The [衛藤上国会議事堂: Upper Parliament Hall of Edoland] was nearly empty, out of all five hundred and forty six seats only a single one was filled. That being the seat of Soutou Sosuke, the youngest member of Edolands parliament in modern history.
At only 21 years old Sosuke became a member of the [世答党: Generational Solution Party] also known as the Soutou party. The majority of said members of course consisted of the Soutou clan and being the son of Soutou Raizen, the Soutou clans head it was nearly instant that Sosuke was given a seat after announcing his run in the next election.
Such an act of blatant nepotism was born to spark chaos in the other political parties especially from those who’d felt that they’d had to crawl through the mud and dirt, kissed the ring on the hands of scum and smile through torture just to claim their seat for a single term. Yet Sosuke, who was barely old enough to vote, was given a seat without even so much as bowing his head to another. It was infuriating and it became the goal of many other parliament members to drive Sosuke out, to harass, embarrass and fight against him until he submitted. But seeing as he’d held his seat for 6 years to this very day so far none of their schemes or campaigns worked. Sosuke was simply indifferent, at least on the surface that is.
Sitting at his seat with perfectly straight posture and a dual colored, red and blue western style suit void of any wrinkles, folds or lint. Resting his arms on the table before him he took care to make sure his elbows never came so much as close enough to touch the wooden surface of the table. His sharp red eyes reflected the silhouette of the man who stood across from him, reclining over the short wooden railing of the row below Sosuke's own seat.
Said man was of below average height yet his geta clogs boosted him up just enough to be average in stature. His hair styled in a chonmage topknot was colored black and cured around his square wrinkled face. Round thin glasses rested on the bridge of his flat nose and a short cruel mustache lay above his lip which curled upwards into a half smirk. Said man was of course none other than Susanori Kobe, head of the Susanori clan and more importantly leader of the Toumeikan Yakuza.
“If you don’t mind me asking Kobe-san where Kyoso-san is at this moment?” Sosuke asked, breaking the silence.
“He’s guarding the door, I have no need for him to be inside here right now.” Kobe answered, turning around to make eye contact with Sosuke.
“I’m honored that you trust me so.” Sosuke smiled with a light bow.
“The formalities are unneeded here, Sosuke. You can speak freely.” Kobe sighed, rubbing the wooden railing.
Sosukes once jovial and friendly face took a drastic change, his expression becoming blank and more akin to a doll's face than any humans. All smile lines vanishing and his eyes losing the shimmer within them.
“Do you oppose my decision as much as your father does?” Asked Kobe.
“Any conflict between you and my father is of no concern to me.” Sosuke answered, his tone cold yet not harsh almost as if no emotions stood behind it. “I will simply uphold my responsibilities as a member of parliament and partake in nothing else. If you are the new leader of this country then I have nothing more to say about the matter other than I hope you treat me well.”
Kobe smirked at Sosuke's answer, his eyes tilting upwards. He looked at the clear blue sky above them through the glass dome which acted as the chamber's roof. “Then I won’t push the issue further.” He said.
“...”
“...”
“However, if there was a time to come in which you must choose between your clan and your job, which would you choose?”
“I wouldn’t make one.” Sosuke said instantly.
“Hm?” Kobe hummed, raising one thin brow.
“The choice would be made for me, whichever side dies first is the one I oppose, that is all.”
“How would you tell which side was to lose and which was to win?”
“I won’t know until that time comes.”
Kobe sighed and shrugged, seeing himself getting nowhere with that line of questioning. “What about other members of parliament, how do they feel?”
“There’s a variety of opinions, the most prevalent being that you’re a fool who will crumble under the weight.”
“Do you share that opinion?”
“I haven’t seen enough to make an opinion of my own yet.” Sosuke answered.
“Then perhaps you’d let me show you?” Kobe asked with a sly smile and reaching into his kimono.
“...”
From inside his Kimono Kobe pulled out a manila folder which he placed before Sosuke. His fingers gently tapping on the desk as if motioning for Sosuke to open it.
Sosuke licked this thumb before opening the folder, gently lifting the front page he skimmed the opening document, his brows raising slightly. Licking his middle finger this time he flicked to the next page which he skimmed through again. The process repeated for what must have been at least twenty minutes, Sosuke reading each page quickly before moving onto the next but never skipping a single world. When all was said and done he closed the folder and pushed it back to Kobe, his expression as placid as before.
“And this is true?” He asked.
“Assuredly, Yamikawa was the one to discover it and put the piece together. However Aotori had a suspicion beforehand yet never seemed to speak of it for whatever reason.” Kobe explained.
“Aotori knew of it yet didn’t mention it to you?”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“He said he didn’t want to waste my time.”
“Then his loyalty should be in question, something this critically important cannot be ignored.”
“You believe he was hiding this on purpose, what reason would he have to do so?”
“I’m not certain exactly what his intention behind said actions would be, but at the very least they're enough to bring questioned to mind. And you don’t want to have questions about your employees' loyalty. I would be cautious of him from this moment forward if I were you Kobe.”
“Noted.” Kobe nodded, taking the manilla folder and tucking it into his Kimono once more. “While I’m not fully convinced myself, Yamikawa believes that the Venator Society's true reason for the Liberation is to retrieve it, [The Spear of Longinus].”
“If the legends of the spear are to be believed then I can certainly see why they would be so desperate to retrieve it. What Yamikawa has uncovered is undoubtedly a massive piece of information but one laced with personal bias. Have you tried to look more into it yourself?”
“Not yet.” Kobe frowned, “It’s current location was something not even Yamikawa could find, and I don’t yet have enough power to demand that information myself yet.”
“But when you do find it for yourself, what do you intend to use it for?”
“To conquer the world.” Kobe laughed wryly, “It could certainly be worth a fortune, enough money to build a nation of my own, including the dirt itself.”
“But who would buy such an item? Assuming that it is the Venator Societies target, surely that would be a major flag for conflict and I doubt any government would desire such a thing.”
“Perhaps the Vulracious Emperor would purchase it for himself, he seems to already be preparing for conflict with the rest of the world. The spear would be a large morality boost at the very least.”
“Or an escalation to the 2nd Dark War.” Sosuke said.
“...”
“...”
“!”
There was a sudden vibration coming from under Sosuke's desk, the phone in his pockets ringing silently with a buzz.
“What is it?” Kobe asked, raising one brow.
Reaching into his pants Sosuke pulled out an onyx black phone with a perfect shine showing no signs of wear or tear. Softly flipping the phone open he read the name aloud.
“Soutou Raizen.”
Kobe's eyes narrowed and he casually put his hand behind him and on the railing rasping his nails gently across the wooden panels.
“Do you mind?” Sosuke asked,
“This is your castle.” Kobe responded with a light bow and wave of his hand.
“Yes?” Sosuke asked as he answered the phone and put it to his ear.
“...”
“...”
“...”
There was another long pause and another moment of silence in what seemed to be an annoying string of them. However unlike before there was a major change which made the silence so much more bearable yet unbearable at the same time.
The expression of Sosuke which had been annoyingly perfect, calm, composed and collected shattered slowly like time itself has frozen for him. His throat seemed to clench as he swallowed hard and veins pumping blood sprouted on the back of his hand pressing against the skin tightly as if waiting to erupt. His pupils constricted and trembled and teeth clenched as he nodded firmly with a hum.
“...” Kobe watched the scene with pure curiosity, his rasping on the wooden panel stopped completely and his full attention turned to Sosuke's expression. One which was so alien to the normally sickeningly empty looking man.
“I understand, I’ll be there shortly, father.” Sosuke said finally. His hand trembled as he took the phone from his ear and closed it shut with a snap.
“Something Important I presume?” Kobe asked.
Sosuke looked up to Kobe, his face dripping with sweat. “Sorry, Susanori-San but I must leave.” He said, raising up out of his chair quickly, nearly tripping back over it as he tried to walk away.
“What is it? Something wrong?” Kobe asked, raising his brows and wrinkling his nose.
“Something unexpected… That's all. I will be able to continue this conversation after it’s been taken care of, so until then I ask that you excuse my impolite departure.” Sosuke said quickly walking down the aisle towards the stairs which he nearly jumped down, his legs bouncing off each one stair like a child trying to race down them.
All the while Kobe watched with his arms folded and clutching the manilla envelope which he held onto tightly, fingering the glossy label. “Something Unexpected.” He muttered under his breath with a click of his teeth. “Yes, this is.”
# # #
I know not to expect the expected, that tying yourself down to ideals and hypothetical outcomes is dangerous. That one’s chance of survival is best rated when constantly adjusting ever so slightly yet methodically to the constant stream of new information occurring at every moment around you. However that doesn’t mean you should be a complete fool and disregard what the most possible outcome is. To put it simply, don't count all of your eggs before they hatch. You always want the new outcome to be at least as preferable to the previously expected one.
However never in my life has my expectation of the normal outcome been so impossibly wrong. For the first time in my life I’m speechless.
For the first time in my life I can feel my heart pounding, sweat dripping down my flesh and my skin crawling uncomfortably as if swarmed by millions of ants tickling me at once.
I didn’t feel this way when I saw my father bludgeon a man to death for attempting to rob us, not when he begged yet my father used his fists like a beating hammer smashing his bones to dust and making the blood he vomited out splash onto my face.
I didn’t feel this way when I first saw my one and only crush, the woman who I still find to be my only compatible woman to this day, Shinkawa Tadako, a woman from my 3rd grade class.
I didn’t feel this way when she rejected me, ripping up my confession letter before my eyes and spitting at me for being creepy.
I didn’t feel this way when I took a knife and slit her rabbit's throat, drenching its fluffy white coat blood red.
I didn’t feel this way when the police came and my father payed off the girl and her family for their silence, when he told me to not act irrationally again with nothing more than a sigh and glare.
I didn’t feel this way when she looked at me with abject fear from then on, her skin growing goosebumps as she trembled and cried, soiling herself from my very gaze alone.
I didn’t feel this way when she moved away, far away from me and my family so I could never see her again.
I didn’t feel this way when I graduated high school at the top of my elite class, nor when I was valedictorian for my university's graduation ceremony.
I didn’t feel this way when my father got me a job in parliament as the youngest member in modern history. When everyone hated me and tried to bully me out of my seat.
Only now when I’ve been told I am to become the head of the Soutou Clan starting today do I feel this way. And I hate it.
Sosuke and Kobe are both so boring that it’s hard for me to write about them interacting together! They’re the kind of people who could sit in a room with only each other for hours and not speak a single word.
Also Minalla… I like that word.
[総統祚佐] Soutou Sosuke - Not much to it his surname means Supreme Ruler” while his first name has the Kanji for The Emperors Thrown and an older version of the “Suke” Kanji. A common suffix in male names.
[世答党] Soutou Party - This is a really dumb pun, the Kanji 世 meaning “Generation” can be read as “Sou” and the Kanji 答 meaning “Answer” could be read as “Tou” so the “Soutou party”.
[新川忠子] Shinkawa Tadako = "New River" and "Faithful Child"
