Day 1

He reached the hotel in ten minutes tops, a feat only made possible by the built-in Smart AI technology in the car he rented which enabled the driver to find any location instantly and get him there in the shortest, quickest and safest way there is. This was no surprise for him of course as it was invented years ago but the way it made one’s life significantly more comfortable and easier was in proportion to the size of the city the person lived in. The bigger the city, the greater the impact.

“SAI, you saved my ass today. Continue to impress me in the future as well,” Fuyuki said aloud in the car, almost to himself.

“Happy to be at your service, sir. Can I be of any more help?” asked a female voice which belonged to that infamous technology many people considered the saviour of humanity. But if there is a technology that can really be considered the saviour of humanity, then who was the person who invented it?

“I’ll need to go to the Ministry of World Union for Peace and Prosperity approximately an hour later. I’ll need a route planned and be ready to leave by then.”

“Understood, sir. Have a nice day until then,” said the voice and Fuyuki stepped out of the car to leave its tech to do her job in silence.

Entering the hotel lobby, he looked at the device on his wrist in passing, and after a few taps on its touchscreen, he saw the small dot marked with his name indicating his exact location in real-time. Visibility, huh? So that’s what transparency actually looks like...

Not that he didn’t know. Just like everyone else in the world, he was aware. That built-in upgrade was already available everywhere. It’s just that most people worldwide have chosen not to use it yet. The technology that meant to make the world easier and safer. But here it seems it is no longer an option.

Of course, since he is working at a ministry-level job that was no surprise for him. He already heard intel about the new proposals some higher-ups want to get approved. It was even one of the issues on the agenda meant to be discussed during the summit he had to attend. But it’s an entirely different thing to hear about something and to experience it.

Considering how they already knew at the reception that he had arrived and told him he only needed to scan the device on his wrist at the terminal and then he was good to go to his room... It’s pretty comfortable and time-saving but when it comes to privacy... Well, he didn’t intend to bring anyone to his room so that is nothing to worry about. Or about anyone getting in there without his consent. The door to each room was designed in a way that their terminal would only let in those checked into their respective rooms after their wristband device was scanned at their door. Unless the person staying in there opens the door for someone and lets that person in, no one can enter freely. And that’s exactly what he needs now.

In the solitude of his room, he took out the other device from his pocket that he used to contact the person codenamed Winter Breeze to see if he responded to the message he sent him previously. But as expected, he didn’t. He didn’t need to since the message was quite straightforward but he still wished he would. But he didn't want to think about why.

He still had an hour or so left, so Fuyuki decided to eat something at the hotel’s restaurant. He wasn’t in a hurry, so he took the time to choose some signature dish from the menu and savour every bite when it was served. He only spared a few minutes to go back to his room to take a shower and get changed before heading to that meeting the whole world was going to pay close attention to.

His luggage had already been delivered to his room by the time he went back, so he only needed to take out the suit specifically chosen previously to put on for the occasion. It was a dark blue one made from fine materials that cost a bit more than he liked to spend usually but he had to look the part if he wanted to be taken seriously.

He looked into the mirror to take one final look at himself before leaving the room and thought that he actually did look the part. The colour of the suit fits his dark hair and eyes perfectly and gives off a classy, elegant vibe in general. With his 170 cm height he isn’t really what’s called a tall man but if he pulls back his shoulders, raises his chin a little and tries to stand as straight as humanly possible then perhaps it adds a few centimetres in his favour.

The person looking back at him in the mirror looked a bit haughty with his expressionless face but he will have the time to smile later.

This is day 1 of the 5-day summit and first impressions are the most important. Many of these people he hasn’t met and those he already had... Well, he will have time to catch up with them during the break.

He stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him which automatically closed itself with a click never to open again to anyone, not until he came back and opened it for himself. How convenient.

But convenience usually has a price. Everything does.