22. Power Plant

The Decontamination Operation concluded, and after forty-eight hours had passed, a specialized team dispatched by the Japanese Government attempted to detect radioactive material at various locations within the affected area—without success. The decontamination was complete. With that, the construction of the fusion power plant could proceed without issue.

The day before, the Bank of Japan’s emergency monetary policy meeting convened and unanimously decided to end the zero-interest-rate policy, maintained for over twenty years, and to set the lending benchmark rate for private financial institutions at 1.5 percent annually, effective immediately. In response to the sudden appreciation of the yen, the Bank issued a statement noting it would “monitor exchange rate movements and respond flexibly and forcefully,” suggesting the possibility of foreign exchange intervention.

With decontamination complete and the Bank of Japan making moves, stocks that had been hitting daily upper limits began to see price increases—particularly financial firms heavily holding decontamination-related equities and government bonds—causing the Tokyo Stock Price Index TOPICS to close 30 percent higher than the previous Thursday. (The day before the Agirakana Shock, incidentally, the day of the Agirakana Shock came to be unofficially called Golden Friday across Japan. Elsewhere, countries apparently referred to it as Death Friday or Hell Friday—complete opposites, it seems.)

Not all stocks have yet reached their peak, so the TOPIX is expected to rise further in the days ahead. While the upward trend remains intact, the Tokyo market had begun to gradually stabilize. Overseas major markets, though still experiencing volatile swings, were likewise showing signs of settling down. The yen continued its strengthening across all currencies, now trading at a twenty percent appreciation against the dollar—up from last Thursday’s rate.

Two general-purpose landing craft stored aboard the assault amphibious vessel AA-0001 are being dispatched toward the Nuclear Power Plant Site, the designated location for the fusion power plant construction. Since fusion plant-related equipment has already been transported from the workship, the foundation will be installed on-site immediately upon completion of its surface preparation and shaping.

Upon Alexandra’s return to AA-0001 after finalizing the connection protocol between the existing power grid infrastructure and the fusion power plant, the setup of the fusion unit and associated equipment had already been largely completed aboard AA-0001.

That same day, beginning in the late afternoon after the Japanese Government’s assigned specialist team concluded their radioactive material detection operations, two general-purpose work barges descended and began site leveling and shaping. The task consisted solely of evenly dispersing civil engineering nanobots across the terrain. Upon distribution, the nanobots began self-replicating while simultaneously shaping the ground according to a preloaded blueprint, solidifying as they progressed. Once the nanobots received the completion signal from the work barges, they deactivated—and within a few hours, all nanobots had undergone autonomous disintegration.

The ground, leveled and hardened by civil engineering nanobots, now bore drainage ditches precisely as planned—rainwater channeled into catch basins scattered across the site. From there, the collected rainwater flowed through larger drainage channels, eventually pooling in a treatment basin roughly the size of a fifty-meter swimming pool.

Inside the basin, drainage-processing nanobots had been dispersed, programmed to neutralize any hazardous substances should they arise—though the likelihood was low. Treated water was then discharged into the sea, though some portion was also repurposed as fuel for a nearby power plant.

Several side channels, visually indistinguishable from the current drainage conduits, were also constructed—these would be completed by Japan’s electric utility company, who had assumed responsibility for the final phase. Monitoring cables and other infrastructure would be laid, and once finished, the channels would be sealed with covers.

The plant mounting platform was a square, roughly fifteen meters on each side, and about thirty centimeters in height. Two fusion power plants, each occupying half the central area of the platform, were positioned side by side along it.

As dusk settled and the surroundings grew dark, two fusion power plants—each contained within a cubic frame measuring ten meters per side—were lowered from above by a work shuttle and installed atop the aligned mounting platforms. Each unit had its auxiliary systems attached during the descent.

With the fuel-water supply pipe connected by the work shuttle, the Agirakana-side plant construction was officially complete. Starting tomorrow, various works by the power company were scheduled to begin. The entire project, including verification procedures, was expected to take two months.

The fusion reactor's core—the fusion unit—is constructed from a material akin to a spacecraft hull, resembling a small, spherical spaceship. It's said to withstand even direct hits from nuclear weapons on Earth, let alone natural disasters.

I'm in my quarters aboard the assault vessel, watching the construction of the power plant through a monitor. The image is as vivid and colorful as if it were filmed during daytime.

Watching it, I find it not particularly entertaining, and soon grow bored. So I switch to a program broadcast in Japan. The remote control for the monitor looks identical to the one in my home. Naturally, no manufacturer logo is visible. I wonder if that's acceptable.

On the newly switched channel, a news broadcast is airing.

The Ministry of Defense announced this afternoon that a large projectile had been launched from People's Korea. After flight, the projectile crossed Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and vanished above Japanese airspace.

Defense Minister Yanoji told reporters that while it could not be definitively stated that Agirakana was involved in the projectile’s disappearance, the absence of observed debris or fragments made such involvement highly plausible. As of now, neither People's Korea nor Agirakana has issued any official statement regarding the incident.

Perfect timing—thanks to People's Korea launching that missile, it’s clear we’re not just talking. If this continues, maybe the folks from that island in the Sea of Japan will just pack up and leave on their own. Though, if they did, the regime there would probably collapse entirely—so that’s unlikely.

A loud, overly energetic opening theme poured from the newly switched channel. Apparently, an anime had just begun. In the opening sequence, the male protagonist—shaved head, likely a high schooler—was sprinting through a Western medieval-style town with the female lead, clad in a dour coat, as if pursued by an invisible force. Pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages alike were being knocked aside with alarming frequency, yet no one made an attempt to stop them. Well, after all, it’s just an anime. What’s the harm?

The title and sponsor name appeared in bold, center screen.

“True Incidental Summoning: The Storage Officer…?”

“This broadcast is brought to you by the Hōzōin Group and our esteemed sponsor.”

The title promised nothing remotely interesting. He switched back to the original channel. By then, the construction work was mostly complete. Might as well turn in for the night and prepare for tomorrow.

It's a large launch vehicle, but when passing through Japanese airspace—up to an altitude of 100 kilometers—I believe it exceeds that height. In that case, it wouldn’t constitute airspace violation, but in the story, it was shot down without hesitation, leaving no debris whatsoever.

Thank you for your concern in your comments. I’ve included the standard disclaimer in the synopsis and the preface to Chapter One: “This story is fiction. The characters, organizations, names, and country names depicted are entirely fictional and bear no relation to real-world entities.”

January 7, 2020

The Hōzōin Group in the story is a fictional conglomerate appearing in the work *Agirakana Extra: Reika Hōzōin*, written under the pen name Yagami Yūko.

Please also check out *Agirakana Extra: Reika Hōzōin* by pen name Yagami Yūko: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4131fy/

by Yagami Yūko (Yamaguchi Yūshi) — deliberately promoting the pen name Yagami Yūko (Yamaguchi Yūshi).