"Ohayou gozaimasu (Good morning)."
Vela wore an expression of compassionate solemnity—tempered with a touch of grandeur.
"I am Vela Adelheid Russell."
"As your senior, it is my honor to be invited to speak at this year's Arasaka Academy freshman entrance ceremony in Night City."
"To quote Lord Saburo Arasaka: 'Rakuka wa eda ni modorinikui (Fallen blossoms rarely return to the branch).' Regardless of who you are, from the moment you are born, there comes a time when you must leave the cradle of parental protection and face the world on your own."
"Today, your presence here marks your first step toward true independence."
"The road will be hard, but the future is bright. New things always replace the old. Likewise, Arasaka must be revitalized by fresh blood—and that blood is you."
...
"Thank you for listening."
Straightforward, unremarkable.
Vela delivered her speech with a professional smile and a calm tone. No theatrics. A standard monologue on family, duty, responsibility, transition, and the future—a perfect fit for Arasaka's corporate flavor.
Clack, clack.
As she stepped down from the stage, Vela didn't return to the VIP section. Instead, she moved toward a secluded corner of the upper tier, keenly observing the crowd below.
The wide-eyed kids whose tuition had been scraped together by their desperate parents—they looked visibly excited.
They had promised their parents they would work hard, graduate, and become fresh blood for Arasaka. With a salary, they could repay their family and fulfill the duties Vela just described.
Then there were those who knew a bit more, understood that Arasaka wasn't so easy to enter. Her speech gave them a bit of encouragement.
They were already planning how to grind from day one—study like hell, climb the ladder.
Of course, there were also those completely disinterested.
And then you had the company kids—the sons and daughters of employees—often smug, noses in the air. Clapping excitedly whenever a senior exec like Vela appeared, they more or less knew what her rank meant.
Their futures were already mapped out.
David Martinez fell into the second group.
Of course he recognized Vela. But he wasn't stupid—he wouldn't blurt it out or act out of turn here.
He listened to her speech intently. Unfortunately, the Q&A session was pre-arranged, so he never got a chance to speak.
Part of him knew he didn't belong here.
But something in Vela's speech stirred him.
His mom always said he was smart. Getting into Arasaka Academy was his shot. And his test scores were pretty good—better than a lot of spoiled corporate brats.
Under his mother's tearful, hopeful gaze, David quietly clenched his fists.
Just like Vela said—family, duty, responsibility.
He might not understand much else, but his single mother had worked herself to the bone to raise him in this hellhole called Night City. Gave everything to get him here.
He had to be grateful.
Clap clap clap—
The ceremony wrapped up smoothly not long after.
Corporate families began forming circles, introducing their children to one another in the usual ritual of mutual flattery and network building.
Vela wasn't interested in lingering.
She offered a few polite words of encouragement to children of Security Division employees, then excused herself on the grounds of work obligations.
Not exactly a lie. Arasaka didn't believe in handing out vacation days. Most of the company employees here would probably be back on duty right after the event.
With the short, round principal offering an overly heartfelt farewell, Vela and her bodyguards exited the hall, strolling past the lush plant-lined campus as they made their way back to her AV.
Then, Vela noticed a middle-aged man in the standard black-and-red Arasaka uniform, stern-looking and broad-shouldered, standing beside her AV with a mushroom-cut boy who looked rather flamboyant and impulsive.
"Chief Russell, good day. I'm Shinichi Tanaka. Upon learning you had arrived at Arasaka Academy, I took the liberty of waiting here."
The man stepped forward, bowing respectfully.
In response, Vela's internal scanner automatically tagged his face and matched it to an employee database entry:
Shinichi Tanaka — Mid-level staff in Night City Arasaka R&D Division.
A scholar-type officer in charge of a subdivision for testing new cyberware, exoskeletons, and mechs. Also a member of the Arasaka Academy board and a former staff member there. Loyal to Arasaka. A veteran employee and lead tester on experimental products.
"Mr. Tanaka."
Vela nodded, stepped forward, and briefly shook his hand.
While Tanaka's rank and power couldn't compare to her own within the Security Division, he was still a seasoned mid-level manager and an old-school company loyalist.
"This is my son, Katsuo Tanaka."
Tanaka gestured toward the mushroom-headed youth. "Not keen on R&D. He's long admired the prestige of the Security Division."
Ah, so this was a setup. He wanted to slide his son into Security.
"A tiger father raises no dog son. I believe in your potential. But tell me—will we meet again?"
Vela slowly circled toward Katsuo, her tone laced with ambiguity and amusement. "At the academy, don't slack off. If you have the means and the will, train your body. Learn hacking, firearms, melee combat... and remember, no flashy nonsense."
"Y-yes, ma'am..."
For some reason, the depth of Vela's gaze put Katsuo under enormous psychological pressure.
Not even his edgiest black-market braindance highs had made him feel this suffocated. He straightened up reflexively, especially as all of Vela's towering bodyguards shifted their attention to him.
His face turned beet red.
"Good. Keep at it."
Vela gave Tanaka a polite nod and, surrounded by her entourage, boarded the AV. The "Black & White Duo" rode with her, while the other bodyguards departed in a separate company vehicle toward Corporate Plaza.
Vmmm... vmmm...
The blue flame of the vector engines roared to life. Long after the black-bodied luxury AV had lifted off and flown away, Shinichi Tanaka straightened up from his slight bow and turned a stern gaze on his slender son.
"From today on, stay away from your good-for-nothing friends."
"Focus on your studies. Graduate, pass the assessments, and get into Security. I don't care if this is some whim born of last night's Watson incident or today's ceremony—you asked me to make the introduction, and now that Chief Vela has acknowledged you, there's no turning back."
"Remember, if you want to climb the ladder, this isn't a game. If, when the time comes, you're not good enough... don't blame me for being ruthless."