Chapter 178: Sakura Petals

"Ah?"

That was Karl's immediate reaction upon hearing Hanako's proposal.

Personal bodyguard?

Wait a minute.

His brain needed to process the meaning of that term.

A bodyguard was someone who provided protection. "Personal" implied closeness, proximity, and constant presence. Combined, it meant...

A protector who would stay by her side at all times.

Understood.

"I refuse."

Without hesitation, Karl rejected the offer the moment he finished analyzing the term.

This reaction made the burning, piercing gaze from behind him feel even more intense, but in contrast, Hanako Arasaka simply showed an expression of neither surprise nor disappointment—just quiet understanding.

"As expected, you would refuse," she said with a slight smile.

Hanako's expression was difficult to read—was it regret, or was it amusement?

"You are just as Ken'ichiro-san described—an untamable hawk, one that refuses to be caged."

"Ken'ichiro-san said that about me?"

Karl glanced back at Ken'ichiro, who had already turned his head, avoiding Karl's gaze in advance.

"But calling me a hawk… that's not exactly an unbreakable metaphor," Karl said casually. "There have been plenty of falconers throughout history, you know."

"Ah, you mean 'breaking a hawk'?"

Hanako's interest seemed to be piqued. The conversation flowed naturally in an unexpected direction, and for a brief moment, she seemed genuinely amused, as if she wanted to discuss the art of falconry.

But then, from the doorway, Ken'ichiro let out a deliberate cough.

"Ahem."

The sound was a clear reminder, snapping Hanako out of the tangent she was about to entertain.

"My apologies," she said, quickly regaining her composed expression.

Then, she presented her second proposal.

"In that case, Karl, would you accept my patronage?"

She placed her hands gently on her lap.

"As a contracted mercenary, to aid me in certain matters… family matters, you could say, within the corporation."

She was being incredibly direct about it. No coded language, no euphemisms—she simply called it what it was.

Or rather, in Hanako's case, corporate affairs really were family matters.

"And by patronage, what exactly do you mean?"

This proposal interested Karl more—he was curious about the conditions.

Hanako, clearly prepared, only needed to say one name to make him understand.

"Morgan Blackhand."

"I see."

The legend among legends. The King of Mercenaries, Morgan Blackhand.

Every merc in Night City knew of him. Though a lone wolf, he had received backing from Militech, often serving as their trump card in key operations.

For example, during the Fourth Corporate War, he played a pivotal role in the Arasaka Tower nuclear attack, which ultimately tipped the scales in Militech's favor.

[The Fourth Corporate War] – A global conflict that started as a battle between two oceanic oil giants, CINO and OTEC, over the acquisition of IHA. The war escalated when Militech and Arasaka intervened, culminating in the Arasaka Tower Nuclear Attack, marking Militech's pyrrhic victory.

[Arasaka Tower Nuclear Attack] – On August 20, 2023, a Militech-backed tactical unit launched a nuclear strike on Arasaka Tower, one of Arasaka's last strongholds in America. Among those involved were legendary mercenaries such as Morgan Blackhand, Shaitan, Rogue, Johnny Silverhand, and Spider Murphy. Despite Arasaka's attempts to stop them, including the deployment of Adam Smasher, the operation succeeded, securing Militech's victory.

Recalling the events of that day, Karl fully grasped Hanako's intentions.

"You want me to be your strategic piece in critical moments?"

"Precisely."

Hanako didn't bother sugarcoating it.

"So… I'd be working for Arasaka?"

"No."

Hanako's expression turned serious as she corrected him.

"You wouldn't be working for Arasaka."

She looked straight into his eyes.

"You'd be working for me."

"For Hanako Arasaka."

Silence filled the air before Karl spoke again.

"And what kind of 'patronage' are we talking about?"

"If you agree, I can provide you with any state-of-the-art Arasaka equipment you desire."

"And who would my targets be?"

"Militech, Kang Tao, NightCorp, Biotechnica… any corporation, really."

She smiled slightly.

"And, of course, my own family—if necessary."

Karl exhaled slowly.

"At the very least, I wouldn't be asked to go after some street punks, huh?"

Hanako chuckled softly.

"No, that would be beneath you."

Karl narrowed his eyes.

"Why?"

The moment he asked that question, he heard footsteps behind him.

Ken'ichiro was moving—perhaps to intervene.

As if Karl had just stepped into a question he wasn't meant to ask.

Let me know if you'd like any adjustments!

Before Ken'ichiro could take another step forward, Hanako responded without hesitation:

"Because whether it's a hawk or a fledgling chick… I dislike them both."

A hawk or a chick, huh?

Karl noticed that Ken'ichiro had stopped moving behind him.

"So, what are you then? A dove?"

Dove—that was the label given to Hanako's mother, Michiko Arasaka, within the factions of Arasaka. Those aligned with Michiko inherited their loyalty from her father, Kei Arasaka, and were predominantly based in America. Their political stance revolved around reforming the corporation and integrating peacefully with the West.

"I am not."

Once again, her voice carried not a hint of hesitation.

"I am not any kind of bird."

Hanako's gaze was unwavering.

"I am Hanako. Hanako Arasaka."

So, her ideology was entirely her own.

She didn't serve Saburo Arasaka. She didn't align with Satenaka Arasaka. She didn't even tread the same path as her own mother, Michiko Arasaka.

This level of defiance…

This level of ambition…

It was so very Arasaka.

"I understand now," Karl muttered. "You truly are an Arasaka through and through."

"It is precisely because I am an Arasaka that I possess this resolve."

Hanako took pride in her name and lineage.

"It is precisely because of that, that I have the resolve… to change the world myself."

Because only from such a position could one even dare to attempt such a thing.

Karl's expression grew serious.

"What is it that you want to do?"

Hanako's response was as unfiltered as her ambition.

"I want to become the master of Arasaka."

There was no disguise, no embellishment—just raw ambition.

Why?

Why you?

What right do you have?

A girl who barely survived an assassination attempt?

A girl who needed to recruit a street merc like me for protection?

What gives you the right?

Karl already knew the answer.

Her surname.

It was precisely because she bore that name that she had the will to claim what was hers.

It was precisely because she bore that name that she had the right to act.

Karl recalled a certain story about Saburo Arasaka, a man who once broke away from the family, forming his own faction in a bid to overthrow his own bloodline's rule over Japan.

Was every Arasaka this rebellious?

This relentlessly ambitious?

A fledgling chick caged in confinement can never fly.

A dove can push open the cage and take to the skies.

But a hawk?

A hawk soars above all else.

And beyond even that sky...

There is only the sun.

A child born under the clear sky is called Hanako.

Karl understood her ambition now.

But he had one last question.

"Why… do you trust me?"

There was no hesitation in her response.

Nor was there any doubt.

Hanako simply spoke words that Karl knew all too well.

Words he himself had once said before.

"A sakura tree has shed countless petals throughout its lifetime… but among them, there was one… that happened to fall into the hands of the one who saved it."

Simply put—

"You just happened to be here."

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