“Y-yeah, sure I do.” The technician stuttered. How was she so calm? That thing on his table freaked him out for sure. “That’s right. The peripheral sensory systems are deactivated so it’s completely safe. Y-you’re perfectly safe, Kyune-sama …” When Kyune didn’t reply, the Technician sighs belatedly. He tried to be reassuring, but his target didn’t seem to need it. “Alright then … Feeding Virtual Input Ports …”
…

“Well? What did you find?” Kyune asks as the Bench’s probe arms retract back.

“It’s a real piece of work.” The Technician concludes. “Fully independent AI, complete with rudimentary personality modules. Advanced combat algorithms. Limited cyberwarfare capabilities … judging from the lack of housework and self-maintenance programs, it had some assistance entering the household instead of infiltrating by itself. Without the ability to actually function as a maid, it could have only been hidden for a few days at the most …”

“No messing around huh? Just search and destroy …” Kyune muttered.

“That’s right. Search and Destroy … Although given your position Kyune-sama, it’s not nearly as sophisticated as you’d expect. This is actually a mass-produced model, the kind you’d send after an upper-middle manager with some pull, at most the CEO of a microcorp.”

“Felt plenty deadly to me.” Kyune remarks.

“I’m sure it was. But it wasn’t packing enough insurance.”

“Insurance? What, are you saying it should have bought life insurance?”

“I’m saying it had too many points of failure.” The Technician explains, “Advanced combat algorithms, but poor maneuvering. Optimization for stealth, but not nearly enough lethality to justify it. No bulletproofing or mutual-death mechanisms. Advanced as it is, it’s a budget job for someone like you, Kyune-sama.”

Kyune nods. “So, do you know who sent it?”

The Technician shakes his head. “Well, the maker’s easy, this is a Ranko Cybernetics model drone. But these kinds of drones are never used in official business by their original company ...”

He left the obvious part unsaid: No major drone-producer would be foolish enough to send their own models to do their own dirty work. It would be too obvious.

“The way you say it makes it sound you couldn’t find any clues to the sender.”

“That’s right.” The Technician guiltily admits. “The model number’s been effaced. And the problem with these mass-produced models is that we know who made them and all the parts, so we can’t get an idea of who made it by cross-referencing who made the different parts. And I’d bet that the buyer used a fake ID as well as at least a triple-proxy barrier.”

Kyune nodded in acknowledgement. But the Technician could see in her eyes that she already had an idea who had sent the drone …
…

Thread Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Corporate%20Cyber-Samurai%20Quest

Grima Masquerade Club, Cyberspace, 2210

“Hey In2, why don’t you ever make a move on anyone here?” Neon asks you, calling you by the online alias she knew you by. “All you do is sit and drink …”

The two of you were sitting at a table overlooking the dance floor, taking a break from compiling the information about Toshi you had collected over the course of the week and a half you’ve worked with her. Of course, it really wasn’t a table you were sitting on and it wasn’t really overlooking the dance floor. It was really a private chat room. And if you got up and walked a few paces away, you’d immediately find yourself on the dance floor again, somewhere that should have been one floor down from where you really were.

“Not worth it.” You reply, “Don’t know if anyone down there is a cute girl or really a middle-aged man.”

“Really?” Neon shifts forwards, making you uncomfortably aware of her sheer clubbing outfit, “So what you’re saying is that I could really be an overweight lardball?”

“M-maybe.” You say, averting your gaze from Neon’s chest. She acted like this all the time. At first, you thought she was flirting with you, but then you saw her like this to most of the people she met. And she never laid a hand on you. Eventually, you came to accept it as just her showing off.

“You’ve been playing too many SimMMOs.” Neon laughs, “ How you look here is mostly decided by your own mental projection of how you look IRL. At the very most, you can make small cosmetic changes to that, or overlay it with a hologram. Virtual meeting places like here don’t have the dedicated computing power to cushion the sensory feedback from having a completely alien body shape with different sensations than your own, you’d fry your cortex trying.”

“Then how about that?” You gesture at a complex cluster of geometric shapes making its way across the dance floor.

“That’s a roaming AI.” Neon explains, “It’s projecting a representation of the internal architecture of it’s different modules and programs. The only time a human can look like that is after such a long time plugged in they’ve forgotten how they look. At that point, their IRL bodies aren’t anything except supporting hardware for their online selves.”

“I see. I didn’t know that.” You admit.

“No one who isn’t a native knows anything about the way cyberspace is this deep in.” Neon says. “But while we’re on the topic of avatars, I’m impressed with the way yours turned out …”

>A variation on the bladeshape that Muramoto provided their employees for official business

>An animated suit of holographic samurai armor pulsing with patterns of virtual, blue light

>A punkish look you aspired to as a kid, complete with a leather jacket and spikey, dyed hair

>>4167124
>A punkish look you aspired to as a kid, complete with a leather jacket and spikey, dyed hair

>>4167124
>>A punkish look you aspired to as a kid, complete with a leather jacket and spikey, dyed hair
Something close to a street samurai in looks.

>>4167124
>A punkish look you aspired to as a kid, complete with a leather jacket and spikey, dyed hair

File: PAS_1.jpg (803 KB, 720x1080)

803 KB JPG

>>4167124
>A punkish look you aspired to as a kid, complete with a leather jacket and spikey, dyed hair
Like this?

>>4167178
A bit, although with a little more anime protagonist.

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>>4167361

>>4167178
>>4167369
Please note that I extremely encourage posting cyberpunk art in these threads along with your posts. I don't have nearly enough to spice up my own threads, so I appreciate it greatly when people post their own.

“I mean, damn, when I saw you at first in your IRL body, I thought you were just a geezer with no idea how the net worked.” Neon says, “But seeing how you designed your avatar … well, I guess you’re young at heart, right Gramps?”

The avatar you had gone with looked just like the punks on the covers of the magazines you had read as a kid, complete with hair dyed rust-red and teased into spikes. Back then, you had wanted to look like that when you grew up. Everyone wanted to be a punk. Who knew you’d end up in a nice suit and with a neat haircut instead?

“I told you I’m not that old.” You tiredly remind Neon.

“There’s not a single person here who looks a day under twenty-five.” Neon says, “Grima Masquerade’s the land of the young and free.”

“Young you say? How old are you, Neon?”

“Hey, don’t you know it’s rude to ask a girl that?” Neon teases.

“I need to make sure I haven’t been staring at someone not legal.” You shoot back. “Besides, if you wanted to, you could just lie.”

“To a client?” Neon exclaims in mock outrage, “Never! If you really curious, I’m five.”

You scoff. “Five? Impossible. I’ve met 12-year-olds closer to five than you.”

“I’m telling the truth!” Neon swears, raising her hands in protest. “I really am five … at least by netrunner terms.”

“Netrunner terms?”

“How long I’ve been involved in communities below Level 3 of Cyberspace. That’s the only age anyone cares about here.” Neon explains, “Relatively speaking, I’m a newfrag.”

“If you’re considered new, then what does that make me?” You ask.

“Nothing. We’re barely sitting at Level 3 here. Hell, we’ve only been collecting information from legitimate sources so far.” Neon says. “Besides, if you even have to frying ask …”

“Okay, okay, I get it.” You say, “I’m a fragging infant, now can we get on with our work? Let’s go over what we’ve found ...”

>A collection of Toshi’s financial and purchase history, up until when he disappeared

>An ex-girlfriend which wasn’t mentioned in any of the Muramoto Corporation’s records

>An exclusive online community which Toshi abruptly joined only a few months ago

>>4167481
>>A collection of Toshi’s financial and purchase history, up until when he disappeared

>>4167481
>>An ex-girlfriend which wasn’t mentioned in any of the Muramoto Corporation’s records

>>4167481
>A collection of Toshi’s financial and purchase history, up until when he disappeared
hmmmmm

>>4167481
>A collection of Toshi’s financial and purchase history, up until when he disappeared

>>4167481
>An exclusive online community which Toshi abruptly joined only a few months ago

>>4167481
>A collection of Toshi’s financial and purchase history, up until when he disappeared

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>4168636

Frankly, you’re impressed by the amount of information Neon can obtain only skirting legal boundaries. She had managed to get her hands on a handful of Toshi’s credcard records and transactions in an unencrypted form. But even unencrypted, financial records were barely anything but nearly unreadable walls of jargon to the uninitiated. And there was page after page of it too, mostly consisting of information about paychecks, salaries, and purchases of petty items like meals, soft drinks, and basic living amenities.

“Do you understand any of this?” You ask Neon.

“I’m a netrunner, not an accountant.” Neon gripes.

“Don’t you know any accountants?”

“None that wouldn’t cost more money.”

All you can do is split the records between the two of you and try to slowly make your way through them.

>Roll 3 1d20’s to decipher the records. Degrees of success will depend on the number of successes.

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>4168636
Roll like this per person, or roll 3 times?

>>4168637
I'll still count this one.

>>4168637
>>4168639
Oh shit two successes

>>4168638
Do these still count?

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>4168638

>>4168639
Like this person. We consistently use the same system for rolling, you can check the archives.

File: illust_65317719_20200306_(...).jpg (24 KB, 298x284)

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>>4168646
"There's a vermin that looks quite like you"

Rolled 19 (1d20)

Rolling for Neon

>>4168657
At least someone is competent here.

>>4168659
I certainly hope I have a small degree of competency.

File: 1585094757499.jpg (111 KB, 1632x1652)

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>>4168646
I'll kill you

Even after hours of staring at the records, you can barely understand a single word, let alone find anything useful. Where it wasn’t a wall of financial jargon, it was a sea of endless soft drink, meal, and battery purchases. At least your own records were broken up by the odd SimRPG purchase to keep things interesting.

“Find anything?” You ask Neon.

“Yeah, I did.” Neon says to your surprise. “This Toshi fellow you’re after, you said you already knew how he drained his accounts shortly before he disappeared? Looks like he’s been taking out large withdrawals months before that, although I can’t tell where. He’s been converting large amounts of sincreds to cyberspace liquid tokens as well … which can only mean that he wanted to buy something expensive from cyberspace.”

“Do you know what he could have bought?”

“Fry me if I know. Could be anything from drugs to weapons to getting some digital tail.” Neon muses, “Wait, there’s something here. His first transaction after he began withdrawing money. He transferred a large amount of tokens to someone … wait, why her?”

“Who?”

“Arisu. Arisu of the Eastern Wonderland.” Neon answers, an incredibly shocked and confused look on her face. “How … how would some corporate enforcer even know about Arisu?”

“You’re not answering my question, Neon …”

“She’s a famous netuser in underground cyberspace circles … or should I say infamous?” Neon explains, “She’s frying ancient. Some people say that she’s been around since before cyberspace first came online, but no one’s that frying old …”

“I hear the Hatsune Miku avatoid’s been around since the early 2000’s.” You point out.

Neon scoffs. “That’s normie plas, that kinda figure sticks around forever. Besides, Asparagus Girl’s propped up by corporate interests. She doesn’t count. Still, people say that Arisu goes back even farther than that.”

“I still don’t get what’s so special about her.” You say. “So she’s an e-celebrity except just for people like you?”

“Be popular in the netfragger community and you’ll get all kinds of connections in weird places.” Neon explains. “But she’s much more than that. If the stories are true, Arisu by herself has the same pull as a macrocorporation. She can have any system accessed, any network hacked. She controls a treasure-trove of hidden assets, from cracked passcards to a small army of roaming AI’s to whole sub-arcologies. Hell, if she wanted to, she probably could make someone like our friend Toshi disappear. Still … it makes no frying sense how he’d find out she even existed, much less find her and transfer tokens to her.”

“Well, if he can find her, then I definitely can with your help.” You say. “Anyways, this Arisu person is worth looking into … Are there lobbies she can usually be found in?”

Neon shakes her head. “It’s not that simple. The entrance to Arisu’s private lobby, the Eastern Wonderland, opens sporadically in certain deep locations of cyberspace … and all those places aren’t exactly the kind of place to take someone like you.”

>In that case, we’ll look for a cheap accountant to decipher these records

>In that case, we’ll get a free program to decipher these records and hope we don’t get any viruses

>Look for this so-called Arisu. You’re not going to give up such a solid lead.

>Toshi probably found Arisu through a Netrunner of his own. You just need to speak to Netrunners who have had direct contact with Arisu.

>>4168823
>>Toshi probably found Arisu through a Netrunner of his own. You just need to speak to Netrunners who have had direct contact with Arisu.

>>4168823
So Neon's power is only 28.5714% of Arisu's...
Also she's an AI, I'm calling it.
>Toshi probably found Arisu through a Netrunner of his own. You just need to speak to Netrunners who have had direct contact with Arisu.

>>4168823
>Toshi probably found Arisu through a Netrunner of his own. You just need to speak to Netrunners who have had direct contact with Arisu.

>>4168843
In the end, Netrunners are two colors.

“You know, Toshi probably found this Arisu through a netrunner of his own.” You say, “So if we look for netrunners who have had direct contact with Arisu, we’ll find the one he hired.”

“Every netrunner worth their salt has been in direct contact with Arisu at some point.” Neon tells you, “What you’re looking for would be people who somehow access her lobby consistently. And there isn’t exactly just a list of that floating around. Besides, even if we were to find the exact netrunner that Toshi hired, it’s not like we’d be able to get any information from them. Netrunners who can’t keep their lips shut for their clients don’t tend to stay netrunners for long.”

You frown and cross your arms. “Well … unless you’ve got any other ideas …”

Neon rests her head in her palms, deep in thought. “Okay, I’ve come up with three options. First, you can try to hire a more experienced netrunner for just long enough to explain how to find Arisu, and hope they know.”

“I’d like to go after Toshi’s netrunner rather than this Arisu.”

“Hey, I’m just saying! Besides, they might know who else has access to Arisu’s lobby.” Neon protests. “My second option is we cross-reference his location data with known netrunners who operate in those lobbies.”

You nod. That was a sound option. But it was also too obvious. Muramoto Corporations would have tried that already if they were really looking hard for Toshi. And if it hadn’t worked for them, why would it work for you? Of course, you hadn’t told Neon that a major Megacorp had been looking for Toshi in the first place. “What’s your third option?”

“My third option is where we start to get on the dicier side of the law.” Neon says, “I’ll do my best to hack into the top ten or so lobbies below the waterline and access their visitor history. There’s about a fifty-fifty chance we’ll find Toshi that way, his guide, and maybe even where they accessed Eastern Wonderland from.”

You consider the options Neon has listed.

>Ask more experienced netrunner

>Cross-reference Toshi’s location data

>Hack the top ten or so lobbies

>>4168823
>Toshi probably found Arisu through a Netrunner of his own. You just need to speak to Netrunners who have had direct contact with Arisu.

>>4169181
>Hack the top ten or so lobbies
So 50% chance she finds it, and a 50% chance things go to frag. I'm considering this option, but if she does this what would she need to do or get to ensure her success and safety?

>>4169201
The fact that she offered to do so at all without demanding more pay says something about how Neon regards the risk.

>>4169181
>>Hack the top ten or so lobbies

>>4169181
>Cross-reference Toshi’s location data
What if Muramoto Corp WASN'T looking hard for Toshi?

“Wait, wouldn’t hacking shady lobbies be extremely risky? Won’t they be protected against that kind of thing?” You ask.

“The security around most lobbies below level 2 of cyberspace is actually pretty much non-existent.” Neon tells you, “At that point, you’re kinda responsible for your own safety. Most netrunners do it pretty frequently.”

“Okay, if you say it isn’t dangerous.” You say. “In that case, that’s the option I want to go with as soon as possible.”

“Roger that.” Neon nods, “I’ll let loose some programs to scout that out beforehand.”

“How long do you think it’ll take? Not just the scouting, the hacking in general.”

“Hmm …” Neon tilts her head in thought, “The scouting will probably be done tonight. But the actual hack will take a few days. I probably won’t have anything useful for you until next week.”

You can feel your sincreds pouring down the drain in your heart. Ah what the hell, living as a bodyguard in the Muramoto Manor was pretty much free of living expenses anyways.

“I’ll appreciate that.” You say.

“Right, well that’s it for tonight then, I guess.” Neon knocks back her drink. Not one to be left behind, you knock back yours as well. In this place, even a girl half your weight could easily keep up with you.

“So now that you’re free, do you wanna hit the dance floor for once? I’m sure you’d make everyone jealous having a cute girl like me on your arm.” Neon teases.

>Sure, why not? You could even have a dance-off again. This time, you’ll even win.

>No thanks, it’s late at night and you’d rather go back to the real world.

>No thanks, now that you know the cute girls are really cute girls … well, there are some you’ve been eyeing.

>Keep asking, and one day you’ll have to take her seriously

>>4170253
>>Sure, why not? You could even have a dance-off again. This time, you’ll even win.

>>4170253
>Sure, why not? You could even have a dance-off again. This time, you’ll even win.
Time to show you the power of dance!

>>4170253
>Oh? You're flirting with me? Instead of calling me "old man", you're coming on to me?

>>4170253
>Sure, why not? You could even have a dance-off again. This time, you’ll even win.

>>4170253
Is it still wrong that I want to dance to this?
https://youtu.be/kOXzhXKMQIU

>>4170279
Rude. Kentaro's a a respectable citizen with an honest corporate job.

>>4170678
And what's wrong with this song exactly? It's a good song.

>>4170686
It seemed like you were insinuating that Kentaro was something like a yakuza member.

It's Old Man music.

“Sure, why not?” You shrug in a way that shows off how you don’t really care one way or another. “I’ll even beat you this time.”

“Oho?” Neon smirks, “I give this old geezer the slightest bit of attention, and suddenly he’s getting cocky? The women in your life must be able to play you like a flute.”

“Well, it is an elder’s job to humour attention-hungry children.” You retort.

“You know, I was worried that you wouldn’t be as interesting as I thought you were when I met you.” Neon says, a hand on her hip. “But luckily for me, it seems I wasn’t mistaken.”

With a wave of hand, Neon dispels the table the two of you were sitting on, depositing the two of you on the dance floor.

“Alright In2, let’s see what you’ve got.” Neon says, already dancing.

>Roll 3 1d20’s. You will need three successes.

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>4170733

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>4170733

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>4170733
Rolling
Hey man you saying the music is bad? Yakuza music or not it's bready good.

File: 1584380657053.jpg (78 KB, 1000x1000)

78 KB JPG

>>4170757
God shits in my cereal yet again

Did you think the difficulty was lowered for some reason, anons? Lol.

Rolled 8 (1d20)

Rolling for Neon

>>4170757
This is honestly pretty close to Kentaro's taste in music.
In the very first thread, someone commented on how Kentaro gave off a bit of a yakuza feel being a suit-wearing, shirasaya-swinging samurai. I was just trying to play off that.

>>4170799
Ha ha fuck you Neon! We did it bois! We've finally scored! She might be supremely better and win more often, but gosh darnit we did it.

>>4170810
We need three successes though

>>4170816
Doesn't really matter honestly it's not like failing means much here. Besides I'd think Kentaro would be the sort to keep at it until he finally manages to win one of these days

>-2 Neon plays to her strengths of club dancing
>Tie, Kentaro’s keeping up just fine

This time, you’re ready for Neon. You immerse yourself fully in the beat of the music and the strobing of the lights. But you can see that Neon’s doing exactly the same.

As usual, Neon’s up to her usual tricks, showing off her body with every gyration and wowing the crowd. But now that you know what to expect, it’s her mistake adding more heat to the competitive atmosphere between the two of you. What’s more, in your punkish avatar, you can get away with more moves that would have looked too goofy in your usual body. A punk boy and a punk girl in a dance-off against each other. That was a foundational classic to the sights of hip clubs like this, wasn’t it? If a club couldn’t get at least one pair like that on the floor, that simply meant that it was a shitty club.

Immersed in that classic pairing, you achieve 100% synergy with Neon, matching her sexy self-assurance with your own brash, cocky confidence.

“Not bad, In2. You’re actually keeping up.” Neon comments as she dances.

“You’re mistaken Neon, it’s actually YOU who’s doing the keeping up!” You respond with a cocky smile.

>Roll 3 1d20’s. You will need three successes.

Rolled 18, 21, 17 = 56 (3d21)

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>4170844
>>4170847
Oh you rogue

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>4170844

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>4170844

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>4170844
Take off your shirt to show off how serious you are!

Nothing will save us now.

>>4170858
You guys wont believe how many shitty rols I've witnessed today.

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>>4170847
>21

People are starting to notice the two of you. A circle is beginning to form.

“Hey, is that guy really keeping up with frying Neon?” Someone whispers.

You feel a rush of pleasure from being the center of so much attention. Maybe this is what it felt like to be Neon. A stage light turns above the two of you, turning the inside of the circle white. People are beginning to clap and cheer. You can’t tell if they were cheering for you or Neon or just wanted to make some noise.

Then you trip.

Somehow, in a way that’s a mystery even to you, you trip on your own two feet.

Aw, frag it, the crowd’s staring. There’s some light snickering. Neon in particular looks startled how unceremoniously her dance-off ended, but slowly, that’s replaced by a humiliating smirk.

“Well, it was your mistake challenging me. Next time, put your mouth where your moves are.”

Already, several other people have jumped into the circle. You’re left with no choice but to slink back into the crowd.

You watch from the sidelines as Neon proceeds to utterly trounce three other punks. You sigh. Today wasn’t your night. But one day, you’ll show that girl her place.

Just then, you feel a hand on your shoulder. You turn around. It’s some punk, not unlike the dozens of others scattered around the dance floor. But something’s off about him. He looks strangely … worried? No, distressed is the right word.

“Can … can I help you?” You ask.

“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was a high-density pre-baryogenesis singularity.” He says. Then he stabs you.

>0100100001100101011011000110110001101111001000000101011101101111011100100110110001100100

>446f6e277420756e6465727374616e643f

>VGhlIHJlYWwgc3Rvcnkgc3RhcnRzIGhlcmU=

>You’re fragged

>>4170967
>Then he stabs you.
https://youtu.be/AvVsyD6lTJQ
Let's go fucko

>>4170967
>The words are everything. Where the words end the world ends. You cannot go forward in the absence of space. Repeat.

>>4170986
Oh snap you actually know what's going on?

>>4170990
I can't confirm nor deny this.

>>4171034
I'm on to you. What so just say something that sounds mysterious or sounds like you know what you're saying? Not gonna lie that'll probably work, but I still like the idea of responding violently.

>>4171045
I don't think we _can_ respond violently.

>>4171061
Not with that attitude

>>4170986
well i guess i support this then

>>4170986
For all our sake, I hope you ascended the forbidden tower.

You stare uncomprehendingly at the arm sunk elbow-deep into your chest. Unable to move, you break out into a cold sweat. What was … going … on? You can feel something foul and viscous oozing into your body, forcing its way into your blood vessels, clinging and congealing and growing and throwing off fragments to colonize your hands, your heart, your brain. You can feel your mind growing muddy. It was getting harder and harder to think. What was … going … on? Frag it, you couldn’t die here! You had to find Toshi! You had to save Kaguya! You had to … RXJyb3IgRXJyb3IgRXJyb3IgRXJyb3I= ...
RmlyZXdhbGwgMTIgYnlwYXNzZWQsIGFsbCBzeXN0ZW1zIGluZmVjdGVk ...
QWN0aXZhdGUga2lsbHN3aXRjaD8geS9uIC4uLiBbeV0= …
S2lsbHN3aXRjaCB1bnJlc3BvbnNpdmUgLi4u … S2lsbHN3aXRjaCB1bnJlc3BvbnNpdmUgLi4u … S2lsbHN3aXRjaCB1bnJlc3BvbnNpdmUgLi4u …

You’re standing in the void. Soft, cool fingers stroke your cheek. You look up. Floating above you is Kaguya. She smiles and holds one finger to her lips.

“Be careful out there, Kentaro-kun.”

>Hint of the unknown gained. Kentaro now has 1 hint of the unknown.

“In2!” Neon yells. “In2. Are you all right?”

The first sight that greets you when you open your eyes is Neon’s concerned face. She’s worriedly shaking you, trying to wake you up from where you lay on the floor.

“What … what happened?” You ask.

“Some weirdo broke through your egosphere. He infected you with some … h-hey, it’s too early to get up!”

You gently push Neon off you and groggily get back up. You were back in a circle of people again, except this time, it wasn’t a dance circle. The guy who attacked you is weakly seizing to the side. The upbeat music continues playing, oblivious to what just happened.

You feel fine. You know you shouldn’t. But there’s no gaping hole in your chest. You can’t feel any of the black ooze inside your body either. You check the clock in the corner of your HUD. If it was reliable, only a handful of seconds had passed.

“I-impossible!” Neon exclaims, “The virus … it’s gone?”

>What happened to me?

>Who is that guy and why did he attack me?

>(Gesture at your attacker) Did you do this to him?

>I … I saw someone … a girl ...

>>4171795
>“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was a high-density pre-baryogenesis singularity.”
>RXJyb3IgRXJyb3IgRXJyb3IgRXJyb3I= ...
>RmlyZXdhbGwgMTIgYnlwYXNzZWQsIGFsbCBzeXN0ZW1zIGluZmVjdGVk ...
>QWN0aXZhdGUga2lsbHN3aXRjaD8geS9uIC4uLiBbeV0= …
>S2lsbHN3aXRjaCB1bnJlc3BvbnNpdmUgLi4u … >S2lsbHN3aXRjaCB1bnJlc3BvbnNpdmUgLi4u … >S2lsbHN3aXRjaCB1bnJlc3BvbnNpdmUgLi4u …

>Who is that guy and why did he attack me?
>(Gesture at your attacker) Did you do this to him?
I still desire blood punch someone.

>>4171849
Support

>>4171849
+1

>>4171243
I even broke the forbidden forum, but evidently that wasn't related to this quest at all.

>>4170990
I didn't know what was going on. Sorry.

>>4171795
I'll go with >>4171849

No update tonight sorry, exam season's hitting hard. Next update will probably be tomorrow night.

Please wait warmly, but until then feel free to ask any questions you have about the characters, worldbuilding, or the direction of the quest in general. I'll check on the thread every now and then. This is a weebquest. Asking which girl is Best Girl is almost mandatory.

>>4172293
Shooting in the dark. Kentaro got his cyber soul molested by a sentient AI or virus?

>>4172293
Good luck on your exams!
Shouldn't we be the ones to decide who is best girl, eh?

>>4171849
+ 1

>>4172293
Need to introduce more girls first

>>4172298
Yup, that was a virus, as Neon called it. They're not exactly uncommon.

>>4172349
Any chance that Virus's can be beneficial or is Ken super fucked?

>>4172352
I've never heard of a virus being beneficial before.

>>4172619
See? This is why we should had decked him. Why'd you guys want to let it continue?

>>4172854
What do you mean? He already stabbed us. You might have noticed that none of the options were actually actions, and the winning vote wasn't even acknowledged in any way. We couldn't have done anything.

>>4172869
I'm not seeing enough words like "punch" in this post. Punch is the only answer, andcthe right one.

>>4172317
You've already got a loli master, a heiress who demanded you enter into her service, a bubbly, cheerful coworker, and a hot hacker chick. Asking for more is a bit greedy, no?

>>4173848
I demand more hot guys with oiled tanned abs. That better?

I’m back

“I was infected with a virus?” You ask. “Is that bad?”

“You were. A pretty bad one too.” Neon mutters, “But not anymore. It’s like it deleted itself … how strong are your firewalls, In2?”

“Nothing special aside from the ones in the program you sold me.” You say, “Who was he anyways?”

“Some craz. Netuser who fancied himself a netrunner, then got infected by a virus from lower down he had any business being.” Neon says derisively, “You see them all the time … just not this high up …”

You stare at the twitching avatar of your attacker. “Did you do this to him?”

“Yeah, overloaded his sensory intake as soon as I noticed he shivved you.” Neon confirms, “He won’t be doing anything important with his brain anytime soon ...”

“Shame, I wanted to punch him.” You remark. You settle for hawking up a wad of phlegm and spitting on him instead.

“People don’t feel pain in cyberspace anyways.” Neon says, before placing her palm on your chest. Her eyes dart from side to side as if reading something.

“What are you doing now?” You ask Neon.

“Checking if the virus is really gone.” Neon says, “I’m trying to concentrate, so please let me focus.”

“That’s all well and good … but it’s a bit embarrassing having you fuss over me in public.”

“Oh, we’re already in a private room.” Neon says. You look around. It was true. Everyone was staring at the softly spasming body of the craz, as Neon had called him, who had attacked you. But no eyes were on you. “That virus should have fried you just like I fried that craz … but you’re perfectly fine.”

“Could it have been badly coded?” You ask.

“So badly coded it fully infected one guy and drove him to the point of psychosis, but then accidentally deleted itself after already infecting you?” Neon says, “I doubt it, but that’s the only explanation I have.”

You sigh. “And here, I thought this was a relatively safe place to be.”

“It usually is” Neon says, “This kind of thing is really rare. It’s only happened once before ever since I came here. But well, shit happens …”

Neon glances at the craz, still twitching after all this time. Then, she extends her hand and clenches her fist. The avatar disintegrates in front of your eyes, vanishing into nothing.

“What did you do to him?”

“Forced a shutdown sequence.” Neon explains, “Really though In2, anywhere where you can hire netrunners is never somewhere that’s fully safe anyways.”

“Yeah, I realize that now.” You say.
…

Interlude

>Kyune’s game with her uncle
>Your knock on Kaguya’s door

>>4173904
>>Kyune’s game with her uncle

>>4173904
>Your knock on Kaguya’s door

>>4173904
>>Your knock on Kaguya’s door

>>4173848
Never hurts to have options. Who knows, maybe the heiress has a wealthy, blonde, drill-haired rival who laughs like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW1QY76d-40

Or possibly going the opposite age wise and having Lady Muramoto try to pull a play out of The Graduate on us.

>>4173904
>So badly coded it fully infected one guy and drove him to the point of psychosis, but then accidentally deleted itself after already infecting you?
You've never seen actual production code that goes into actual devices.
Oh, if only you knew what transpires sometimes.

>Your knock on Kaguya’s door

>>4173904
>Your knock on Kaguya’s door

Kaguya’s Suite

Kaguya lay unmoving on her bed, staring at the ceiling while her favorite song played again and again in the background. She let herself sink into the blissful softness of her blanket, letting her turbulent feelings be soothed away by the cheeriness of the music.

As soon as Kentaro-kun left her suite, Kaguya had ran up to her room, slammed the door shut, and jumped into her bed. She couldn’t think of anything else she wanted to do after what had happened with Kentaro-kun. She hadn’t wanted today to end that way. She had even been looking forwards to washing Teru’s rabbit with him. She’d play the good host like she had been taught. Her strict, stringent lessons would be put to use for once and she’d surprise Kentaro-kun with how well-behaved she could be. Maybe if she could gather the courage, she’d coyly test his cleaning skills. She knew it wasn’t his fault that things had ended up they way they were. She knew that she had overreacted. But running away and hiding was the only thing she could do once she couldn’t hide under a mask of composure.

It had been a while until Kaguya felt she could trust herself to lift her head from the pillow. She had looked around her well-kept room. Her suite was the only place in the entire Manor that she felt she owned. But at the same time, she could still barely believe she lived here now, even after living here for nearly five years. Her gaze drifted over to where she had left Toshi’s knife on her dresser table. Well, she shouldn’t just leave that there, should she? She might accidentally cut herself.

Then, Kaguya had walked over to her dresser to move the knife to a more appropriate location. But when it came to picking it up, she just couldn’t. When she had needed to move it away from Kentaro-kun, it had been fine. But now, when she wasn’t panicking … It only made sense, didn’t it? How long had that knife sat on her mantle because she was afraid of moving it?

Toshi had been kind to her. He had been the first person Kaguya had learned to trust in this household. No one understood how hurt she had been when he had disappeared without so much as a goodbye. Not even Kyune onee-chan. And now, that knife was a stark reminder to how Toshi was gone. Kaguya couldn’t bring herself to touch it.

Knock Knock. Kaguya realized someone was knocking on her door. The soft sound carried through her music. But Kaguya wasn’t in any mood to go downstairs and answer the door. She was comfortable here. She was just beginning to forget about what had happened. She didn’t have the energy or willpower to put her mask back on today, to play the good, aristocratic girl she would never be. So instead, she buried her head in her pillow more.

Knock Knock. Whoever was at her door knocked more insistently. At this point, Kaguya realized she had to answer her door eventually. But not now. Five more seconds. Then she’d be ready. Then she’d have the strength and energy and willpower.

Suddenly, a dull Krak reverberated through the air, accompanied by a low groaning. What … what had that been?

By the time Kaguya got down to check, whoever was at her door was gone.

Interlude Out

You pull the cord from your jack. As soon as you let go of it, it retracts back into the dataport. Despite being wrapped in blankets, your skin feels uncomfortably cold. While you had been sweating in cyberspace, your cooling systems had activated. If you still had organic skin, your covers would have been drenched in sweat, wouldn’t they.

You check the time. It was a quarter after 3. You needed to be ready for the next day at eight thirty. If you went to sleep now, you’d get five hours. You’re feeling dead-tired after what happened in cyberspace. But thinking about it … hadn’t you almost died today? You hadn’t realized it, being so divorced from reality in cyberspace. It was almost like being in a SimRPG. But it hits you hard as soon as you’re back in the real world. You had been lying here, in the safest place you knew. And you had almost died. You had almost died, and you hadn’t been able to do a damn thing. Hell, you should have died. Even Neon didn’t know why you weren’t currently a vegetable. Your mouth goes dry at the thought. Fuck this, you need a drink.

>Get a drink to calm your nerves. Something strong.

>Clean your weapons instead. It will take your mind off it the same way.

>Try to go to sleep. You have a feeling you won’t have any nice dreams.

>>4174391
>>Get a drink to calm your nerves. Something strong.

>>4174391
>Clean your weapons instead. It will take your mind off it the same way.
Perhaps consider getting additional cyber protection, or learn about about basic cyber protection?

>>4174391
>Clean your weapons instead. It will take your mind off it the same way.

>>4174391
>Clean your weapons instead. It will take your mind off it the same way.

>>4174391
>Clean your weapons instead. It will take your mind off it the same way.

You settle for a glass of water. Your nerves were frayed, but if you started drinking to cope with that, you wouldn’t be sober come tomorrow morning. But you didn’t go to sleep either. You already know you won’t be able to.

You could have loaded a SimRPG and gamed away to calm your nerves, but right now, you feel like you’ve had just about enough of virtual environments. So instead, you start the familiar ritual of cleaning your weapons. You’d neglected them ever since you came to the Manor. You hadn’t used them once until recently. But you couldn’t let that turn into a bad habit. You could only rely on these weapons as long as you maintained them properly.

Your shirasaya doesn’t need any maintenance besides you lining it up with your eye level and checking it was still straight. The blade was rust-proof and virtually indestructible. The only reason you bothered cleaning it was to keep it presentable. Your semiauto was a different matter completely. It consumed more than half of the time you spent cleaning your weapons. You strip it down and clean each part individually, wiping them down with a rag. Compared to your enforcer days, the rag ended up much less grimy.

As you settle into the familiar motions of weapon maintenance, your mind drifts back to what had happened back in the Grima Masquerade. If you didn’t want something like this to happen again, you would have to get better protection for when you dived back into cyberspace. You were hardened enough against cyberattacks in the real world, that was necessary for your job. But all that hardening counted for nothing when you were directly connecting your system to the vector of attack. However, requesting cyberspace protection modules from the company catalog would be too suspicious, and unneeded for your job besides. If you wanted better protection, you would have to buy it yourself.

”Be careful out there, Kentaro-kun.”

You could still hear Kaguya’s voice clearly. For the last thing for you to see on the verge of death to be an employer you’ve only had for a couple of weeks … You hadn’t known you valued Kaguya that much.
…

In the end, you didn’t get a second of sleep by the time you were supposed to meet Kaguya. You attempt to compensate by drinking an extra cup of coffee.

“Good morning, Kentaro.” Kaguya greets you.

“Good morning Kaguya-san.” You stifle a yawn. It seems she’s feeling better from yesterday, although her voice sounded more reserved than usual.

“Kentaro-kun …” Kaguya begins shyly, “Last night, there was someone outside my door. They were pretty loud. Do you know who that was?”

>Oh, it was just a maid

>That was me. I wanted to check on you.

>I have no idea

>>4174947
>"...That was the sudden realization of a mistake."
>"Me. That was me."

>>4174959
>That was me. I wanted to check on you.
support

>>4174947
Supporting >>4174959

“It was the sound of someone realizing their mistake.” You say.

“Someone realizing their mistake? What do you mean by that?”

“Me. It was me.” You embarrassedly admit. “I’m … sorry about my conduct yesterday.”

“Your conduct yesterday …” Kaguya tilts her head in confusion. It takes a second before she fully processes what you’re saying. “What? Kentaro-kun, there’s no need to apologize about yesterday. If anything, I’m the one at fault.”

“Kaguya-sama, you’re saying that you’re at fault?” You ask incredulously.

Kaguya bows in apology. “My conduct towards you was unfair. I know you didn’t mean any harm. Please accept my apology.”

You can’t help but grin. Well, this was certainly a sight to see: A plutocratic girl apologizing to her lowly retainer. And you had gone all this whole time thinking that you were at fault. That being said, the fact that Kaguya had apologized to you didn’t change the fact that you were an idiot. “A master has no need to apologize to their retainer … but still, I gladly accept your apology nonetheless.”

Kaguya smiles in relief. “In that case, let’s continue as usual, Kentaro-kun.”

You wholeheartedly agree.
…

Now that the tension between you and Kaguya has been dispelled, you can feel at ease idly sitting back while she attends her classes. You sit in the back of the archery hall, your hand never too far away from the hilt of the sword, watching Kaguya’s arrows draw graceful arcs across the range. You’ve noticed a pattern in Kaguya’s archery. At first, her arrows would hit the mark more often than not. Then, gradually, her accuracy would decrease as pulling back the heavy bow took its toll. Her small frame could only have so much stamina after all.

“You’re focusing too much on the target and not enough on your form.” Her Tutor admonishes, tapping the places where her form was incorrect with a long, bamboo pointer. “If your only goal is to hit the target, then use a sniper rifle. Archery is an art that requires you take all things into account, from your stance and posture to the grace with which you nock your arrow, lift your bow, and draw the arrow. Perfect your posture and your arrow will hit.”

You can’t help but find Kaguya’s Tutor’s teachings silly. Wasn’t the point of an arrow to hit the target? You could only afford to worry about perfect form when the targets weren’t moving. But who were you to criticize the pastimes Plutocrats spent their time on?

“Excuse me, Bodyguard-san, it seems you find what I’m saying humorous.” Kaguya’s archery teacher says. Ah frag, he must have been able to see it on your face.

>It’s nothing, please continue as if I’m not here

>Form is all well and good, but it doesn’t matter in the real world

>What’s the point in learning how to shoot a bow nowadays anyways?

>>4175437
>It’s nothing, please continue as if I’m not here

>>4175437
>"Just remembering when I was learning firearms training, (insert name here) sensei."

>>4175521
Switch to this

>>4175521
+1

>>4175521
+1

>>4175437
>Form is all well and good, but it doesn’t matter in the real world
you usually don't have the luxury of worrying about form under fire

>>4175521
This, but I imagine it was less form for Kentaro and gun safety.
>pointing a loaded gun
>forgetting about the safety
>trigger discipline

“Just remembering when I was learning firearms training, Ya-sensei.” You answer. “They modeled the range after a traditional archery hall.”

“Is that so? I know the Muramoto Corporation has a high appreciation for tradition in every facet of its operation.” Apparently satisfied with your answer, Ya-Sensei turns his attention back to Kaguya. That was close, you had almost insulted one of Kaguya’s tutors. You would have to learn to control yourself better in the future.

Kaguya’s class continues smoothly. You watch her hit the target slightly more often than not, silently cheering her on from the sidelines. The mountain air flowing in from the range was so warm and comfortable you were almost tempted to go to sleep. You think back to the city, where none of the windows had ever opened. If they had, all they would have let in was a furnance-blast of hot, humid air.

Suddenly, you get up. There was someone outside the door. Your hand on your shirasaya’s hilt, you walk to the door and slide it open.

“Greetings. Is Kaguya-sama inside?” A maid you don’t recognize asks. She’s carrying a tray with a folded letter on it.

You stare suspiciously at her, and give her a quick thermal scan just to be safe. Biological readings all round, except for the standard subsidized jack in her neck extending up along her spine to her hindbrain, a cool, blue lump of metal amidst the warmth of the rest of her body.

As soon as you’re sure she isn’t another disguised assassin-drone, you relax slightly, although not too much as to be unable to draw your shirasaya in a flash. “Kaguya-sama is inside. What can I do for you?”

“I have a message from Lady Muramoto for Lady Kaguya.” The Maid tells you.

“Which one?”

“The wife of the master of the household.”

You weren’t in the Upper-West Wing, so that would be Kyune’s Father.

“I’ll pass it on.” You tell her, taking the tray from her.

“Thank you.” The Maid bows and leaves. You watch her disappear down the hallway, then breathe out a sigh of relief. Huh, come to think of it, you had also fought a battle for your life in that hallway yesterday. But that hadn’t unsettled you nearly as much as the virus in the Grima Masquerade. You were used to physical threats in the physical world. As long as you had your shirasaya and some sort of firearm with sufficient ammunition, there wasn’t anything short of a spider-tank you would be afraid of confronting.

“What was it, Kentaro-kun?” Kaguya asks.

“A message from Lady Muramoto. Kyune’s Mother.” You reply.

“That’s important. We’ll take a break here then.” Ya-Sensei says. Kaguya puts down her bow and walks up to you. She unfolds the letter and reads it.

“Kentaro-kun, look at this.” Kaguya says, handing you the letter.

To Lady Kaguya

You are humbly requested to attend Lady Muramoto and her daughter, the Young Master Lady Kyune in her chambers in the Nadeshiko Chamber at the 18th hour for a formal expression of gratitude towards your retainer Seido Kentaro to which much thanks is owed.

Please inform your retainer and make sure he is ready come the evening.

- Muramoto Akiko

“This must be about the incident the other day.” You comment.

“Indeed.” Kaguya agrees, “It certainly seems that way.”

>Jokingly ask what you should wear
>Ask if Plutocrats personally thank their guards every time they do their job

>Ask what Kaguya’s relationship with Kyune’s mother is like

>Not much needs to be said

>>4176285
>>Ask Kaguya how Kyune’s mother is like

>>4176285
>Jokingly ask what you should wear
also this >>4176298

>>4176285
>Jokingly ask what you should wear
>Ask what Kaguya’s relationship with Kyune’s mother is like
If this is in any way abnormal, we shouldn't draw attention to it, because it's a part of Kyune's plan.

“So … what should I wear?” You ask in a humorous tone.

“I think it will be fine as long as you’re presentable.” Kaguya answers seriously, “Pick one of your sharper suits.”

“And here I thought I’d have to dress traditionally … then again, I was in a suit during the orientation.”

“Kentaro-kun in a hakama, huh?” Kaguya looks at you, trying to imagine how you’d look. “I wouldn’t mind seeing that …”

“I’ve got one in the back of my closet. If Kaguya-sama wishes, I could wear it from now on.” You jokingly offer.

“No no … What you wear now suits you perfectly fine.” Kaguya refuses your offer, but she allows you to catch a glimpse of a small smile. Well, if you were making Kaguya smile, you were doing something right.

“So … how is Kyune’s mother like?” You ask, cutting away from you and Kaguya’s banter. The question of Kyune’s mother had been on your mind ever since you read the letter. When Kaguya had gone to her stepmother’s tea party, she had been filled with trepidation. But this time, she seemed ambivalent.

“I’ve never met her.” Kaguya says. “So I have no idea.”

Kaguya had never met Kyune’s mother? In all her five years living in the manor? You find that hard to imagine. The Muramoto Manor was big, sure, but still, given how close Kaguya was to Kyune, you’d have to imagine she’s met her at least once.

“You haven’t even seen a glimpse of her?”

Kaguya shakes her head. “No. According to Kyune, she rarely leaves her suite anymore.”

At first, that sounded constraining. But when you think about it, that suite was probably huge. Kaguya’s suite was already the size of a decent house, and she was only the illegitimate child of the younger brother.

>Well, how does Kaguya think Kyune’s mother is like then?

>Kyune’s mother was probably free-spirited and tomboyish like her

>At the very least, you’re interested in meeting her

>You wonder why she never leaves her suite

>>4176698
>You wonder why she never leaves her suite

>>4176698
>At the very least, you’re interested in meeting her
>You wonder why she never leaves her suite
She's a talking head on life support

>>4176698
>>You wonder why she never leaves her suite

“It’s strange for a woman like her to never leave her suite.” You comment, “Has Kyune-sama ever mentioned why?”

“Yes, but it isn’t my place to say.” Kaguya answers cryptically. The way Kaguya said it, it was either a secret or Kaguya’s sense of propriety. You were leaning towards the latter option.

The Kyune you knew didn’t seem to be the kind of person who would stand staying indoors no matter the circumstances. But if that was the case, you wonder where Kyune got her attitude from.

Well, as mysteries in the Muramoto Household went, this was a relatively benign one.
…

Kaguya’s class passes by quickly. Like usual, you share a pitcher of barley tea at the end of her class while quietly enjoying the warm weather. However, when you return to your room while you wait for Kaguya to change, you find someone in your room.

“Akira!” It’s Akira, folding away futons just like the last time you caught her here.

“Oh … hi Kentaro-kun …” Akira says with a false veneer of her usual cheerfulness which quickly disintegrates into nervous fidgeting. “Um … thanks for the other night.”

“You’re … welcome?” You say awkwardly. Last night, you had found her high out of her mind, frag knows where she had been. You had helped set her up in a coach bus for the night. When you checked on her after your meeting with Kyune, she had been fast asleep. Judging from how she was wearing fresh clothes and didn’t smell like she spent a night in the garage, she must have found some way to freshen up.

But even though Akira was thanking you, she also seems uncomfortable in your presence. When you look at her, she looks away, refusing to meet your gaze. There is an expression of shame on her face. She keeps eyeing the door, and seeming to be looking for a polite excuse to leave.

“Umm, I have something I need to take care of.” Akira mumbles, giving up on even finding a plausible excuse. She bows in apology, grabs the pile of just-changed fabric, and out the door. She didn’t even bother to finish folding away your futons.

>Stop her, you’re not going to let it end like this

>Let her go, she obviously doesn’t want to see you

>>4177363
>Stop her, you’re not going to let it end like this
Just long enough to tell her that if she wants to talk to us about it, we're available. Don't keep her too long, she probably doesn't want to go too deep into it right here. Also, don't get too much into detail.

>>4177363
Well this is a tough situation. On one hand, I don't want to just leave her to her fate. On the other hand, what can we do for her? We don't have any influence, and our money are being spent on Neon.Imagine stopping her and making Akira tell about her problems, and it turns out we can't afford to do anything?

I want to at least try and show we don't despise her or anything.
>Tell her we're looking forward to seeing her at lunch.

>>4177363
>Stop her, you’re not going to let it end like this
What happened the other day isnt something one can just simply forget about nor ignore. What happened?

>>4177390
Remember, you promised Kaguya you wouldn't leave her alone during classes now.

>>4177440
Aw shit.
When do we even eat now?

>>4177440
>>4177464
So best to nip it in the bud right now? Get things squared away so we finally know what's going on, or let the questioning fade to obscurity? Hit or miss?

>>4177464
Kentaro's planning to order a sandwich or something so he can get a bite without leaving Kaguya alone.

>>4177416
+ 1
Just a quick talk, bout why she fragging

“Wait!” You grab Akira’s wrist before she has the chance to disappear. Akira tries to jerk away, but your grip remains firm.

“Why? Why do you care about me so much?” Akira breaks into tears, any semblance of composure gone. “You know what I’m like now … So please, don’t look my way anymore. Don’t look at me like you don’t find me disgusting.”

“But I don’t find you disgusting.” You reassure Akira.
“You’re lying!” Akira insists, “You saw me last night. Don’t tell me you don’t know what I was doing. How … how can you say you don’t find me disgusting after seeing me last night?”

>You’re still the same to me as before.

>If you want to talk to me about what’s happening, I’m available

>What happened the other day isn’t something I can ignore. What happened?

>Hug her

Write-ins are always welcome, but they’re especially encouraged in times like this.

>>4177776
>Write in attempt?
You and I both know how life in the lower levels of the city/sprawl can be. Some people have to do things they're not proud of. What you do isn't something new or terrible to change who you are. Whatever the circumstances I don't hate you, but I am worried for you.

>>4177776
>Everyone's got their own situations, and no matter what you think, you've got every right to have someone to talk to about it.
>If you want to talk to me about what’s happening, I’m available. It isn't much, I know, but sometimes, talking about it helps.

>>4177776
>I know you're doing it for the sake of someone you care about. Such a thing cannot be called disgusting.
>If you want to talk to me about what’s happening, I’m available

>>4177894
+1

>>4177893
>>4177894
Supporting

Vote called, writing

“Akira, everyone’s got their own situations, and no matter what you think, you’ve got every right to have someone to talk about it.” You tell Akira, loosening your grip.

Akira pulls her hand back. But she doesn’t run. Akira looks at the ground, her eyes hidden by her hair. “That’s the reason you stopped me? Because you wanted to hear about my problems?”

“That’s right.” You gently affirm, “If you want to talk to me about what’s happening, I’m available.”

“But why?” Akira wails, “Why are you trying to help me? Don’t you know how you’re wasting your time? And what good would it be for me to talk about my problems anyways? What will that solve?”

“It isn't much, I know.” You agree, “But sometimes, talking about it helps.”

Akira stifles a sob, then wipes her eyes with her sleeve. “Thank you, Kentaro-kun. I’m grateful that you care. I really am! … But please don’t feel sorry for me. I’m sure I’m not the kind of girl with the kind of problems you’d want to hear about anyways. It’s nothing cute like an unrequited love, or a sick pet. I’m sure you’ve already heard rumours about me from around the household. Everyone knows that I’m one of the girls that sells her body when she’s not sweeping the floor or folding away futons. The men treat me like a plaything, and the other maids despise me. Can you really blame them? To tell you the truth, the only reason I approached you for lunch at first was because you were a new face and I wanted to see whether you’d be interested in buying me. Isn’t that despicable? Isn’t that disgusting? But … I guess I never got around to it. I enjoyed our lunches together too much. I didn’t want them to stop. I-I think you’re the first person who’s been a friend to me ever since I started working here. Everyone else treats me like a dirty whore. But still … why do you feel the need to do so much for me?”

“Akira, I’ve enjoyed our lunches as much as you have.” You say, “And I’m still your friend. That’s why I’m here for you to talk to.”

“I almost cried from happiness when you offered me part of your lunch. And I would have cried from sadness when you found me in the hallway, if I wasn’t on what I was.” Akira admits, “When you helped me last night instead of turning away, I felt so happy. But I didn’t realize at the time that I felt guilty too. You’re kind, Kentaro-kun, do you know that? I never thought an enforcer like you could be so kind to others. I’ve … I’ve known hundreds of them, and I’ve never met a single one like you.” Akira laughs bitterly, “But I don’t deserve your kindness. It’s all true what the others say about me, you know? I’m a dirty, ruined girl who sells herself to pay for her mistakes. Besides, my problems aren’t the kind that can be solved just by talking about them.”

>Well you never know until you try

>I needed someone to talk to after my first mission as an enforcer

>Then why don’t you tell me about them so I can help you find a way to solve them

>At the very least, I want to know why I my friend was high on neurofrag, about to collapse in the hallway

>>4179201
>Well you never know until you try
>At the very least, I want to know why I my friend was high on neurofrag, about to collapse in the hallway

>>4179198
>Well you never know until you try
>I needed someone to talk to after my first mission as an enforcer

Asking about the Neurofrag might bring back bad memories about how her addiction happened.

>>4179198
Sometimes people forget what it means to be kind, or to treat people like actual people. >>4179227
This I suppose

>>4179227
>I needed someone to talk to after my first mission as an enforcer

imo, this one makes it sound like we just wanted something from her, like all the other men.

>>4179198
>Then why don’t you tell me about them so I can help you find a way to solve them

>>4179201
>Well you never know until you try
>I needed someone to talk to after my first mission as an enforcer

>>4179278
I also read this line that way at first, but note that he speaks of his first mission as an enforcer, not a bodyguard. He's talking about his past.

“Well, you never know until you try.” you insist. “I mean, I didn’t.”

“Wha? W-what do you mean?” Akira asks.

“When I say it helps to talk about it, I’m speaking from personal experience.” You explain. “It was my first mission as an enforcer … I was just out of vocational school, 16, the same age as you. Freshly assigned to my division. Hell, I was so fresh I didn’t have a single piece of metal in my body other than my headjack. Now you see, usually, rookies like me aren’t sent out to do anything big until they’ve proven they can handle something small. And that was the kind of mission I was supposed to be sent out on, a routine raid and confiscation of the warehouse of a small microcorp that wasn’t paying its dues. Thing is, it went wrong … badly wrong.”

You stop speaking as your memory comes flooding back to you.

“What happened?” Akira asks. She seems completely enamoured by your story, temporarily forgetting her earlier misery.

“There was … a Spider Tank in the warehouse.” You continue, “Probably a donation from a larger corporation that was supporting our ‘clients’ in a separation … I lost my right arm in the first burst from it’s autocannon.”

You raise your right arm and pull back the sleeve, showing Akira the artificiality of it, the black carbon composite material.

“That’s … that’s horrible!” Akira gasps.

“It was.” You agree, “But my buddy, Teruo … he was completely gutted. I dragged him behind cover with his intestines spilling out behind him while the rest of my division handled the spider-tank. Teruo and I were the the top of our classes throughout all of vocational school … but we spent our first mission huddled behind a pile of shipping crates. Teruo was the first person to introduce himself to me back in vocational school. He died from shock there in my arms, well, arm.”

“Kentaro, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” Akira mutters softly.

You shrug. “It was ten years ago. Besides, every enforcer has stories like this.”

“But still … how terrible.”

“At some point, I passed out behind the crates.” You continue, “When I woke up, I had a new arm. It wasn’t nearly as fancy as this one though.” you idly wave your right arm. “You know … for the longest time, I got phantom pain from my missing arm. I’d think I could feel the metal pinching the flesh in my shoulder. Sometimes my arm would itch and I’d scratch at the metal until my left hand’s fingers were chafed raw. And I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night because I’d hear Teruo screaming.”

“And all this … all this stopped when you talked to someone?” Akira asks.

You nod. “It was my division leader, Hao. He took me drinking one night, just me and him. He sat me down, stared at me hard, and asked me straight to my face, ‘Kentaro-kun, what’s wrong? I didn’t want to tell him at that time, I didn’t want to admit that some small part of me had died watching my best friend holding his guts in and shitting himself while only thinking about whether I’d live or die. But somehow, that Old Man managed to get me to spill all of that over a drink. My phantom pain faded. I stopped waking up in the middle of the night. It wasn’t overnight, but I found out the part of me I thought had died hadn’t really, it was just hurt real bad and hiding.”

Akira takes a long time to process your story, standing there, and looking at the ground in silence.

“My father was a rich man.” She eventually says, beginning her own story. “Not extremely so, he was the manager and owner of a small algae farm in the city. But more than that, he was the most gentle and loving father a girl could hope for. As a child, me and my mother never wanted for anything. But all that changed when a contamination of the water caused all the algae to die. The corporation who had contracted him the factory demanded he pay for damages. When he tried to fight it in court, they had him killed instead. My mother who was named in his will as his successor, and was forced to declare bankruptcy. I had to drop out of school. We ended up selling everything we owned and moving into the city when we couldn’t afford to stay in our old apartment. My mother was never the same after my father’s death. She died two years later. I tried moving in with a boyfriend, but he left me when I got pregnant.”

“Wait, you have a child?” You say incredulously.

“A son, two years old.” Akira says, “He’s the most precious thing in the world to me. I left him with an old couple in the apartment I moved into with my mother, and send them money whenever I can.”

“Your son … is he …”

“Yes. He’s the reason I sell myself.” Akira finishes for you. “At first, working as a maid was enough to pay for both me and him. I’m a hard worker, you know? I was recommended for a position here from a previous job, and not just anyone can get a recommendation for here. But then, my son got sick and I had to find a way to pay for the medicine. The very next day, the assistant-head maid approached me with an offer for a side job. Maybe she could see the desperation on my face. At first, it was hard for me. But then I found out about Neurofrag ...”

Akira didn’t need to explain anything about Neurofrag. Anyone who grew up on the streets knew all about it, specifically to never get hooked to it. At once a potent shame inhibitor, antidepressant, and aphrodisiac, there was a reason why the drug was known as the Whore’s Drool. “Who hooked you?”

Akira didn’t need to explain anything about Neurofrag. Anyone who grew up on the streets knew all about it, specifically to never get hooked to it. At once a potent shame inhibitor, antidepressant, and aphrodisiac, there was a reason why the drug was known as the Whore’s Drool. “Who hooked you?”

“The Head Maid. Who else? At first, she gave me a weekly allowance for my ‘hard work’. Things were easier while I was on it. I’d get back from work, take a few pills, and go wherever the Head Maid told me to go while barely aware of what I was saying or doing. If I took just the right amount, I wouldn’t even remember what happened when I came off it. But then I got dependent. And that’s when she started charging. Now, I can’t go a day without a pill. I’m starting to get near the point where I’ll need to inject it directly.” Akira laughs bitterly again. “ I started taking neurofrag so I’d be able to work better and support my son properly. But now, I just end up using my pay on more neurofrag. Isn’t that disgusting? As a child, I thought being a maid meant taking care of pretty princesses and getting to live in a palace with them. Isn’t that stupid of me?”

Tears start streaming down Akira’s face again.

>Don’t blame yourself too much. You did everything for a good reason.

>I may not be able to help you. But I can stop it from getting worse. If anyone causes you trouble, I’ll take care of it.

>At the very least, we have to get you off Neurofrag. You’re nearly terminal.

>Hug her

>>4179994
>"At the very least, we have to get you off Neurofrag. You’re nearly terminal."
>Hug her

>>4179994
>>At the very least, we have to get you off Neurofrag. You’re nearly terminal.

>>4179994
>Don’t blame yourself too much. You did everything for a good reason.
>At the very least, we have to get you off Neurofrag. You’re nearly terminal.
>Hug her
She can take to heart that despite the bad hand she's been given, she's still a strong caring mother. Is her son well now, or is he still reliant on medication? if he doesn't need to be medicated anymore then all we need to do is detox her. is she allowed any sick days?

The head maid.... I fell like we meet her before, or at the least heard of her name? The only other staff member I can recall is that (I think) nameless dude that brought us all the way from the corporate building to here.

>>4180349
You haven't heard of the head maid. But then again, my notes are disorganized.

And yes, that nameless dude was nameless.

>>4179994
>Don’t blame yourself too much. You did everything for a good reason.
>At the very least, we have to get you off Neurofrag. You’re nearly terminal.
>Hug her
She's only 16? This is so fucked up.

>>4180357
Wait. Akira is 16 now, or 16 when she had her kid?

>>4180360
>>4180367
Akira's around 16-17 by your estimation.

>>4180384
Good on her for still loving her kid. It would be so easy to start blaming him for everything.

>>4179994
>At the very least, we have to get you off Neurofrag. You’re nearly terminal.
>Hug her

>>4180349
>>4180360
>>4180386
I'm glad you guys are invested enough to care about characters. I hope I'm doing them justice. All this talk about how fucked up Akira's life is and not a single mention of how Kentaro got his arm shot off and saw his friend die on his first mission? Did you guys just expect him to have that kind of past? Just curious.

You hug Akira close as she starts sobbing loudly. Akira clings onto you with a desperate energy. She had been starved for emotional connection and was finally finding it for you.

“I’m pathetic, Kentaro-kun! Why am I so weak?”

“Don’t blame yourself too much.” You say reassuringly, “You did everything for a good reason.”

“Do you really think so?” Akira sniffles.

“I know so.” You say, “It’s been rough for you, but you’ve still shown the world a brave, cheerful face. I know because you were wearing one the first time I met you.”

“Really? I thought I looked nervous, ahaha …” Akira laughs weakly. It still doesn’t sound like her usual laugh, but at least the bitterness was gone from her voice.

“It was a brave nervousness.” You tell Akira.

“Well … if you say so.” Akira says. She looks much calmer now. “Thank you, Kentaro-kun. For caring, I mean. I feel a lot better now.”

“Of course.” You say, bowing in acknowledgement, eliciting a small giggle on Akira’s part. “I am worried about your use of neurofrag. At the rate you’re going, you’ll be terminal before long.”

“I’m sure I’ll need less of it now that I finally have a friend I can rely on.” Akira optimistically says, before giving you a pained look, “Although … I’m not sure I can continue, well, doing what I do, without it.”

>Why do you even need to continue doing ‘that’?

>Just try to decrease the amount you take over time. I’ll check on you daily

>I’ll handle your supply from now on, to make sure you wean yourself off

>>4180504
>>Just try to decrease the amount you take over time. I’ll check on you daily
Selling herself isn't worth it if most of it goes into taking the drugs she needs to mentally cope with it

>>4180500
>Did you guys just expect him to have that kind of past?
He's a corporate enforcer in a cyberpunk dystopia.

>>4180504
>Why do you even need to continue doing ‘that’?
If she only needs it for the drugs, I think maybe we can subsidize her so she doesn't need to whore around?
I also wonder what is the SOP for discovering something like this in the household. We can give the head maid away to Kyune. I'm just afraid this would result in Akira being fired.

>>4180529
Though actually, when we told Kyune about what we were doing in the garage, did we mention Akira's name? If we did, and she still hasn't been fired, I think we can safely remove the dealer.
Unless going cold turkey on neurofrag is dangerous. We should google it (through our VPN).
I also wonder how much would a detox treatment cost.

>>4180504
>>Why do you even need to continue doing ‘that’?
>>Just try to decrease the amount you take over time. I’ll check on you daily
>>I’ll handle your supply from now on, to make sure you wean yourself off
Sort of all three of these. The first because I'd like to know if she's doing it to afford the neurofrag, to care for her son if he's still sick, or both. The second to not really say it but look into head maid by asking her who else knows about the drug dealing. Third to see what we can do to help by eventually going up and talking to the head maid with 100% certainty it won't blow up in our face?

>>4180500
Mostly focused on her right now. I knew Cyberpunk life can suck, but I really didn't suspect his past to be that brutal. Damn, to lose your friend like that? Poor Kentaro. Speaking of his past, compared to his past experience with a Spider Tank, how likely is he to defeat one 1 vs 1 with his new load out? Does his dead friend have a grave, or just an urn containing his ashes in some mass vertical grave building?

>>4180513
She probably knows that, but I'd really like to know how much money is still going back to her son if she's still being charged for neurofrag. If she stopped prostituting and was able to kick her addiction, would she still have to worry about her son's medical fees?

>>4180529
Between Kyune's uncles use of copious amounts of excess in the form of drugs and whores shown in the past thread, I doubt tattling on the head maid would do much, maybe even anger or annoy some people? Corp politics is weird.

>>4180537
pretty sure we did give a clue, or give out her name out right. Kyune was smart enough to piece together the smell of neurofrag and sex that Kentaro touched Akira.

>>4180568
>I doubt tattling on the head maid would do much

What if we inform Kyune about the head maid pushing neurofrag and see if she'd be able to use it as leverage or blackmail material? Or possibly look into finding where the head maid gets her supply, get to the supplier, and figure out how far up the chain this goes?

>>4180586
As noble as the cause would be, why should she care? If she did care, I'm not sure she's in a position of power to do anything about it until she's head of the family/company. If drugs are an issue, why not stop the uncle? This is an interesting line of investigation though. Perhaps if we word it in a way to not sound demanding to Kyune, or at the least gain some insight into why people are dealing in neurofrag in the household to begin with. Then there's the addition as to why anyone would believe the new guy and the whorish addict against the senior maid who's been working her longer (probably), or why anyone in here would care about neurofrag. There's also why any of the men or women who buy Akira for the night would care about the neurofrag usage and her plight.

Not saying that we shouldn't look into it, but step by step how do you think we should go about this?

>>4180590
We won't demand anything or accuse anyone. All we have to do is to tip Kyune off. If she can't/won't do anything, we lose nothing. If she doesn't believe us, she's free to do her own investigation. Tipping her off is not a surefire solution, but it's a thing that costs us nothing and can potentially bring results.

But first we should make sure that cutting off Akira's supply before she's weaned off won't harm her. And preferably we do it before we meet Kyune.

>>4180504
>Why do you even need to continue doing ‘that’?
>Try to decrease the amount you take over time. I’ll check on you daily
>I’ll handle your supply from now on, to make sure you wean yourself off
all three of these, yeah.
>>4180529
+1 to the subsidization, helping her our means she doesn't have to whore herself, and has no reason for neurofrag aside from addiction
>>4180537
+1 on research

>>4180631
>>4180568
Guys, if we start buying her drugs we'll be implicating ourselves. This WILL bite us, I bet you anything.

>>4180643
gonna need to talk to Kyune, keep her in the loop about this. she'll understand, and be fine with it as long as we keep it quiet

>>4180643
Never mentioned buying the drugs.

>>4180679
How else do you interpret "handling her supply"?

>>4180631
+1

>>4180537
You need to have a salary at least as good as Kentaro's to afford a safe detox. Usually, it's made cheaper through buying medical insurance, but neither Kentaro or Akira has that since Kentaro's health care costs are covered by Muramoto Corps and Akira doesn't have the funds to afford it and would be fired for using drugs anyways.
>>4180568
There are some Spider Tanks he would be able to beat, and some he would lose against. Spider Tanks are no joke, a medium-sized one would be a boss fight where you'd need extensive preparation to bring it down.
But even a medium-sized spider tank is incredibly rare. The fact that Kentaro bumped into one on his first mission is unbelievably bad luck.
His friend's ashes are stored in the Muramoto Corporation's Employee Columbarium. You'll probably end up visiting them someday.

>>4181013
You said that Kentaro had already hit the ceiling of how good he can naturally improve his swordsmanship, but Kyune is still better than him? You said in a previous thread that the only way for him to be a better sword swinger is to improve his cyberwares? Ah, and if we do that we're gonna need to debuff one statistic to improve another.

>>4181106
Yeah, Kentaro's already hit the ceiling of how good he can improve his swordsmanship. He could always min-max to specialize and become even better in one area, but of course that will have consequences.
Kyune's a better sword-swinger who's only begun to explore how good she can really become, but her stat line is lower than Kentaro's. There's only so strong you can make a flesh-and-blood body.

>>4181115
are there any cqc experts within the household where we could get some training?

>>4181120
None that are significantly better than you. Kyune's fencing master is much better, but good luck getting him to spend time teaching you.

Another route is to simply get a better cybernetic body, Kentaro's cybernetics aren't exactly state-of-the-art. But a top-of-the-line cybernetic body will cost a fortune.

“Why do you even need to continue doing ‘that’?” You ask, “Do you still need to pay for your son’s medical costs?”

“Ummm, here’s the thing …” Akira says, twiddling her fingers, “I’m … actually in debt to the Head Maid.”

“You’re … in debt?” You groan. This complicated things. “I thought you were trying to earn money!”

“I am!” Akira wails, “B-but one day, I didn’t have enough money to buy enough neurofrag to make it through the week, and she gave me extra to make it through the week, saying it would be fine if I paid her back for it later. I-I didn’t know she charged interest!”

You cross your arms, trying to think of what to do. You couldn’t think of anything that would wrap this up cleanly. But you never expected you would be able to. If you were going to help Akira, it would be a long, messy affair.

“At the very least, we need to start decreasing the amount you’re taking.” You decide, “I’ll check on your progress daily. I’ll also be handling your supply from now on, to make sure you wean yourself off.”

“A-are you sure that’s a good idea?” Akira protests, “You shouldn’t get involved directly! You might implicate yourself! I … um … I don’t want you to get in trouble for my sake ...” Akira trails off.

“Don’t worry. I have a good relationship with some people higher up than even the Assistant-Head Maid.” You reassure Akira, “I won’t get in trouble, not over something like this.”

“Well … I can’t really refuse after all you’ve done for me, can I?” Akira reluctantly says.

You give Akira a small smile. Yes, this would be a messy affair. You would have to do some research into making the detox process as safe as possible. And if you did end up doing more for Akira than supporting her, you would have to be extremely careful not to annoy anyone higher up in the household than the Assistant-Head Maid. But you were confident that this could be a happy ending.

Just then, you’re musings are interrupted by a knock on the door. “Kentaro-kun, are you there? I’m ready now, let’s get going.”

“It looks like you need to get going.” Akira says, “I’ll go back to my work then.”

“I’ll contact you tonight.”

“O-okay.” Akira’s swallows nervously as she struggles to find the right words. “I-I’ll be relying on you from now on, Kentaro-kun.”

“Glad to hear it.” You nod in acknowledgement, then step out the door.

You find Kaguya waiting for you patiently in the hall. She was dressed more nicely than usual, although not as suffocatingly formally as her furisode. Her sleeves were wider, her obi’s bow was a bit more complex, and the kimono itself was a gorgeous pink embellished with a flock of butterflies taking flight. You weren’t sure if butterflies flocked, but it suited your Young Master.

“You took a while, Kentaro-kun.” Kaguya comments unaccusingly.

“My apologies for keeping you waiting, Kaguya-sama.” You bow in apology.

“You aren’t late yet, so there’s no need to apologize.” Kaguya says. “So? How do I look?”

>Great, as always

>Even cuter than usual

>Is this for Kyune’s Mother?

>Are you sure you can maintain this look throughout the day?

>>4181156
>Even cuter than usual
>Is this for Kyune’s Mother?

>>4181156
>>Even cuter than usual
>>Is this for Kyune’s Mother?

>>4181156
>>Even cuter than usual
>>Is this for Kyune’s Mother?

>>4181166
+1

>>4181156
>Great, as always
Give he a thumbs up. She looks cool with the obi bow.

“Even cuter than usual.” You tell Kaguya, making her blush slightly.

“That’s good to hear.” Kaguya says.

“Kaguya-sama, are you trying to make a good first impression on Kyune’s mother?”

“That’s right.” Kaguya nods, “That was what I was going for.”

“Well, I’m sure it will work.” You say, “Now … let’s get going.”

The rest of Kaguya’s classes continue as usual. There are no more interruptions. At first, your thoughts are occupied by the events going on in the background of the manor. But when you were sitting here in various lounges and gardens, you really couldn’t tell that there was a vicious power struggle going on between Kyune and her Uncle just by looking around you. You couldn’t tell there was an underground market of narcotics and prostitution. There was really no way of glimpsing the true nature of the Muramoto Manor that lurked just below the surface, simply by looking around. Eventually, your well-honed skill of compartmentalization clears those thoughts from your head. You return to the state of mind of idyllically lounging around while keeping an eye out for any threats.

At one point, you even find yourself listening to Kaguya’s lesson on ...

>Corporate neo-feudalism

>Inter-corporate warfare

>Proletariat birth-control

>This history of Noir

>>4181422
>Inter-corporate warfare
you had me at warfare.

So if we do a really good job, and we save up on cash, could we eventually afford top of the line ware? Alternatively if we manage to some how btfo a cyborg with superior parts and we asked nice enough, could we have their stuff?
I forgot, but was it just the arm as far as limbs go that's a full cybernetic limb, or Kentaro's whole body? Are his limbs modular enough to be remove right then and there from their sockets?

>>4181428
You'll never be able to afford top of the line cybernetics if you save for your whole life. This is the level of sophistication where an entire megacorp can only afford to outfit a unit of ten or twenty people with that level of tech. However, if you play corporate politics well enough before the quest ends, you might be able to get a sponsor to join that kind of unit and have the corporation pay for you.
If you did manage to bring down a cyborg with superior parts, you would be able to ask for some of their parts. But you would have to consider whether those parts are useful to you or not or mesh well with your other equipment.
Kentaro's body is mostly cybernetic, the only really organic parts left are the insides of his head and torso. But he's not really modular outside of his right arm, which you can remove and replace. Bear in mind, Kentaro's precision has as much to do with his arm as his nervous system and installed combat algorithms.

>>4181422
>Corporate neo-fuedalism

>>4181422
>>Proletariat birth-control

so any tie breakers?

>>4181865
OP could roll a 1d3 to break it if nobody else comes in.

Of course, he could also just write all three lessons for the update...

>>4181493
Changing to>>4181428

>>4181422
>>Inter-corporate warfare

File: Cyber7.jpg (128 KB, 1309x610)

128 KB JPG

Kaguya’s lesson on Inter-Corporate Warfare catches your attention as soon as it begins. You’ve fought in the corporate wars for more than a decade now, but you realize you don’t really know what people think of it outside of who’s involved …

First arising in the late 21’s century, Inter-Corporate Warfare is seen as a direct result of the weakening of the Nation-State which came to be replaced by the present day neo-feudalist structure. While many experts at the time predicted that the subsidization of law enforcement to various corporations would lead to an increase of corporate militarization, the preference for government austerity, ineffectiveness of the police force, and rising crime rates made this outcome almost certain.

With the transformation of assets both private and public into fiefs for which the various corporations to compete over, clashes over metaphorical ‘territory’ became unavoidable. This competition only increased once it was discovered that oftentimes, it was more cost-effective to settle small inter-corporate feuds via limited skirmishing than pay for the expedient legal fees charged to large corporations. In other words, it is much cheaper to have an opposing party killed than taken to court, provided the difference in size between the two parties is large enough. However, unrestrained military combat remains expensive enough that the largest affairs of business between peer corporations are still conducted peacefully. This reality is not expected to change in the foreseeable future.

This means that for a skirmish to occur, three conditions have to be fulfilled. One, that the size difference between the instigator and target is large enough for a decisive victory to be possible. Two, that the conflict takes place on territory belonging to a party which will not intervene, either due to a lack of opportunity to profit from intervening, or a previously-arranged understanding. Three, that a seemingly uninvolved peer party has no stake in the conflict and is not sponsoring the target. Of all three conditions, a misreading of the third is the most common reason for direct conflict between the forces of two megacorporations.

File: Char13.jpg (76 KB, 727x1024)

76 KB JPG

The prevailing trend of Inter-Corporate warfare is towards extreme concentration of force and lethality. This trend is influenced by a variety of factors, from the prevalence of urban warfare, to interest in not destroying assets in the area, to the need for covertness to avoid upsetting public opinion of the megacorporations as a whole. This has led to the phasing out of once-ubiquitous weapons like fragmentation grenades in favor of shaped-charge high-explosives as well as a return of the importance of close-quarters hand-to-hand combat. But by far the most important factor is the difficulty in concealing troop buildup. It is much easier to conceal a single unit of elite, highly trained, heavily armed career operatives than multiple units of cheaper, more lightly armed troops. Add the fact that an accusation of overt militarization is paramount to a death sentence for all but the largest corporations. Most armed conflict resembles nothing other than carefully planned surgery.[/i]

Kaguya’s lesson fascinates you. Even though you’re intensely familiar with the ins and outs of this corporate skullduggery, you never knew why you fought the way you did. You had just assumed that that was just how fighting had always been, other than a vague understanding that warfare in the past had been larger, bloodier, and more low-tech.
…

Next up is your visit to Kyune’s mother, which I don’t have the energy to write today. So I’ll leave you with this for now.

>>4182672
Thanks for running!
I wonder though how the spider tanks play into this mode of warfare.

>>4182706
They're usually used to guard very important facilities. They're more a deterrent against attack than something used offensively.

>>4183212
I kinda hope we get to fight one

>>4183255
I would be remiss as a competent QM if I didn't introduce such a cool concept and not use it as an opponent.

One will probably be a mid-game boss.

You spend the rest of the day similarly, sometimes listening to Kaguya’s lessons, sometimes meditating when they get too esoteric or simply dull. Halfway through Kaguya’s lessons, you order a sandwich and eat while listening to a lesson on aggressive stock manipulation which you can’t even begin to understand.

But eventually, the day comes to an end at four like it always does. In the remaining time before your meeting tonight, you pick out your sharpest suit like Kaguya told you. But that still left you with almost two hours.

Well, you might as well get started on researching neurofrag detox. However, even through Neon’s VPN package, all the results you can find are ads. Ads for over-the-counter ‘medicinal’ neurofrag, expensive neurofrag detox procedures, and the rare public health announcement on the detrimental effects of recreational neurofrag. At one point, you find a promising article on an obscure site named ‘Wikipedia’, but exit in frustration once you’re asked to subscribe to continue reading after scrolling down a few lines. You’re forced to give up after wading through page after page of the same trash. Perhaps you were naive to think the corporate-controlled portion cybernet would offer any kind of information for free.

At a quarter to six, you hear a light rap on your door. At first, you think it’s Akira. You did say you would check on her progress daily, didn’t you? But still, this was a spectacularly bad time.

You rush over to your door to find Kyune standing outside instead. She’s dressed in her school uniform, with the slight addition of her katana hanging at her side.

“Hey Kentaro, it’s just about time. Mother sent me here to guide you to her.” Kyune looks around, “Kaguya in her room?”

“Yeah.” You nod.

>I’m surprised they sent you instead of one of the maids or guards

>Me and Kaguya are looking forwards to meeting your mother

>Your mother will be happy to see you went to school today

>What? No fancy kimono for you?

I told you a spider tank fight is inevitable.

>>4183304
>Wikipedia requires subscription
This cyberpunk dystopia truly is bleak.


>I’m surprised they sent you instead of one of the maids or guards
>Me and Kaguya are looking forwards to meeting your mother

>>4183304
>>I’m surprised they sent you instead of one of the maids or guards
>>Me and Kaguya are looking forwards to meeting your mother

Save the disappointment over her not wearing a kimono for when Kaguya sees her. Hopefully she’ll use puppy dog eyes to get Kyune to put hers on.

>>4183342
>>4183356
+1

>>4183356
+ 1

>>4183304
is that the gift?

Vote called, writing

“You know, both me and Kaguya-sama are looking forward to meeting your mother.” You say.

“Is that so?” Kyune laughs, “I think you’ll be surprised by how different I am from her … Just a guess though.”

“Is she that different from you? You’re already quite different from your father, so I assumed that you took after her.” You tease.

“Sorry to disappoint, but the only person I resemble is myself.”

“I’m surprised they sent you instead of one of the maids or guards.” You comment.

“Well, I’m unofficially my mother’s retainer.” Kyune explains nonchalantly, “If I had any brothers, it’d be their job.”

That’s right. Yoji had mentioned that Kyune was raised like how a son would be raised. If so, was the son’s position as their parent’s retainers another one of the Muramoto Family’s traditions?

“Kyune Onee-chan!” Kaguya steps out of her room, “I heard your voice from inside … so how do I look?”

Kaguya does a little spin, showing off her kimono.

“Not bad, kimono’s suit you.” Kyune nods, “Wait … your obi is a bit loose. Hold still.”

“”I thought you’d be wearing a kimono as well. I wanted to see Kyune Onee-chan in her good one.” Kaguya says in a forlorn voice as Kyune fiddles with her obi.

“My Old Man has a strong belief that a student’s most formal outfit is their uniform.” Kyune apologizes, giving Kaguya’s obi one final tug. “There, that’s just about good … You’re learning though, Kaguya, saying ‘you wanted to see me in a Kimono’ instead of asking ‘why aren’t you wearing a kimono?’ You’ll have men wrapped around your little finger once you get older.”

“Kyune Onee-chan, please stop that!” Kaguya protests, blushing adorably.

“See? That’s what I’m talking about …”
…

The path that Kyune takes you through leads you through the center of the Manor, somewhere you haven’t been since you began working here. The hallways grow increasingly cramped. If not for the downloaded maps, you would have gotten lost no matter how many times you wandered through. But Kyune never seems to be unsure of where to go.

You pass by multiple guard posts and go up multiple flights of stairs, getting a little closer to the top of the mountain. Eventually, Kyune guides you through a small courtyard garden, decorated in a traditional style except for a small patio chair and table sitting off to the side, a jarring piece of the modern world amongst it’s surroundings.

“Wait a sec’.” Kyune says, knocking on the far screen door. “Mother, the guests have arrived.”

“Enter.” A barely audible and exceedingly soft and gentle voice calls from inside.

You and Kaguya step inside to find an airy room furnished traditionally just like the garden outside. Displayed on the walls were multiple examples of impressive calligraphy and artwork, as well as a single western poem. Sitting on a shelf in the sun was a shelf fecund with exceedingly beautiful flower arrangements. In the middle of the room was a smouldering hearth, next to which was a low table with a tea set.

And next to the table was a woman sitting up in a futon. She was dressed in a plain white kimono, and had long, luscious hair down to her waist that had been lovingly combed until it spilled from the crown of her head like a black waterfall. It was a similar shade to Kyune’s. She was an exceedingly beautiful woman. Although her beauty was nowhere near the level of Kyune’s or Kaguya’s, it was much more relatable, soft, and welcoming. Much more human.

“Mother.” Kyune bows. You’re surprised by how respectful her tone is.

“So you went to school today, Kyune? I’m very glad to see that.”

“I don’t know what you’re worried about. I go to school every day.” Kyune answers.

Lady Muramoto giggles in amusement before turning her attention to Kaguya. “You must be Kaguya-chan. I’ve heard a lot above you. I’m sorry we could not meet earlier, or else I would have paid you a visit … I know it isn’t much, but are you willing to accept some refreshments to make amends?”

“S-sure?” Kaguya seems completely unsure of how to respond. It took you days to even begin to crack her mask. But Lady Muramoto’s line of what was technically courtesy made Kaguya reveal within seconds what she was feeling. Utter confusion.

Lady Muramoto turns to her daughter. “Kyune, if you please?”

“Yeah yeah.” Kyune says, retrieving a tray of some tiny mochi as well as delicate wooden forks.

Kaguya carefully spears one and nibbles on it. Her face lights up in delight. “It’s good!”

“Glad to hear it!” Lady Muramoto says, “Although it’s rare for a girl your age to have developed a taste for traditional sweets. You’re quite refined, Kaguya-chan.”

Kaguya blushes from Lady Muramoto’s compliment. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” Lady Muramoto smiles gently. Then, she turns to you. “And you must be Kentaro-kun. So, I hear you saved my daughter’s life …”

>Muramoto-sama is correct

>Well, anything for her, Muramoto-sama

>Muramoto-sama is flattering me, I was just doing my job

>She would have been fine even if I didn’t, Muramoto-sama

>>4184192
>Muramoto-sama is correct

Stick with the first one. "Well, anything for her, Muramoto-sama" sounds way too informal, and "Muramoto-sama is flattering me, I was just doing my job" isn't exactly true, and if Kyune could see through our lie to protect Akira, her mother definitely can see through this one.

>>4184217
Do you think it's coincidence that the robot attack while we were talking with Kyune, or do you think it could had been planned?

>>4184299
Coincidence, mostly, but I'm open for it being planned.

>>4184314
Perhaps we could discuss with Kyune and Kaguya if they have ever considered additional after school "electives?" As in, they consider learning how to reduce their odds of being assassinated or kidnapped? Thought that might not be needed since they have a household of other grizzled veterans to take wisdom from and the best hired instructors money could by, and Kentaro exists to protect them so, hmmmm.

>>4184192
>Muramoto-sama is flattering me, I was just doing my job
It's not true in the sense that we aren't Kyune's bodyguard, but it's true in the sense that we are a professional.

>>4184299
I'd say it came down to the murderbot being too dumb to wait for a better moment.

>>4184192
>>Muramoto-sama is flattering me, I was just doing my job
I mean besides being Kaguya's bodyguard I'd say every employee has the duty to protect the heir

>>4184192
>Muramoto-sama is flattering me, I was just doing my job

>>4184217
+1

“Muramoto-sama is flattering me,” You protest, “I was just doing my job, protecting the future heiress.”

“And you did a fine job.” Lady Muramoto replies, “Handling a threat as quickly as you did.”

Aw hell, she was leaving you no choice but to be flattered, wasn’t she? You weren’t sure how to respond.

“Some tea, Mother?” Kyune interjects, saving you from making a fool of yourself.

“Thank you.” Lady Muramoto says graciously, accepting the cup Kyune offers. You can smell the grassy aroma of the tea from where you kneel. You don’t miss that Lady Muramoto needs two hands to steady her cup. And still, she almost spills it several times lifting it to her lips. “Kentaro-kun, feel free to have some tea and refreshments as well.”

You oblige, sampling the miniature mochi yourself. It’s … sweet. You think. For a brief second, there’s a burst of clearly discernible flavor, but it’s so light and transient that by the time you swallow, the taste is already gone.

“Kentaro, have some tea as well.” Kyune offers, gracefully passing you and Kaguya a cup. You’ve never seen anyone pour a cup of tea with such grace before. Huh. Being entertained by Kyune so diligently was … a surprisingly pleasant experience.

As soon as you are all settled in with full cups of tea, Lady Muramoto gets to the reason why you were summoned here. “Kentaro-kun, I must express my sincere gratitude to you for saving my daughter’s life … And Kaguya-chan, your retainer has rendered a great service to us. We thank you for that as well.” Lady Muramoto bows to both you and Kaguya in turn.

“Kentaro-kun, I owe you my life.” Kyune follows suit, bowing formally and respectfully. You’re more than slightly pleased to have her speak to you so respectfully to you, as well as slightly unnerved. “As thanks, please accept this gift.”

Kyune presents you with an ornate tanto with both its sheath and handle wrapped in a pale, white, ridged leather unlike any kind you’ve ever seen, with a pommel and disc guard made from brightly polished brass. Traditionally, you were supposed to refuse a gift three times, weren’t you. But you grasp the dagger firmly, tucking it into your belt. It was a fundamental teaching of the Muramoto Guard-Retainer School to never refuse a bladed weapon offered by a superior. Lady Muramoto’s face remains impassive, but Kyune nods in approval.

“This is a generous gift. My thanks.” You say.

“It’s a family heirloom.” Kyune explains, “The wrappings on the hilt and scabbard were fashioned from a long-extinct species of fish known as the ray. May it serve you well. Just don’t stab anything knife-proof with it.” Kyune adds at the end with a wink.

Now, it’s Kaguya’s turn. “Kentaro-kun, you have been a loyal retainer and represented me well by saving the life of Kyune-oneesama. In appreciation, I find it fitting to extend to you a bonus equal to 25 percent of your yearly salary, as well as a potential raise to be discussed in the future.”

Your jaw nearly hits the floor when you hear Kaguya’s words. A 25 percent bonus of your yearly bonus? Right here and now? You had been short of funds earlier, but now … now, you were loaded. There were a whole lot of things you could use that many sincreds on right now. You manage to collect yourself enough to thank Kaguya properly.

With the formal thanks over, Lady Muramoto engages the four of you in small talk for the next hour. You can’t help but be impressed by how good of a conversationalist she is, successfully and gracefully keeping a conversation over nothing of importance going for so long.

“And how do you find my daughter, Kyune?” Lady Muramoto eventually asks, “I hope she’s treated you well.”

>She’s … extremely strong willed.

>I would be satisfied with her as my master, if not for Kaguya-sama

>I’m surprised by the difference in temperament between her and the rest of her family

>I’m extremely impressed by her skill in flower arrangement

>>4184910
>“I hope she’s treated you well.”
She does. Despite the difference in temperament she show many a noble qualities. She would make for a fitting heir.

>I’m extremely impressed by her skill in flower arrangement

>>4184910
You mentioned something about cyber ninjas in the past. How good is Kentaro's parkour, running, and tuck & roll skills? Would there be any safe place within the compound too practice those skills?

>>4184910
>She’s … extremely strong willed.

"I would be satisfied with her as my master" is finicky, we either offend Kyune or Kaguya

"I’m surprised by the difference in temperament between her and the rest of her family" begs the question of "what differences?", and then we risk offending someone again

"I’m extremely impressed by her skill in flower arrangement" is, first, a weird thing to concentrate on, second, carries question about where and why we could've witnessed it, and third, reminds Kaguya of an unpleasant event.

>>4184910
>>She’s … extremely strong willed.

Also that bonus is really going to help us out with Akira and Neon's stuff

>>4184938
What? We're spending it on an antique physical copy of Dragon Quest and custom-built hardware to play it.
Nah, we're spending it on Akira's detox, of course. We can also ask Neon about finding cheaper and more covert detox options.

>>4184940
Also is this the gift we're supposed to hand over to Kaguya's father?

>>4184942
Yep.

>>4184916
By cyborg standards, Kentaro isn't that agile. He can roll behind cover easily enough, jump long distances, and run pretty fast, but he's not going to be able to do backflips or run and jump off walls.

>>4185187
Is he not agile due to not having much in the ways of practice, or is it an augmentation limitation due to him being geared towards shooting and swording?

>>4185223
Both. Obstacle courses were part of his curriculum, but they didn't really extend past the basics. Besides, Kentaro's body is really heavy, his skeleton is titanium after all. Most assassins have very lightweight bodies.

“She’s … extremely strong-willed.” You reply honestly.

Lady Muramoto clucks her tongue. “Kyune, you’re going to have to do better than that if you want to gain a foothold against your uncle.”

“I’m working on it, dammit!” Kyune exclaims loudly, before looking away and blushing. “Besides, I’ve already inspired the loyalty of most of the household guard.”

“Inspiring loyalty is different than earning loyalty.” Lady Muramoto gently chides, “You can’t inspire loyalty simply by showing up and chatting with the guards and enforcers and sometimes playing with them in the kendo hall.”

Kyune looks away, blushing in embarrassment. “Well, it works.”

“And if this is what your standards of loyalty are, you have some work to do.” Lady Muramoto tells her daughter, “You won’t have it as easy as your father. Your uncle won’t lie down and accept defeat like back then. He’s learned in his old age. If you want to win, you’ll have to be a little more dishonorable than normal.”

“I know that already.” Kyune humphs.

>Any last questions for Lady Muramoto?

>>4185271
Oh neat she's being doing this with other guards and enforcers? Cool beans. Now I'm not sure how much insight Kentaro can offer, but what about Lady Muramoto? I've no doubt that shes helping he daughter? What wisdom does she have?
I think a way to earn loyalty would be. I dunno getting to know your employees / guards, or apply more sword? Be sort of an ideal model of a leader?

>>4185269
Would some sort of cyber space parkour curriculum work?

>>4185271
>>Any last questions for Lady Muramoto?
Not right now

>>4185271
>Any last questions for Lady Muramoto?
What's her opinion of Kaguya?

Since there’s not really an option that got any support, I’m going to go with nothing for now.

The small talk continues for a little while longer before Kaguya politely insists that the two of you have to go. Lady Muramoto graciously apologizes for keeping you so long, and tells Kyune to see the two of you back to your rooms. Kaguya’s in a noticeably good mood walking back. You guess it’s a combination of relief of having found another friendly family member, as well as simply enjoying Kyune’s company. She walks in front of the two of you. You don’t miss how she never hesitates to remember which way to go, even through the maze of the central manor.

“I’m glad I finally got to meet your mother.” Kaguya tells Kyune once the three of you stop at her door.

“She’s a nice lady.” Kyune agrees, “She seemed to like you too, so you might be invited back in the future.”

“Maybe Kyune onee-chan will wear a kimono next time too.” Kaguya says shyly.

Kyune laughs. “Maybe I will. Though I can’t promise it will be one as pretty as yours.”

“I’ll hold you to that promise then.” Kaguya says, before retiring to her room.

“So. What was that I heard about me being strong-willed?” Kyune asks as soon as Kaguya is out of earshot.

“I didn’t realize that you were offended.” You reply.

Kyune humphs. “Strong willed … what a rude way to refer to a young girl.”

“I only said what I thought.” You banter along.

“Fragging asshole. I’m the most refined chick you’ll ever clap your eyes on.” Kyune shoots back.

“For what it’s worth, I meant it as a compliment.” You protest.

“You better damn well have.” Kyune mutters. “So? You said earlier you were looking forwards to meeting my mother. What do you think?”

“I’m honestly surprised at the difference in temperament.” You say.

“I see you’ve learned how to relax around your superiors.” Kyune belatedly sighs. “Honestly, one ‘thank you’ and you think you can run your mouth. Well, I can’t say It’s worse than how suffocatingly formal you were when I first saw you … But that’s enough for now. Do you remember what I told you, Kentaro-kun?”

You do. You brush your fingers against the tanto tucked into your belt. “Is it true what you said about it being a family heirloom?”

Kyune nods. “Every word.”

“And you’re just going to …”

“Why not?” Kyune shrugs, “I’ve got five others just like it. Besides, it was a gift from my Uncle in the first place.”

“It was?”

“That’s right. It was his present for my first birthday … Don’t know what he thought a baby girl would need a dagger for.” Kyune sarcastically says.

To give a child a dagger … you had to wonder what Kyune’s Uncle had meant by that …

>Does Lady Muramoto really like Kaguya? Why didn’t she visit her earlier?

>Shouldn’t it have been Kyune’s father thanking you?

>Ask about Kyune’s Mother’s hand shaking

>So, you’re planning on supplying a girl with neurofrag ...

>>4186670
>>Ask about Kyune’s Mother’s hand shaking
Well maybe not so explicitly, more like on the lines of how's your mother's health lately

>>4186673
+1

>>4186670
>Does Lady Muramoto really like Kaguya? Why didn’t she visit her earlier?
>Ask about Kyune’s Mother’s hand shaking
>Also ask about how we could covertly contact Kyune if we discover something important in her Uncle's camp.

About neurofrag, I think we'll just have Akira give everything she buys to us, then ration it out.
We shouldn't go to Kyune with this, I think. We aren't really her friend as it turns out.

>>4186670
>Ask about Kyune’s Mother’s hand shaking
Because it was kind of noticeable and sort of explains why she stays home a most the time, or at least leaves a clue as to why.

>So, you’re planning on supplying a girl with neurofrag ...
Not how I would word it. Maybe.
>my friend Akira has a neurofrag addiction and I'm trying to help her by holding onto her doses and giving them to her on a periodical based to the point she can eventually be weaned off of it.
This is maybe worse but I like it. Maybe theres other stuff we can do to help Akira. Maybe some meditation techniques?

>>4187027
You'll get Akira fired anon.