Thus the Old Man Spoke - (Cyberpunk AUrunners/2077, Arasaka Saburo!SI)
2076, Coronado City, California, USNA
It was morning- and she was fucking late.
It was absurd how alarms could screw her this badly- even the one that she had clocked for the day had just decided to give up on life itself as it left her running through the large streets of Coronado City with a very giddy smile on her face.
The young woman with short black hair, with pretty blue and pink eyes and full lips that just begged many to be kissed- the young woman that was Sasha Yakovleva was aware of how hot she was but... this wasn't the moment to be narcissistic.
Not many could say life was going up for them, but Sasha was having a blast despite her current predicament. Using her 'web-shooting' implants, she was shifting around through the appropriate 'web-slinging' sections together with a few others with the similar situation.
It was a cool way to keep her body 'alive', while also forgetting her boss was going to munch her alive once she arrived to destination. The modest warehouse at the edge of Japantown had been given a good paintjob to appear professional.
The 'Coronado Little News Reports' was a small-time business that had hooked her in the world of journalism. As the daughter of an activist, it felt a fitting place to start working from. Maine, the owner, was an old family friend that her mom had seen to help around when he was younger, so he took her in without much of a fuss despite her antics.
But the most important thing was that her cute girlfriend also there which made the boring hours of writing.
Speaking of the 'Big Lady' herself, Sasha was grinning like a madwoman as soon as she saw her cutiepie wandering the halls, looking worked up and huffy. It took her a careful rotation to land through the nearest window and-
"You're late!"
Ah yes, her beloved tsundere GF. Rebecca may sound like a rule-stickler, but she was deep into cybernetics to the point she looked like a pretty doll with pale cyan hair, even paler cyan skin and green eyes with pink sclera. There were two things that had Sasha hooked up with the 'bratty girl' from back when they were going to school: her personality, and her worship-worthy booty.
Rebecca squeaked furiously as she took notice of her, rushing rapidly and then planting those puffy cheeks of hers against her chest. "Explain."
"Well, your thickness, I was busy swinging and I got lost in the way of life so-"
"It's serious, choom. Boss got you a big day for you and you are shitting on gold," Rebecca growled, then her annoyed look softened. "What was it?"
"Alarm apps went fucko again. You know, same as usual-"
"It's only with you," Her shortstack of a GF told her, sounding nervous. "You need to get that checked out."
"Will do, but first... big day? How big?" Sasha asked, pulling Rebecca with her as she carried the girl while walking towards Maine's office and-
"Big enough I am really upset Lucy ain't around to take it and for you to be late as usual, Yakovleva," Maine's bulky frame came into sight as he turned the corner, holding a big cup of coffee.
"Oh, that big. What about? A new piece to write about Coronado's latest policies, the mayor did a fuck up or-"
"Interview," Maine scowled, almost slamming the folder with the files onto her face with how suddenly it came up to sight. "It's a big one, I want you on your best behavior and- I mean it, Yakovleva, this is our biggest scoop yet."
Sasha rolled her eyes, opened the folders with Rebecca trying to peek into its content but... it was her tall girlfriend that spoke up of what was going on, sounding shocked and shaken.
"A-Arasaka?"
Maine nodded. "Old Man Saburo is visiting Coronado to see how his granddaughter's administration so, we had this chance to snatch an interview from him."
Rebecca's jaw hit the floor too as this was indeed the biggest job she ever heard anyone at the workplace take. And there was a reason this was both good stuff and also shitty stuff.
Arasaka Saburo was a legend in terms of cybernetics. The man had invested so heavily in what is known as the biggest company in the world that no one had ever thought of dealing with the 'Old Japanese Guy' in an interview. Hell, those that made this sort of stuff were mostly his children as they were those in charge of the various company's branch.
Saburo had long retired, but it was rumored that his shadow was still huge over his heirs' decisions to the point that some thought his constant checking on the one handling the American branch was about the rebellious nature of Arasaka Michiko meddling with his own efforts to control her actions.
Yet, to Sasha this was... even bigger.
With a frown aimed at the files, she offered a confused look to Maine. "W-Why me? I thought Lucy- What about Kiwi?"
"Both are doing other stuff, plus... I thought you would like to meet the guy that helped your mom when she needed those meds," Maine argued, and Sasha huffed at this. "Trust me, you may be the kind of insane that can crack that sort of old thing."
Rolling her eyes, Sasha tilted her head as Maine just left her alone... with a pouting Rebecca.
"Are you going to do it?"
"...I am."
"You sure?" The tiny worrywart inquired, and Sasha smiled before giving her a little peck on her lips, causing the short queen to twitch and huff at the little gesture. "You could have spoken."
"I hadn't kissed you yet today~."
The blush was wonderful and it gave Sasha the strength to reorganize her thoughts. She had to do this... even though this was her first interview yet. And it was supposed to happen today. And... she also found out that Saburo hadn't given an interview in fifty years.
This ain't going to be as smooth as I want it to be, is it?
Despite the many odds against her, Sasha mustered all the 'insanity' that Maine mentioned and got to the planned meeting location five minutes earlier than expected.
She thought it would have been nice to be there punctually but she was surprised to reach Kabuki and then pinpoint Arasaka Saburo... sitting alone in a bar. That just screamed of scary, but Sasha entered the place nonetheless. The owner spared her a quick look but then shrugged as she wandered to the counter and sad beside the old man himself.
This was where the shivers got intense as she could sense he was aware of her presence despite taking his sweet time with a cup of tea. Despite being 157, Saburo hardly looked any older than 50. He had started using tech to lessen his physical decay in the 90s which then was optimized during the 2030s to the point he hardly looked any older than a regular Japanese 'young' grandpa.
"Sasha Yakovleva, I am the journalist in charge of-"
"The interview," Saburo hummed with an accentless English, catching Sasha off-guard with his interjection. "You're early."
"I want to do a- a good job."
Saburo nodded, ignoring her mortifying stuttering for the moment. "Efficiency is the key to success."
The Motto of the Arasaka Corporation. It was ironic how it was used in such a memetic circumstance, and it made her mellow up the intense unease that had taken over her. It wasn't just the idea of being beside a 'titan' in the history of corporations, but the fact there was something within her own implants that told her that the old man was tougher than he looked.
"About the interview-"
"Still early," Saburo argued calmly. "If you wish for something, ask for it. Everything is free for everyone in this place today."
Talk about flexing the wallet.
Reservations aside, Sasha asked for a cup of bitter coffee. She had missed drinking some for breakfast and so she was starving for some caffeine. The dark brew was soon warming her brain up and keeping her away from getting too sleepy on such a huge job.
Once they had both finished, Saburo took the lead and guided her out of the bar and into the streets.
"I thought you would have had guards, Arasaksa-san-"
"Mr. Arasaka is fine, Miss Yakovlena. I am not here to impose honorifics, and I find the use of those in English to be displeasing- I am sure you understand."
"Y-Yeah, they are shitty to say in English- I mean, they are not good to say."
Saburo smirked at the crass tone, "Alas, I hope you understand I am not interviewing you, Miss Yakovlevna. No reason to be so scared for you are in the safest moment possible in this city."
Sasha wasn't fully sure of it, but she nodded as the grandfatherly figure appeared so chill around her. It felt jarring, odd and infuriatingly enticing in being at ease around the old fart.
"Then could you call me Sasha?" The young woman dared her luck and the old man nodded.
"If that's your wish, then sure, Sasha."
Smiling, Sasha got her small note app at ready as she started the interview.
"So, Mr. Arasaka, how about we start with your... first years. Many tends to gloss over it due to your prestigious military career-"
"It was embarrassing," Saburo remarked, sighing tiredly forward. "Being a young boy with the mind of an adult can be quite detrimental to someone with great ambitions. My mother was doting, my father focused on the company."
A curious way to describe his so-called genius. A young boy with the mind of an adult. How peculiar.
"What about your childhood? Anything fond to remember that you may still be happy about?"
"Parks. Those places where nature is kept away from the never-ending death called Industrialization," Saburo answered dryly. "I used to walk the forests in the countryside. It was my priority to preserve those in Japan but... sadly, I never had the chance to do the same with Coronado City."
Sasha recorded the response and nodded, contemplating about this simple and yet peculiar answer.
"Have you ever been in a park, Sasha?" The old man asked back, glancing at her with a curious glint playing by his eyes. "I am not talking of one of those cheap ones in Coronado City. I mean one of those born from the Green Horizon projects in California."
Despite this not being something relevant to the interview, Sasha thought of it and remembered hearing the project being mentioned once. Truth be told, she hardly had a reason to visit a park in Coronado City to begin with, so she saw no point in visiting one outside of town.
"No but... why?"
"You seem like the kind of person that hates to be... caged. I wondered if you ever had the pleasure of walking on your own within one of those parks. Away from the eyes of others and just... listen to a nature that doesn't exist as commonly in this world as it used to."
Sasha felt taken aback by this notion. A peaceful place and... her? That sounded ridiculous, but the way the old Arasaka was introducing it made her ponder if that could be a nice place for a date. Definitely would spice things up rather than take her out to eat sushi...
Back to the interview, Sasha decided to pick up the pace. "After you went through school, you decided to join the military rather than continuing to work with your family business. Was there a particular reason you decided to join the military?"
That was definitely going to get something interesting rolling and... Sasha was not disappointed.
"The war. We had been at war with China for two years at that point, and Europe had been plunged in the Second Great War. When the military rapidly expanded the recruitment efforts, I understood that we were going to face a bigger threat. Some thought it was the Soviet Union, but I had a gut feeling it would have been the Americans after they started to poke at our oil trade."
Sasha nodded, taking some more notes on stuff that had hardly been expanded upon about Saburo. "And?"
"And then I decided to fuck the military plans to ruin the country."
The woman almost tripped on herself as she heard the old man cuss himself. With eyes wide open, the girl was met with a snort.
"What? Are you a Church Girl, Sasha?"
"No-"
"Then I expect some honest use of 'fuck' and other 'shit' to make this interview worthwhile for the youth. I am not a rule-stickler, at least now that I am retired," Saburo argued giddily. "So, what's the next question?"
...
"Are- are we related?" She really wanted this now that she knew this old fucker may be cooler than he appeared at first glance.
This time, it was Saburo's time to snort. "Sadly no. But, if you want, I can adopt your parents and then that would solve the problem."
It sounded insane, and Sasha loved it.
"I-I will have to call mom but... really?"
"Only if you get this interview right, Sasha."
A pout was a mature response to such requirement to have a cool grandpa. Still, Sasha nodded and turned to the next question.
"We heard many documentaries about the War on the Pacific, but... was it as bad as it is remembered today?"
"It was lit," Saburo flatly commented. "Except the war crimes in China and Pearl Harbor. The rest was pretty much 'banzai as fuck'."
...
Dear God, I love this mad Japanese Grandpa~!
AN
This story has been long cooking in my brain. And it may have cooked my brain too.
So, here's how it will be structured: Starting next chapter there will be semi-serious recollection of Saburo's past and the many changed he made from the get-go, while the present-time will see some more explanations of 'current changes' while also relying on crackish comedy.