cyberpunk: Travel to 2075

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Innocent David

"Yo, David."

At the door of David's class, Gaius greeted him as he walked out of the classroom after class.

"Gaius..."

The moment David saw Gaius, the scene he witnessed in the BD wreath last night flashed through his mind, leaving a strong impression.

"How's the stuff I asked for?"

"I can bring it to you tomorrow, but we need to set up an appointment to bring it directly to the school..."

"It's okay, I understand."

Gaius glanced at the other students walking out and pointed to a less crowded area. "Shall we chat over there?"

"Sure." David followed Gaius to the spot he pointed out, then couldn't help asking, "Did you deal with a cyberpsycho yesterday?"

"Cyberpsycho... did the news spread that quickly?"

Gaius gave David a surprised look. "I remember the news broadcast credited the NCPD. How did you know it was me?"

"Well..." David said, a bit embarrassed. "Lieutenant James Norris had military prosthesis recording software. A BD wreath editor produced a recording within two hours after you dealt with him. I tried it out since it was new."

"A BD wreath editor, within two hours..."

Gaius seemed to realize something. "It couldn't be from the cyberpsycho series, could it?"

"Yes, it was the editor named JK..."

"As expected, that bastard. I still have a debt to settle with him."

"A debt?"

Seeing David's puzzled look, Gaius chose not to reveal that he had been recorded as a cyberpsycho. Instead, he pointed to the device on David's face and changed the subject.

"By the way, your device looks different from yesterday. Did you replace it?"

"I upgraded it this morning and spent a thousand euros. Oh, don't worry, I upgraded after buying the quantity of BD wreaths you requested. The quantity and quality are assured."

Seeing David looking uneasy as he explained, Gaius waved his hand dismissively.

"It's okay, I don't care about that. As long as you buy enough to make me famous, it's fine. As I said before, all the money earned from this sale belongs to you. If you buy less, you earn less. It's your money; you don't have to explain how you spend it."

After saying this, Gaius checked the time and saw that fifteen minutes remained of the break. Since he came to see David after the second class, and there were only three classes in the morning before the lunch break, Gaius had no intention of staying at Arasaka Academy during lunch.

Arasaka Academy's relaxed attitude toward those uninterested in competing was the easiest school Gaius had attended. Without money, even those wanting to compete had no means to do so, leaving them to accept the indulgent environment.

"By the way, how are your grades?"

Gaius had looked into David's background, understanding he couldn't afford to compete, and was curious how David managed.

"Grades?"

David was confused by the sudden question but answered honestly, "I ranked tenth in the school in the last test."

Given the relentless internal exams and how most wealthy children had tutors, reaching tenth place through class content alone was impressive.

"Only tenth?"

"Yes." David was puzzled by Gaius's disbelief. "I used to rank seventh or eighth, but my recent results dropped, so I landed in tenth place."

"You..."

Staring at David's punk hairstyle, Gaius realized David was a good student. Ranking in the top ten with minimal class content, if given the chance, Gaius couldn't imagine where David would stand at Arasaka Academy.

"Doesn't Arasaka Academy offer scholarships with your grades? I heard schools run by Ye's company have scholarships."

"There are scholarships, but they're mostly for university departments. We're in the middle school department, and the scholarships here are just encouragement awards given once a semester, about 300 euros each time. I save them for emergencies; they last one or two months."

"Three hundred euros, a month or two?"

"My mom helps with the subway costs, and I use a meal card for the cafeteria, which has subsidies. Although the cheap food doesn't taste great, one euro can buy a piece of bread. Sometimes, I get lucky and buy nearly expired pork floss bread for 1.5 euros. It's enough for a meal, and I go home for dinner."

"So, the 300 euros are really for emergencies... Don't you buy drinks, snacks, or anything?"

"I treat myself to a fat chicken wing from Feifei restaurant once a week. It costs 4 euros, and I eat the wing tip on the spot, saving the wing root to heat at night. My mom loves the wing middle, so I leave it for her."

Hearing David's frugal story, Gaius remembered when he asked Jack to track David. Jack had described how David spent money on a 5-euro disposable pistol while buying drinks, likely with a bleeding heart.

Looking at the young man who spoke enthusiastically about synthetic grilled chicken wings, Gaius patted his shoulder.

"Do a good job. If we can get all the academy boys to buy BD wreaths from me, we can start targeting the girls. The money we earn will be enough for endless chicken wings every day. Your mom won't have to work hard, and you can pay your tuition yourself."

Is this an empty promise from the boss?

Seeing David's hopeful eyes, Gaius felt a pang of guilt.

Why are the students I meet at Arasaka Academy so innocent? It's unbearable after spending so much time in Night City.

Fortunately, the impression of Arasaka Academy students' innocence didn't last long.

Some students came looking for trouble—with David, and Gaius was just caught in the crossfire.

"Poor people and street thugs make a good pair, don't you think, David?"

Hearing the mocking voice, Gaius sighed in relief.

Thankfully, a typical rich kid looking down on the poor finally appeared.

If not, I would have questioned the composition of Arasaka Academy's students.

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