Chapter 303 – Hanako’s Arrival
📡 Stay connected beyond the chapter.For updates, memes, schedules and all things translation chaos, follow me here:👉 https://x.com/SrMagnusBook
//////////////////////////////////////////////
The girl with sky-blue hair was a friend Karl had met back in his Arasaka Academy days. They'd never exchanged real names, and every time they'd interacted, Karl had always worn the face of "Gaius." Now, working security at an Arasaka banquet and spotting her by chance—it was quite the coincidence.
Then again, maybe not so surprising.
She was an Arasaka Academy student, after all—the kind who casually carried the keys to a top-tier Herrera Outlaw GTS. It would be absurd to assume her family wasn't highly placed within the Arasaka hierarchy. Attending the banquet with her relatives made perfect sense.
Still, times had changed. Back then, they were fellow students. Now, she was an Arasaka princess here to enjoy the banquet, and he was a "lowly" security grunt in uniform, face hidden under a helmet. The contrast was stark.
"This is like getting hired to guard a mansion and realizing your old friend is the owner."
With that thought, Karl straightened up.
Seeing a long-lost friend should've been a joyous thing—but today, he was on duty. If someone recognized his face, it could cause a scene. Best not to make trouble.
Maybe once the banquet was over, he could try and catch up with her.
Just as that crossed his mind, he noticed the girl's gaze pass over him... and then circle back, locking onto him again with increasing intensity.
Something about that stare made Karl uneasy.
No way... she couldn't have recognized me, right?
Before her suspicious gaze could deepen, something diverted her attention—the banquet food was being served.
At Arasaka events, food was only brought out after guests had arrived. Now was that moment.
From the staff corridors, teams of servers began to emerge in orderly lines. They carried trays of lavish dishes, moving gracefully between tables, placing gourmet food across the room. Any guest could help themselves.
"Buffet service—definitely the most elegant and efficient choice for a banquet like this."
As the girl's gaze finally shifted to the food, Karl exhaled in relief—then his own focus shifted to the menu.
He found himself wondering: What do high-ranking Arasaka execs eat at banquets in this day and age?
Of course the ingredients would be top-quality—but he was more curious whether they'd be serving some exotic bioengineered foods. Something like a "cherry-melon" that looked like a watermelon but tasted like cherries.
If they had stuff like that, he definitely wanted a bite.
Karl watched the servers pass by, eyeing their trays... and ended up disappointed.
Nothing wild. Everything actually looked kind of normal.
Still curious, he glanced toward the holographic menu now projected on the nearby wall for guests to see:
Salads: roast beef salad, Caesar salad, potato salad, Italian sausage salad...
Cold dishes: rose salmon platter, asparagus tomato medley, soy sauce chicken, Iberico ham, assorted cheeses...
Main courses: French seafood stew, Spanish paella, Provençal pork ribs, Danish arctic shrimp, grilled lamb chops with rosemary...
Desserts: Napoleon cake, egg custard, Black Forest cake, macarons, Japanese cheesecake, dorayaki, daifuku, red bean yokan...
Grrgle.
He didn't actually swallow, but he could've sworn he heard the sound of it in his own throat.
They even had freshly grilled Kobe wagyu beef…
Okay, he had to admit—this wasn't "normal" food at all. Karl was definitely tempted. His appetite was waking up in full force.
Real meat. Real vegetables. Top-grade quality. For someone who'd spent the last six months eating bottom-barrel, unbled pig meat, this was pure torture.
"Damn it. I really wanna eat."
There was always extra at events like these—leftovers were expected. These guests probably wouldn't eat that much, either. Once the job was done, maybe he could ask Mr. Kenichiro if he could pack a few things to go.
As his eyes trailed the food, they landed on someone all too familiar.
V.
That bastard was already eating.
At some point while walking past a server, he'd casually grabbed a glass of what looked like apple juice—and now, tucked in a quiet corner, he was happily munching on a plate of fried shrimp and pork cutlet.
You're even pairing it with juice to cut the grease, huh, V?!
Watching V eat in peace, thanks to his ID badge and perfect "I belong here" vibes, Karl was overcome with raw, seething jealousy.
"Don't just enjoy it alone—share with your bro, damn it!"
V, seemingly sensing Karl's glare, turned around with a shrimp tail in his mouth.
Chomp.
He sucked it in with a satisfied slurp, then gave Karl a big thumbs-up.
…?
A thumbs-up?! I'm not checking on your wellbeing—I'm asking if you can snag me something to eat too! How the hell did you misread that?!
Karl fumed. Meanwhile, V continued living his best life.
The only small comfort was that Oliver and Jack were stuck outside the hall on outer perimeter duty. They weren't even seeing this food, let alone tasting it.
Karl couldn't eat either—but at least he got to look at it…
Yeah right. It just made him hungrier.
He hadn't even had dinner. His breakfast and lunch had been combined into one sad meal: plain bread, synthetic butter, and some homemade smoked bacon. That fuel was long gone.
He might've been able to tough it out normally… but watching V chow down like a king?
Yeah. No. He was done.
Karl seriously began contemplating whether he could use his time-slowing Sandevistan to swipe some food, lift his helmet just a bit, and sneak a bite without anyone noticing…
But then—Kenichiro appeared, cutting off that thought.
And he wasn't alone.
Following him were Chidōme and, walking with a quiet presence as always, a girl in a kimono that never seemed to change—
Hanako Arasaka.
The last heir of the Arasaka bloodline still inside Arasaka Tower.
And the highest-ranking Arasaka presence currently in all of Night City.
She had arrived.
.
.
.
🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless
📢 Chooms, Listen Up! 📢
You can now jack in and get 100 chapters ahead on Patreon for Cyberpunk: The Relentless! 💾🔥
Stay synced with the chrome, the carnage, and the chaos—early access is stacked and ready. 🧠💀
🔗 Join here: www.patreon.com/c/MrMagnus👤 Patreon name: SrMagnus
Preem support as always, chooms. See you in Night City. 🌆💫