Arasaka Family Compound, Guest Residence Area.
Knock knock knock—
"Miss Vela, it's time to get up for breakfast."
In a bedroom whose simple Japano-Western architectural exterior clashed utterly with its luxurious interior, Vela was woken by the knocks and calls of a group of female attendants.
"Ah-ha... hoo."
Yawning, Vela sat up sleepily. She had slept soundly through the night, resting her head on a high pillow without any burdens or tossing and turning.
"Refreshed."
Stretching her limbs, she walked to the window and pushed it open.
Her indigo pupils instantly sharpened and focused as she gazed at the graceful garden landscape outside, cloaked in a light layer of snow-like mist: a shrine, eaves, long corridors, and artificial hills... all wrapped in silver, glinting coldly in the sunlight.
Recalling last night's welcome banquet hosted by Saburo Arasaka at three in the morning, Vela couldn't help but feel contemplative.
Unprovoked kindness always hides an agenda.
That applies both from subordinates to superiors and vice versa.
Vela Adelheid Arasaka Russell, huh...
Though Saburo, that old man, hadn't explicitly bestowed the surname, his actions were telling enough—inviting her to such a private family banquet, having her offer incense and pay tribute at the memorial tablet of Kei Arasaka. The implications, both subtle and overt, were clear: she had earned eligibility to enter the power center of the Arasaka Empire.
The designated figure for the incense ritual was Kei Arasaka, which meant she was now the intended heir to the legacy of the "former crown prince."
Undoubtedly, this was another form of encouragement and a promise painted with dreams from Saburo to Vela.
To put it bluntly: the crown prince is often ill, so you must strive hard.
After all, eligibility was just that—a qualification. To transform that ethereal potential into tangible benefits would require unparalleled dedication and sacrifice from Vela.
What had the "former crown prince" Kei Arasaka poured most of his efforts into during his life?
The Fourth Corporate War.
And who had destroyed Kei's grand vision and taken his life?
The NUSA and Militech, along with a few insignificant cyberpunk mercenaries.
As the inheritor of Kei's legacy—perhaps even his legal heir—Vela would inevitably be expected to avenge her "father."
This "father" referred both to her biological father who died during the Metal Wars, and potentially to her soon-to-be formally acknowledged "legal and dynastic father."
Kei Arasaka may have been Saburo's eldest son, but he was also the loser of a corporate war.
Defeat equals disgrace.
For the legal heir of a defeated figure to reclaim power and inheritance smoothly, they must first wash away the shame.
And how to cleanse that shame? By restoring Arasaka to its zenith in 2020, expanding into the Eastern Pacific, waging war on the West Coast, splitting the NUSA, suppressing Militech...
In this, Saburo truly lived up to his reputation as a seasoned capitalist with keen insight into human nature.
To maximize interests, he did not have Hanako Arasaka adopt Vela as a goddaughter, nor did he personally step in. Instead, he invoked the memory of his long-deceased eldest son. After over half a century, the father accepted a daughter in his son's name.
This aligned Vela's personal motivation to avenge her parents with the interests of the company and the Arasaka family.
Furthermore, it was well known that Yorinobu Arasaka and his elder brother Kei Arasaka had a poor relationship.
In his lifetime, Kei would erupt in fury whenever his rebellious younger brother was mentioned. He even publicly declared that Yorinobu would one day pay for betraying the Arasaka family, and later, he indeed sent people to assassinate and execute many core members of Yorinobu's Steel Dragons gang.
It was easy to imagine how Yorinobu would react upon learning that Vela had offered incense to his dear big brother.
To Yorinobu, having a niece from his older brother's line was probably worse than Saburo adopting a goddaughter and giving him a much-younger sister.
Oh, and there was also Michiko Arasaka—sitting at home, only to suddenly find herself with a new "sister from the sky."
A subordinate in name only from Night City, or an economic partner in a private enterprise, had suddenly become her sister?!
Vela could already foresee that her days ahead would be anything but quiet.
Saburo not only wouldn't stop this, he would likely be delighted to see Vela and Yorinobu in conflict.
Who served as whose whetstone wasn't important. What mattered was that the blade got sharpened.
These were probably yet another layer of trials laid out by Saburo. If handled well, they'd be bonus points.
Of course, all of this was Vela's speculation, lacking any concrete evidence. Consider it a kind of mutual understanding between her and Saburo—a shared intuition rooted in their mutual acknowledgment of each other's cunning.
As for that old bastard, she never hesitated to assume the worst.
Yet even so, she wouldn't be overly angry or hysterical about it.
Enjoying the benefits of inheriting Kei Arasaka's mantle meant she also had to accept the trials and the downsides. Wanting only the good without any hardships or sacrifices—things don't work like that in this world.
As long as Arasaka would one day belong to her...
Vela silently finished the thought.
"Come in."
Click—
With permission granted, six neatly dressed, composed Arasaka maids entered one after another. They pushed a trolley with wash supplies, each holding makeup kits and various grooming tools, naturally guiding Vela to the dressing table and helping her sit down.
The table quickly filled with all sorts of cosmetics, and the jewelry boxes were opened casually, revealing an array of sparkling accessories.
When one of the maids brought out a pure white, long ceremonial dress adorned with emerald satin and lace decorations, Vela paused.
"This is?" Where's my company uniform?
"Lady Vela, these are your freshly cleaned clothes."
Another maid presented an open leather suitcase—Vela's uniform from the previous night had been washed, dried, and neatly pressed.
"This is at Miss Hanako's instruction. Today is January 1st, the New Year's holiday. In the morning, Saburo-sama will hold an informal board discussion with the heads of global regional divisions to talk about Arasaka's new development strategy for 2076. At that time, you, as a Councilor of the Night City Unified Executive Committee and a rising star acknowledged by Saburo-sama, are required to attend in formal dress."
Somewhat surprised, Vela softly exhaled.
An informal board discussion among Arasaka regional division heads?
And she was to attend?
Her eyes glinted.
Saburo's resolve was stronger than she had expected.
To oversee a regional Arasaka division was nearly the highest rank a non-family member could achieve—a position of true power.
They were jokingly referred to as "national-level board members."
Because not only did they qualify to sit at the same table with Arasaka family members, but their influence in their respective territories often exceeded that of local national leaders.
Vela's current Councilor status in Night City was still several ranks below that.
Even though Night City, being one of the "Three Towers," had a half-rank advantage in internal corporate hierarchy, reaching the status of a regional division head still required her to be at least a Deputy Chief Councilor.
Was the old man Saburo planning to introduce her now?
This was even bolder than delivering a speech at the [2075 Tokyo Arasaka Tower Year-End Training Summary Conference].
It was practically an announcement to Arasaka's regional power brokers: look, this is one of the future successors I've picked out—take a look.
This was a big step ahead of Vela's original plan: to gain promotion after a major victory against Militech in Night City.
Compared to her original roadmap, this move from Saburo, while lacking immediate, tangible gains, was less transactional and carried more of a fatherly touch.
Damn, I'm actually a little moved.
Beware of Saburo Arasaka's sugar-coated bullets!
Wash hands, cleanse face, rinse mouth, brush hair, smoothen...
Passively, like a puppet, Vela was surrounded by Arasaka maids.
She was dressed in a ceremonial gown, adorned with white roses and pearl hair accessories, an emerald brooch, diamond necklace, white gloves, and sapphire earrings. Even her gloved dominant hand bore a purely decorative gemstone ring...
Once everything was complete, Vela walked expressionlessly to the fitting mirror, looking at the image of herself—a sharp aura slightly softened, resembling a queen prepared for a royal appearance.
Was this really her?
Hell.
Oh well. At least it wasn't one of those traditional Japanese kimonos that offered no underlayers.
In that respect, Saburo Arasaka wasn't as traditional as he fancied himself. His style leaned more toward post-Meiji Restoration Westernized Japanese.
"Miss Vela, this way, please."
With that, Vela rose, lifting her skirt amid the encircling Arasaka maids and stepping outside. Her high heels made soft clicks on the carpet.
Time to continue sparring with the old man Saburo.
...
Meanwhile, in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo—Yorinobu's residence.
Courtyard.
A cold breeze swept gently through, lifting snowflakes into the air. Within the courtyard, several old trees stood cloaked in thick layers of snow, their branches drooping—just like Yorinobu Arasaka's mood.
Gripping the phone tightly in his hand, Yorinobu, wrapped in a thick formal kimono and hakama, slid open the door and sat cross-legged on the tatami, staring blankly at the icicles hanging from the eaves of the distant corridor.
Beside him lay an opened bottle of strong liquor and ceramic cups.
It was January 1st, New Year's Day, yet Yorinobu's residence remained sealed, the main house only occasionally lit.
In past years, even if he and Saburo held mutual disdain and never attended the so-called family banquets, indulgence was a must: geishas, sex dolls, lavish parties—the more decadent the better. It was his way of spiting Saburo. But this year, all desire had evaporated.
Just moments ago, the thing he feared most came to pass.
Saburo might have found a new heir...
"That old undying bastard Saburo... actually chose Kei, letting Vela Adelheid inherit that bastard's 'legacy'? Does this mean he plans to hand Arasaka to an outsider... haha... looks like the old fossil isn't as stubborn as he claims to be."
Yorinobu muttered bitterly.
"Hypocritical, selfish, arrogant... so even you bow to reality."
Since half a year ago, when Saburo regained youth and the [Sonnentreppe Project] achieved a major milestone in the global market—even forming partial partnerships with Biotechnica and EuroBank—Yorinobu's days had taken a turn for the worse.
Saburo's first act was to investigate spies. His second: to guard against Yorinobu.
Perhaps Saburo hadn't stripped him of control over his "hawk faction," but Yorinobu could feel his wings being clipped. More and more old subordinates were distancing themselves.
He couldn't access any real data from the [Sonnentreppe Project], nor had he even gotten the chance to meet Vela Adelheid. Every person he sent had been intercepted by Saburo's people.
From then on, Yorinobu began noticing the signs. Vela Adelheid had been visiting the family compound far too often.
Even Anders Hellman, once the most valued [Relic Project] lead, had never been this favored.
Looking at Vela Adelheid's past, she wasn't a pure scholar or researcher. She was young, with a clean background, exceptional talent, and had risen from the ranks of frontline combat as a true martial commander. She was a high-ranking officer in Night City's Security Division.
In many ways, she was a perfect match for the strategic direction and tactical needs of Arasaka's expansion...
As he thought, the cold wind brushing his face, Yorinobu unconsciously licked his dry lips. An unprecedented sense of emptiness and fear engulfed his entire being.
He wasn't afraid of death, nor was he particularly attached to the power he held.
What he feared was failure.
To infiltrate the heart of Arasaka, Yorinobu had humbled himself, returning to the family fold with bowed head, enduring and indulging for forty years—all to lower Saburo's guard and await the perfect moment for a killing strike from within, to destroy Arasaka and thereby dismantle the corporate-dominated dystopia.
But the prerequisite for all of that was: he had to be Saburo's heir!
A flicker of urgency flashed across his brow as Yorinobu instinctively felt the need to stop Vela Adelheid from inheriting his damn older brother's legacy.
Perhaps the old fossil Saburo was doing this to provoke him—to push him to compete with Vela.
Compete.
He had to fight!
He had to see his father.
To admit fault...
The very thought of seeing Saburo's arrogant, smug face again and having to flatter him so shamelessly made Yorinobu sick to his stomach. But he had no choice. He couldn't afford to lose the succession!
"Mother, please bless me."
...
The bi-directional projection screen-style holiday conference concluded in a light yet orderly and solemn atmosphere.
At least Vela was in a good mood.
She hadn't spoken much, but just appearing before the global heads of Arasaka's regional power players was reward enough.
After wrapping up the New Year's luncheon and briefing Saburo on another scheduled injection session of the 'Rebirth Compound,' the latest progress on the [Sonnentreppe Project], a few new ideas from her personal research, and her preliminary plans upon returning to Night City, Vela took her leave of Saburo, Shintaro Takayama, and Hanako.
Escorted by Goro Takemura, she walked toward the family's private helipad within the compound.
Vrrr...
The faint roar of an AV engine.
Still in her ornate dress, Vela raised her hand at the intersection between the corridor and the helipad. Snowflakes danced down.
"A snowy start bodes a fruitful year. 2076 will be a harvest year for Arasaka..."
"Director Russell, allow me to wish you success in advance," Goro Takemura bowed deeply.
Just as Vela nodded in return and a few Arasaka maids stepped forward with her packed luggage, a commotion erupted.
"Who—?" Takemura frowned, about to reprimand, when—"Lord Yorinobu?! Why are you..."
"Takemura-kun, do I need your permission to return home as a member of the Arasaka family?"
Takemura immediately bowed, "Apologies, Lord Arasaka..."
Completely ignoring Takemura, Yorinobu Arasaka's gaze locked tightly onto the beautiful woman in formal attire.
Their eyes met, and both registered surprise in the other's expression.
"Vela Adelheid?"
"Yes, Lord Yorinobu."
Vela lifted her gown and offered a flawless, elegant curtsy.
She truly hadn't expected Yorinobu to return.
In a warm tone, Vela glanced at the chastened-looking Takemura and said, "Of course you're Arasaka. Once an Arasaka, always an Arasaka."
Perhaps life was indeed a stage, and all depended on one's acting. She spoke naturally, her tone sincere, as if completely unaware of what Yorinobu was thinking.
"Lord Yorinobu, it is an honor to meet you. I shall take my leave now, so as not to interrupt your rare moment of family reunion with Father."
In the instant Yorinobu's face stiffened, Vela turned and walked toward the helipad, boarding the long-waiting AV without a backward glance.
Click.
As the cabin door sealed shut, Vela couldn't suppress the grin tugging at her lips.
If not now, then when?
Though she truly wanted to stay and witness the father-son reunion to come, it wasn't her place.
Yorinobu, if this is what your father wishes...
Then let our "succession battle" begin.