CH 91

Chapter 91. [Nuclear Umbrella]

<<First, the large international VTuber event gets canceled.>>

<<…I see.>>

As expected.

The fact that I’ve been sleeping like this until now is proof.

I was sure that the audience wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy the live performance.

I know this in my head, but I am still shocked by it because of my immaturity.

<<And there is no World War III or nuclear war. Not yet.>>

That’s a story I have seen on the news and the internet, so it’s not definite information.

But in summary, it is roughly like this.

First, a nuke fell on Ukraine.

That is an undeniable fact.

What fell was a small nuke, generally classified as a tactical nuke device.

Furthermore, it was a ballistic missile with a range of less than 500 kilometers.

And the exact location of the fallout, the Ukrainian plains, is not known.

<<What? So it’s not like it destroyed Ukraine.>>

<<No, it didn’t.>>

I’m Japanese, so when I hear the words “nuclear fallout,” I imagine tens or hundreds of thousands of deaths due to the destruction of urban areas.

But that is not the case.

<<…I see.>>

I let out a relieved breath.

Somehow, the face of that transfer student had popped into my mind.

Her hometown was not gone.

<<But it’s not a situation where you can rest easy. It’s not like there were never any victims.>>

<<Yes, that’s right.>>

Angu Ogu is right.

And if the attack is over,  the next step is to fight back.

<<I knew it was the Russians who fired the nuke…>>

<<That’s not true.>>

<<…. Huh?>>

<<It wasn’t Russia that fired the nuke. No, to be precise – I don’t know.>>

I opened my mouth to say, “Angu Ogu”.

After a beat, I came back to myself.

<<Haaaaa? No, no, no, no, no! Who else but Russia would fire a nuke into Ukraine under these circumstances?>>

<<But at least that’s what the U.S. government official says.>>

Unknown. Unconfirmed.

I was so confused and perplexed.

<<Why don’t people understand!>>

<<Ah, don’t worry. Of course, it’s not that people don’t understand.>>

<<What?>>

Angu Ogu said.

The results of investigations in many countries, including the U.S., indicate that it was [a Russian attack]. She said.

Even on the Internet, it’s an open fact that the missile was fired by Russia.

I don’t understand more and more.

<<Well, then, why [not] understand?>>

<<It is said that it is because confirming it could trigger World War III.>>

<<Russia is now saying that the nuke is Ukraine’s [self-destruction], [self-induced].>>

[[We have long warned that Ukraine is planning to use “dirty bombs” right?]]

Naturally, Ukraine denied the announcement and was outraged.

It was a long time ago Ukraine was the world’s third-largest nuclear power. There is no such fact today, she said.

And she called for sanctions against Russia for the whole world.

… But.

<<You say no country is moving!!!?>>

<<Not all of them are. But many countries are either staying put or withholding judgment.>>

<<What about China? I believe China is the “nuclear umbrella” for Ukraine, just as the U.S. is for Japan. If a non-nuclear state gets nuked, they would fight back instead of Ukraine, which is a nuclear power.>>

Angu Ogu shook her head at the question.

China – because there is no confirmation that it was Russia that fired the shot – has not retaliated. She said.

<<… So that’s what you’re saying>>

China, I recall, said it was on Ukraine’s side at the beginning of the Russian military invasion.

However, it has gradually changed its stance toward Russia.

Or should I say? It has returned?

China has always been pro-Russia.

It was probably for this reason.

But, when you think about it, it is not surprising.

What if China functions as a nuclear umbrella and drops nuclear weapons on Russia in retaliation?

That would be the start of an all-out nuclear war between Russia and China.

<<A world war, indeed.>>

China. No, not only China. Who would risk the destruction of their own country for the sake of a “stranger”, Ukraine?

It’s Russia, a superpower, after all.

And they have already crossed the line by firing nukes.

We must be prepared to stab each other in the back.

And no one wants to “trigger” World War III.

<<Ukraine’s self-made performance is an excuse given by the Russian side.>>

If people establish Russia fired that, people have to impose sanctions on Russia.

Or they will have to make their stance clear that they won’t impose sanctions.

Every country has to be cautious about making such an announcement.

The fate of one’s own country hangs in the balance.

It’s the right thing to do for one’s own country before that of another country. That’s their priority.

They want to protect their families more than others. That is also a matter of course.

<<No, the story in the first place, huh.>>

The nuclear umbrella works “within the range of thinking that peace can be maintained centering on one’s own country.”.

Conversely, it only works within that range.

It was never meant to work from the beginning.

It’s something that only makes sense before people fire the nuke.

<<An umbrella is just an umbrella.>>

It is never a shield, much less a pike.

It can only work in a child’s imagination.