cyberpunk: Travel to 2075

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Be Good

"Thief…"

Gaius looked at the blue-haired girl, showing a puzzled expression.

"I seem…"

As he began to speak, the girl interrupted:

"I felt something was off, so I checked the surveillance from the corner where we collided. When you moved forward, there was a slight pause, as if you knew I was coming from the other side. You bumped into me at just the right speed, and the moment your hand was covered by my figure, the fluctuation caused by the vehicle chip in my pocket disappeared."

She stared at Gaius with her purple pupils. "Afterward, you made a flipping motion that hid your palm, as if concealing something. There was nothing in my sleeve, so I am convinced you're a thief. You stole my chip and then returned it on your own."

"That's it."

Gaius didn't argue about the evidence, knowing that in 2075, it wasn't about proof. Once someone was convinced, arguing was pointless. He was curious why she confronted him after being certain he was a thief.

"So, what now?"

Gaius crossed his arms, a defensive gesture. However, it made him look less threatening, like a girl facing a threat.

The girl wasn't intimidated. A light flashed in her purple eyes as she said, "I've blocked the surveillance cameras here, creating a false image."

Does this conflict with what I'm going to say next?

"Apologize."

She pointed to his head, then to his waist. "Bow to me at ninety degrees and apologize properly. Thank me for deceiving you. Please apologize properly."

"Ha?"

Apologize?

She checked the surveillance, blocked him, and disabled others from watching. Now she wanted an apology for his wrongdoing?

Normally, wouldn't she report him instead?

The request was so normal that Gaius blinked a few times, incredulous, and asked, "You just want me to bow?"

"I care about the thanks I gave you yesterday. You tricked me into saying thank you," the girl said. "So, I need you to apologize."

"If that's the case, I don't mind. It was my fault, after all. It's reasonable for you to seek an apology, but..." Gaius hesitated, "Ninety degrees is too much. Can we make it thirty degrees?"

Ninety degrees was the standard for repentance and apology.

"Don't you understand Arasaka Academy's rules?"

"I understand, but the rule of bowing ninety degrees for an apology seems superficial. It's too easy to get rid of guilt with a ninety-degree apology," Gaius said seriously. "At least, I am serious."

The girl hesitated, then said, "Sixty degrees."

"Forty-five degrees, cut it in half."

"Um..."

Her persistence in the angle wasn't as strong as her demand for an apology. Negotiating the angle seemed new to her.

Seeing her hesitation, Gaius felt relieved. She appeared to be a "clean" student from a well-protected family, unexposed to corruption. Her innocence was evident.

Convinced she had been stolen from, she dared to meet him alone and block the surveillance. She was still immature. When she could threaten and exploit, she simply wanted an apology.

Was she really a student educated in the Arasaka system?

Seeing her struggling with whether to agree to the forty-five degrees, Gaius smiled and bent deeply.

"I'm very sorry. I teased you yesterday."

Ninety degrees. The standard of repentance and apology.

He bowed deeply because it was indeed his fault. He had made fun of a "clear" student and done wrong.

The girl, though she had demanded this apology, was now surprised. She gently covered her mouth, stepped back, then tried to help him up.

As Gaius straightened, he looked at her. "Now, I think it's good to know someone in Arasaka Academy."

"You…"

Seeing his smile, the girl's face changed. "Are you apologizing for deliberately approaching me?"

"No, the apology is genuine, but the approach now is real. Don't worry, I'm not trying to flirt. The apology is real. I just think it's interesting to see a rare lotus blooming in the mud of Night City."

Gaius extended his hand.

"Gaius, a trainee at Arasaka Academy, Gaius Brutus."

The girl looked at his hand, then at his face. "I heard some boys attract attention by bullying girls."

"Childish behavior is often effective. Though I didn't intend it initially, now you are interested in me, right? So, good girl, do you mind the handshake of a bad boy?"

"I do mind..."

She gently shook his hand.

"But you are indeed the first 'bad guy' I've met in the academy."

Why do children use tricks to attract attention?

Because quiet children don't get more attention—they have to be more "well-behaved."

(21 chapters/week)