An Invitation to Dinner

Shuttle doors open, and revealed is the arid landscapes of the family's garden; you would have been hosted here for the duration of your stay in Night City if you had not desired your presence in the City to be kept secret, utterly contrary to the high-profile estate retained solely for members of the Arasaka family.

Starkly visible is the lack of Arasaka security, or servants of any kind, though you know that Adam Smasher is likely loitering somewhere nearby alongside Kiji-aligned Corporate Soldiers, ready to intervene if anything unexpected were to occur.

It would have been funny to bring Adam along as your plus one, but that'd be an act of terrible taste; Michiko's husband is in attendance, after all.

You've never interacted with your cousin, but that does not mean you are ignorant of the self-made woman who treats herself more American than Japanese or Arasaka; her presence on the board is an olive branch to the NUSA.

But with the knowledge you possess–albeit from sources that one could might consider schizophrenic–you know the danger she poses to the Company and the Arasaka name.

If you were to tell Saburo that she has been using the Arasaka database in Westbrook to direct her catgirl mercenaries in counter-intelligence operations against Arasaka, and is the greatest single reason why the Company finds it extraordinarily challenging to establish a covert foothold within the mainland, he'd have you banished to some mountain monastery for a hard detox.

You doubt she would attempt anything against you; she pretends to a lofty moral code that leaves people like you out of the firing line, which is quite the shame; you'd have loved to see a few catgirl mercenaries try and take down Adam Smasher.

Having enough of the dreary view of perfectly-combed sand, hand-trimmed foliage of the old country, and the advert-ridden cityscape, you turned to greet your dearest cousin, who had finally deigned to leave the main building and greet you at the landing platform.

"So glad you could join us, Shiro."

With short-black hair that reaches only to her shoulders, her mirthful face wears only a thin layer of foundation. You wonder if this dinner had been carefully integrated into some busy schedule; she looks dressed for a corporate board meeting with that suit of hers.

"Auntie, you haven't aged in decades!"

She needs to leave your fake name alone; it's perfectly suitable, regardless of what Smasher, Michiko, or your assistants say! The inspiration came to you in a dream.

Your acidic response only seems to have egged her on; a small giggle leaks from her thinly pressed lips, but she restrains any further outburst with an exaggerated cough; her left hand, an unadorned metal prosthetic scrubbed to a silver sheen, covers her mouth through the entire short episode.

"If you need help crafting a believable identity, 'Shiro', I can offer you some advice."

As this conversation continues, you feel an overwhelming sense of discomfort; Michiko does not act like any of your other family members; she is too laid back, far too... human. Your cybernetics pick up on every natural cue of her voice and facial expression, something impossible with the others.

"Never mind about that; where's your husband? I'd like to meet him."

You want to see the poor slop who has to deal with the mess Adam Smasher left behind.

Michiko takes your acknowledgement of the existence of one Marc Sanderson and use of the specific label, husband, with a great deal of positivity, as none of the family, Yorinobu included, recognises him or their…strained coupling.

She committed the cardinal sin of race-mixing with the Americans and, to that effect, publically flaunted it. Worse, she decided to marry and take that peasant's surname; the shame will never wash out of her bloodline.

He wasn't even rich; what is wrong with this woman?