That was a heavy hitter right out of the gate.
Asking Aoyama whether Edgerunners was destined for a tragic conclusion from the very beginning.
This question struck correctly at the center of curiosity for every Edgerunners fan, and it wasn't an easy prompt to answer.
Whatever response Aoyama delivered was guaranteed to trigger intense debates among readers.
'Heh, this host actually knows what they are doing, dragging this question into the lights.'
The audience was satisfied with the question. They originally assumed the interview segment would just be a boring warm-up act.
But judging by this, things were about to get interesting.
In reality, every question lined up for the interview had been vetted and provided to Aoyama and Ayumi ahead of time.
So neither of them felt particularly startled. They knew the questions, and they had already drafted the answers.
But the fans didn't know that. Every reader in attendance leaned forward, eager to hear Aoyama's response.
Aoyama raised the microphone, but prior to answering, he...
"Testing, testing~ Can everyone hear me speaking?"
The voice boomed through the speakers, echoing clearly across the auditorium.
Everyone, including the host, felt a black line slide down their faces. 'You are speaking through a powered mic; of course we can hear you.'
Downstage, Akane raised a hand to cover her forehead with a sigh.
'Aoyama... while your medical report explicitly clarifies you aren't strictly fit, this is a public stage. Can you behave slightly more normal?'
To be fair, Aoyama was a peculiar case. His mental instability was real, but it was distinct from items that trigger constant annoyance in standard patients.
Only his occasional, unprompted actions left observers dumbfounded.
In short, Aoyama suffered from intermittent episodes; his baseline was mostly coherent.
"Cough... Aoyama-sensei, our microphone is operating perfectly," the host stated, breaking the silence.
The interview segment couldn't drag out for too long. The main event was the signing itself.
"I see..."
Aoyama cleared his throat and spoke.
"Yes, Edgerunners was destined for a tragic conclusion from the absolute beginning."
A sudden whisper swept through the audience.
"Because inside a Cyberpunk setting, tragedy is baked into the foundation. Humans are born to be exploited, and the pressure is far more suffocating."
"Even if David never stepped onto the deck as an edgerunner, even if he graduated from the Arasaka Academy and secured a corporate salaryman slot..."
"His fate wouldn't be any better. It would likely be much worse."
"Attached to Arasaka, he would grind 16 hours a day, keeping himself awake on continuous synthetic stimulants without single day off. Annual leave would sit at less than five days, and he'd have to take loans just to purchase corporate cyberware and Trauma Team insurance to protect his life."
"Trapped in that layout, his lifespan would be brief regardless. Cyberpunk cities house zero safety guarantees; normal civilians like Gloria get swept into drive-bys and gang wars every day."
"Under that setup, individual tragedy is guaranteed."
"And even if David and Lucy managed to beat over Adam Smasher, where could they run, facing the might of Arasaka spanning across the world?"
"So it was much better for David to raise a riot in Arasaka Tower, purchasing Lucy's survival with his death, while becoming a legend that Night City never forgets!"
Aoyama's answer triggered silent contemplation across the stadium.
Where could David and Lucy actually escape to? Even if they ran, they'd just be delaying the inevitable execution.
Living as running dogs on borrowed time sat lower down the metric than detonating magnificently, leaving behind a glorious and immortal legend.
"Alright, thank you for clarifying that for us, Aoyama-sensei."
The host spoke up immediately.
"That is an incredibly striking creative philosophy. That depth is likely why Edgerunners commands that much love from the audience."
"Next, I'd like to question editor Ayumi-san."
The host turned toward Ayumi.
"As the editor catering to Aoyama-sensei and Edgerunners, what was your initial impression the moment your eyes landed on the manuscript?"
"Gazing at Edgerunners for the first time, I felt... the setup was incredibly rare and daring, and the narrative direction was exceptionally engaging."
Ayumi replied smoothly.
"So I didn't hesitate to pick it up for serialization."
"Perfect. Thank you for sharing that, Ayumi-san."
The host turned back to Aoyama.
"Aoyama-sensei, there is a core lore element inside Edgerunners known as Cyberpsychosis."
"I recalled reading in your text interviews previously that Cyberpsychosis stems from continuous cybernetic erosion inside the nerves, layered with outside societal pressure. Can you detail that lore point further?"
"Cyberpsychosis..."
Aoyama pondered the question before replying.
"As I explained before, the skewed environment inside a Cyberpunk setting places suffocating pressure on individuals."
"Night City civilians essentially suffer from continuous anxiety, depression, and manic conditions to begin with."
"Body-modding merely aggravates that unstable baseline. Why does the risk of Cyberpsychosis climb alongside the degree of modding?"
"Even David and Maine weren't exempt. It's because cyberware blurs the boundary separating biology from mechanical structure, causing individuals to lose their sense of self-identification."
"For example, if you replace your legs with metal supports, you no longer feel exhausted from running. If you replace your lungs, you lose the sensation of being short on breath."
"Modding involves peeling away your original flesh. You gradually lose the anchor of belonging to the human species. Every component on your frame is replaceable, and continuous replacement erodes your soul until you go numb."
"Naturally, in that state, consciousness slides down into a bottomless gorge, and they can no longer differentiate reality from hallucination, turning into cyberpsychos."
Everyone listened carefully to Aoyama's logic. Looking at down the line, Cyberpsychosis made perfect sense that way.
Otherwise, there was zero explanation for why someone as strong as David eventually crossed the edge as his cyberware count climbed.
"So Cyberpsychosis is essentially a mental breakdown. The reason Lucy could pull David back into reality was because the bond they shared sat deep enough. Human connection acts as the anchor securing the soul against the drift."
Aoyama paused briefly before adding.
"Love is the highest tier of immunosuppressant."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]