Sesen Arasaka's personality was far more easygoing than expected. That was Oliver's impression after spending the morning with him. If he ha
Sesen Arasaka's personality was far more easygoing than expected.
That was Oliver's impression after spending the morning with him.
If he hadn't known who Sesen was, Oliver never would've believed that the man lounging in a bathrobe, watching TV, casually making calls, and occasionally chatting with them, was the most rebellious heir of the Arasaka family.
He had assumed they'd be dragged all over Night City for meetings. Instead, Sesen turned out to be surprisingly laid-back. Lunchtime was approaching, and the man still hadn't changed out of his bathrobe. From the looks of it, he intended to stay in the suite all day.
Supposedly he'd once been part of a street biker gang. Hard to believe, seeing him like this now. Maybe age really did mellow people out.
While Oliver kept thinking about the strange client, Jack and V stood watch at the penthouse's rooftop access points and glass-facing areas, ensuring no unauthorized entry. Karl remained on the sofa, occasionally exchanging a few words with Sesen.
"What are you guys thinking for lunch?" Sesen asked casually.
The way he spoke—relaxed, informal—reminded Karl more of a fellow merc discussing food options than some high-ranking corpo.
"The hotel restaurant should be trustworthy," Karl said after a moment. As bodyguards, their job was to prioritize client safety—and Konpeki Plaza's internal food services were the safest bet.
"Yeah, but that stuff's boring," Sesen replied, shaking his head. "I'm only in Night City for a short time. You guys are locals—anything good to recommend?"
"If you want local," Karl said, "Oliver helped me put together a Night City food log back when I arrived. Oliver, still have it? Send it over."
Oliver, caught off guard, instinctively forwarded the file before realizing it was for Sesen.
He's surprisingly grounded. Not at all like the usual corpo drones...
Beep.
Karl received the file, skimmed it, then asked, "Any dietary restrictions, Mr. Sesen? Do you prefer natural ingredients, or is synth food okay?"
"I'll eat anything. Just make it taste good."
Anything, huh?
The more he spoke, the more he came off like a guy from the streets. If he changed his face and ID, no one would guess he was that Sesen Arasaka.
Honestly, that was preferable to babysitting some uptight suit who glared at everything.
"How about Old Willy's Hotdog Stand?" Karl offered. "You like hotdogs, Mr. Sesen? Ten eddies a piece, 80% real worm meat. Everyone says they're great. I haven't tried 'em myself, but my friends swear by it. We could also throw in some pizza—chewy like cardboard, but the ingredients are solid. Made with grade-two flour, topped with roasted locusts—gives it a nice smoky crunch."
Worm meat and locust pizza—Karl had struggled with those flavors when he first arrived. Now he described them like a seasoned food blogger.
Sesen didn't even blink. In fact, he looked… nostalgic.
"Locust pizza, huh? Haven't had that in a while. If you guys think it's good, go for it. I'll try Night City's version."
"You won't regret it."
Karl opened the delivery app, rented a drone, input Sesen's security code, and sent it off to fetch the food.
With the lunch plan set and Sesen reclining again on the sofa, Karl couldn't help but ask:
"Mr. Sesen, when you first hired us, didn't you say we might be accompanying you around the city to meet people? Are we not going out today?"
"Nope," Sesen replied casually, flipping to a South American news channel. "I am meeting someone. But they're coming here."
Someone's coming here?
Everyone in the team perked up. Who could it be?
Their answer didn't come immediately. But before long, the delivery drone rose to the hundredth floor of Konpeki Plaza.
Normally, drones weren't permitted to fly that high—Konpeki's defenses would detect and destroy them instantly. But this one had the appropriate clearance, thanks to Sesen's access codes. It hovered just outside the bulletproof window.
"I'll get it."
Jack approached the window, used his access to open it, and reached toward the drone to grab their lunch.
That's when he noticed something was wrong.
Human noses can detect scents in one to three seconds—and Jack, augmented by a Berserk implant, processed faster than that. The moment the window opened, he caught the scent.
It wasn't hotdogs.
It wasn't pizza.
It was the smell of gunpowder.
PONG!
The drone exploded in a flash of light.
Jack slammed the window shut.
On the exterior side, cracks spiderwebbed across the bulletproof glass.
"Looks like these are blast-resistant windows," he said calmly.
Karl's phone buzzed.
"System notification: Your delivery drone was destroyed 20 meters from the destination. As per your drone rental agreement, you are responsible for damages. Please remit the compensation within the next 14 days."
Karl blinked at the message. "Someone's been tracking my drone orders. Watching my delivery habits…"
He looked up at Sesen, who seemed only mildly surprised by the attempted attack.
"Mr. Sesen," Karl said flatly, "our lunch is gone."
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