The moment Karl realized that the cybernetic figure was actually Kenichisaburō—Michiko Arasaka's longtime personal bodyguard—it immediately
The moment Karl realized that the cybernetic figure was actually Kenichisaburō—Michiko Arasaka's longtime personal bodyguard—it immediately made sense why Chiyome hadn't reacted with surprise when the man walked into the room.
Of course she knew him. Until recently, Chiyome herself had been Michiko's bodyguard. She would obviously be familiar with the man who had served that role before her—and apparently, still did.
Unlike her, Adam Smasher had only recently taken over as head of Arasaka security and hadn't yet had any direct interaction with Michiko. Judging by the look on his face, it clearly hadn't occurred to him that Kenichisaburō was still at her side.
"So your aging flesh couldn't keep up anymore, huh? Decided to trade it in for a metal shell, Kenichisaburō?"
Smasher's tone was sharp—still holding onto the old grudge. Years ago, Kenichisaburō had blocked him from becoming Michiko's personal guard. Now, Smasher didn't even bother to hide his signature brand of mockery.
But Kenichisaburō didn't bite.
His response was cold—barely glancing at Smasher before striding directly to Michiko Arasaka. He lowered himself slightly and whispered something in her ear.
His voice was low, too faint for Karl or the others to catch, but he wasn't trying to hide it from Smasher or Kenichirō, who stood close by. Whatever he said, it had an immediate effect.
Adam Smasher—seconds ago itching for a fight—suddenly went quiet.
Karl picked up on it instantly: whatever Kenichisaburō had whispered wasn't small. It was something serious—serious enough to shut Smasher down.
Then Smasher furrowed his brow and gave Michiko a short nod.
"I'll take care of it."
With that, the man who'd just been itching for a confrontation turned on his heel and stormed out—clearly heading off to change gear for something serious.
"I'll take my leave as well. Please excuse me, Lady Michiko."
Kenichirō stood up next. After formally addressing Michiko, he gave a nod to the masked cyborg at her side.
"…Father."
That one word lingered in the air for a moment—then Kenichirō turned and followed Smasher out.
All it had taken was a single statement from Kenichisaburō. Whatever he'd said had cleared the room in minutes.
Karl sat back, eyebrows slightly raised. What the hell just happened?
Both Smasher and Kenichirō held positions inside Arasaka Tower. Something had gone down. Something big.
He was still turning over possibilities in his mind when Michiko Arasaka stood up as well. But unlike the others, she didn't leave immediately—instead, she walked over to Karl, Hanako, and Maki.
"Hanako, something's come up at the company. I need to go check on it. I'm counting on you to look after our guests."
She smiled at Karl and Maki. "Please enjoy yourselves. If you need anything, just ask. Don't hesitate."
She gave Karl a slight nod—something warmer than formality—then turned and quickly left the house, Kenichisaburō right behind her.
Today was supposed to be a rare day off for Michiko—a chance to reconnect with old friends, her daughter, and her daughter's guests. But when duty called, she didn't hesitate.
Karl watched as, one by one, key figures vanished from the room. The estate suddenly felt much quieter.
Now it was just him, Hanako, Maki, and Chiyome.
The vibe was starting to feel less like a corporate gathering and more like an informal hangout.
Still, Karl couldn't stop wondering: what could possibly demand the immediate attention of Arasaka's executive director, its head of security, and a vice president—all at once?
As if reading his thoughts, Hanako spoke up.
"Karl—the suspect you caught at the banquet… he's talking now."
She held up a smartphone. Since she didn't use optical cyberware, this was her way of staying connected to Tower intel.
With Michiko's return, direct control of Arasaka Tower had indeed shifted back to her—but Hanako still maintained her own network and loyalists. That power base hadn't disappeared.
Her influence remained strong, and her people were still feeding her inside information.
"He's talking?" Karl echoed.
His mind jumped to the mysterious man with blue eyes—the one who'd spoken in riddles before being subdued.
"What'd he say?"
"He was the rogue AI that attacked Arasaka Tower. That body… was its host."
Hanako said it plainly. But the weight of it hit Karl like a punch to the gut.
A rogue AI, taking over a cyber-enhanced human as a host body?
That kind of thing was the stuff of alleyway rumors and cyberpsychosis blogs—widely dismissed as urban legend. But Karl already knew better. T-Bug had hinted that there was more truth to those stories than anyone was comfortable admitting.
Even so… this?
That guy?
The polite, riddling blue-eyed man who'd been talking to him face-to-face… had been a rogue AI?
And what's worse—it had let itself get captured.
That realization unsettled Karl more than he expected.
The behavior didn't fit. Not if it had been purely hostile. There was too much intent, too much subtlety.
It had sought him out. Spoke to him. Dropped cryptic lines. Then let itself be taken.
And now it had revealed everything. Its identity. Its purpose. The attack.
Karl didn't need a neural boost to understand one thing:
An AI capable of hijacking cyberbodies—a mobile, sentient intelligence without a fixed system—was extremely rare. Exceptionally valuable. A threat and an asset rolled into one.
Any megacorp would kill for it. Arasaka doubly so.
And yet, it had walked straight into captivity—like a sheep walking into a den of wolves, naked and smiling.
Karl couldn't shake it.
Something wasn't right.
He felt it in his bones: he was part of something now. Something being orchestrated. A plan already in motion.
A single phrase echoed in his mind, spoken in that calm, eerie voice:
"Karl, you're special."
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