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Before you begin the chapter, here's the author. This chapter is short because I've been going overboard with writing today, and I have a 10,000-word chapter that I haven't finished yet.
So, today I'm releasing this one, and tomorrow I'll finish and release the next one, which will be quite long. Plus, I really like the ending of this chapter, so I'm teasing you a bit xD.
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Morgan and Sora reentered the penthouse with the intention of informing their respective bosses/mothers about the impending arrival of the "last guest" Upon entering, they found the group of CEOs and representatives divided into small groups. Salma Guzman and General Lee were engaged in a conversation, and nearby, Hanako seemed to be having one with Excella.
Seeming so, because the only one talking was Hanako, asking question after question as subtly as she could without breaking character, to a responding Excella, who replied to all of them with the same indifferent smile. And because of the interest Hanako was showing, despite her attempts not to suffer from it.
A playful smile grew on Execella's face when she saw Sora, greeting him again, this time with more enthusiasm and less subtly, so much so that it even made Morgan, standing next to Sora, look at him in awe under the mask.
Sora, grateful that Judy hadn't seen her, ignored both Morgan and Excella while commenting aloud, "Don't get carried away, I've only known her through a couple of conversations. I have no idea what game she's playing..."
Despite his words, Sora was well aware of Excella's game, feeling, because of it, his mother's inquisitive gaze demanding answers. She thought the worst due to rumors about Excella's preferences for young men crossing her mind.
Before they could reach their respective bosses/mothers, Judy surprised them, engaging in a lively conversation with Avaray and Norris. The smile on Judy's face indicated that they were enjoying a story charmingly told by Sgt. Johnson.
When Morgan and Sora joined the group, Sora greeted the two veterans with a slight nod and stood next to Judy, while Morgan positioned himself alongside Norris and Avaray. It was Morgan who took the lead, addressing Judy playfully, "Young one, you can drop the act now. Sorry that these two old-timers bored you with their war stories, Avaray! How many times have I told you? Not everyone is like your grandchildren who either want to, have to, or are practically forced to listen to your old fart's tales!"
Morgan's comment immediately irritated Avaray, but before he could respond to Morgan's provocation, Norris, as usual, intervened with a conciliatory tone, "Relax, Avaray, you know Morgan is just trying to rile you up. And Morgan, for your information, it was the charming Miss Álvarez who asked us, not the other way around. After your sudden disappearance."
Judy smiled at Norris's words and added, "Yes, and Sgt. Johnson knows how to tell stories in a unique way. And although Lieutenant Colonel Norris may seem intimidating, a few words with him are enough to see that he's the opposite."
Judy's genuine and warm words of approval made Morgan smile beneath his mask before he replied, "I'm glad to hear that. Come on, old farts, things are about to get complicated, and we need to get back to our positions."
Sora joined the conversation, adding, "Same for us. We'd better get back to Oda and the rest."
The seriousness in Sora's words, especially in Morgan's, didn't go unnoticed by Avaray, Norris, and Judy, who knew them respectively.
Norris turned to Judy and added kindly as a farewell, "It's been a pleasure meeting you, young lady. I hope your company's rise doesn't change the charming person you are. I'm sure... your grandparents would be proud."
Judy smiled gratefully and somewhat shyly before adding playfully as she stepped on someone's foot beside her, "Thanks, but until a certain 'someone' stops disappearing... I don't see it happening." Judy said, having been so comfortable with the two veterans that she allowed herself some freedom, despite the circumstances.
This elicited a slight smile from Norris. Avaray was next to say goodbye. "I tell you the same thing as the Snowflake and I'll also hold you to your promise about visiting your workshop. I can imagine my grandkids begging me to take them... hahaha... I'm the best grandpa in the world!" He energetically added, self-appointing himself with that dubious title.
"Definitely do it, Sgt. Johnson, and I know you've both found my proposal sudden, but the doors of Iron Beast will always be open to veterans like you if you ever want to leave Militech, right?" Judy asked the pleasantly surprised "someone" behind her, making the same job offer, causing Sora to smile beneath his helmet and add, "Yes, absolutely."
Upon hearing him, Judy turned to Norris, who seemed the toughest nut to crack from her perspective, making her add, as she walked away, "Think about it too, Lieutenant Colonel Norris. It's been a pleasure meeting both of you, and you look very handsome in a suit, Morgan, better than in your old coat!"
The three veterans watched the charming young lady say her goodbyes, waving as she walked away. This prompted Norris to comment with a smile, "The kid is lucky, a charming young lady."
An annoyed Avaray added, "The kid isn't lucky; he's hit the damn jackpot. I wouldn't have minded having her as my younger son Amaru's daughter-in-law."
"Don't fuck with me, I've met your son, and if the kid hit the jackpot, yours would have to touch an angel to get a woman like her.," Morgan added exasperated, not allowing Avaray to respond, adding seriously, "Let's go back to the Mini-Myers; the 'Tin man' has arrived."
Recognizing the nickname Morgan used for 'him,' both "Tch" "Tsk" Norris and Avaray expressed their disgust in the same way, heading back to their posts.
At the same time, Judy, now that she had lost the Militech security that had made Hanako uncomfortable, rejoined her and Yumeko, while Sora, completely ignoring the smiling Excella and nodding briefly to Salma, who had joined them after General Lee went to check on the behavior of the President Myers' children.
He headed straight for his mother, having to swipe at Oda's hand which tried to stop him before he could reach her, causing Hanako to have to intervene, stopping Oda with a sharp glare before he reacted violently and tried to stop her son again.
When Sora finally reached her mother, he whispered something in her ear, intriguing both Salma and Excella as they saw the slight expression of disgust that crossed Hanako's face upon hearing it, before she quickly corrected it.
Coming to his own conclusions about what he told her, when starting from the terrace a new commotion was generated among the guests, but this time it was different from the other delegations of the major corporations, including Militech.
In this case, there was more tension and nervousness than usual, primarily due to the imposing metallic figure that emerged from an AV, accompanied by another bodyguard in an elegant black suit, concealing his face with a light helmet illuminated by an aggressive red Oni face on its front screen, also carrying a concealed sword on his hip.
Heightening the anticipation of the guests on the terrace at the arrival of the last male heir of Saburo Arasaka arriving at the gala and just after stepping out of the Av, Yorinobu headed to the Penthouse, followed by Smasher and his third bodyguard.
At the same time, Hanako, with a cold and emotionless tone, said, "If you'll excuse us," bewildering both Excella and Salma, who could only nod slightly as Hanako separated from the group.
As Hanako distanced herself enough, she turned to Sora and Judy. Despite Oda could hear them, she said, "From now on, I want you to act as if you don't know me. Don't approach me, no matter what happens, Sor-"
Before his mother could finish, Sora interrupted, adjusting his tie, indifferent to the nervousness and concern his mother was displaying, and said; "Sorry, but I can't do that."
"This is serious!" Hanako scolded before adding, "We don't have time for our back-and-forth. Listen to me for one time, and take Judy to a corner for a while until things calm down. You can still enjoy..."
"Nah... we're not doing that. How can we enjoy watching you have a tough time, right?" Sora turned to Judy, who nodded in response while keeping her secure gaze on Hanako.
Seeing Judy's response, Sora turned back to his mother and said, "Mo- Tch," only to interrupt himself, aware that someone might be listening, including Oda.
Sora consequently raised his black hand and made a loud snapping sound with his black fingers, while his eyes glowed brightly under his helmet, creating a reaction in all those guests and bodyguards inside the room who were spying on them or anyone in the room, causing them to suddenly bring their hands to their ears with a grimace of pain.
Due to the noise generated by Sora's snapping, who used his nanobots of his fingers to manipulate the frequency of the snap, overloading the sensitive microphones used for spying
Simultaneously, Sora used his Soulcode to connect to all the electrical devices within a 5-meter/16-feets radius, hacking them and temporarily disabling their microphones, including Oda's cyberware. With some panic in his eyes, Oda maintained his composure, despite suddenly going deaf, since his fireware did not activate and the apparent calm in the room.
Surprised by what she thought her son had just done so casually, like snapping his fingers. Hanako did not have time to recover from her initial surprise, due to her son's subsequent confident statement, having grown enough to be able to say aloud, even in a crowded gala, "Mother, after what happened in Judy's office, it's inevitable that you see me as unpredictable and reckless, but... after these three years... I am because I can be... I don't care what you say, I'm not leaving you alone," Sora said firmly.
Initially, Hanako felt anger at her son's stubborn attitude, fearing he might create a scene or worse, a fight. However, she was also touched by his protective stance towards her, as well as the determined agreement in her son's girlfriend's gaze."
Hanako could only sigh heavily, giving in to them with apparent exasperation. But inside, she smiled affectionately at their concern for her and, also, curious about how far her son had come in controlling his nanobots over these three years.
Being too late to say anything more or change her mind, the atmosphere in the room underwent a radical transformation.
The murmur of conversations, the clinking of glasses, and the laughter abruptly faded, leaving an uncomfortable silence in the air. Even the string quartet, which had played gracefully before, now seemed to have gotten lost in a momentary cacophony, as if the very atmosphere were holding its breath.
That effect had the entrance of Adam Smasher, Yorinobu Arasaka and his mysterious "third" bodyguard into the room. With Yorinobu donned in an intricately embroidered black kimono adorned with subtle, shimmering black accents and white and red patterns lining the inside of the sleeves.
Even with Smasher trailing close behind, there were a few bold guests who dared to greet Yorinobu, no matter who it was, he would respond to every guest who greeted him and soon regretted doing so, when Smasher would stare at them, every time Yorinubo stopped to respond.
Shortly after their entrance, Yorinobu's expression shifted to one of feigned surprise as he spotted his sister in the room. Without hesitation, he made a beeline for her, prompting the other guests to instinctively part ways, almost as if they had rehearsed the maneuver at an almost synchronized pace.
As the guests cleared a path, Hanako broke the silence, deciding not to wait like a frightened prey and instead with an icy but controlled tone, said; "Let's go" heading, all of them, straight towards her brother's group. Despite the tone she used, Oda was glad to be able to hear her, as his sudden deafness disappeared.
With the eyes of most of the guests on them, the two groups converged in the middle of the room, right where the enigmatic metal concentric circles separated the elegant marble tiles on the floor, creating an almost mobile-like sense of division, as if the floor between the circles was movable in some way.
When Hanako and Yorinobu met, it was she who broke the silence, speaking politely in Japanese, a simple and insincere "Oni-San, it's good to see you."
Sora shivered in a not-at-all-subtle shudder at his Uncle Yorinobu's reaction, who, regardless of the tone Hanako used, at hearing his sister call him "Oni-San", the same term he asked Evelyn Parker to use during their "meetings" at his Penthouse in Konpeki Plaza, demonstrating the sickly feelings his Uncle felt for his mother, Sora almost being able to imagine him getting... and thus, gagging.
Maintaining his expression, Yorinobu replied, "I'm glad to see you too, Imouto. When I heard you would be attending in person, I couldn't resist the opportunity to see you, under these festive circumstances... and verify it for one last time, before it's too late to turn back" Yorinobu's words hung in the air, and despite his serene facade, there was a certain dangerous undertone that Hanako didn't miss.
This prompted Hanako to ask, "And what do you need to verify?" avoiding calling him something as simple as "brother," unaware of why she felt uncomfortable doing so, ironically in contrast to her son, who knew exactly why.
"Haha... there will be time for that later. Look at you, absolutely impeccable, like a true 'Yamato Nadeshiko'... although a true 'Nadeshiko' would never neglect her brother like you do, hahah," Yorinobu said, making passive-aggressive jokes and sexist comparisons.
Sora, not very interested in his uncle, beyond his disturbing feelings for his mother, briefly cast his eyes on the mysterious bodyguard in a suit, illuminated helmet, and katana at his side, finding himself looking longer than he expected.
When Sora felt a strange familiarity with him, perhaps it was the posture he had, or the way he tilted and turned his head slightly as he noticed Sora's gaze, it was those little details that Sora felt familiarity from the "third" bodyguard and at the same time he couldn't put his finger on what it was.
Unable to find his answer, Sora finally shifted his attention to the eye-catching "piece of metal" that stood at 2.8 meters/9 Feets tall, "much more imposing with the head on," Sora thought, muting his helmet so no one could hear his impressed whistle, admiring the difference the head made, comparing to the Cyberframe he had seen in Ebunike, having wished to say it out loud, if only Smasher would not try to kill him in the next instant.
Smasher, on the other hand, remained behind Yorinobu more irritated and annoyed than usual, due to the recent events in the Night City Bay and despite having no facial muscles to express it with or 'practically face' as Sora put it,
He managed to convey his annoyance through his metallic presence, which seemed more intimidating and dangerous than usual. He was frustrated to have to waste time at the gala surrounded by "arrogant meat bags" instead of hunting down the culprit, unaware that he had him right in front of him. This discomforted the guests around him even more, they almost seemed to be able to smell the scent of metal and blood from his Cyberframe.
Bound to follow Yorinobu like a dog if he wanted to keep his Arasaka Cyberware, Smasher had no choice but to focus on his job and act "professionally," scanning the armed guards in the room. He came to the "professional" conclusion that they were all "easily killable."
He then turned his attention to the extensive Militech security group, recognizing a few faces of veterans who might provide entertaining opposition. What really caught Smasher's eye was the man in the suit within the group, wearing a mask and a hat. Despite not knowing his identity, the more he looked at him, the less he liked him. Morgan's clumsy attempt to hide by lowering the brim of his hat with his hand didn't help either.
What did help was when Sora finally shifted his gaze to Smasher, scrutinizing him from head to toe. When Smasher felt the young mercenary's inquisitive stare, he stopped looking at the uncomfortable Morgan and returned the gaze to the mercenary in front of him.
However, rather than reacting as Smasher expected, the young mercenary, instead of correcting his reckless stare, with the usual fear a "piece of meat" with just one arm as their only cyberware, should have when facing him.
The young mercenary held his gaze without looking away, staring at him as Smasher did the same, He even adjusted his posture for a more comfortable one, crossing his arms while he whistled in amazement, with his helmet's exit audio muted.
Smasher had to hold himself back, feeling as if the young Merc was somehow laughing at him. from interrupting Yorinobu's conversation, well aware of the "unique" feelings his boss had for his sister.
As with the man in the mask in MIlitech's group, the more Smasher looked at the mercenary the less he liked him. They both stared at each other, until Yorinubo introduced himself in such a way to someone, which made Sora stop looking at Smasher.
"Where are my manners? You must be the young protégée my dear sister has been lavishing so much attention on," Yorinobu added, eyeing her up and down. "Miss Álvarez, isn't it? Now I understand my sister's interest. I'm Yorinobu Arasaka, a pleasure to meet you."
Yorinobu introduced himself, all the while casting a predatory gaze at his sister's attractive protégée for a moment, which he quickly concealed, extending his arm elegantly, requesting her hand with an old-fashioned and awkward, yet accepted, greeting.
Although it was a brief moment, Yorinobu's gaze did not go unnoticed, managing to discomfort Judy, who hid it under her "Mask," just as she did when acting as CEO.
Judy Stretched her hand compliantly towards Yorinobu's, wanting to end it quickly, aware of Hanako's expression and wanting to avoid making any act of doubt or discomfort that might prompt her to intervene, and at the same time not daring to look at "someone" behind her, praying that he hadn't taken offense and hadn't seen Yorinobu's gaze.
With all this in mind, Judy clenched her teeth and, with a fake affable smile, accepted Yorinobu's grip, looking at him with distaste as he brought his lips closer to her hand, while closing his eyes.
All of this was happening in front of "someone" who hadn't missed a thing, neither the lecherous glances nor the expressions of disgust, quickly concealed beneath another false expression like a "Mask."
Being a selfish man, like Sora is, not willing to share anything of his own with anyone, and because of that, when Yorinobu's lips were about to touch Judy's hand...
He moved,
With Smasher's fixed gaze upon him, Sora first needed a distraction, capitalizing on the tension that Smasher must have been feeling due to the recent events.
Sora's first move was to hack into the IDn of a waitress carrying a large silver tray of champagne glasses behind Yorinobu's group, and transfer a generous amount of Eddis to her as an apology for what was about to happen.
He then proceeded to hack one of her metallic legs and lock the axle of one of her ankles, causing her foot to not fully plant on the ground on her next step, making her stumble as the heel of her heels twisted, and as she fell, so did the metal tray and the glasses she was carrying.
This resulted in a sudden and shrill metallic noise accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, causing all the bodyguards in the room to be on edge since Smasher's arrival and sensing his scrutinizing gaze, knowing what he was thinking when he looked at them.
To all reacted the same way, reaching for their weapons, while Smasher simply turned his head, briefly averting his gaze from Sora. That was all he needed, using that moment to illuminate the tattoos on his back as he activated his "Sandevistan."
Executing his move while leaving a trail of them behind him.