Chapter 208

“Yo!” I greeted the group of classy Arasaka students all wearing their fancy uniforms as I walked up.

 

“Motoko!” Hiromi cheered her previous flat look shifting into the smile I was so familiar with.

 

“Hey Hiromi. Hey David. How’re you?” I asked, the boy had been standing beside Hiromi.

 

“Who is this trash?” Answered another boy instead, surprising me. I looked over and…

 

“Wow, that’s a shitty haircut. You should fire your hairdresser.” I said instantly, before I could think on it, and then I blinked, wait wasn’t that David’s Bully. Kat… Katsu? Katsu-

“See Katsuo, even someone off the street instantly knows your haircut is shit.” Hiromi said, and I could see the boy’s face twitch as rage ran over his features.

 

“Shut your mouth Mitsunashi! You dumb whore, the onl-” He was cut off as I stepped forward and suddenly he was lifted off his feet.

 

“Apologize.” I demanded simply, my voice calm as I held the boy by his jacket’s Lapels.

 

“Wha- Let go of me your street bitch! Do you have any idea who I am?” He argued and I could see his chooms, two stooges that previously had his back had stepped back.

 

Heh. Scaredy cats.

 

A moment later he lashed out.

 

Slow, weak.

 

I ducked his punch if you could call it that, and dropped him, grabbing his wrist and twisted. When I had his arm held behind his back I reached out and grabbed him by his shitty bowl cut mullet thing.

 

Then I forced him to stare right into Hiromi’s face.

 

“Apologize to Hiromi for calling her a whore. That was rude.” I said simply, and Hiromi looked tied between wanting to stop me, and wanting to egg me on.

 

In the end, I didn’t get what I wanted, as two men dressed in Arasaka suits stepped forward from the building.

 

Dammit.

 

They approached calmly, showing no rush, but also complete intent. I caught them quickly thanks to my Kiroshi, but while Katsuo was hissing and cussing me out, he didn’t notice until everyone else turned to the two men.

 

“Let him go.” I was threatened, and I made no move to release the brat, who now noticed he had saviors.

“Kill this street rat! Get her filthy hands off me!” Katsuo yelled, and I noticed his friends had come back forward looking ready to ‘help’ by looming.

 

Menacingly. I’m sure.

 

But the two guards had all my attention.

“Wait!” Hiromi called out and leapt forward, getting between me and them. “This is my Bodyguard, she was defending me. So this matter is resolved. Motoko release Katsuo.”

I did so and he stumbled forward for a moment before rising up.

 

“Ms. Mitsunashi. There is to be no problems on Arasaka Tower Property.”

“I understand. I believe the issue is resolved.”

 

The two men looked from Hiromi to me, and I could see it in their posture. Both had either cyberware or glasses hiding their eyes, but they were thinking of making something of it.

 

But then as they looked at me, and scanned me suddenly they shifted and nodded.

 

“Very well.” And both turned to walk away. I blinked actually surprised. I expected there to be-

“Wait! I am Katsuo Tanaka! I demand you to do something! Or my father will hear of this!” He said not quite shrieking, but it was close.

“The matter is resolved.” One of the guards said and I continued to be surprised.

 

Huh.

 

“Well since that’s been resolved. Let’s go Motoko!” Hiromi said with a fake smile on her face as she ignored Katsuo who was looking at the retreating backs of the guards with real anger.

 

I followed along, and stopped when David was still just standing there, under the three gonks glares.

 

“David. Let’s go choom.” I said and he twitched a bit at his name, but decided to walk after us.

 

“I didn’t really intend for David to come.” Hiromi whispered to me, and I just smiled at her.

“Can’t just leave him there. I think Katsuo was going to start screaming.”

“Nah, he’s full of hot air, and his dad doesn’t really care that much. Not that it stops him from name dropping him whenever he can.” Hiromi spoke but I shrugged, turning to David who was walking behind us with hesitant steps.

 

“Hungry? Hiromi and I were going to get some lunch.”

“Ah… I could eat?” That taller boy offered a bit awkwardly.

“Preem! Let’s find something! My treat!”

“Then I can definitely eat.” He said almost too quickly and I chuckled as I turned and started searching for food.

—–

 

“So those guards didn’t shoot me.”

“Of course they didn’t!” Hiromi argued as we settled around a bench in the little park area to eat.

“Yeah it’s weird.” David offered and I smiled as at least one of the people that go to Arasaka Academy understands exactly how untrustworthy Arasaka is.

 

“It’s not!”

“They scanned me and decided to leave me alone which is a bit weird.” I offered as I took a bite of my lunch.

“Hmm. Maybe your Counter Intel… Contact?”

“V?” I asked suddenly and blinked… That was certainly possible, so I decided to find out.

 

*Motoko: Hey, just had a minor run in with some Arasaka Security outside the tower, they scanned me and decided to drop it. Was that you?*

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

I blinked away the text I just sent to V, and looked over at our newest guest.

 

“How’s work been David? Making Eddies?”

“Some. Not so much recently, things have been slow… You uh. Doing anymore Ghost BD’s?”

 

“Oh.” I realized at that, It had been a while since I’ve bothered to record any BD’s that I would actually want to hand off.

 

The fact was, most of the gigs I had done recently had been the TC and 6th Street ones, or when Kang Tao attacked us, and fact was, I didn’t want to sell a BD of me hitting a corp. That just ran too much risk of the BD’s being taken as an insult, or something.

 

“I’ll have to prep some more. I hadn’t really been thinking about them.”

“Me either.” Hiromi added with a shrug. “Business has been good, so I wasn’t pushing you for more.”

“Hmm. Maybe our next gig then.” I decided and Hiromi nodded looking happy as ever at the idea we might make more eddies.

 

“Preem.” David whispered a bit breathily, and then I looked to David.

 

He might go a bit overboard with the Sandy, but he had become an acceptable Solo. His experience had shown through in a lot of ways.

 

Should I try to bring him in? I’m sure Rebecca would thank me, well… Maybe. There was no telling if Rebecca would have the same thoughts about him she had in the anime.

 

People were funny like that.

 

But then I shook it off. I wasn’t really looking to hire just another Solo to Section 9. I’d be more likely to try and hire Lucy if anything. Another netrunner would be nice.

 

Sorry David, if you want to be an Edgerunner, it won’t be because of me, or a Sandy this time. But I did plan on making sure Gloria survived. I’d already decided to do that much in exchange for making sure that Sandy ended up in my hands.

 

I hummed a little thinking on it.

 

“Motoko?”

“Just thinking about what day it is.” I answered Hiromi’s question. It would happen in the next couple months at least. I’d have to set up a few things to make sure I didn’t miss it. Luckily it was pretty unlikely anything I had done would change what’s his face from being the test dummy for the Prototype Sandy that would drive him to Cyberpsychosis.

 

All I would have to do is set up some Daemons to alert me for specific Cyberpsycho attacks, and maybe a camera or two right here in City Center.

 

That would be enough. I’d just have to be there before Gloria makes a call to Maine to plan to sell it off. I hummed feeling a smile cross my lips as I imagined having such a nova piece of tech.

 

Aaah! I wanted to be perfect! And that might just be the first big step towards getting there

 

—–

 

“What are you doing?” Jun asked as he got home and I looked up from the living room table where I was watching paint dry.

 

“The most boring thing in the world. Welcome home Jun-nii.”

“Hmm.” He responded with a suspicious noise as he entered the apartment and started getting comfortable throwing his jacket over the back of the couch and heading for the fridge.