37. Koutarou Takebayashi: Not a Game (79/23.5)
September 25, six months after the partial destruction of the moon
I clear my throat, standing rigidly before the class where our currently absent teacher usually is, Okuda-san next to me. Everyone looks up at us curiously, as Karasuma-sensei told us to remain in our seats instead of getting changed for PE, which has never happened before. Pushing my glasses up, I hope that this speech will be more pleasant than the last time I addressed a group of my peers.
I begin. "Karasuma-sensei has asked the two of us to put together a report on the state of the world after the disaster that occurred half a year ago today. In that time scientists have put together an extensive list of already observed and expected consequences. The crises facing the world are far more numerous than the threat of destruction at the hands of our target. This is simply what has been seen in the last few months. As more data comes in, the picture will likely get much worse." Everyone sits up a little straighter. It doesn't really matter as far as the assassination is concerned, but obviously this is a very proximate issue for us. We speak to the culprit almost every day.
Okuda-san glances down at her note cards before speaking. She's been a big help in this project. I'm always quite busy, being the class's unofficial medic, and official explosives expert. It sure is nice to be needed… I guess. "Earth's moon was the largest moon in the solar system relative to the size of its parent planet." She enunciates clearly, an improvement over the beginning of the year. "It is believed to have played a key role in the emergence of early life by creating the tides, eroding land to introduce minerals into the oceans, and circulating water in the oceans themselves. This last effect is still important today. Many ocean species are not able to move freely under their own power, or live in the deep under the surface, and are expected to suffer greatly just within the next few years. They rely on tidal effects to circulate nutrients, but with the moon's reduced mass, the tides are now only a fraction of what they once were. This will create a major disruption in the oceanic food web, which was already under threat due to overfishing. Many governments around the world have already imposed strict new regulations on fishing, however it is unclear how much damage the ecosystem will sustain before it is able to adapt. Fish prices globally have already skyrocketed, forcing many to turn to less healthy meat sources."
We decided to start with our strongest point. This isn't some abstract environmental effect, it's personal. It's hard to imagine a world in which fish may become a rare treat rather than a dietary staple. The end of the world, such a thing is inconceivable. But the damage the world has already sustained is very real, and has hit us very close to home. My turn next. "The effects on land-based ecosystems will not be quite so pronounced, but they are significant nonetheless. Decreased nighttime illumination is driving some nocturnal animals towards the artificial lights of human cities, and bringing their predators with them. For the moment, these pose little direct danger to humans, rather they are in danger from us, however crops and livestock are suffering from these animals feeding on them at a much higher rate than in previous years. Just like with fish, other food prices have increased significantly in anticipation of impending shortages, putting a strain on many of the world's poor. India and China, with their massive populations and large lower classes, have been particularly hard hit. The rapid economic growth both countries have enjoyed over the past few decades has stalled out, and in China there have been a number of riots demanding the government take action to reduce the costs of food, resulting in hundreds of deaths. More animals coming into areas of human population also increases the risk of diseases leaping across the species boundary, but the likelihood of that is entirely unpredictable."
It… displeases me, the attitude some governments are taking. This is an unprecedented disaster. The damage may not be as dramatic as a city leveled by an earthquake, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't help their citizens where they can. It's like their attitude towards climate change. They can get away with not doing anything about it because it's a slow developing problem, not on most people's minds most of the time. But something does have to be done about it, and it's a sign of their massive irresponsibility, if not their outright corruption, to not do so. At least Japan's government isn't like that.
As I thought about it while we researched this topic, it actually reminded me of my family in a rather unpleasant way. Everyone in my family is a doctor or studying to be one. We have been for generations. When I was a kid I sometimes asked why that was. The answer was always given in terms of, it's a respectable, important, high-paying job. Never was it because it's a way to help people. The "importance" of it is just self-importance.
There are a few quiet, concerned whispers going back and forth as Okuda-san begins her next part, but the top-level students are all completely silent. "An additional effect of the moon's reduced mass is that the Earth's axis will begin to wobble at an increased rate due to the influence of other planetary bodies. Previously, this wobble was constrained to a few degrees over tens of thousands of years. It is too early to measure how much of a difference there will be, but the rate may increase by several times. It will still be small, but the effect it may have on the climate should not be underestimated. By the way Earth's axial tilt is currently decreasing, the difference in temperature between the poles and the equator will increase, which over the next century, when combined with increasing greenhouse gases, will dramatically increase incidents of extreme weather beyond even what is seen in the world today, and may even cause certain areas in the lower latitudes to become uninhabitable for humans."
"Meteor impacts will also immediately increase." I continue. "Those that the moon previously blocked or deflected with its gravity will now be more likely to hit us instead. Furthermore, over the next few years and decades, the current crescent moon will start to collapse under its own weight, until it has been reshaped into an ellipsoid body. Because its center of gravity has moved, it has already started to visibly tumble. It's very likely that its orbit will start to become more eccentric, passing closer to the Earth at times, which could knock satellites out of orbit. Right now, though, it's too early to tell how severe the world's situation will become. But from the short glimpse we've seen so far, it will most certainly not be beneficial to mankind. Everyone, please keep that in mind as we go forward into second term and beyond."
Everyone is somber after Okuda-san and I finish and we start to file out to begin PE. The reason goes without saying. We live in a maimed world. The enormity of our target's crime defies comprehension. It will take decades just to discover all of the damage. Karasuma-sensei wanted us to feel the weight of our task. Well, it worked. Now that we've recognized just how much harm he's already done, we're much more ready to acknowledge Koro-sensei's true intentions. The last few assassination attempts since the southern island trip were somewhat half-hearted. No longer.
And as for me… This project made me admit something about my family. They're doctors, but they treat their job like a game they're trying to get a high score on. When I realized how important what we do here in this class is, I also realized that dealing with people's health is important too. It's not just a job. It's fighting for people's futures. My family… are nothing but pretenders to that duty. I think I knew it long ago, but I've been hiding from it. But now that I understand what it is to act with real purpose, I can't turn back. I can't acknowledge them any more. It's not a relief. I still feel like I'll never be good enough for them. But I won't take a single step further on their path. I will be a doctor, but I'll do my best to be a real doctor, and a real member of this team of assassins. Any lingering thought of returning to the main school has been obliterated.
For my purposes I've put the destruction of the moon at 8:35 AM (GMT+09:00) on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 CE. That's just a few days from the time of this posting. It seems ironically fitting that the world would almost end on a Tuesday. Those of you familiar with my attention to detail may be wondering if I used any canonical evidence for that, such as the image of the shattered moon from manga chapter 1. Well, given how it was illuminated, that moon appeared to be a waxing gibbous moon, close to full. However, that would put the date either in the middle of the previous year's final exams, or several days after the start of the current school year. Manga chapter 76 clearly says that Koro-sensei was present on the first day of the new school year, but before spring break they had a different teacher. Manga chapter 1 says that the moon was destroyed at the start of the class's third year, which could include the break, but probably not the end of the previous year. Also, that moon was drawn as if it were discus-shaped rather than spherical, so looking into it too much is pointless. So I just picked a date and time convenient for a certain later chapter I'm going to write.