Chapter 53

...Somehow, I feel strange.

Even though the scales of my heart should be balanced, it’s like someone whimsically touched them and set them swinging. That’s how it felt.

Sixteen years is more than enough time to erase a scribble written on a beach, and only the ones written at a distance, so they wouldn’t be forgotten, remain. That’s how it felt.

Drifting, staggering, I—

“Jugra?”

David’s voice brought me back to my senses. He had gotten off first and was keeping watch of the surroundings.

...Weird. What was I just thinking?

I’m aware that I’ve been spacing out more often lately, but I don’t understand why.

Every now and then, I get the sensation of someone grabbing my hand and pulling me.

Like they’re urging me to go outside, teasing me who wants to stay at home.

That hand is somehow gentle, and oddly enough, it makes me feel nostalgic.

“No, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about what comes next.”

This isn’t the first time I’ve felt this way.

It probably started... when I added the fourth pair of arms.

Maybe this is the beginning of what they call cyberpsychosis. But if that were the case, I’d expect some sort of signs—some madness creeping in—but there’s nothing like that. I feel like nothing has changed...

I forced a meeting—under the name of an appointment—with Yorinobu, who’s with 『Machine Dragon』, and had him come to the restaurant floor on the 50th floor of Konpeki Plaza.

That day, when Konpeki Plaza became the site of Saburo Arasaka’s assassination during the attack by 『Machine Dragon』, its value naturally plummeted, and Arasaka, perhaps out of disdain, put it up for sale.

So, I bought it out and kept it running exactly as before.

Of course, I didn’t change the prices, just the sign. It’s now operated under the name Crimson Plaza.

I removed the penthouse and remodeled the top floor into a luxury suite.

Normally, you’d expect customer numbers to drop, but when word got out that I was the buyer, the clientele actually became more upscale.

...Well, maybe it’s just the ingredients used in the restaurants here.

We use synthetic food products that replicate the texture and flavor of beef and pork with near-perfect precision on the taste graph. Stuff usually eaten by the upper tiers of the corpos, but made available to the public, so the place is constantly booked solid.

Because of that, we made the 50th floor reservation-only and turned the 49th floor into a buffet-style restaurant. Now, it’s fully booked every day.

As long as you rent a room for even a day, you can access the 49th floor, so reservations are filled up years in advance. It’s laughable, really.

“Still... to think we’d be back here again.”

“Now that you mention it, you fought Adam Smasher here, didn’t you? He must’ve been tough. How was it, fighting the strongest mercenary?”

“...My nerves were frozen the whole time. And the fact that Vitt got targeted really drove home my own lack of experience. I knew protecting people wasn’t easy, but that... that was brutal. Honestly, he’s not someone you fight alone. Ideally, you’d bring multiple netrunners to disable his cyberware and then overpower him with sheer firepower. That’s probably the best bet.”

“By the way, that thing’s built with quickhack countermeasures.”

“You’re kidding me. Then you’d have to physically crush his joints or something to stop him. I was barely holding my own with my Sandevistan, and even then, it had to be running at around mk5 speeds just to keep up. That’s insane.”

To think I’m getting such praise from David, who had full support from me.

The title of the strongest merc isn’t just for show, apparently.

...When I think about it like that, it really makes it clear how much that battle before the 『Mikoshi』 depended on Alt’s debuffs.

Well, it’s no surprise. A battle-hardened merc, whose entire body is blended with tech, was never going to be weak.

Even if we brought in both the 『Jackals』 and 『Edgerunners』, and all our other allies, there’s still a chance we’d get trampled.

I’m just thankful that there’s at least something validating my choice that day.

“...I see. Well, no problem. We’re already close to finding a way to fix everything.”

“You don’t mean... you brought Vitt and the others in for that?”

“Well, yeah. I needed their help to access a certain support AI. It’s a story from half a century ago. Only a few people even know about that particular Arasaka screw-up.”

“...How do you know about that, Jugra?”

“A snake knows the path of a snake. Let’s just leave it at that. Besides, I’m not the only one trying to take down Arasaka.”

That’s the downside of just blurting out stuff I know from the original story.

Still, being a fixer has its perks. As long as I say something that sounds vague but plausible, people just misunderstand it however they want.

Sure enough, David looked convinced.

We arrived at the restaurant’s entrance and were guided by the staff to a private VIP room.

A meal fit for nobles, huh? The Western-style decorated table was already occupied by a worn-out looking Yorinobu in a suit and... who?

Someone I don’t know. Maybe a character born from someone’s OC influence? Given the situation, he’s probably affiliated with 『Machine Dragon』.

They seem to be on good terms—maybe a deputy or a secretary? ...A deputy, most likely. He doesn’t look particularly smart and has a strong martial aura about him.

“Sorry. Did I keep you waiting?”

“Nope, right on the dot—even down to the millisecond. I guess when you’re a top fixer, even your sense of time is top-notch.”

“Just a coincidence. Shall I introduce myself? I’m Jugra Kagura. This here is my bodyguard, David.”

“...Tch. Yorinobu. Just Yorinobu. This one here is Hidemasa, my sub-leader. I’m grateful you agreed to meet.”

...Hmm. I tried lowering myself a bit on purpose, and he responded by self-deprecating to balance the tone.

This guy’s not just some spoiled brat after all.

This time, I baited Yorinobu out with the promise of future support. That’s probably why he’s so tense.

After the previous disaster—our conflict at Konpeki—I cut off support to make a statement, so they’re likely running at a loss and barely maintaining operations through minor smuggling.

So I expected this meeting to be an attempt to curry favor. Makes sense he’d come in humble. But still, I didn’t expect him to be this straightforward.

“Allow me to formally apologize for the previous mishap. With that in mind, I also have a rather brazen request. May I burden your ears with it?”

“...Don’t use weird honorifics. If it’s hard to speak like that, just use Japanese. Honestly, it’s easier for me to understand.”

Hidemasa, that samurai-faced guy, was using some awkwardly stiff English, and it was starting to grate. I couldn’t help but say that.

David seemed surprised by my reply, and Yorinobu signaled to Hidemasa with a glance.

Hidemasa, fiddling with his chin beard, let out a broad grin, clapped his hands, and then shifted into a much more natural smile.

“Ahem, in that case, I’ll gratefully take you up on that. Regarding support for 『Machine Dragon』—might we ask you to reconsider? The severe cut in supplies has fractured our unity. Currently, 『Machine Dragon』 is split between two factions: one that believes ‘Arasaka must die’ and another that believes ‘America must die.’ We belong to the former. But since 『Machine Dragon』 was originally a hodgepodge of anti-Arasaka radicals, we had to recruit from all sorts to bolster our numbers... and let’s just say, the civic awareness of some of those groups is... lacking. While we’d like to focus our guerrilla efforts solely on Arasaka, the other faction seems intent on turning all of Night City, the heart of America, into a warzone. To put it simply, they’re thinking of expanding the Combat Zone in Pacifica.”

“Figured as much. The damage Arasaka—no, America—caused Japan was catastrophic. Wouldn’t be surprising if some folks conflate Arasaka with America since it’s one of the top corporations in Night City.”

“Exactly. Especially with the nuclear contamination from the Third Corporate War, fishing on the Pacific coast became almost impossible. Though honestly, the stray missile from the 《Megacorps》 as a counter to Bartmoss did more damage. That pushed our socioeconomic recovery back a full century. Arasaka helped speed it up by two, but their methods were dystopian, so society never really stabilized.”

“And that’s why your grudge against Arasaka runs that deep.”

“Indeed. Still, considering scale and charisma, Yorinobu—who’s basically the face of anti-Arasaka—has been able to keep things in check so far.”

“...I see. So you’re here to warn me that your grip on control is weakening. I don’t mind. Want me to sink the entire 『Whale Carrier』 while I’m at it?”

When I threw out the joke with a smile that wasn’t really a smile, Hidemasa gave a wry laugh, cold sweat beading on his brow.

…Is this guy really a guerilla? He’s surprisingly good at political evasion for one.

If he took that joke seriously, he’d have to grovel even more. But since he recognized it as a joke and played along, he earned himself a safe position.

Maybe he used to be a politician.

"Haha, please go easy on me..."

"Heh, well, it’s just a joke, just a joke. Honestly, going all the way offshore is a pain. So, those guys' demands are what—you know, the usual: they're making noise, saying we should share the pie. In the end, it's just poor people throwing a tantrum because they want to eat their fill of rice. I’ve got a little something in mind for that. Soon, though I can't give you exact numbers, the Voodoo Boys living in Pacifica are going to sink."

"...Huh? That insane cult-wrapped gang? What kind of magic trick are you planning to pull?"

"I told you, it’s just a plan for now. Like a bomb set to go off on its own. Once the wall called the Voodoo Boys is gone, the Pacifica district becomes a pie we can divide. That’s when I plan to move first, have a secret meeting with the mayor, and snatch up the area. On the surface, it'll look like a Delamain land acquisition and a soil restoration project. A lot of the illegals who came through the Voodoo network are holed up there. So, we're going to clean house and wipe them out, nice and neat."

"...You mean the mayor, Lucius Rhyne? That guy was practically Arasaka’s lapdog, you know?"

"Hah hah hah, just like you, Yorinobu. No one wants to stay on a sinking ship once they know it’s going under. Besides, that guy’s also secretly being targeted by Blue Eyes. When I tipped him off, that mutt wagged his tail happily at me."

"Ugh... So what, the area’s going to be renamed the Delamain District or something?"

"Nope. It’s going to be called the Zipang District. I’m planning to build something like Dejima, the outpost that used to be in Nagasaki. I’ve got some thoughts on this too. They call it Japantown, but the place reeks of China. You can even smell Korea all over it. Sure, blending Japanese and Western styles is a national specialty, but you can’t proudly call that chaotic stew a Japanese district."

"That may be true... but are you sure this is okay? Your bosses are the Tyger Claws, right?"

"Hahaha, what era are you living in? You think the Tyger Claws can beat me now? They're just barely over six thousand strong, and that’s a mix of low-grade, unreliable trash. My 《Delamans》 are full-body-tech gynoids. Armed squads using special armor can easily sweep them aside."

The combat units are equipped with hyper-mobility parts modeled after the Sandevistan, which I personally designed. They’re only about mk4 level, but they’ve got the potential to match its speed.

More importantly, they’re not human. With proper coolant, they can run continuously without going insane—becoming tin soldiers that follow Delamain’s orders perfectly.

Due to material constraints, we’ve only built ten units so far. But with destruction-grade weaponry, we can crush resistance in no time.

...Honestly, Arasaka and Militech with their minotaurs, centaurs, drones, or manned suits—they're making everything way too compact.

If cleanup afterward doesn’t matter, just build ten-meter-class, full-armored AC-style mechs. That alone would be enough to kill with sheer momentum.

Slap on armor thick enough to bounce even a Grad shell, and just charge through—why not go that route?

They're probably thinking about maneuverability for security purposes or squeezing them into convoys... but if you just make the weapon itself move like a convoy, problem solved.

...Ahh. Could it be Arasaka and Militech are holding back on purpose to avoid a full-scale war?

Anyway, I’ve been building one in secret in my underground facility just for fun... Maybe I’ll keep it to just that one.

"And besides, the Tyger Claws couldn’t protect my dad after he became a ripper. It’s a trust issue."

"...Hey, Lady Jugra. You're the daughter of Masahiro Kagura, right...?"

"Yeah, that’s right. My dad’s name is Masahiro. What of it?"

"...The Dr. Masahiro I knew committed suicide ten years ago in an Arasaka lab. The Tyger Claws had nothing to do with it. Who exactly raised you?"

Yorinobu said something outrageous, his face troubled, his tone deadly serious in response to my words.

...What?

He died ten years ago? Not three?

That info made my mind go completely blank. I tried to recall childhood memories—and then,

【Aww, I went to all that trouble to seal those memories away, you know】

—a voice echoed cheerfully in my head. My own voice. So sweet, so bright—and I remembered.

That day. I—no, we—spent our childhood in an Arasaka lab. Ah, yes. That’s right. I had forgotten.

No—I was made to forget. My childhood memories were altered by another me. No, another me.

That’s right. I could never really fuse with you. Our personalities split in two…

Dad’s suicide. Mom’s anguish. That blaring alarm. Adam Smasher chasing us down.

Back then, to protect myself, I stepped forward in place of me...

I press my face with my right hand, suppressing the splitting headache, slowly integrating the fractured memories.

I had forgotten. I was with her—with me.

That time, caught in the blast of Adam Smasher’s launcher, we were blown into the disposal ducts of the lab…

"...Mom and I... escaped from Arasaka..."