Leo stuffed a few medical treatments into his nightstand. The rest of the medicine—boxes included—went straight into the Singularity Space as strategic reserves.
While V returned to her room, he crept downstairs and stored most of the supplies away.
Enough water and food for one person to survive a month, plenty of medicine. If only he had some weapons and ammo, he could hole up and survive on his own for ages...
"What the hell are you sneaking around for?"
V stepped out of her room, catching Leo's suspicious back at a glance. She nearly thought a burglar had broken in.
Leo froze, then turned around like nothing had happened. "Just storing supplies. I left some for you too, emergency stock."
"Mm... fair enough. Gotta say, you're starting to think more like a local."
V didn't dwell on it. She walked over and carried the boxes to the kitchen.
Later, Leo reminded V to be ready to leave at 8 a.m. tomorrow, then rushed through his evening routine and went to bed. The mental fatigue had seeped into his body—his eyes shut, and he was out in seconds.
February 20, 2076.
Beep—beep—
A lovely dream where he was watching TV with V in his arms was rudely cut short by a damn alarm.
Leo groggily opened his eyes and searched for the source.
Nothing in sight. Damn it, where was it coming from?
After ten seconds or so, he finally remembered—it was set through his personal terminal and ringing directly in his head...
He turned it off, only to recall the dream he just had, and felt a little pissed. Really, Leo? You dream about cuddling and that's all you dare to do? Pathetic!
He carried that frustration to the breakfast table, which V immediately picked up on.
"Wipe that dirty thought off your face. If you dare sneak into my room at night, I'll knock your teeth in."
Leo paused mid-bite and touched his cheek. "You know, I've always wondered—how do you read my thoughts just by looking into my expressionless cyber-eyes?"
"I don't look. I feel it! It's intuition."
"Right, sure… damn impressive."
He shut up after that, and didn't dare revisit the dream imagery.
After breakfast, he changed into that expensive casual outfit, and the two of them stepped out together.
Their ride, of course, was a Delamain cab.
"Good morning, Mr. Leonardo. Welcome aboard Delamain Premium. With Delamain, your worries stay outside."
Delamain's shiny bald head appeared on the screen.
Leo replied politely, "Hey there. That damaged car from the other day—everything fine?"
"Indeed. Our vehicles use detachable armor shells. Easy to repair and replace. That car is already fully restored. Thank you for your concern.
"Please verify your identity so we may proceed."
Leo was used to this by now—identity checks were routine.
Once confirmed, the vehicle started smoothly.
He stared out the window on the way, occasionally chatting with V to take the edge off his nerves.
It had been over ten years since he last set foot in a school. And now, he was re-enrolling as a student.
Just thinking about the entrance test made his temples throb and his breathing irregular.
Father, do not worry. I'll assist you through the exam. High scores are guaranteed.
I'm counting on you, Shironeko.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and rested for a bit.
It felt like only ten minutes had passed before the vehicle gradually slowed down.
"Mr. Leonardo, we've arrived at Corporate Plaza. Your destination, Arasaka Academy, is on your right. Best of luck.
"With Delamain, your worries stay outside."
Upon exiting the car, Leo was greeted by the towering silhouette of the Arasaka Academy building.
He looked up—the skyscraper was so tall it was impossible to see the top, making one feel small just standing there.
Let's hope this goes smoothly.
He lowered his gaze, calmed himself, and walked with the equally nervous and silent V toward the main entrance.
As they got closer, more details of the school came into view.
The entry area was manned by security personnel and scanners, same model as the ones at Konpeki Plaza.
Suddenly, he stopped and touched his waist.
Shit... he brought his gun.
He glanced at V—right, and she even had a grenade on her belt.
"What's wrong?" V asked.
Leo turned around. The Delamain cab was already long gone. "I don't think we were supposed to bring weapons. Security at Arasaka Academy's pretty strict."
"What? Leaving home unarmed is like walking around naked!"
Clearly, V couldn't accept the idea. She even slept with her gun under her pillow—of course she brought it.
Leo was starting to sweat. But they were already here—might as well try.
Thankfully, the security guards had clearly dealt with this kind of situation before.
"Mr. Leonardo, I see you and Ms. Vivienne have a scheduled visit. Per protocol, you may deposit your weapons at the gate's security station. We guarantee their safety."
The male guard gestured left toward the security office.
Relieved, Leo thanked him and led V over.
They were greeted by a huge man, easily over two meters tall and weighing several hundred kilos. He pulled out a storage case and inspected their weapons before placing them inside.
"M-10AF Lexington, a toy from Militech. F-GX fragmentation grenade, mid-grade. JKE-X2 Kenshin, with official Arasaka plugins—hmm, now that's taste."
His glowing cyber-eyes judged them harshly at first. Only when he saw the Kenshin from Arasaka did he nod in approval, giving them a "you have taste" kind of look.
"Alright, into the locker they go. Pick them up when you leave."
"Thanks."
Leo checked the time. 8:30 a.m.—still enough time.
They passed through the security scan without issue and stepped inside Arasaka Academy.
The spacious, well-lit interior was immediately pleasant.
Well-dressed students and staff bustled around, and Leo wasn't the only one with a bodyguard in tow.
"Damn... all I see are corpo dogs. A gang member would pass out from excitement just stepping foot in here."
V whispered next to him.
Leo looked over. "You're not nervous anymore?"
V grinned. "I figured it out. You're the one taking the test, not me. What am I nervous for?"
She had a point. And just like that, Leo's brief moment of calm disappeared again.
"Thanks a lot," he muttered through clenched teeth, dragging her along toward the front desk.
Unlike the security outside, the receptionists inside were all women, each of them pretty and impeccably polite.
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