"I've got the item."
After taking the small box from V, Kenichiro Arasaka used a subtle trick to open and inspect it. Once he confirmed everything was in order, he nodded to V.
"So, that wraps up the job, right?"
Karl stepped forward and glanced at the box in Kenichiro's hand, though he showed no real curiosity about its contents. He tilted his head toward the battered Hella behind them.
"I even brought you a little gift in the trunk. Can't guarantee they're still breathing after the bumpy ride, but… mind accepting a present, Mr. Kenichiro?"
"A gift?"
Kenichiro closed the box again and tucked it close to his chest. He looked over at the beat-up Hella. "What exactly did you bring me?"
"The three security officers who tried to kill you — well, ex-officers now. All accounted for. We stuffed them in the trunk. Bonus included: the Tiger Claw manager from Cloudtop. Not quite as nice as the AV you gave me, but not bad, right?"
"All accounted for?"
A flicker of surprise flashed in Kenichiro's eyes. It wasn't that Karl managed to capture them, or that he brought them as a gift — but rather:
"You actually held back. You didn't kill them all."
"Hey, I'm Night City's most broker-friendly merc these days. Unless a client specifically says 'no survivors,' I usually try to bring someone in alive. Never know when they'll come in handy."
Karl still remembered the look of regret that had crossed Kenichiro's face when he spoke of his fallen subordinates back at the restaurant. Even if Kenichiro had only asked for the item, Karl figured bringing back the others might score extra points.
And judging by Kenichiro's expression now — he'd been right.
"This gift is… satisfactory."
Kenichiro's tone remained even, his face unreadable. He didn't say anything else — just turned to walk away.
The matter of prisoner handover would be handled by his subordinates. His priority now was to return to the research level of Arasaka Tower with the item in hand.
But after a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back at Karl.
"About the weapons we discussed this morning — follow up with Kazuya. He'll make sure your team gets the best materials. And if any gear gets damaged later, feel free to request replacements."
"Got it."
Karl nodded. Weapon warranty — understood.
Just as Kenichiro turned again to leave, Karl suddenly remembered something. He reached into his coat and pulled out a small blade.
"Hey, Mr. Kenichiro — I picked this little toy up during the mission. Think I can get it serviced while I'm here?"
"Something else you picked up?"
Kenichiro didn't recall Karl taking any melee weapons. Curious, he turned back — and when his eyes landed on the blade in Karl's hand, his expression froze.
A dagger?
No big deal. Daggers could be sharpened anywhere with a bit of effort — why even bring it up?
But the longer Kenichiro looked at it, the more familiar it felt. Something was wrong.
Wait a minute… that shape, that design…
His jaw slowly dropped without him realizing.
No way... That dagger… Could it really be—?!
Kenichiro spun around and strode quickly back toward Karl, staring at the blade in disbelief. For a moment, even the encrypted note close to his heart didn't matter.
They already had six slips in hand, and most of the encoded content had been deciphered. This new one was just a final piece, a nice-to-have.
But this dagger— This was something else entirely. A weapon developed in Arasaka's Night City lab specifically for the safety of key personnel. A prototype EMP dagger.
And Kenichiro knew it well. Painfully well.
Because the lab had only ever produced two.
"Where did you get that dagger?!"
The question came out more like an accusation — his calm completely gone.
Karl blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift.
"It was a gift from Haruko. Compensation."
"When?!"
Mistaking Kenichiro's intensity for genuine curiosity, Karl answered casually:
"After that meeting at Arasaka Tower — remember, when you had me come up to the 44th floor? I dropped by Haruko's office to report in. I complained about the stupid elevator run just to check in, so she gave me this as an apology."
"She gave you that… as an apology?"
Kenichiro's jaw tightened.
That dagger had been precious to Haruko — a coming-of-age gift from her mother. She always kept it locked away.
And now she'd handed it over… because Karl was annoyed about using the elevator?
Why?
"Uh… is there a problem, Mr. Kenichiro?"
Karl tilted his head. Kenichiro looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't — his face even turned a bit red.
"No problem."
Kenichiro was still Kenichiro. The master of restraint. After a silent internal scream, he took a breath, steadied himself, and turned away again, briskly walking off.
Karl stared after him, baffled for a moment. Then he remembered why he'd stopped him in the first place.
"Wait — so can I get it serviced or not?!"
Kenichiro turned back and shot Karl a glare.
"No."
That glare had weight. Karl reflexively shrank back. He didn't even know why. It was just that intimidating.
Jeez… just say no. No need to be that dramatic.
Karl grumbled to himself — until his comms pinged.
A new file from Kenichiro.
He opened it and found a maintenance and repair manual — for the dagger.
Oh.
So that's how it is.
He couldn't request service — because the dagger was too rare. There were no production records. He'd have to maintain it himself.
Of course.
Karl understood immediately.
So Kenichiro said no to keep up appearances, but still sent him the info.
In his own way, the guy was weirdly indirect.
.
.
.
🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless
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