newcomer in Gimul, too. Unfortunately, I’m no man of steel who can sit back and leave things to Gimul’s security force. Although I’ve opened my shop, I share the same constant uneasiness about the town’s state as all of you.”
“The fact is, the town is in turmoil.”
“I’ve been thinking that security measures are necessary.”
Wanz spoke with words of shared anxiety using ‘we’ and ‘us.’ Each time voices agreed, more people gradually began to accept his words.
Stirring anxiety… Could this be a shady business scheme?
Watching the meeting, I began to suspect as much.
As objections to Wanz’s words dwindled, one more thought came to me.
I know this atmosphere in the conference hall.
It’s a sham meeting meant only to turn what ‘the higher-ups have already decided’ into a ‘decision made at the meeting.’
Though called a meeting, no one expects new ideas or real debate. Those voicing opposition are ignored or attacked—either way, pointless. Such matters could be handled by a mere report.