Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 622, Section 36: Differential Treatment
"You came."

"I am coming."

"You shouldn't have come."

"But I still... no, Mr. Kenichi Shiro, why shouldn't I have come?"

Karl gave Kenichi Shiro a strange look, then looked around: "I think I was invited here by Haruko. This is Haruko's place, it has nothing to do with you, right? Or rather, what are you doing here now that you're not a guard? Are you bored?"

Upon hearing the particularly jarring and familiar question, "Are you bored?", Kenichi Shiro's eyelids twitched involuntarily. He wanted to say something, but after suppressing the emotion welling up inside him, he tried his best to remain calm: "I'm not bored."

"You're not going to just stand here and watch me come over and play this kind of riddle game with me."

Karl glanced at Kenichi Shiro, who was dressed in a suit: "Are you still working, Mr. Kenichi Shiro? Don't overwork yourself. Judging from the time, you haven't been up all night again, have you? Why don't you go and get some rest?"

Hearing Carl's sincere concern, yet the words coming from his mouth sounded jarring, Kenichi Shiro took another deep breath and said, "I'm here to meet with Haruko to discuss the adjustments to the reception staff for the new United States. I will be responsible for part of the subsequent personnel arrangements."

"I see."

Carl nodded, seemingly understanding: "You do look very tired, working overtime non-stop. Have you been getting enough rest? Have you had breakfast? I have some energy bars with me. Although the taste is a bit strange, I'm surprisingly able to get used to them after eating a lot. Want some?"

As Carl spoke, he pulled out an octopus pancake-flavored energy bar from his pocket, which he had taken from V. He found it strangely unpalatable, but after eating it a lot, he could somehow get used to it. He handed it to Kenichi Shiro: "Don't be shy, I have plenty. I even fed some to the cat a few days ago."

Kenichi Shiro, who was already inclined to refuse after hearing the first half of Karl's sentence, suddenly became dangerous when he heard Karl's second half about feeding the cat, his eyes fixed on Karl.

What did this kid say?
Have you ever fed a cat?
He took the cat food and fed it to himself?
Sure enough, my intuition was right from the beginning; this kid didn't show me any respect whatsoever.

"Karl, have you arrived? The surveillance footage shows that you and Mr. Kenichi Shiro have been standing at the door for quite some time."

Just as Kenichi Shiro was considering how to respond to Karl and teach him to respect himself, Karl received a message from Haruko.

It seems he and Kenichi Shiro chatted for too long at the door.

"We've arrived, we'll be right there."

After briefly replying to the message, Carl turned and said, "Mr. Kenichi Shiro, Haruko is already waiting. Since you're also looking for her, shall we go together?"

These words sounded ordinary, but they made Kenichi Shiro's eyebrows twitch.

—What does "already waiting" mean?
—What does "It just so happens that you're also looking for her" mean?
—Still "going through it together"?
This kid is clearly here on business just like me, so why is he talking like the master? Has he forgotten who watched Haruko grow up? Who has taken care of her since she was little?
Kenichi Shiro's knuckles clenched unconsciously beneath his suit sleeves, but he maintained a perfect smile: "Of course, let's go together."

For some reason, Kenichi Shiro's calm tone sounded strangely oppressive to Karl, each word deliberate and stilted. He glanced at the other man subconsciously, only to see a perfect smile on his face.

—It must be an illusion.

Karl shrugged, no longer caring, and turned to head towards Haruko's residence in the manor, a place he had visited many times and was quite familiar with. At the entrance, as always, Chiyome had already opened the door to greet him.

"It's been seven days and four hours since I last saw you, Carl."

Chiyo's precise grasp of time made Karl smile: "You still remember time very well, Chiyo. I always thought you were really good at this."

"Excessive praise".

Chiyome shook her head, but a slight smile still appeared on her face in response to Karl's praise. However, the smile vanished instantly when she noticed Kenichi Shiro standing next to her.

She stepped forward to block the doorway, her voice suddenly turning cold: "Halt, routine check."

Haruko's residence had a wide gate, but Chiyome only blocked the half of the gate in front of Kenichi Shiro—clearly, she only wanted to stop him.

Kenichi Shiro looked at the disciple he had personally taught and on whom he had placed high hopes, who was now smiling at that annoying kid, and then blocking his way with such a businesslike attitude. A complex emotion that was hard to describe spread through his heart.

If it were only Haruko acting this way, he could easily blame it on Karl playing some trick, or on Haruko being young and naive. But even Chiyome was acting this way—these two children he had watched grow up, who were almost like half-daughters to him, were now standing on the opposite side of him.

Kenichi Shiro vaguely realized for the first time that perhaps the problem lay with him.

But how could he possibly admit that?

Therefore, after being treated differently, Kenichi Shiro, who had gradually begun to evaluate Karl more reasonably because they hadn't seen each other for a while, started to look at Karl with prejudice again.

However, Karl did not pay attention to his gaze. While Chiyome was conducting a routine check on Kenichi Shiro with the equipment, Karl waited quietly to the side, preparing to undergo a check as well.

Her relationship with Chiyome has improved, but her duties are still here, so she still needs to check things out.

After thoroughly examining Kenichi Shiro four times, Chiyo turned her gaze to Karl, who had already opened his arms and taken out his weapon, awaiting Chiyo's inspection.

Chiyo's scanner swept over Karl, blue light swirling around him, before finally fading into silence with a "beep." She nodded slightly, her voice calm: "It's ready, go in."

Why does he only need to do it once?

Kenichi Shiro's voice rang out almost immediately after Chiyome's words, sharp as the scraping of metal. He stared at her, his knuckles unconsciously clenching slightly—differential treatment? Or was it that even she was starting to side with Karl, that bastard Karl?
Chiyome didn't even turn her head, but merely turned half her face to the side, her cold gaze piercing over with the precision of a scalpel: "Those who are dangerous and irresponsible naturally need to be seriously investigated."

After these words were spoken, Kenichi Shiro fell silent.

In the silence, Karl glanced at Kenichi Shiro, who was still being disliked by Chiyome even after so much time had passed, shook his head, and followed Chiyome, who was already leading the way.

(End of this chapter)