Dark clouds covered the sky, leaving the morning dim and chilly.
On his way to class at Arasaka Academy, David stopped for a moment as he passed the corporate plaza in City Center. Two holographic goldfish were still swimming overhead through the air.
One was gold.
The other was blue.
David stood there watching them for a moment, but his gaze soon drifted toward someone on the upper terrace steps.
The other boy was wearing the same Arasaka Academy uniform as him.
Katsuo Tanaka.
One of David's classmates.
The moment he saw that malicious smile on Katsuo's face, David felt a headache coming on.
But today, he did not want any trouble with him.
No such luck.
In the dark passage beneath the corporate plaza, Katsuo and two other students blocked the exit.
It was the only route David could take to reach Arasaka Tower.
Light from outside the tunnel stretched Katsuo's shadow long across the ground.
David could see his face half-hidden in the dark.
With one hand in his pocket, Katsuo spoke in an overbearing tone.
"Just drop out already. Read the room, David Martinez."
"What room?"
"You're nothing but a problem for the whole class."
"If this is about yesterday..."
"It's not just yesterday," Katsuo cut in, then continued with a sneer.
"I'm not picking on you because your family's poor. I'm actually pretty open-minded. Being born poor isn't your fault. And nobody said poor people can't attend Arasaka Academy. Of course, that's assuming they can afford the tuition."
His tone gradually turned colder.
"But there's something else I can't forgive. Know what it is?"
David had no interest in getting involved with Katsuo. From start to finish, he had always avoided friction with him.
He turned his eyes aside and replied coldly,
"Sorry. I didn't understand a single word that came out of your mouth."
Katsuo immediately pointed at him and raised his voice.
"That. Right there."
What Katsuo hated about David, what made him keep targeting him, was that look on his face. That constant refusal to submit. That stubborn edge in his voice.
"Just drop out and get lost."
"You don't belong here, freak."
David stared at him unwillingly, unable to understand why Katsuo kept pressing him so hard.
But right now, there was nothing he could do.
The only thing left was to endure it.
Katsuo went on like it was nothing.
"Trash that can never fit in with the class should be thrown out. If people like you are left alone, all you do is stain everybody else. The least you can do is stop dragging us down."
"You said it yourself. As long as I pay the tuition, it shouldn't matter."
Katsuo tilted his head and smirked mockingly.
"I heard your mom came to the academy yesterday and begged the principal to forgive you. Cried her eyes out. Begged them not to expel her precious son. Right?"
"Pretty pathetic."
"I've always wondered what kind of work your mom does to pay your tuition here. Want to tell everyone?"
"David Martinez?"
"What exactly does your mother do out there to send you to this academy?"
Every taunt.
Every sneer.
Every word stabbed straight into the most sensitive part of David's heart.
No matter how Katsuo mocked him, insulted him, or pushed him around, David could endure it.
He could even pretend not to see it.
But he would never allow anyone to sneer at his mother.
His right heel began bouncing uncontrollably.
His whole body tensed.
And for the first time, there was killing intent in his eyes.
Katsuo did not let up.
He pressed harder.
"I can think of one way to make fast money in Night City."
"Only problem is, it's illegal."
David stopped bouncing his foot and fixed Katsuo with a hard stare.
"That's enough."
"Enough? Says who?"
"Get out of my way."
David had no interest in dragging this pointless confrontation out any further. He tried to leave by going past Katsuo.
But Katsuo deliberately stepped in front of him and slammed him back.
"Hm? You're really just gonna walk away like that?"
Katsuo raised both hands and body-checked David three times in a row, then casually triggered his cyberware and rammed him several meters backward.
"Oh? What now?"
Staring at the furious David, Katsuo crooked his fingers at him.
"Come on."
David finally snapped.
He threw a punch at Katsuo with all the rage inside him, only to watch in shock as Katsuo caught it easily with one hand.
"What is that thing you installed, some bargain-bin junk? A free chip?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Katsuo unleashed a flurry of punches.
David took the hits straight to the face, chest, and stomach before being kicked away and sent flying.
"Arms 400 series. The best of the best in martial arts chipware. You're still running stock joints. Next time you come looking for revenge, get some decent chrome installed first. Otherwise, just drop out."
After tossing out those words, Katsuo straightened his uniform and walked away.
David slumped on the ground, his face covered in blood, in so much pain he could barely stand.
Only after resting for a while did the pain begin to settle.
His uniform was ruined again.
In his current state, there was no way he could show up at Arasaka Academy for class.
So he had no choice but to go to the ripperdoc first, get the kidney transplant surgery done, and collect the money.
Dragging his battered, exhausted body behind him, David made his way to the ripperdoc's clinic.
The ripperdoc took one look at him and laughed.
"Got in a fight? You're bleeding that much and still want to do the kidney transplant? You'll die on my table."
"Spare me the lecture."
Clutching his stomach and gritting through the pain, David lay down on the operating table by himself.
"If I die, that's not your problem. Just make sure the money gets sent to my mom's clinic."
Wearing a multi-optic visor, the ripperdoc rolled over in his chair and began connecting tubes and data cables to different points on David's body.
Streams of code and biometric data rolled across his visor, and he clicked his tongue in amazement.
"What an incredible body."
"You're this badly hurt, and you're still recovering naturally at this speed. Your physical stats are nearly maxed across the board. Honestly, if I took all your organs apart and sold them, they'd probably fetch a fortune."
"Look at this heart. Strong as hell. And these kidneys, too. The filtration and metabolic rate are insane. Not gonna lie, your body was practically made for cyberware."
David spoke in a low voice.
"Enough talking. Just do the surgery."
Soon enough, David had the operation, got the money, and barely had time to rest before the black clinic's surgeon called him again.
"Is this Mr. Martinez?"
"This call is regarding Gloria Martinez."
"You need to come to the hospital immediately."
Completely drained, David assumed it was about the medical fees.
Carrying a bundled stack of eddies, he returned to that same dim black clinic building.
The one who received him was still the same surgeon as before.
Standing outside the operating room on the second floor, the surgeon wore the same clothes, spoke in the same cold tone, and still had fresh blood on his hands, as if he had only just finished another procedure.
"She was stable this morning, but her vital signs suddenly collapsed. She's passed away. It was the cheapest package, after all, and she was already physically weak before the traffic accident. Looks like severe overwork. Here are the funeral options we provide..."
The more David listened, the less he could understand.
His eyelids began to close on their own.
It felt as though his whole body were sinking into an icy deep sea, about to be swallowed by the darkness below.
And he no longer had the heart or strength to struggle.
All he did was reach out, as if trying to grab hold of something.
"Mom..."
Then his consciousness faded.
He fell into darkness.
"Ugh..."
David was jolted awake by a sudden headache.
A harsh beam of light stabbed into his eyes, making his pupils contract painfully.
Once the blinding white glare faded, he rubbed his eyes and struggled to make out the scene in front of him.
"David!"
A voice he knew better than anything else rang out.
"Huh?!"
David focused his eyes and saw his mother, her red ponytail tied back, sitting beside the hospital bed as she anxiously stroked his forehead.
"Mom?"
"David, you're finally awake!"
Gloria looked so relieved she was almost crying. She grabbed both his hands tightly and pressed them against her forehead, as if checking his warmth for herself.
David still could not process what he was seeing.
All he could do was murmur in confusion,
"Mom... what's going on?"
Gloria wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes.
"Mr. Kai saved us..."
(End of Chapter)
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