Chapter 21

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Early morning.

Gloria was bustling about the house in an apron, still clad in her durable, abrasion-resistant yellow cyber Jackieet, her signature red ponytail coiled behind her head. Only her faint smile suggested she was in a fair mood.

She had woken up early today to make David a hot breakfast. Normally, because of her multiple jobs, she had no time to prepare breakfast for David, and he would usually just grab an energy bar or drink some functional beverage to get by. In fact, this was the lifestyle of many residents of Night City, who relied on biotech companies to supply their nutritional needs.

Gloria's breakfast was simple: company-produced food slightly heated and processed with a sprinkle of synthetic seasoning, resulting in a few appealing meals ready to be served.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, David came out of the bedroom, already dressed in the Arasaka Academy uniform. He found Gloria preparing food on the induction cooker. Although it was the usual fare, once heated, it still emitted a meaty aroma.

David, who had been faint with hunger for nearly two days, felt his appetite instantly stoked. He promptly sat down at the table and began to wolf down his food, asking, "Mom, why did you make breakfast today?"

Seeing David lively and with good appetite brightened Gloria's mood even further. She had felt for too long that her days were dreadful and it had been a very long while since she had spent a morning like this with David. She reached out to touch his head without saying a word.

David thought his mother seemed strange today, not just because she had made breakfast, but also because she didn't seem as impatient with him as before, and her lips were constantly curled in a faint smile.

He distinctly recalled being scolded one morning when he pointed at the TV news and asked his mother about it. To him, appearing on television seemed like a novel and exciting event, but his mother did not share his view and even found him meddlesome.

However, David finished his breakfast quickly and immediately stood up to leave for Arasaka Academy.

"Mom, I'm heading off now, but..."

He hesitated, unsure if the matter of the academy's compensation had been resolved.

Gloria stopped David and said, "I've already called in sick for you today. Don't go to the academy. I'll take you downtown to buy a couple of outfits."

"What?!"

Hearing Gloria mention going downtown to buy clothes, David turned to look at her with his mouth agape in disbelief. In his memory, his mother had never really bought any clothes; she was always seen in that yellow cyber Jackieet, much less talked about going downtown for shopping.

Could it be that he had heard wrong?

David stared blankly at his mother, trying to confirm if he had misheard, only to see her looking back at him with a puzzled expression. He was somewhat bewildered by the current situation.

"Don't we still owe rent for our place?"

With an expression that suggested buying new clothes was the most natural thing in the world, Gloria looked at David and said, "A friend who visited yesterday paid a month's rent. After all, it was he who damaged our apartment's door. It's only right that he compensates us a little more."

David was even more incredulous, referring to those who barged into their home like bandits as friends. He expressed in disbelief that he could not understand.

"Friends?!"

Gloria still looked at David calmly and continued.

"Yeah, last night was just a small misunderstanding. I've already called the property manager to fix the door. Plus, Mr. Tang and the others had quite a successful deal. This time, I made a good sum!"

After Maine and Dorio concluded their discussion last night, the money was immediately transferred to Gloria's account, completing the transaction as previously agreed.

David was exasperated; even at seventeen, he could tell that last night's group of cyberpunks was not to be trifled with. Yet Gloria still treated him like a child, which left him somewhat deflated as he said."Alright, no school today, but why did you suddenly want to buy clothes?"

Gloria said almost without hesitation, "Because today we are going to visit a very important person formally."

David guessed immediately without even blinking: "Mr. Tang?"

Even though he knew that Tang Yu was a high-level executive at Arasaka, he was genuinely grateful from the bottom of his heart, considering he had helped his mother and himself during their most desperate time. It was just hard to express it that straightforwardly.

Gloria looked at him with a 'you are indeed smart' expression, nodded in praise, and said, "David, you are becoming more and more thoughtful. We should try to be as formal as possible for this meeting, so it's obviously not okay to wear what we have on now. We need to buy something nicer to make a good impression, don't you think?"

She tugged at the corner of her yellow cyber Jackieet – a garment issued to her for her job at the public medical clinic, which was suitable for daily wear but entirely inappropriate for a formal occasion.

David sighed in resignation...

Jingujī.

This was a high-end men's luxury clothing store located next to the Company Square in the downtown commercial district. It served clientele ranging from successful professionals to the second generation of rich families, offering ready-made clothes, bespoke tailoring, and personalized fitting services.

When Gloria brought David to the entrance of Jingujī, his expression became even more dramatic. Despite attending Arasaka Academy, he rarely visited the city center because it catered to Night City's wealthy – an unnecessary strain on his wallet.

David looked up and saw the store's name above the door, adorned with "JINGUJI" and a string of Japanese characters.

"Mom, are you sure we should buy clothes here?"

Gloria sensed that David might have been too accustomed to thriftiness and responded with an encouraging tone, "As long as we have money to buy clothes, there's nothing stopping us from going in, and even if we don't buy, window shopping doesn't hurt. Besides, you'll be joining Arasaka Tower in the future and will be a regular here, so consider this an early introduction!"

So Gloria pushed David through the glass doors and into the Jingujī luxury clothing store. At the reception, they saw a dark-skinned attendant wearing a high-quality embossed single-breasted suit with an impeccable fit, a black silk pocket square pinned with a golden brooch, radiating an air of opulence.

Gloria whispered to David, "See, even the employees are dressed so elegantly."

David felt somewhat embarrassed – his casual Jackieet clearly didn't fit in with the surrounding splendor.

However, Gloria was sociable and struck up a conversation with the attendant, gesturing about the kind of suit she wanted to buy and the sizing.

The attendant, perhaps due to professional dedication and training, provided thorough introductions to the clothes, maintaining a polite smile the whole time and showing neither impatience nor disdain. The communication went smoothly, even with bursts of laughter.

As the attendant guided them around, David, who was half-hearted about shopping, noticed that none of the clothes had price tags. He casually pointed to a suit he thought looked the best and asked, "Excuse me, how much is this piece of clothing?"

The attendant immediately turned around to assist David.

"Good day, sir, you have great taste. This checkered suit Jackieet is priced at 12,000 Eurodollars, and as it's one of our recommended items in-store, there's no discount available. However, it might be a bit large for you. If I may suggest, you should try..."

David was at a loss for words; he didn't hear anything after the 12,000 Eurodollars.

On the other hand, Gloria, after seeing the checkered suit Jackieet, decisively said, "David, you really do have a good eye!"

"Let's pick this one!"