The Shogun

Chapter 0 : Prologue

Year: 2390

Location: Juzo News, Musutafu

"This is ridiculous!" a woman exclaims and the people in front of her, except for one senior looking man, flinch as she slams the book she was holding on her desk. The plaque on the table read 'Marisagsu Reina, Chief Editor' . On her table was what one would describe as a holographic screen and along with that few files. Reina, a woman in her twenties is a beautiful woman with jet black hair and a round face. Her sharp blue eyes were focused on the book with a gaze that could create holes. Her face was what one would consider a golden ratio but there was one feature of her that was an absolute turn off. She had a foul mouth and a no nonsense attitude, but this one characteristic of her was what made her one of the well celebrated news anchors of her times.

"How can someone write something so careless!? A senior journalist writing such a piece of shit! This is unbelievable!" Reina exclaims as she points at the book that grabbed her interest or in better words her ire. The book which was titled 'The One who promised Utopia' , simply sat there on her table and most of the people in the room expected the book to burn just by how hatefully she looked at it. Not that it would help, considering the fact that the book was in fact mildly burned. It was readable but that didn't help its case.

The man who was unflinched by the chief editor's outburst lets out a sigh and says, "She wanted to publish this book but the Government not only banned it, but seized every single copy and burned it up. Through some police sources I was able to get this one". The man then leans on her desk and says, "Reina... call her for an interview".

Reina looks at her senior as if he was joking and retorts, "Akira-san.. I know that she is a senior journalist.. But I'm unable to see a single truth in this book!". She then gets up from her seat and says, "I've an interview in Tokyo and I'm getting late for my flight", and she starts to walk towards the door when suddenly, the senior looking man without turning back says, "If the Government has shown interest to ban and seize this book... then there must be some truth in it, right?"

This causes Reina to stop in path. Akira turns to look at her and says, "I may be the owner of this TV channel... but you are the face of it and you have to make your own decision. But I have seen Seiran for the past fifty years. She takes a lot of time and thinks about millions of times just to write one word. But now... she has written a whole book itself! There must be something in it right?"

Reina doesn't say a word, as if she was deciding what to say. She lets out a sigh and turns to face her senior and says, "I can spare half an hour's time. After that... you can find someone else to do the job".

Akira smiles at this and orders, "Shido! Arrange the interview in the Archives room. Dismiss everyone else. Tell them that I'm granting everyone a paid leave just for today. Nobody should know this and I don't want a live recording. Also ask a team to display pre recorded news reports on the channel. People will stop bothering us that way".

"Yes sir!" Shido, one of the few people in Reina's office replies and heads out, him being followed by the others. Akira then gets his phone out and dials a number. He then places the device on his ear as the familiar jingle of the call getting connected rings in his ear. He takes in a deep breath, as the call connects and he asks, "Hello... Seiran? Are you free right now?"

Silence fills the room as he hears the answer and he simply asks, "Can you drop by the studio?"

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Both Reina and Akira stand outside the studio, as they see a car enter the premises. The car, a sleek beast which was floating above the ground, pulls up in front of them and from the driver seat, a man climbs out. The man had black hair and emerald eyes but his most outstanding features were his freckles. He was lean but Reina's trained eyes could easily say that he was muscular. An unnoticeable blush climbs on Reina's face as the man's eyes connect her and he gives her a respectful smile. The man quickly walks around the car and opens the door of the back passenger seat. Suddenly a walking stick comes out and the man lends his hand out. An elderly looking hand grabs the man's hand and a woman climbs out of the car. Reina took a good look at the woman. The woman had ruby red eyes. She sported a bluish white hair which Reina couldn't figure out whether it was her natural hair color or was due to aging. The chief editor was also quick to notice how the elderly woman wore a long sleeved top in this hot weather. Everyone around her was wearing short sleeved shirts, even the handsome man who was helping the woman, but Reina brushed it off. The entire studio had a centralized air conditioning. Hot weather wouldn't be a problem once they were inside.