Morning.
Gloria was busy in the apartment wearing an apron, still dressed in that same yellow cyber-jacket built to take wear and tear. Her signature red ponytail was tied up behind her head, but the faint smile on her face showed she was in a pretty good mood.
She had gotten up especially early today because she wanted to make David a hot breakfast.
Normally, since she was always juggling several jobs, she never had time to prepare breakfast for him. Most days, David just grabbed an energy bar and washed it down with some kind of fortified drink and called it a meal.
In fact, that was how most Night City residents lived, relying on biotech company-produced food products to keep themselves going.
So Gloria's breakfast was not exactly lavish. She had simply heated up some corp-made ingredients, added a little synthetic seasoning, and turned them into a few decent-looking plates.
David came out of the bedroom rubbing his sleepy eyes, already dressed in his Arasaka Academy uniform. When he stepped into the living room, he saw Gloria at the electric cooker preparing food. It was still the same basic stuff as usual, but once heated, it gave off a faintly charred meaty smell.
David had been hungry for nearly two full days after collapsing, and the moment he smelled it, his appetite woke up instantly. He dropped into a chair at the table and started eating without hesitation, shoveling food into his mouth as he asked,
"Mom, why'd you make breakfast today?"
Seeing that David had regained some energy and had a healthy appetite again naturally made Gloria feel better too.
It felt like life had been awful for so long that she had almost forgotten what it was like to simply spend a morning with David like this.
She reached out and touched his head, saying nothing.
David thought his mother suddenly seemed a little strange today.
Not only had she made breakfast, but she was no longer as impatient with him as before. There was even a faint smile at the corners of her mouth the whole time.
He clearly remembered that morning when he pointed at the TV news and asked her about it, only to get scolded.
To him, appearing on the news had sounded kind of interesting.
His mother, however, had not seen it that way and had only thought he was being nosy.
David quickly finished breakfast and stood up, ready to head out for Arasaka Academy.
"Mom, I'm heading out. It's just..."
He hesitated because he still did not know whether the academy compensation issue had been resolved or not.
Gloria stopped him.
"I already called in and got you leave for today. Don't go to the academy yet. I'm taking you to City Center to buy a couple of outfits."
"What?!"
When David heard Gloria say they were going to City Center to buy clothes, he turned around and stared at her with his mouth open.
In his memory, his mother had never really bought clothes at all. She always wore that same yellow cyber-jacket, and going to City Center to shop was even harder to imagine.
Had he heard wrong?
David stared blankly at her, trying to confirm whether he had imagined it, but Gloria was the one looking back at him in confusion now, as if she did not understand why he was reacting like this.
"Our rent isn't even paid, is it?"
Gloria looked at David as though there was nothing strange about buying a new outfit, then replied matter-of-factly,
"The friend who came by yesterday already paid one month's rent. After all, he was the one who damaged our apartment door. Paying a little extra compensation was only fair."
David was even more dumbfounded.
She was actually calling those people who barged into their home like bandits her friends?
He looked completely unable to understand.
"Friends?!"
Gloria still looked perfectly calm as she kept explaining.
"Yeah. Last night was just a small misunderstanding. The apartment door's already been fixed by maintenance."
"And Mr. Kai's deal with them went really well too. This time, I made a pretty good amount."
After Kai and Maine finished discussing the cooperation the previous night, Maine transferred the money to Gloria right away, completing the transaction they had originally agreed on.
David felt helpless.
Even at seventeen, he could tell that those edgerunners from last night were not people to mess with. Yet Gloria was still treating him like a little kid and brushing him off.
In the end, he let out a defeated sigh.
"Fine. Then I won't go to school today. But why are you suddenly thinking about buying clothes?"
Gloria answered almost without thinking,
"Because today we're going to formally visit someone very important."
David did not even blink before guessing it.
"Mr. Kai?"
He knew Kai was some kind of Arasaka executive, and just from the fact that the man had saved both him and his mother at their lowest moment, David was genuinely grateful from the bottom of his heart.
He just was not the type to say it too directly.
Gloria gave him a look that said of course you figured it out and nodded in approval.
"David, you're getting more and more sensible. Since we're going to thank him properly this time, we should be as formal as possible. Going dressed like this obviously won't do. We need to buy something decent. Don't you think?"
She tugged lightly at the hem of her yellow cyber-jacket and looked herself over, front and back, dissatisfaction flickering across her face.
This had been issued to her when she worked at the public medical center. It was fine for everyday use, but absolutely unsuitable for any serious occasion.
David sighed again.
Jinguji.
A clothing store located in the commercial district near Corporate Plaza. It specialized in high-end luxury menswear, with services ranging from ready-to-wear to custom fitting and tailoring. It was especially popular with successful professionals and wealthy second-generation heirs.
When Gloria brought David to the entrance of Jinguji, his expression became even more exaggerated.
Even though he studied at Arasaka Academy, he hardly ever came to this part of City Center unless he absolutely had to. The people shopping here were the rich of Night City. Why would he go out of his way to offend his own wallet?
David looked up at the store sign overhead.
JINGUJI.
And a line of Japanese script beneath it.
"Mom... you're seriously planning to buy clothes here?"
Gloria figured David was just too used to being broke and felt awkward, so she encouraged him gently.
"As long as you have money to buy clothes, there's no reason not to go in. Even if we only look around, that doesn't hurt anything."
"Besides, once you start working in Arasaka Tower, you'll be a regular customer here too. Think of this as getting familiar with the place in advance."
With that, Gloria practically pushed David through the glass doors and into Jinguji.
At the front counter stood a dark-skinned attendant wearing a high-end embossed single-breasted suit. The styling was clean and sharp, and a black silk handkerchief with a gold pin decorated the breast pocket, giving him an air of refined luxury.
Gloria quietly said to David,
"See? Even the staff dress with this much class."
David only felt more embarrassed.
Compared to the attendant's clothing, his own jacket clearly clashed with the polished, expensive atmosphere around them.
But Gloria had already started chatting cheerfully with the attendant, using hand gestures to explain the kind of suit she wanted and the general size and shape she needed.
Maybe because the attendant had excellent manners and strong professional training, he handled the entire interaction with patience and courtesy. From beginning to end, he kept smiling politely, showing none of the arrogance or irritation people often expected from an expensive store.
His conversation with Gloria even became warm and lively.
Under the attendant's guidance, David followed Gloria through the store in a distracted daze.
Then he noticed something strange.
None of the clothes had prices listed.
So he casually pointed at the best-looking suit he could find and asked,
"Excuse me, how much is this one?"
The attendant turned immediately to answer.
"Of course, sir. You have excellent taste. This checkered suit jacket is priced at twelve thousand eddies. It's one of our featured pieces at the moment, so it isn't discounted."
"That said, the cut may be slightly large for you. If you'd like my recommendation, I would suggest trying..."
David froze on the spot.
He did not hear a single word after twelve thousand eddies.
Meanwhile, Gloria had already taken one look at the single-piece suit jacket and made her decision on the spot.
"David, you really do have good taste!"
"We'll take this one!"
(End of Chapter)
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