Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 340 102. Going to meet Arasaka Michiko

The weather is fine. For Night City, which is often hit by sandstorms, today is a rare good day.

After finishing his breakfast, Carl gazed out the window at the sky and then went out.

The sandstorm in Night City is not only raging, but also carries radiation. It’s really great to be able to go out in such good weather.

After taking the elevator downstairs and reaching the ground floor, Carl walked out of the super skyscraper. On the road outside in Little Chinatown, an Herrera Outlaw GTS was parked there waiting for him.

The car window was not rolled down, but Carl seemed to be able to see the people inside through the glass and smiled at the vehicle.

Coming to the other side of the vehicle, the door opened automatically, and Carl sat in the passenger seat, then greeted his friend in the driver's seat:

"Good morning, Maki."

"Good morning, Carl."

Sitting in the driver's seat, Maki Takemura nodded to Carl.

Today was the day that Carl had agreed with Haruko to accompany her as a friend to meet her mother, Michiko Arasaka. Taking the staffing issue into consideration, Carl made an appointment with Maki yesterday to have her pick him up, and in terms of time, Maki was very punctual.

The vehicle started, and Ma Xi did not hold the steering wheel, but left everything to the vehicle's intelligent control system. Sitting in the driver's seat, watching the scenery passing by outside the window, Ma Xi suddenly asked Karl a question:
"Have you met Aunt Michiko, Carl?"

Have you met Michiko?

"Are you talking about reality or what's on TV? I haven't seen the former, but I've seen too many of the latter."

"Is this so"

Maki nodded in understanding, "So, today is the first time."

"That's about right. So what about you?"

Carl's eyes followed the scenery passing by the car window. He turned his head and looked at Maki: "You have a good relationship with Haruko. You must have met Arasaka Michiko many times before."

“That was many years ago.”

Maki recalled: "In my childhood, Aunt Michiko was always at the forefront of the trend of the times."

"Ahead of the trend of the times?"

Carl didn't quite understand. He recalled the image of Arasaka Michiko he had seen on TV: "Are you talking about something like kitsch?"

Kitsch is a style of dress that has become popular on the streets in recent years. It represents the spirit of chaos and rebellion, emphasizing appearance while ignoring the inner essence. This style is characterized by exaggeration, boldness and vulgarity. It seems to be sensational, but it is actually a cultural expression that reflects people's dissatisfaction with reality and their pursuit of individuality.

The kitsch in Karl's memory is similar to the once popular Shamatte culture, both of which are colorful styles that were popular for a period of time. However, unlike the Shamatte culture that is gradually fading from people's sight in the past, kitsch is becoming popular around the world and has become a cultural phenomenon.

In Carl's impression, Michiko Arasaka's dress and clothing when she appears in the public eye are somewhat kitsch.

“Maybe there are some similarities, but I guess that this time we meet Aunt Michiko, she may change her style again, and this style is definitely the most cutting-edge and will become popular soon.”

Maki said: "Aunt Michiko, whom I met when I was a child, was like this. Every time she appeared in front of people, her clothing style was different and always unique, but soon, many people would appear on the market imitating her dress, leading a fashion trend for a period of time."

As she spoke, Maki's face showed some anticipation: "She is always at the forefront of fashion. Aunt Michiko is really amazing. Just by observing her clothes, you can predict the next fashion trend. She is just like a magician, full of incredible charm."

"I think it's not so much that she has the vision to lead the trend, but rather that it's because of Michiko Arasaka's status. Others saw what she wore and imitated it, and then everyone followed suit, so it became popular."

Carl buried this complaint in his heart. After all, no one could say for sure about such things. Maybe Arasaka Michiko really was an amazing fashion master, and her vision was just a few steps ahead of others?

Arasaka Michiko was able to integrate the Arasaka forces in America after the corporate war and develop it into the third largest faction within the Arasaka faction. At the time, she was only seventeen years old, and not yet an adult, but she had already demonstrated extraordinary abilities. It is no exaggeration to call her a genius, and it is perhaps natural that a genius excels in all aspects.

Time passed quickly while Carl was chatting with Maki about Arasaka Michiko, whom he was going to meet later. After Carl felt the speed of the vehicle slow down, he was already in the North Oak District.

Michiko Arasaka met her daughter whom she had not seen for a long time, and hoped that she would bring her friends to meet her. Such a private matter would definitely not be conducted in Arasaka Tower. For Michiko Arasaka, who traveled all over the place and rarely lived in Night City for a long time, the only place that could be called home and where she could meet guests was her daughter's place.

The Herrera gang was driving on the driveway in the North Oak District. Before they approached Haruko's house, Carl felt three or four waves of scanning from the drones in the sky. Then, he saw no less than fifty garrison personnel wearing Arasaka uniforms on both sides of the road. Judging from their movements, equipment and prosthetics they wore, each of them was very capable.

"This is still a long way off. It's just that tight."

Carl estimated that these were just the Arasaka personnel standing on the roadside. Each of them was enough to hold him back for a moment. If fifty people attacked together,
It is almost impossible to deal with it before follow-up support.

This is just the layout before the manor. Carl even doubts whether the current layout of the manor is more tight than Arasaka Tower.

But on second thought, this is understandable. After all, the only two members of the Arasaka family in the entire Americas are now in the manor in the North Oak District. It would be really strange if the defenses were not strict enough.

The Arasaka personnel in America have already tasted enough of the feeling of being leaderless. After the death of Arasaka Kei, the manager of the Americas, if his daughter Arasaka Michiko had not stepped forward to integrate the power of Arasaka in America, then Arasaka, which had lost the corporate war, would probably have been easily defeated by other companies in the Americas, or even fallen apart. With such historical lessons, they will naturally be more vigilant and strengthen their defenses.

As the vehicle got closer and closer to the manor, a man came out from the gate, stopped the Herrera gangster, and gestured to come down for inspection.

Looking at the man from inside the car, the expression on Karl’s face was a little subtle.

"Mr. Kenichi Shiro, how did you end up guarding the gate?"

(End of this chapter)