chapter 121

...Jimmy Kurosaki Captured...

During a break after his academy classes, Gaius was stopped by a friend he had recently met.

The girl with long blue hair, tied into a single ponytail, stared at Gaius, who had started frequenting her during classes. She asked, "Are you planning to leave the academy?"

"How perceptive," Gaius replied with a faint smile.

As always, he made no attempt to hide anything. Sitting on a bench near a surveillance camera, he subtly adjusted the camera's angle so it couldn't capture the area where they sat.

"But how did you figure it out?" he asked.

"Because you're in a good mood today—like a bird that's finally escaped its cage and is singing among the flowers."

"No one from Night City would understand such a poetic description. Not many here have seen either birds or flowers."

Gaius chuckled and patted the empty side of the bench, motioning for her to sit. "You're right. I'll be leaving within the next few days."

The girl hesitated, eyeing the space beside him before sitting on the far side of the bench, keeping some distance between them.

"Has your mission at the academy been completed?" she asked cautiously.

"That's right," Gaius admitted. "Are you planning to report me?"

"Are you selling BD wreaths?"

Gaius froze for a moment, his lips twitching slightly. "You figured that out, too."

"You didn't exactly hide it. You walked down the corridor with the BD wreaths right in front of the cameras. Of course, I noticed."

"Well, that's about what I expected," Gaius said, leaning back on the bench. "If you noticed, then the Academic Affairs Office must've figured it out as well. They've probably been monitoring me for a while. But if they haven't acted, I can guess what they're planning."

"Like doves taking over a magpie's nest?"

"I like your phrasing," Gaius said with a wry smile. "In any case, I'll need to give them a little warning so they don't interfere with my business here."

He stood up and stretched. "It's almost time. Let's wrap up here. I'm not in a hurry to leave today. I'll stick around for a couple of days while the dust settles. If you want to talk, you can come find me before I go. After all…"

Gaius smiled. "I don't mind giving a company kid like you a glimpse into the working world."

"Wait," the girl said, standing and stepping in front of him.

"Can I know your true identity?"

"No," Gaius replied without hesitation.

"Are you still guarding yourself against me?"

"No," he said, pointing to a group of Arasaka Academy students passing nearby. "It's just that someone's watching."

He continued, "Since I said you're my friend, I'll choose to trust you. If I'm wrong, that's on me. But I can't reveal my true face here. I can, however, give you my real name."

"You'll tell me your name but not show your face?"

"Just like I've never asked for your name. Knowing someone's name but not their appearance—or vice versa—keeps things fair."

He pointed to himself. "My name is Karl."

"Karl," she repeated. "A name I've never heard before."

"Then you're a bit uninformed," he teased.

"Is it famous?"

"Don't look it up," Karl said with a grin. "Let's keep things simple until we meet again."

After parting ways, Karl left the academy and quickly received a call from Maine.

"Karl, we've captured JK," Maine reported.

"Already? That was fast," Karl replied, impressed. "Did you encounter any problems? Were you discovered?"

"No major issues, though we had a slight hiccup. Jimmy—code name JK—was carrying a small EMP device. It nearly knocked me out. Luckily, I managed to resist long enough to capture him."

"A small EMP device? How was he able to handle that? Doesn't he have a prosthetic body?"

"He's mostly flesh and blood," Maine explained. "His prosthetics are minimal—just some minor organs. But the guy was an idiot. He thought the EMP would make him untouchable."

Karl was curious. "So, how did you take him down?"

"Well," Maine began, "he assumed my projectile-equipped arm was useless after the EMP hit. He got cocky and stood right in front of me. I used the strength in the upper part of my paralyzed arm to smash him across the face. Knocked him out cold."

Karl chuckled. "Sounds like he underestimated you."

"Completely," Maine agreed. "He's lucky to be alive. I hit him so hard his face caved in. He's receiving emergency treatment now. The guy's got a platinum Trauma Team membership, and we almost had them storming in. If it weren't for quick work shielding our location, we'd have been in serious trouble."

"Can he still be interrogated?"

"Don't worry," Maine assured him. "I've got Pyrrha handling it. She's an expert—whether it's fixing prosthetics or patching up people. He'll live."

"Good. When do you plan to get the information out of him?"

"Tomorrow," Maine replied. "Once he wakes up, we'll interrogate him and get the details about his private deal with Tanaka. I'll send you the location once we have it. Be ready."

"Got it," Karl said with a nod.

After ending the call, Karl leaned back in his seat, lost in thought.

Tomorrow. The mission was almost complete.

It hadn't even been a week. Compared to the two-month timeline Militech had given him, this level of efficiency was almost unreal.