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Building lines the path he walks, cramped and pushing into each other like they are fighting for space. The streets might be decorated with banners, reminding people to vote but not a single person is out on the street looking at them, except him. The camera watches every move he makes, every breath he takes. He doesn’t even have to look for them, the eye-like designs on every corner he sees, the eye with a camera for its pupil, a camera that’s meant to watch what they do making sure nobody steps out of line.
The cameras were first implemented under the presidency of Genji Ashi, and it continued as his children took his place as president. Nobody dared try and go against them. Nobody until her, Miss Hikaru Touta, the one who dares try to win the election. With high hopes, and promises that he knows will fail.
She’ll be put in her place as they all do, after all, she doesn’t know what Kenji has seen. She doesn’t know how much power they truly have, no one knows. They don’t know what the eyes mean, they don’t know the true face of the government. He knows, after all, how could he not, he was a direct descendant of Ashi meant to ‘run’ for president in twelve years. At the right age of 36, he shall become president. Anything to keep Ashi’s bloodline in control.
They might have let her run for president but there's no way they’ll allow her to win the election, even if the old man decided to let it happen, she’ll become a puppet, a pawn in their never-ending game of power.
Some part of him hopes she knows what she’s up against, the danger she’s in. That small insignificant part of him wants her to succeed despite all that, he wants her to change this land of corruption and evil into the land she speaks so highly of. The land where the people aren’t starving, the land where they’ll fix the sun and everyone will be equal. He desires that land, he wants people to see that the world they live in is truly a disaster. That they should never have trusted anyone who is even slightly related to the old man.
That part of him is the part that makes him a threat to the bloodline. That part of him must never be shown unless he wants to be made an example of. Maybe if he is made an example the people will finally get back their senses and realize just how messed up Ashi's bloodline truly is.
He sighs and checks his watch, for ten more minutes. Ten more minutes into the Hikaru fate will be decided, whether she will become president and end up being a pawn to the Ashi or if the cycle will repeat and his oldest cousin, Haru, will win and become the next president. He knows he should be with the main branch of the family, as they vote but he can’t bring himself to go home. Even if he tried he wouldn’t make it in time, hellopads only flew so fast and they were expensive. Sadly he wasn’t willing to give Haru another thing on him, another thing that he could use against him when he’ll eventually take over Haru's job, if both of them did what the old man wanted.
Haru probably already knew the outcome of today, it didn’t matter what the people voted for, after all, they only get to vote to make them seem in control of their fates, it truly is pathetic. Once again he is reminded why he is so different from them, he doesn’t have the same sense of illusion they all have, and he doesn’t have the bright optimistic hope the people and Hikaru have. No, instead he has the cold, harsh version of what’s going on. No one was ever truly in control of their future, except the old man.
He and his crazy plans for the future. Plans that no one ever knows how they will play out, no one except the old man himself. Nine more minutes to go. Nine more minutes until he’ll know what the old man planned, nine more minutes till he’ll be called back to Ashi manor, to await his instructions. To serve like an obedient little dog he plays to be. A dog they really should be keeping on a tighter leash, but what they don’t know can’t kill them right, well not in the long run anyway.
He takes one last painful look at the streets that are ever so lifeless, the clouds that loom over them, watching their impending doom, it doesn’t help with the atmosphere. Not one bit. He steps into a booth and prepares to vote. He knows that even though the votes don’t matter, Haru and the old man expect him to vote for them but he can’t. He wants to believe in Hikaru and her vision, it’s probably blind hope like this that will get him killed but at this moment he doesn’t care.
“Hikaru, I vote Hikaru.” He says as he watches the machine shine white and then a black text pops up ‘Thank you for voting for Hikaru, may your decision be wise, Kenji Ashi!’.
He rolls his eyes at the helloputer's message, his decision was not wise at all but he did it, god he was not looking forward to the call that would appear in six minutes. Six minutes till he’ll be lectured, six minutes till the fate of the new world is decided. He runs a hand through his messy black hair that’s almost as black as the night sky and decides to sit down. He checks his watches as he counts down the seconds, the minutes pass by.
Three minutes till they rejoice for the first time in the streets.
Two minutes till Haru and the old man’s furious words, angry for the moment of weakness he showed in the booth.
One minute till his worldview collapses.
He hears cheering in the streets, chants that echo ‘President Hikaru Touta’ over and over again. His breath hitches, this is bad, so so bad. His phone rings but he can’t bear to answer it. His hands start shaking as he continues staring at the Helloputers screen that’s accompanied by the chants. He can’t believe it. This is bad. This can mean two things: the start of a new world as he knows it, a world where he won’t have to fulfil his duty to the family and become the next president in twelve years or a world that stays the same. A world where Hikar Touta becomes a pawn for his family, a tool to be used and discarded. Thoughts race in his mind only to be broken by the fourth ring.
“Kenji, get over here now.” Is the first thing he hears when he answers the phone, he runs out of the booth looking worse than when he started.