The moment those words left Emperor Takeshin's lips, a strange silence spread through the hall.
Then slowly, very slowly, Prime Minister Jingan's already flushed face began to darken.
It was like watching a tomato turn into a plum.
His gleaming bald head now reflected the torchlight with a reddish sheen, like polished anger. His jaw tensed so tightly it looked as if his teeth were locked in mortal combat. The corners of his lips curled into a strange, eerie shape.
It was a horrible thing. More a grimace than a smile. The kind of smile people wore when trying not to scream.
"Ah… Your Majesty jests with such eloquence." Prime Minister Jingan said at last, his voice painfully stretched into civility. "But I speak only with deep concern for the standards of the Royal Academy. We must preserve its dignity. Its prestige. Its... exclusivity."
He bowed again, slightly shallower this time, the movement stiff like his spine was resisting.
"I must insist." he continued, his tone firm but measured, "That this boy be re-evaluated through the proper channels. Thoroughly. Painstakingly. Publicly, if need be."
A bead of sweat trickled behind his ear as he forced the smile wider. His medallion clinked with a faint metallic sound, betraying the slight tremble in his frame.
Akira watched with great interest.
So it wasn't just the Emperor that had to walk on tiptoes.
The Prime Minister too had a line which he couldn't cross.
It was an interesting situation, like watching two men circling each other warily with swords pointed at each others' balls.
"A public evaluation?" Emperor Takeshin's voice was cool, laced with lazy disdain. "That's not interesting at all."
He leaned back in his throne, robes rustling softly like shifting silk, and waved his hand as though brushing away a fly.
"Why waste resources on something that could be settled with a single stroke of a pen?" His eyes gleamed beneath the torchlight. "Unless… the Prime Minister wishes to make this more interesting. Say… Port of Yokohama?"
A silence fell. Even the guards stiffened.
Then came the laugh.
"Port of Yokohama? Hahahaha!"
Prime Minister Jingan's laughter boomed through the hall like rolling thunder trapped in a kettle. His robes swayed violently with each breath, and the echo of his boots tapped a strange rhythm on the stone.
"The Emperor is feeling extremely adventurous today!" he declared, a note of disbelief sharpening his voice. "If His Majesty is so lively, how could I, the lowly Prime Minister, refuse to play along?"
His beady eyes narrowed, glinting like polished obsidian as he stepped forward.
"Fine. Port of Yokohama is on the table. From you… the eastern half of the Port of Tokyo."
A hush settled over the room. Even the distant creak of banners in the rafters seemed to pause.
"Deal." Emperor Takeshin said.
His smile widened with slow deliberation to reveal the sharp gleam of his canines, white against the flickering shadows.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop a degree.
"This year's external quota entrance examination," he continued, each word slow and heavy with authority. "will be changed into a public tournament, held before citizens and nobles alike. Only the top two finalists will be granted entry into the Royal Academy of Japan."
He turned slightly, the gold embroidery of his outer robe catching the firelight in silent waves.
"If Akira reaches the finals, he shall be accepted immediately as a first-year student."
The chamber was so quiet now that even the faint crackle of a nearby torch seemed loud.
Apparently, the Prime Minister hadn't anticipated there would be two available slots. External quota examinations traditionally offered only one.
"I agree." Prime Minister Jingan finally responded. "The top two it is. The tournament qualifiers will be a ranked cut off for speed, endurance, physical strength and… energy based tests. Quantity, Quality and Control."
Emperor Takeshin frowned lightly, but quickly nodded.
Having qualifiers would make Akira's task much more difficult as there were numerous noble scions who excelled in all of the above measurements, but were ultimately weak in combat.
Emperor Takeshin had initially thought that with Akira's demonstrated combat strength and the top two cutoff, getting one of the two slots would be easy.
With the qualifiers, his fight might already be over before it even began.
But such is life.
Trust is a weapon. Draw it sparingly, but never question the steel you've chosen to wield.
"Fine. Qualifiers begin in seven days. Shall we shake on it?" the Emperor asked, raising a hand as though offering a simple gesture between old friends.
Prime Minister Jingan said nothing at first. He simply stared at the hand, his face a study in calculation. Then slowly, with a faint rustle of his absurdly ornate sleeves, he stepped forward and grasped it.
Their clasp echoed faintly in the chamber like the snap of a lock being sealed.
And so the wager was made.
A single boy.
Against the balance of two great ports.
After Prime Minister Jingan finally swept out of the chamber, the heavy doors shut with a hollow thud that echoed like a closing vault.
Emperor Takeshin let out a long, slow sigh and waved his hand toward the nearby tea table, its porcelain set already steaming with fresh brew.
"Sit." he said, voice calm now. "I must impress upon you the importance of your entrance into the Royal Academy of Japan."
"For you, Your Majesty." Akira replied, allowing a faint smile to grace his lips.
A subtle message, hidden beneath civility.
Make it important for me, too.
"Hahaha!" Emperor Takeshin burst into laughter, the deep sound reverberating off the stone walls. "Truly, only newborn calves do not fear the tiger. Do you know how many heads I've taken for lesser transgressions than yours, boy?"
"None whose continued attachment held the fate of your port in balance, I presume." Akira answered, his smile widening.
The Emperor's eyes narrowed, a glint of sharp steel flashing in their depths.
"Hehehe. And are you not afraid of my vengeance, once your rewards are safely in hand?"
The question slithered through the air, half amusement, half threat. A shiver danced down Akira's spine but he didn't show it.
Of course I'm not. Akira thought, smugly. You literally just called me the hope of your kingdom.
But he didn't say that.
He wasn't supposed to know how valuable he truly was.
Emperors were fickle things. The moment one realized they were being led by the nose, they might cut the leash… and the neck along with it.
So instead, Akira tilted his head and replied with innocent charm.
"By your own words… surely a man of your stature and lofty view of the world wouldn't begrudge a little boy his trinkets?"
He sipped the tea, light steam curling past his cheek.