1 The Dream

April 1st. 2030

The world had changed significantly and entered a futuristic age. Most countries started to become more affluent and modern. Yet, in Japan, they became destitute. They had an enormous debt to the Philippines and China from a previous war. It was so large that even Japan, a well-known country due to its many exploits and advancements in technology, couldn't pay off.

Because of this, Japan began to devolve, and their technology has disappeared throughout the years. It became Japan's worst nightmare, yet they found a way out; by returning to their old ways, back in the EDO periods.

Sure, they still had famous scientists and well-off writers and such, but even that didn't matter much due to the debt. There was no other option; playing catch-up was a definite no because they lacked money.

No sane country would lend money just for another to grow. The country panicked as if a pandemic was on the loose, and it was the end. And so here the Japanese are, back to the way of living in EDO.

Most of them were able to adapt, while the children were not, due to their inability to use their gadgets and whatnot.

Children and teenagers alike considered these devices like holy relics. Without them, they suffered.

Enough of that.

Here we are, overseeing a young boy named Draft. At the age of 17, he had quite a reputation. He was a boy capable of eventually leading Japan to its former glory, or even better than it used to be. He was far too intelligent for his age; he had the potential to make Japan one of the best political powers in the world, better yet the best. His overall talent was that great. However, he didn't want this kind of job; thus refused every offer made by the government. It was a simple reason, really; he was extremely lazy.

At least, that ' seemed ' to be his reason.

In truth, he was unsure. Would he be able to lead? Was it possible for a young boy like him to become the Prime Minister of the whole country? He most likely didn't think that was possible at all.

He was quite the pessimist. Though, there was absolutely no reason for him to feel as such. Nobody had ever attempted to bully him. Even if he was negative, he was the kindest boy anyone could ever meet in their lifetime.

Besides that-

We'll see later.

Today we see him walking down the street on a scorching hot Monday.

What's the reason, you ask? He headed towards the meeting he had with the government at a cafe.

To give his answer, whether or not he'll lead Japan or decline once more.

After a short period of walking, he arrived. The place was a prominent one. A café titled [Le Chemin De La Vie] translated to [The Pathway Of Life].

It is one of the most reputable ones in Japan, if not the whole world. [Le Chemin De La Vie] was their last stand to bring Draft in and make him lead Japan, the government thought. Luckily for them, Draft liked coffee and cafés, especially the maid variety. Other than that, the boy would have refused any naïve reasons that they had.

The boy's very own family provided this information.

They had high hopes for their child. Who wouldn't want their children to become the Prime Minister of Japan? It was a proposal that they could never deny. But it was the opposite for him.

Aside from the reason he wasn't sure of himself, he already knew that this would happen. He was already capable of perceiving future events at a very young age. He was never wrong, or rather, he couldn't be wrong. His IQ was even beyond that of 270. It was a mindboggling number of 666. Who could have thought that a young boy would be able to reach this unworldly IQ? It certainly wasn't his parents, neither the whole country nor the world.

It was one of the greatest miracles granted to humanity by God. He was the greatest gift out there, the miracle child.

It was a matter of time that other countries would have tried their hands at recruiting him, as news had already spread across the whole world. Worst-case scenario, corrupt politics wanted him to gain even more power.

Steeling himself, he approached the door. He pressed his pale palm onto the door, pushing it open.

People began to greet him as if he were already the prime minister as he entered. It seemed like the whole place had been rented and filled with the government, he thought.

He was disgusted by this. Trying to get him to become something he didn't want to become was an insulting thing. At this point, it wouldn't be a far cry if he tried to find another person to become the Prime Minister instead.

Things like the presidency were only a drag; he was content with who he was and what he had. Nobody could force him to do anything he didn't want to do, especially without reason.

His eyes scanned through the room, seeing two bodyguards wearing brown monsukes, which were the formal kimonos that men would wear.

On the other hand, the politic wore a black monsuke, appearing as the man of importance. Our protagonist was wearing casual clothing to show that this meeting did not have much importance.

Both men were protecting the politic as they sat at the left side of the room. He approached the men as they recognized his face, making way for him to sit on the other side, opposite the politic. He sat down as the meeting was about to start.

(Side note - They were sitting on modern chairs. Thanks to their lovely maids and reputation, the cafe could retain its form even after the regression.)

" How are you? " the politic asked. The man saw how irritated he looked, so it was only proper that he wondered how the boy genius felt at the moment.

However, silence awaited the man as Draft had no intention of answering because it was their fault he was irritated in the first place.

One can only imagine how many messages they sent him through the front door. " Get to the point," he said in reply. The politic would nod, understanding that if he were to continue dragging the conversation any longer, the boy would storm out and render their accommodations useless.

" I would like to propose a new offer for you to join the government as the Prime Minister. We suggest that you take this position and you would be granted freedom to do what you wish while doing so. You don't even need to do any paperwork and spend time on a chair for the whole day; Of course, after you accept to become the Prime Minister that is. " The politic said with a very confident voice.

He was amazed at this man's demeanor and determination. Based on how he spoke and how he looked, he was undoubtedly one of the people he would choose to become the Prime Minister in his place.

In reply to the experienced politician, he replied. " Sure, what's the catch then? " It wasn't possible for this kind of offer to not have a trap, he thought. The politic would nod and would answer. " We only request that you, bring Japan back to its glory. And let's say about 15-30 projects this year? " This catch was straightforward, but since he did have some lazy nature, he didn't want to do this. It would be one of the things he wouldn't want to do at all. Ten projects would have been enough, but 30? That was asking too much of him.

" If that is all, I suggest that you give me some time to think," he said calmly, despite him being at the brink of his composure. Of all things, 30 projects, why would they do this to him?

" No. " The boy answered.

The politic nodded, sticking his hand out to shake the young man's hand. He took the hand, as both of them would shake their hands in respect to each other.

The politician would stand from his seat, a gesture for his bodyguards to proceed to the carriage they would ride.

Meanwhile, our protagonist was left there in deep thought. Was no the correct answer? Was yes the better answer? Indeed, he was confused about these things he had asked himself. He stood up from the seat headed straight to the exit. People in the cafe all stood up and gave a farewell.

" Come back again! Please become the Prime Minister! " they said.

He pushed the door open and came out in a bad mood. It wasn't a great meeting, but a tad worse and more annoying than in the past. He didn't like people asking too much of him.

Sure, the politician that offered this time was better than those before him, but he hated the catch.

He started walking along the streets again, walking towards the carriage stop to hitch a ride back home. Just as he was getting close, he got hit at the back of his head. His vision began to blur, and he got knocked out.

Thud.

Draft fell to the ground. He opened his eyes and began to wonder where he was. His left foot was lying on the bed while the rest of his body lay on the floor. A blanket was also covering his lower half. He scratched his head and asked himself. " Was it all a dream? "