By the time Vela walked out of the Arasaka Family Compound, a full day had passed.
2075/6/10, morning.
Clack.
Amid the ancient forest, with the crisp sound of a door bolt and bearing hinges, the two black-lacquered, vertically striped palace gates studded with bronze nails swung open. Beneath green-tiled roofs and white walls, Goro Takemura, tasked with formally sending Vela off, once again bowed and said, "Supervisor Russel, please allow me to apologize once more for my offense yesterday."
"I understand. After all, it was your duty, Takemura-kun. No wrongdoing there."
Exiting through the elegant, traditional single-eaved hipped roof main gate of the Arasaka estate, Vela turned to nod slightly toward Goro Takemura. With a wave, she followed the attendant across the stone bridge leading from the gate toward the nearby helipad.
All around, cyber-ninjas and operatives with extensive cybernetic modifications stood guard, their stiff, indifferent faces like polished, spotless walls.
"Hoo..." Her heels clacked crisply against the ancient stone arch bridge. Vela let out a sudden sigh and rubbed her temple. Nothing serious—she was just hungry.
Yesterday afternoon, she had met with Shintaro Takayama and Saburo Arasaka one after another. Both men had wielded a mix of carrot and stick tactics, painting grand visions. Vela had done her own share of painting dreams as well. All in all, each got what they wanted, and the meeting ended on a pleasant note.
As evening fell, Saburo, in a gesture of goodwill and intent to cultivate her, invited Vela to stay for a meal and to spend the night in one of the guest villas within the Arasaka Family Compound.
Naturally, Vela couldn't refuse an olive branch from the boss himself.
So, she ended up dining with the old fox Saburo Arasaka.
Traditional Japanese cuisine with tea snacks and a full kaiseki course, complete with proper seated Zen formality.
Very refined. Calling it unappetizing would be disingenuous. The ingredients were top-tier, and as long as the chef wasn't completely incompetent, the food wouldn't taste bad. But... the portions were really small.
Having flown from Johannesburg to Cape Town, then transferred to Tokyo, and rushing straight to meet with Saburo, Vela hadn't had a proper meal in nearly two days.
During the meal, Saburo seemed to notice her discomfort. He offered her an extra bowl of soba noodles and chazuke, served in traditional Japanese bowls. Then he started talking about the path of Zen in Japanese Buddhism—self-discipline, self-cultivation, restraint. Even the desire for food was a desire and should be curbed...
It was as if he were mentoring a promising junior, passing on life wisdom. But Vela could hear the subtext. Saburo was gently warning her: ambition and desire were good, but they must be kept in check. Too much could be dangerous.
Tch.
Still, Vela could only nod and agree.
Yes, yes, you're right. So very right!
Clang.
Following the attendant, Vela boarded the floating vehicle assigned to her. As the cabin door closed, she looked through the adjustable polarized glass. As the vehicle ascended, she gazed at the Arasaka estate wrapped in a moat, streams winding through it, birdsong and blossoms encircling it.
Green-tiled roofs, white walls, bronze columns—elegant and simple. The main gate, gatehouse, and castle were all built atop massive stone foundations that rose anywhere from a meter to several meters above ground level. The stones were perfectly shaped cubes. From the outside, the blocks fit seamlessly together, as if proclaiming the unshakable authority of the Arasaka family.
But it must be remembered: the strongest fortresses are always brought down from within.
"Yorinobu." Vela thought of that name.
...
"Takemura-kun."
Back at the gate, just as Vela's floating vehicle completely disappeared from view, Goro Takemura turned to return to Saburo's side. A low male voice sounded behind him.
A man in a formal suit with a striking asymmetrical fringe walked over. With a slight bow to Takemura, he asked, "Vela Adelheid? It was her? She actually entered the family compound? Wasn't she supposed to be handling the terror incident in South Africa?"
It was none other than Sandayu Oda, bodyguard to Hanako Arasaka.
"Oda." Takemura nodded in acknowledgment, but didn't use honorifics. His tone was like that of a senior addressing a junior. His rank was higher, and Oda was one of the cyber-ninjas he had personally trained and brought up.
"It seems Miss Hanako has concluded her inspection of Kyoto."
"She just returned, currently with Lord Saburo."
Conversing, Takemura and Oda walked one after the other toward the main residence area where Saburo Arasaka resided.
"Takemura-kun, you still haven't told me why she appeared in the family compound."
"Long story short, Lord Takayama greatly values Miss Vela Adelheid. She is to become an important senior military commander for Arasaka's Night City headquarters in North America. Lord Saburo intends to place her on the candidate list for the North America Operations Council."
"No wonder."
...
Main residence district.
"Lord Saburo, Vela Adelheid has left the estate and is en route to Tokyo," Shintaro Takayama reported, closing the projection of the surveillance footage.
"You've discovered a remarkably talented young woman, Shintaro."
Seated on a cushion, Saburo replied without turning his head, "Greed, ambition, and beneath her seemingly gentle demeanor lies an arrogance engraved deep in her bones. That is what I saw in her eyes."
Then, he said decisively, "Neither Michiko nor Hanako will be able to suppress her."
Shintaro Takayama froze.
That topic again?
"If it's about Lord Yorinobu..." Shintaro narrowed his eyes, genuine wariness surfacing. "If she joins forces with Lord Yorinobu... perhaps we should enhance our precautions." He fully trusted all of Saburo's judgments.
"Yorinobu? Him? Hah..."
Saburo let out a short laugh.
Perhaps they had never truly seen eye to eye over the decades, and Saburo couldn't always guess what his unfilial son was thinking, but he did acknowledge his son's abilities to a degree. To raise a sizable gang and openly oppose Arasaka in his early twenties—not a bad talent.
"His skills are decent, but his direction is flawed. That naive son of mine and Vela Adelheid are not the same breed."
"Then what is your intent?" Shintaro paused briefly.
"Smart, powerful, well-rooted, commanding loyal subordinates, ambitious, and field-experienced—isn't that ideal? We should be pleased. Only someone like Vela Adelheid can deal with those Anglo-Zionist bastards even more shameless than us. And tell me, which successful person doesn't have a greedy and ambitious soul behind them?"
A look of contemplative gravity surfaced on Saburo's deeply wrinkled face. He did not hide his emotions from his loyal old servant, his last remaining old friend.
"She wants to surpass her father and stand atop the world? Then I'll give her the opportunity. But her scope of activity is limited to the Americas, Night City, and the Eastern Pacific. If she can suppress Militech on the West Coast and reunify the USA, restoring Arasaka's supremacy—then giving her Michiko's position, even a seat on the Supreme Board, why not?"
"If Arasaka's own descendants are truly unfit for greatness..."
At that, Saburo let out a sigh of lament, eyes cast downward, his tone turning ice-cold. "Misfortune of the house. Perhaps this is Amaterasu's punishment for me. I no longer have the time to nurture a worthy successor..."
"Anders Hellman's Relic project has yet to yield a major breakthrough. My original plan was to digitize my personality into an AI upon death—but that would be a last resort... Fortunately, Vela's sudden rise has offered me a second option."
"Lord Saburo..." Shintaro spoke at the right moment, "Do you mean to share part of her Sonnentreppe project with Anders Hellman?"
"Do your best, Shintaro. Tread carefully. In official matters, treat her selection as seriously as choosing the next generation of Arasaka leaders. In academics, fully support her research. Meet with her often, release information to the outside world, and bind her tightly to Arasaka's chariot. Brand her with our mark. She's a smart one. I believe she'll soon surprise us again."
"Understood, Lord Saburo."
As master and servant conversed, a knock sounded from the door.
Tap tap.
"Father, Uncle Shintaro."
It was Hanako Arasaka.
Poised and elegant, she greeted her father seated on the cushion and Shintaro Takayama with textbook-perfect manners—polished, though lacking familial warmth. But such was the norm in the imperial household known as Arasaka. No one found it strange.
Such was the ruthlessness of dynastic families. Though Saburo dearly cared for Hanako, it was the care of an emperor.
"Hanako, come here."
Without asking a single question about her Kansai inspection, Saburo affectionately called his daughter over and gestured for her to sit by his side.
As Hanako sat beside him and, as she had many times before, prepared tea using the traditional set, Saburo abruptly posed a question.
"Hanako, what do you think of Vela Adelheid?"
...
Meanwhile, in the Tokyo Arasaka corporate community—
Having parted ways with Goro Takemura, Vela returned to the temporary apartment she hadn't set foot in for nearly half a month.
During this time, Arasaka agents responsible for her security had suggested she apply for a larger, more luxurious residence.
Vela declined.
She did enjoy material comforts, but she wasn't one for excess. This Japanese-style detached house was more than adequate until she completed her studies at Tokyo University. Besides, she really disliked moving.
Unlocking the door and stepping inside, Vela gave the layout a quick once-over—spotless.
Mhm, someone had definitely been here. Whether it was agents or cleaning staff, she wasn't interested in finding out.
Aside from course notes and related materials for law and virology at Tokyo University, there was nothing of concern. If anyone wanted that leech DNA, they could have it. Even in her duplex apartment in Night City, Vela never left viral samples unattended during travel.
She walked through every room and scanned every corner. Arasaka's agents might be insiders familiar with her work, unlikely to stoop so low—but spies from foreign companies embedded in Arasaka? That was another matter.
No harm in being cautious.
After finishing her sweep, Vela changed out of the formal uniform she had worn to meet Saburo. Donning loose, casual clothes, she flopped onto the sofa beneath the skylight in the living room, grabbed her datapad, and opened Arasaka Cafeteria's app.
Busy or not—first, eat.
Maintaining high energy levels was essential.
She loaded her shopping cart with high-carb, high-protein, high-calorie side dishes and placed the order.
While waiting, Vela listened to Night City news and simultaneously reviewed updates from Arasaka's Biotech Division.
Her Sonnentreppe project laboratory was being rapidly established, along with the arrival of the Sonnentreppe flower, Progenitor Virus sample, and an infected test subject she had brought back from Johannesburg.
A dedicated security force was also formed for the lab to prevent incidents like the Johannesburg terror attack from happening again.
Oh, and there was a full-blown media war online. Quite the spectacle.
The Johannesburg incident had exploded in global media. After Vela declared a citywide lockdown and sweep, she flew back to Tokyo. But the local branch wasn't about to let things go—they kept digging and digging. Whether they found anything or not, Militech was the prime suspect!
So Arasaka's PR machine kicked into high gear.
Accusations began flying: Militech harbored ulterior motives, funded terrorist organizations, bombed Arasaka factories, killed employees, and posed a threat to world peace—even plotting to start the Fifth Corporate War.
Militech countered with the classic denial trifecta: not true, not us, don't slander.
They claimed the evidence was fabricated, the assumptions unfounded, and the personnel involved weren't active employees but retired contractors. Even if Arasaka's accusations held weight, could Arasaka say it had done no wrong?
Why did those third-party contractors and freelancers, after finishing their terms, go after Arasaka?
Because of Arasaka's monstrous actions, of course. Why else would retired people still want to hit back?
Then, they dragged SovOil into the mud.
Old enemies anyway. They sneered: What are you looking at, Russians? Weren't you also thriving in Africa back then? The battlefield was littered with Soviet-style weapons. Judging by the wreckage, it was all from your partners in Techtronika Armaments. You must be involved!
SovOil exploded in fury and jumped into the fray.
Their rhetoric was more direct. They blasted NUSA as puny pests, said USA was dirty long before, and so on.
Zetatech and Kang Tao played neutral peacemakers, Europe's banks issued lofty platitudes about peace and offered "every support except actual help" for a Militech-Arasaka mediation...
In short, it was a colorful mudslinging fest.
Vela even saw an Arasaka spokesperson claim: Militech operatives were recently spotted infiltrating Gutu language tribal ruins in Central Africa. We don't know what they were searching for, but... their route looked awfully similar to that of a certain supervisor's study trip. Coincidence?
Their tone was peak passive-aggressive.
Still, just words.
Vela knew full well this would soon be buried under new headlines.
Unless Arasaka directly went to war with Militech.
Swipe.
Just as Vela was enjoying the drama, ding ding — a new message alert.
She glanced at it. Marked urgent by Tokyo Arasaka Biotech Division.
[The Sonnentreppe Project's biological lab and security defense force have been completed. Research can commence at any time.]
Her mission status had just shifted from a question mark to an exclamation point.