Akira was expecting the trend to continue.
Big Captain. Big Emperor's Guards. Mega Big Emperor.
Then came the earthshaking entrance of Prime Minister Jingan, each footstep landing like a war drum.
So naturally, Akira assumed… Big Prime Minister, right? Probably a mountain of muscle wrapped in ceremonial silk.
He turned with that image in mind.
And he nearly choked.
Standing there, proudly puffed up like a rooster in heat, was a man who barely reached Akira's chest.
Prime Minister Jingan… was a midget.
He was squat and square-shouldered, with a gleaming bald head, sharp beady eyes, and a self-important waddle that made him look like an overstuffed toad in formal robes.
Draped in crimson and gold ministerial robes embroidered with phoenix feathers, the outfit shimmered with theatrical grandeur, anchored by an oversized medallion that swayed with every exaggerated step.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
His footsteps slammed down with unnatural force upon the stone floor as glared at Akira with great hostility as though he was meeting the person who had… eaten his harem of chicken wives, all the while ignoring Emperor Takeshin and Captain Colossaria completely.
He didn't even bother to answer Emperor Takeshin's question.
Yet another sign of his blatant disrespect and disregard of the Emperor.
"Well well well. So this is the dual element mutt who's been sniffing around our princesses." Prime Minister Jingan said in a deep voice which totally did not suit his tiny body.
His voice was laced with venom and mockery. "I must admit, it's beyond me how someone with such a pitiful frame and a face barely fit for the servants' quarters managed to slither his way into Princess Sora's affections. Did she lose a bet? Or was it sympathy for the malnourished?"
He took a slow step forward, his beady eyes narrowing as they swept over Akira with calculating contempt.
"And Princess Yuki too… acting strangely in front of you?"
His lip curled faintly.
"Now that is interesting. Very interesting. A girl like her deserves refinement. Power. Legacy. Not some stray dog with a borrowed sword and a lucky face."
His voice dipped lower, almost thoughtful.
"She should be standing beside someone capable of… overseeing the empire. Someone… powerful." He puffed up his chest even more as he said those words.
It was clear that he was referring to himself at that moment.
Akira gazed back at him steadily.
The fact that this small man before him had every single critical information about him without even being there spoke volumes about his power.
He must have people everywhere reporting to him. Or… His abilities must be related to information gathering.
And more importantly… he was actually lusting after Princess Yuki so openly in front of her father?!
Was his balls really that big? Or was the Emperor such a pathetic pushover despite his massive body?
"This man's audacity knows no bounds." Akira allowed his gaze to flicker to Emperor Takeshin at that moment, subtly but clearly redirecting the focus of the conversation back to him.
He couldn't be bothered to deal with such a pompous prick in such a politically messy situation.
"Let the man deal with his own house first." Akira thought coldly.
Prime Minister Jingan sensed the shift in the flow of conversation and sneered at Akira disdainfully before finally turning to face Emperor Takeshin.
"Your Majesty." Prime Minister Jingan bowed deeply, his fervent action after such an outrageous delay serving only to underscore his insincerity and fake devotion.
"Hmmm." Emperor Takeshin's face was a mask of serenity. His forbearance was either at a Godly level or his balls had shrunk to a microscopic level.
Either way, he didn't flinch, not even when the Prime Minister all but declared himself a suitor for Princess Yuki.
"Maybe this isn't his first time pulling this stunt." Akira thought. "Damn pervert."
"I do not agree with your plan to send him to the Royal Academy of Japan. He is totally unfit to study in such a prestigious and wonderful university. Ah, absolutely not." Prime Minister Jingan shook his head vigorously, making him look shocking like a rooster shaking its head wildly during a mating dance.
Akira almost lost it.
Prime Minister Jingan's barbed words no matter how sharp or pompous, failed to stir the slightest emotion in him.
He truly didn't care.
Let them mock his worth. Let them ban him from their so-called elite academy. He had no interest in their polished classrooms or their hollow prestige.
He merely wanted to find a way to help Princess Sora, and then go home. And maybe… Bring Princess Yuki with him.
It wasn't the words that got to him.
It was the man's actions.
As a Shinobi, Akira had grown up in a mountain village full of roosters in his previous life. He had seen roosters in heat far too many times before.
The strut. The arrogance. Feathers flaring, heads bobbing, noise without substance.
He had to do all he could to kill that bubble of laughter which was rising up quickly from the depths of his heart and threatening to explode with full power.
But the mirth faded as quickly as it appeared as he couldn't help but bemoan his fate.
"I've fought monsters in the dark. I've walked through fields of corpses. I've killed men stronger than this one with a glance. And now I can't even smile at a dancing rooster because the wrong laugh could mean death or exile?
I've become so weak that I even have to suppress my desire to laugh! My weakness is my prison. I need to become stronger!" Akira's soul raged, seething and surging with intense desire for power.
"How am I different from this pathetic Emperor that has to wipe his irritation off his face in the presence of this rooster of a man? Is this what kneeling feels like?"
But as a powerful Shinobi, his mental strength was much higher than his physical strength, reaching an ungodly level that would have shocked non-elite shinobis out there.
He was able to mask his emotions perfectly, and then to quickly return to a calm state.
Within a split second, Akira's heart was peaceful once more.
What he sought to do will be done, eventually.
He had to be present in the present situation. No point worrying about the future.
Alas, his peaceful state was not destined to last for too long.
"Prime Minister Jingan must be jesting." Emperor Takeshin smiled lightly. "Surely a person of your stature and lofty view of the world wouldn't begrudge such a small issue of entrance into the Royal Academy of Japan?"
Akira blinked once, and then the urge to burst out laughing returned and slammed into him like a truck. .
"Stature… Lofty view… Bastard! This Emperor is really good at this!" Akira shouted in his heart, his control over his bubbling laughter in his heart nearly slipping.