Cyberpunk: Arasaka Secret Son

When the weekend came, my grandparents took me to Judy's house.

When the three of us arrived in front of Judy's building, my grandparents and I got out of the Mizutani Shion MZ3-2, which, like the other cars of the same Shion series, has four doors. Ojii loves cars. When I asked him why he chose a Mizutani, he told me, "Since we live in this damn city, at least I will drive a Japanese car."

When we got out of the car, the Alvarez family was also waiting outside the building at the gate, and they approached us with smiles on their faces.

Aoi-obasan smiled when she saw Judy and said to me in Japanese, "Ara-ara, Sora-chan, what a cute friend you have made."

Although I didn't know it at the time, Judy had a similar moment with her own grandmother.

"Vaya-vaya, ranita, pero qué guapo chico has hecho amigo, ¿eh?"

When we approached, my grandparents and I were the first to introduce ourselves with a little bow, which made the Alvarez family a little uncomfortable. But, you know, they invited us to their house, so we had to show gratitude for the invitation and respect... Aghh, all this old-fashioned paraphernalia was driving me crazy, but I couldn't do anything else with Aoi-obasan around. Although it doesn't seem so, I fear grandma more than grandpa.

Grandpa is serious and straightforward. If he has a problem, he says it, discusses it, and when the conversation/fight/beating he's giving you is over, he goes back to his grandpa mode, as if nothing happened. But grandma... Grandma is scary. She doesn't forgive or forget. You do something she doesn't like, and it won't show on her face if there are people around—she'll keep her composure. But at home?

It's like she takes off her human mask and brings out her true Yuki-onna self, looking at you with icy eyes, not speaking, like you don't exist. She'll make food and call for dinner, but you'll have nothing on your plate, or just a single noodle and a glass of water.

Grandpa and I have a small cupboard in the training room full of food to prepare for these times, but still. When she finally acknowledges your existence again, although you almost wish she wouldn't because it makes your blood freeze, she'll start to list everything that has angered her, telling you she doesn't cook or care for people who upset her. You might spend three days eating just a grain of rice until she calms down and tells you what you did wrong... It's brutal. And sometimes, she gets angry over things she has no reason to be upset about—but you don't find that out until three days later when you finally explain, making her happy and forgiving you. But by then, you've already suffered for nothing.

Then the Alvarez family introduced themselves, and that's when I met Judy's grandparents, Peter and Ainara Alvarez. Ainara was an older, active, and direct woman whose character resembled my grandmother's—but also the complete opposite. It was like they had the same wave frequency, but each on the opposite side of the axis: one active, the other serene; one direct, the other spiteful; one like fire, the other like ice—all that jazz.

This contrast was quickly apparent when Ainara opened her mouth and said, "So, this is the kid who left you an AI from a big corporation that's worth more than the entire building where we live, hmm?"

When Ainara blurted that out just seconds after introducing us, we all reacted in our own way.

"Hah-haha," Peter laughed a bit nervously, trying to downplay the comment without contradicting his wife.

"Ara-ara," Aoi-obasan put her hands to her mouth, feigning surprise but clearly amused.

"¡¡SORA!! Did you give THAT to someone?!" my grandfather shouted angrily. I had left the chip with the AI without telling him or asking for permission. I didn't know I couldn't—Grandpa had given it to me after I complained that I couldn't find anything useful at school.

"BIG CORPORATION? It's worth more than a building? WHAT?" I said in surprise. So, it was from a big corporation? Grandpa was into that world, but this was news to me. The value shocked me—I had no idea it was worth so much. When Grandpa gave me the AI, it reminded me of the ones they had in the academy class that David went to in that series. I didn't know it was worth so much.

"¡ABUELA!" Judy yelled at her grandmother, frustrated that she'd jumped straight to the point of why I was invited this weekend, without even letting us enter the building first.

"Ahhhm, Ainara, I told you not to be so direct, but reasoning with you is always the same..." Peter sighed, shaking his head at his wife's lack of tact. Then, looking at Judy and me, he added, "Judy, Sora, why don't you go talk to each other while we old folks discuss boring things?"

Nodding, I walked away with Judy, knowing they wouldn't let us stay to see how Grandpa would react.

We moved far enough away that I could still hear them if I concentrated, closing my eyes. Judy was puzzled, realizing I was trying to eavesdrop despite the distance. To her, it seemed impossible.

"I'm very sorry for my wife's tactlessness," Peter said when he thought we couldn't hear him. Judy, seeing me close my eyes tightly to listen, tried to mimic me, which I found both cute and funny. "But I want you to know, Musashi-san and Aoi-san, if it's okay for me to call you that?"

"Please, just Musashi and Aoi is fine, right, Aoi?" Grandpa said.

"Of course," Grandma smiled. "We're not in Japan after all, so when in Rome, do as the Romans do."

"The other day, when Judy excitedly showed us the chip her new friend from Night City had left her, we were happy to see her so joyful. When she asked me to help install it in our PQc*, I was surprised she couldn't open it on her own PC. But when I saw it was an .IA file with several petabytes of technical knowledge, I didn't know what to think. I was concerned and told her to invite you so I could explain that you shouldn't give away things like this so casually. I hope you understand. Also, I apologize for my boldness, but I deleted some unimportant code from the files—code used by a certain...big Asian corporation—to make it safer."

"Thank you so much, Peter-san!" Grandpa said with a serious but grateful tone. "This is all my fault. I should have explained the chip's importance and value when I gave it to Sora, but I was excited. It was something his mother entrusted to me so he could learn whatever his heart desired. I'm just thankful it was given to your granddaughter, with whom Sora has become friends. As for the code, don't worry. It's better for everyone that it's gone—there are too many prejudices tied to corporate people."

"No need to worry, Musashi-san," Peter replied. "We all have pasts, some to be proud of and others... not so much. Don't concern yourself with those kinds of prejudices."

But by then, I was no longer paying attention. I was too stunned by what Grandpa and Peter had said. So it was my mother who gave the chip to Ojii... And with what Ainara and Peter said about a big Asian corporation, plus Grandpa Musashi's supposed past as a bodyguard in Japan, it all pointed to one thing: My mother worked or used to work for Arasaka. And Grandpa... maybe he did too? They never told me how my grandparents' children passed away, but from the way Grandpa raised me, I wouldn't be surprised if they were warriors who gave their lives for Arasaka. Could Grandpa have been that dedicated to the corporation?

I was so deep in thought that I didn't hear Judy talking to me until she punched me in the arm, snapping me out of my detective mode.

"Ouch! Why did you do that?" I asked, rubbing my arm.

"Do you really need to ask? You closed your eyes like you were listening to the adults—obviously, you can't from this distance—and then you made a pained expression. You weren't listening to me, so I had to hit you. You should thank me," she said.

"Tch. Just because you can't doesn't mean I can't," I joked. "I've been improving since I was just a cell, so I can do things you can't."

"Really?" Judy asked with wide eyes, shocked by my joke.

"BuHAHAHAHA!" I couldn't stop laughing, almost falling to the ground because she'd believed the nonsense I said without hesitation.

But now that I think about it... how can I hear my grandparents' conversations sometimes? This body scares me.

When I returned my focus to our grandparents, I realized I'd missed a lot. Peter was waving goodbye to Grandpa, who looked confused as Aoi-obasan climbed into the driver's seat, and Ainara got into the passenger seat.

As we watched, Judy and I saw our grandmothers ride off joyfully, while Grandpa sat puzzled in the backseat. We approached Peter to find out what had happened.

"Your grandmothers left to buy groceries for us all, and they decided to leave your grandfather here so he could take care of you two while we talk," Peter explained with a smirk, leaning in close to say, "Let's hope they return before we start talking about boring things."

*PQc (Personal Quantum Computer)