Leo connected the call. "Hello?" There was no response from the other end. Leo glanced at the interface to confirm the line hadn't dropped and the connection was stable, then asked again. Finally, a voice slowly ca through, carrying a Japanese accent sowhat similar to Goro Takemura's. "I am Yorinobu Arasaka."
V and Jackie both sucked in a sharp breath. Not long ago, they had just been hunted by Arasaka's n. Takemura had wanted them to testify and point the finger at Yorinobu as the murderer of Saburo Arasaka. And now, Yorinobu himself was calling them directly.
Leo signaled the two to stay quiet with a glance. "You called us just to check if we were dead?"
"No, you misunderstand. I apologize. It was my subordinates who misunderstood my orders."
Leo stayed silent, waiting for Yorinobu to continue.
"My target is Takemura, not you. That's all. My n saw you with Takemura and mistakenly thought you were working together. For that, I am deeply sorry."
"You want to kill Takemura to silence him? Why?"
Yorinobu's tone stiffened. "That's none of your concern."
"Takemura has loyally served Arasaka across two generations, working himself to death for the company. Even if he hasn't achieved great rit, his dedication should count for sothing. And you're this ruthless?"
"I said, this is an internal Arasaka matter. It has nothing to do with you."
"Fine, I won't ask." Not getting an answer was, in itself, an answer. After Saburo's death, Yorinobu had been eager to purge Saburo's loyal followers. On one hand, it was likely an effort to quickly consolidate his own power; on the other, perhaps Takemura was right—Yorinobu really had been the one who killed Saburo.
"So, you called just to clear up the misunderstanding?"
"There's one more thing. Are you interested in working for Arasaka?"
Back when Leo and his team stord Konpeki Plaza, Yorinobu had reviewed the surveillance footage, more than once. Even though the images were heavily masked due to anti-detection jamrs, their breakout—especially Leo's defeat of Adam Smasher—had left Yorinobu both terrified and amazed. It sparked a desire to recruit Leo and his crew for his own use.
Saburo was dead, but not everyone inside Arasaka supported Yorinobu. Even when Saburo was alive, the company hadn't been a monolithic entity; it was split into many factions.
First was the Tori faction, led by his sister, Hanako Arasaka. Strictly speaking, this faction had originally been under Saburo. After his death, the Tori faction elevated Hanako as the new leader. They were primarily conservatives, hoping to preserve stability and continue along Saburo's path.
Opposing the Tori faction was the Taka faction, now backing Yorinobu. The Taka faction preferred direct solutions and had little patience for compromise. However, during Saburo's reign, the Tori faction had been dominant, leaving the Taka faction's influence relatively weak. Even after Saburo's death, when they threw their full support behind Yorinobu, it still wasn't enough for him to fully control Arasaka.
It was worth noting that while the Taka faction currently sided with Yorinobu, so senior mbers didn't agree with his pro-Western stance, which clashed with their traditionally anti-Western roots. But the massive power vacuum left after Saburo's death had left them little choice.
Besides the Tori and Taka factions, there was also the Hato faction. The Hato faction's leader was Michiko Arasaka, daughter of Kei Arasaka and granddaughter of Saburo. Born in 2008 in New United States, she had been raised and educated there, making her closer to New Arica compared to most of her family. After the Fourth Corporate War, she had chosen to cooperate with the New Arican governnt. The Hato faction's supporters were largely liberal reformists hoping to push the company toward deeper change. But their influence was even weaker than the Taka faction's, making them the smallest player among Arasaka's "big three."
Of course, Arasaka had more than just these three factions, but none held as much sway.
Yorinobu needed to strengthen the Taka faction's power in order to crush the Tori and Hato factions and consolidate Arasaka, even if that ant drawing strength from outsiders.
However, Leo's answer took Yorinobu by surprise.
"I refuse."
Yorinobu was stunned. "Why?"
Although he had obtained Leo's phone number, he knew almost nothing about Leo apart from his na. Still, he had correctly guessed that Leo and his team weren't affiliated with Militech or any other corporation. The reason was simple—if they were company operatives, targeting Arasaka Tower or the waterfront would have been far more destructive than just hitting a hotel.
"Because we're used to living free. We can't stand corporate chains, and we don't want to beco soone else's weapon."
Joining Arasaka? On the street, an offer like that would spark a bloody brawl with countless people scrambling to seize it. Night City was filled with parents like Jackie's, who would scrimp and save, go hungry, sacrifice everything just to give their kids the best education possible, all so they could get into a corporation. To them, that was the best future imaginable.
But Leo didn't see it that way. He knew Yorinobu wasn't Saburo. Yorinobu was a reforr trying to upend Arasaka. They could cooperate, but Leo would never beco Yorinobu's subordinate, taking orders from him. It wasn't that Leo didn't trust Yorinobu's character—he didn't trust Yorinobu's competence.
The failure of the Steel Dragon wasn't just because Arasaka was too strong. As the Steel Dragon's leader, Yorinobu had to bear so responsibility. And besides, Leo wasn't soone who liked entrusting his fate to others.
"I see. You won't reconsider? Fine, I understand."
Yorinobu paused, then left one last line before hanging up. "If there's a chance in the future, let's work together again."
...
"Takemura guessed right. Saburo was killed by Yorinobu."
Leo shared his conclusion with the others. Even though it was just a deduction, V and Jackie trusted Leo enough to believe him. In truth, neither of them particularly cared who killed Saburo. After all, Saburo wasn't family.
What they really cared about was...
"So, does this an we're safe now? No more running and hiding?"
Jackie had been worried they'd end up on Arasaka's wanted list. Night City belonged to the gacorporations—even City Hall had to yield to them. Crossing a gacorporation was no small matter.
If Yorinobu's earlier public statents on the news hadn't fully eased their concerns, this call and his olive branch certainly did—it was essentially a gesture of goodwill.
Leo nodded in confirmation. "Yes, we're safe now."
Jackie let out a long, heavy breath, feeling like a massive weight had been lifted from his chest. His eyes even felt a bit misty.
Despite his big, tough appearance, Jackie had been under enormous pressure these past few days. Originally, Leo and V hadn't needed to get involved at all—it was Jackie who had dragged them into the ss.
So when everything went sideways at Konpeki Plaza, Jackie's heart had been under constant tornt. He had even ntally prepared for the worst: being forced to leave Night City, abandoning everything they knew.
If it had really co to that, he had no idea how he would have faced Leo and V.
But now, the situation had suddenly reversed.
If they weren't still cramd inside a car, Jackie probably would have jumped up to celebrate.
V's face was also glowing with excitent.
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