"I know... I know that terrible things happened to him in the past."
Akane's eyelashes flickered, her gaze dropping to the floor. "Don't you think it's a blessing that he's forgotten? For the man he is now... isn't that a kind of happiness?"
Over the past week, since learning Hayashi Aoyama's former name, she'd been doing some digging. In this digital age, traces of a brilliant life are hard to erase completely. By searching for "Hayashi Kento," she'd unearthed a series of academic reports and news articles from a few years ago.
The Federation's youngest dual-doctorate in Computer Science and Applied Physics...
Nominee for the Outstanding Young Scientist Project...
Recipient of the National Science and Technology Award for Youth...
These was the fragments of Kento's glorious, sun-drenched past.
But as she reached the reports from three years ago, the trail went cold. No article explained why such a brilliant light had suddenly vanished from the academic world.
It wasn't until she found a obscure legal archive, detailing a specific incident involving another "Hayashi," that she finally understood.
The weight of that discovery had made her heart ache for him.
After several carefully phrased tests, she'd confirmed that Aoyama, the man she knew, had no memory of those traumatic years.
And so, Akane had made a silent vow. She would never let him remember. She would protect the man he had become. To her, he was Hayashi Aoyama, not the ghost of Hayashi Kento.
Yusuke looked at the determination in Akane's eyes and felt a wave of realization. He knew about that incident. He knew how much it had shattered Kento.
'Is that why he resigned? Why he traded his lab coat for a monk's robes and disappeared into the mountains?'
He realized that Akane was right. Perhaps the "madness" of Aoyama was the only way he could survive the reality of Kento. Closing his mind to the past was the ultimate act of self-preservation.
"But... we're his family," Yusuke said, his voice failing him. "Can we really never see him again?"
"I don't think it's necessary," Akane said softly. "I won't let him take that risk. If he sees you, and it triggers something... if those memories come flooding back..."
She stopped, her lip trembling with a sudden, sharp fear. "What then? Who is responsible for the damage?!"
"I will not allow even a fraction of a percent of a chance that he gets hurt again."
Yusuke let out a hollow, defeated laugh. "I see. You really do care for him, don't you?"
Akane's cheeks flushed a soft pink. She honestly couldn't pinpoint the exact moment it had happened. Was it the moment he'd saved her from the lake? Or one of their countless lunches in the studio?
She didn't know. And she didn't care.
"I understand. If this is what's best for him... then I won't push any further."
Yusuke whispered a quiet "Thank you" and turned to leave.
Akane let out a long, shaky breath. But as the tension left her, she noticed something.
The entire hallway was filled with students staring at them, their "gossip-radar" at maximum intensity.
As soon as they realized Akane had noticed them, they all suddenly developed a deep interest in their shoes or their phones.
"Man... what should we have for lunch?"
"Hey, did you remember to empty the trash in the dorm?"
"Oh yeah! I heard that new place by the north gate has great... trash..."
"What are you even saying?! You can't eat trash!"
"Oh, right. Do you want me to bring you back an order?"
Akane felt a dark line of frustration etch itself across her forehead.
She sighed and walked away. At least for now... the "Family Problem" was over.
---
The September sun was merciless.
While the coastal regions were occasionally cooled by seasonal tropical storms, The Metropolis remained trapped in a sweltering heatwave.
The freshmen, undergoing their mandatory military drill, were suffering. They'd tried every superstitious ritual they could think of, like praying to various deities and performing rain-dances behind the barracks, but the sky remained a relentless, unblinking blue.
Meanwhile, the upperclassmen continued to demonstrate their lack of "basic human decency."
They'd walk past the sweating formations of freshmen while sipping artisanal bubble tea, carrying portable fans, and shielding themselves with designer umbrellas. "I suffered through this once, so I'm going to make sure you suffer too, and I'm going to make sure you watch me not suffer while you do it."
Aoyama, oblivious to the drama of university life, was busy with his own "thriving" projects.
Edgerunners was still being serialized, and the development of the Cyberpunk 2077 game was proceeding at a breakneck pace.
The CyberEngine was performing exactly as he'd envisioned. The hardware handled the code with surprising Grace, and the game's core mechanics were already being implemented. Aside from a few minor glitches, which Aoyama diagnosed and fixed within minutes, the project was remarkably clean.
At this rate, there would be no "game-breaking bugs" to plague the launch.
But while the development moved smoothly, the world of the manga was about to take another leap.
Following the devastating deaths of Maine and Dorio, the story had jumped forward.
Chapters 24, 25, 26, and 27 showed the rapid evolution of David Martinez. In a matter of weeks, the skinny street kid had vanished, replaced by a man who had inherited Maine's role, Maine's responsibility, and, most importantly, Maine's chrome.
David had become the leader of the surviving crew: Kiwi, Rebecca, and Falco.
He had also become Faraday's primary contractor.
Like Maine, David had begun to pack on the cybernetics with a manic desperation. He was no longer a boy; he was a mountain of metal, almost as massive as Maine had been.
And on his back, he wore Maine's legacy,the heavy, tactical cannons that had once belonged to his mentor.
Seeing David use that arm was a source of constant, bittersweet pain for the fans. It was a reminder of what had been lost.
But it was also a showcase of power. David, with his Sandevistan and his heavy chrome, had quickly become one of the most feared legends in the Night City underground. He fought with a reckless, high-speed aggression that surpassed even Maine's prime.
However, Lucy had pulled away. After the trauma of the hideout, she'd stopped taking "Edge" jobs with the crew.
But David was making big money as a top-tier solo. Even without Lucy working, they'd been able to afford a luxurious high-rise apartment in the heart of the city.
Meanwhile, Rebecca's role had expanded. she'd taken over his role as the Group's wild card: the energetic, often violent "heart" that kept everyone together.
She also made no secret of her affection for David.
Rebecca's popularity was skyrocketing.
But for the fans, a cold reality was setting in. With the time skip, the series was rapidly approaching its climax.
Aoyama was currently drawing the final panel of the series, Chapter 38: "Fly Me to the Moon."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]