53. Arasaka Heir

Arasaka Heir

As Carl and the others walked out of Arasaka Tower, Maine and his crew had already been waiting outside for quite some time.

"Maine?"

David was the most surprised to see them. "I only sent the message a moment ago, and you guys are already here? That was way too fast."

"It was Carl's arrangement."

Maine smiled and nodded at Carl. "He hired me earlier under the identity of 'Akira.' He said that if anything happened on his end, we were to provide support at any time and handle the aftermath. We stayed nearby, and the moment we got the message, we came straight over."

As he spoke, he looked Carl, David, and the others over—neat clothes, without even a trace of dirt or signs of fighting—and immediately understood.

"Looks like this trip went smoothly. You didn't need me, your backup force, at all." Maine grinned. "Getting paid for nothing really isn't bad."

"Pretty much the same on my end."

Seeing Maine, the tension that had been wound tight through David's body finally eased somewhat.

Although teaming up with Carl and the others had been an opportunity David had long looked forward to, even dreamed of, they had always been seniors he respected deeply.

Working alongside them on a mission felt more like a chance to learn.

But David was also a mercenary with his own crew, someone others relied on. Only when Maine and the others appeared, gathering around him with the familiarity of family, did the young man who was always being looked after finally feel a sense of ease and reassurance. That ease let him release the last lingering thread of tension brought on by the important mission.

In that moment, he no longer felt like a junior who had to stay on edge. He