Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Cyberpunk 2077, or Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
Note: Yo everyone, this is a story for that boy Aerylyx/Ragnarok. This is essentially a story about what'd happen if Naruto was put in David's shoes, and what kind of things that'd intertwine the anime with the game itself because of that, but also what kind of changes that'd occur.
This has been reuploaded from my main profile, Skairipa1337. I wanted to separate my own work, from the ones others have asked me to do.
If y'all are interested in joining a community of readers and several talented authors, consider joining AizenTheGoat's Discord server.
QBzbm58Dn4
改行
-Chapter 1-
Upheaval.
改行
Naruto's blue eyes stared at his own reflection wearing the Arasaka Academy uniform in the train window as the train passed through Night City. In a place of many names, to say some of the aliases were less positive than others would be an understatement for the cybernetic century they were living in.
Like the representation of yin and yang, there was always a light and dark side to any matter. As some of the monks would say, it was the very essential and spiritual law of balance in the world.
Something that he'd snort at in any argument. While the bible had said God created humans in his image, and to love your next, it didn't add up in this city. So unless divinity had forsaken this place, in particular, it'd all just been a fairy tale from the very beginning.
In Night City, the only thing that mattered was from which side of the city you were born. If your parents weren't wearing a fancy suit that could be sold for the price of a house, you weren't anything to holler about. You'd just be another number in the evergrowing population of the city overrun by corpos and crime.
The young redhead ran a hand through his hair as he leaned back into his seat and pulled out a pair of earbuds. Probably what some would call a fossil of a forgotten age, given what technology had managed to create already, but for what he had in mind there was nothing better.
A grin graced his face as he pulled a fossil of a music player out of his jacket and plugged the earbuds in. He stuck them in his ears and leaned back, took a deep breath as he let his thumb press down on the play button.
Almost immediately he was met by the reassuring sound of electric guitars and drums soon followed by the, in his opinion, genius lyrics of Kerry Eurodine and Johnny Silverhand as Samurai performed one of his favorite songs from a seemingly forgotten age. Never Fade Away.
While a large majority of Night City only remembered Johnny Silverhand as the terrorist that dropped nukes on the suits, he was different.
Part of him felt the lyrics as an inspiration, to not give into the cards you were given. Silverhand, to him, was a rebel. A person that used the power of words to rise up a rebellious streak against the corporations that meant that they owned the place.
Well, theoretically they did, but they shouldn't.
As the chorus started to play, he began tapping his foot against the train floor, drumming his fingers against the armrest of the seat in tune with the bass and snares of the drums.
If the man hadn't perished in the midst of what made him a legend, Naruto would've loved to meet him.
Just to figure out what drove him to the edge, what the fire in him was inspired by.
And most importantly, what it was that gave him the confidence and drive to go through with what other people could only comprehend mentally. What it was that gave him the spine to become a front figure for what everyone in the Night City slums meant.
As he was almost too caught up in thoughts inspired by the music, he almost missed his stop. As people started to move around, he opened his eyes and looked out of the window behind him.
He made a quick grimace before he stood up and swung his bag over his shoulder and began to make for the exit, "Excuse me," He mouthed with a slight chuckle as he dug under the arm of the conductor that shouted for him to be careful.
"Yeah, yeah, don't fry your chrome." Was the redhead's reply as he walked from the station and down through the streets.
The sight before him wasn't a strange one. If anything, people would call him strange for saying it felt like home.
This was because to him, it was home. He'd grown up in what some would refer to as the capital of crime in Night City, and no one would bat an eye at the comment. It was just a matter of fact, a mere crossroad could switch the turf of which gang's territory you were walking in.
This also meant that if you weren't careful at specific hours you were more than likely to catch a stray bullet or worse.
"Home sweet home," Naruto sighed as he glanced out of the corner of his eyes.
Even if it was home, it didn't mean that the sight of perverts openly playing XBDs in public with a week's worth of alcohol hurling onto the curbs didn't disgust him, it thoroughly did.
As he got to the elevator that'd take him to the floor of his apartment, he pressed the button and leaned against the iron bars of the industrial-looking elevator. Hearing the rusty wheels and worn lines whine louder than the music currently playing in his ears as he tapped his foot against the metal plate he was standing on.
He mouthed the words of the lyrics of the current song as he watched the metal grids slide open to reveal he'd arrived at the designated floor. Pushing his back from the iron bars, he walked out and started to make his way to the stairs.
However, before he could make it there he felt one of his earbuds pulled out. He rose a confused brow as he turned around and came face to face with a dark-skinned man wearing an orange tank top and a pair of sports shorts.
"You still listening to music on that old relic, you should score yourself some real tech soon kid." He greeted with a chuckle.
Naruto's lips curled upwards into a slight smile as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Didn't see you there Coach, maybe, but this one works still… Somehow. I guess being handy with a screwdriver helps."
The larger man folded his arms over his chest as he gave a thoughtful hum, "I could score you some newer tech, just gotta have the payment ready."
The redhead winced as he clapped his hands together, "I don't have that kind of eddies, maybe next time, sorry."
Fred nodded his head slowly, "Sure thing red, you keep in touch. Have to warn ya though, can't make sure anyone klep it before you though."
Naruto chuckled as he began ascending the stairs, looking over his shoulder to keep his gaze on the retired boxer, "That's fair, I'll give it some thought and get back to you. Sound good?"
"Better think fast then! The clock's ticking just like in the ring." Fred laughed and shrugged exaggeratedly.
As the young red-haired student turned around, he almost bumped into the shoulder of someone and hurriedly took a step back down the stairs, "Excuse me, I wasn't looking where I was going." He apologized and scratched his cheek and lifted his gaze.
Gradually as he moved his gaze up, he took in the form of the stranger in front of him. It was a young woman that appeared to be in her twenties, just a bit older than him, with black and pink hair, that was wearing a tattered white crop top and what he'd call well-worn pants that clung to her legs.
She gave a quick laugh and clapped him on the shoulder, "No damage done, and don't let him bully you into buying one of his old cassette players. He's just trying to klep your eddies."
Naruto chuckled in response as he nodded his head slowly, "Yeah, I know. He ain't wrong, this is probably an antique."
The woman tilted her head curiously as she took a seat on the stairs, and reached out for the earbud that had been pulled out a moment prior, "What are you listening to?" She asked out of interest and put the headphone in her ear.
The redhead blinked at the sudden interest but pressed play nonetheless to let her hear what music it was, "I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think I've seen you around here before." He asked next.
She bopped her head up and down in tune with the music for a bit as she gave him an intrigued look, "Silverhand? That's some classic tunes, I can respect that. Oh yeah, you can call me V, just came around recently."
"You a fan? And I'm Naruto, nice to meet you." He replied and stuck out his hand, which she grabbed with a small shrug.
V pulled the earbud out of her ear and handed it back as she gave it some thought, "Can't say I am, but everyone knows Silverhand. Though probably not because of his music, if you catch my drift."
Naruto chuckled with a smile, "Yeah, I guess that's true. You new here in Night City?"
She shook her head and rested her arm on her knee, "No, took a trip out of town a while back. Things must've changed though if we got some corpo suits living in this neighborhood." She commented and nodded her head at the 'Arasaka Academy' stamp on his jacket.
With a quick glance down at his jacket, Naruto raised his hands in a dismissive wave, "Me? A suit? I wish, but not really."
"How come you're a student at Arasaka then, can't get that kind of entrance without some kind of pull," She questioned with a bit of a skeptical glance.
Naruto let out a small sigh as he leaned against the concrete railing beside the staircase to let someone pass by them, "My mom is doing extra hours of work for me, saying that I can prove the suits wrong. Get me a seat on the top floor or something like that." He finished with a small snort.
V nodded slowly, "So you're the black sheep? I get that. Privileged mutts giving you any trouble at the oh-so-prestigious academy?"
"Reading my mind or something?" He asked with a slight laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.
She shook her head, "It's just the rule of Night City. If you don't have a ten grand or more suit, you're not worth much. So they just bitching, or more?"
Naruto rubbed his cheek subconsciously, "Aside from the occasional fist to the face, just some comments, and glares. Outside of school mostly, too scared to do it on the inside because of their parents and whatnot."
V pushed her tongue against the inside of her cheek as she stood up with a thoughtful, "Alright, follow me then."
He raised a confused brow as he watched her walk down the stairs, but soon started to follow her, "Sure, I guess, where are we going?"
"Gonna teach you how to put those mutts on a leash, they might have fancy clothes but they don't know shit about how it works around these parts. Just trust me, they'll be whimpering with their tails between their legs if you just follow my lead," V reaffirmed as she cracked her knuckles.
As part of him was still unsure of what she was intending, Naruto just followed her down the stairs. It took just a couple of seconds until he spotted Fred again, but V stopped right in front of a tattered punching bag hanging from an iron bar above them.
"Drop the bag and jacket," She instructed, to which he could only oblige.
Naruto pulled off the jacket of his school uniform and laid it on top of his bag while he leaned it up against the wall, taking a few slow steps to join her again as she seemed to make sure that the punching bag was sturdy.
He bit the inside of his cheek as he loosely folded his arms in front of his stomach, "So what are we doing here?"
V raised a brow and took a step back, "As I said, you're gonna learn how to teach those privileged brats a lesson. My friend Jackie taught me this one back in the day, saying that he knew nothing worked better than a knuckle kiss to their face."
As he listened to V's small story time, he had to sweatdrop a bit. However, he'd lie if he said he wasn't entertained and intrigued, "Alright, so how do I… knuckle kiss their face?"
She let a smirk raise her lips as she hit her fist to the inside of her palm, "Glad you asked, keep your eyes open. First, are you a leftie or a rightie?"
He thought about it for a second before he raised his right hand.
"Perfect, you're gonna use that hand to pack the important punch. Now, watch closely. Catch them off guard as you can, use your left hand and hit them right between the eyes," V started and slammed her left fist into the punching back before she took a step back, "Next, small sequence, repeat after me. Gut punch, kidney punch, and the grand finale."
"Gut punch, kidney punch, and a grand… finale?" Naruto repeated, though the last one in a bit of a questioning tone.
V nodded and jumped a bit in place, what he figured to be similar to the footwork used in boxing and wrestling that he'd seen from some BDs in the past, "Grand finale." She confirmed, "Fist to the face should have them disoriented, you gonna have to capitalize on that. Gut punch, kidney punch, knock the air out of him and make his lungs burn." She instructed next, using her right hand in an uppercut to the bottom of the punching bag, and her left into the side.
Naruto had to admit he was a bit amazed. He could both hear and see how much force she packed into those punches and knew that if anyone messed with her they'd likely end up with a broken nose… or worse.
Though part of him also wondered who this Jackie person was, they seemed to be a close friend of his new acquaintance.
"What about the grand finale?" He chuckled.
V mimicked his laugh as she reared her right fist back into the air, "Grand finale, you sucker punch the guy with your right hand. Send him into the ground, that should keep him down." She finished and sent her right flying down from a slightly upward angle to imitate a full-force punch to the cheek.
The red-haired boy had to raise his hands and begin to give a round of applause, "Okay, that was sick. I have to admit that was pretty cool."
Stepping away from the ring, V grinned and gave him a light punch to the shoulder, "I know, right? Your turn, do you remember the sequence?"
"Uh, face punch, gut punch, kidney punch, and the uh, finale." He repeated.
She gave a swift nod and clapped him on the upper back as she walked back up to the bag and held it to steady it for him, "Remember, use your right hand for the last hit, you gotta make it count. Let the fucker know he has to back down."
Naruto gave her a look before he took a deep breath and began hitting the punching bag. Feeling his knuckles and fingers collide with the sand-filled bag until he delivered the last right hook that caused him to hiss out of slight pain, waving his hand toward the ground before nursing his sore hand.
V could barely hold in her chuckles as she stared at him, "Oh come on, you can do better than that choom. Put your hips into it, use your whole body, you're trying to knock him out, not open a beer for him."
He let out a few pants as he shot her a mild glare, "Of course, I can, that was just a warm-up."
"Sure, come on, I can even paint the guy's face on the bag if that'd help you," She joked in a teasing manner.
Naruto quickly shook his head, "Won't need that, I can imagine his face just fine," He retorted with a quick chuckle, focusing on bringing up a mental image of the piece of shit at the academy, gritting his teeth as he sent his fists flying again.
Each hard impact was followed by a grunt as V held the sandbag in place, watching him with an impressed face as he managed to push the bag a bit out of her grip with the last right hook, "See now that's what I'm talking about, hit him with that and he'll be crying for daddy's help." She snickered and bumped his fist with an approving nod of her head.
"Heh, thanks. I'll keep that in mind," He said with a small bow of his head out of gratitude.
She shrugged him off, "No biggie, gotta stand up for each other out here. So if that ain't enough, I'm gonna teach you a roundhouse kick to knock his teeth out. Trust me."
Once again he was forced to sweat drop, "I believe you. Anyhow, I should probably get going."
V put a hand on her hip as she watched him put on his jacket again and grab his bag, "Which floor do you live on?"
Naruto looked over his shoulder and replied, "Apartment 0711, why do you ask?"
She jogged up to catch up with him as they started to ascend the stairs again, "We're practically neighbors then, I'm in 0716. You like beer?"
"Haven't tried it before, why?" He asked curiously.
V followed him through the hallway as she nodded her head toward the door that led to her apartment, "It's a Friday evening, why don't you come by later? One of my friends is gonna be over, he might like some of the Silverhand music."
Naruto tilted his head and adjusted his bag on his shoulder, "Is it that Jackie person? The one that said to hit them right between the eyes?"
"The one and only, he's a good guy. Will probably also try and teach you a few tricks, so you coming?"
He thought about it for a second, since he figured his mom was probably going to work late again. She always did, even on the weekends, so he'd probably just sit and watch BDs anyway…
"Sure, why not. Don't have anything else to do." He replied after a bit.
She gave a satisfied nod of her head as the door into her apartment slid open, "Great, don't be late. Oh, and eat something, you'll probably throw up if you don't."
Before he could reply, she had already entered her apartment and the door had closed. Part of him wondered why he'd gotten the sudden invitation, but he figured he'd rather not think too much about it. She'd just taught him a valuable lesson, and taken time out of her day to help him, so he could at least be polite enough to accept.
Plus, he didn't have that many friends in the area. Since most of the people he hung around with during the day were the douchebags at the Arasaka Academy. It wouldn't hurt to have someone to call friends in this area, in case something happened.
With that in mind, he started to walk down the hallway. Passing by several passed-out residents that were either watching XBDs in public or foaming around the mouth from either alcohol, drugs, or whatever they could get their hands on.
Not that he cared, it wasn't his business, and they'd probably knock his lights out if he made it his business.
Shrugging it off, he entered the apartment at the end of the hallway. He let out a small sigh as he dropped his bag and hung up his jacket, afterward he reached into his pocket to pull out the music player and slot it into a speaker system, and pressed play.
Almost immediately the apartment was filled with the intro to 'Chippin' In' which was yet another great release from Samurai, at least in his opinion.
Not that he cared much about others' in the first place, but still. It was a great song.
And no one could make him think otherwise.
改行
The rest of the day was spent the way he always did. Sitting on the couch with a foot on the table, he sat and tapped a pair of drumsticks against the windowsill in tune with the rock music blasting off the speakers.
He had a textbook in his lap but to anyone looking they'd in an instant realize he wasn't actually reading.
While he hated the Academy to some degree, he at least tried for his mom's sake. She, after all, worked as much as she did for his sake. So he could stand a chance in this city.
Books were never really him though, he could read it all and forget it in the next second. A thing his mom never understood. He could remember all the release dates of Samurai and Silverhand's songs, but couldn't remember who founded Night City even if he'd just read it.
Slowly he let out a sigh and flipped the book shut and let his back hit the couch, staring up at the ceiling as he swayed his head from side to side, mumbling the lyrics of the music playing.
Eventually, he raised his head to watch the clock, figuring he'd have to get ready sooner than later.
He swung his feet down to the floor, stood up, and made his way to the bathroom to freshen up. Took a quick shower, and put on one of the few spare sets of clothes that he was in possession of.
And for some reason, he did a bit more out of it. Made sure he looked nice, just in case.
Finished, he pocketed his phone and left the apartment. His mom still hadn't returned from work as he had expected, so to pass the time he walked down the hallway again. Stepping between the passed-out drunks.
That somehow hadn't moved at all.
And got to the door, which he remembered to be V's apartment. Checking the number just to make sure, he knocked his fist against the solid metal door.
As the door slid open, he expected to see V, but what he saw instantly made him freeze with a grimace on his face.
The person that opened the door was easily a head taller than him with a strong build, wearing a large jacket with his hair done in a bun. The last thing he saw was the obvious signs of cybernetics on the man's face.
"Uh, sorry… Knocked on the wrong apartment," Naruto mumbled as he began to take a step backward.
The guy just laughed and reached over to grab his shoulder and drag him inside, "Nah you're in the right place, I'm Jackie. Come in, get comfortable! V should be back any minute, she out getting us something to eat."
The redhead relaxed a bit more as he found out who the person was, and immediately drew a connection between the 'hit them between the eyes' part and who Jackie was. Without generalizing, he did look like the person to say that as some kind of advice that he meant should be taken seriously.
Naruto sat down on the couch and noted to himself that the layout of the apartment was pretty much identical to his own. Just that this place was a lot messier, not that he should expect differently.
"So how do you and V know each other?" Jackie asked as he slumped down next to him, opening a beer bottle with his teeth before handing it over.
He gave the older man a quick glance and accepted the bottle and took a sip, mentally noting that this was likely a taste he'd have to get used to over time, "We met today, taught me how to kick ass pretty much. Taught me your moves too." He joked slightly.
Jackie bellowed with a bit of laughter as he swung his legs up on the table, "Taught you the grand finale, did she?"
Naruto chuckled with a nod, "Sure did, hit them right between the eyes as Jackie would do."
The man smirked with a big grin, "Quick learner, we like to see that. I'll drink to that!"
He raised his bottle and clanked it together with Jackie's as the front door opened again, revealing the amused of V as she entered with a couple of bags worth of takeout.
The woman gave a brief chuckle as she dropped the bags on the table and took a seat in a chair by the end of the table, "I see that you made it. Glad to see that Jackie hasn't scared you away, he ain't exactly the master of first impressions."
Naruto raised a brow, "Yeah, thanks for the invite. And what do you mean? How did you two meet?"
V gave a non-caring look as she cracked open a can for herself, "He put a gun to my face."
"And almost ended up in jail together too, thankfully, badges don't give much of a damn about us down here so we got a beating and thrown back out on the streets," Jackie elaborated, and nursed the phantom pain in his collarbone from where he remembered to cops hitting him the hardest.
The look on Naruto's face almost sent both of the others into a fit of laughter as he stared at them like they were a tad bit insane, "You sure you guys are friends?"
"The best, that's how it is around here. You meet your closest friends in the weirdest ways possible, but we stick up for each other. Can't say the same about the 'Saka suits." Jackie scowled and reached forward to open one of the bags of food.
V nodded her head in agreement, "That's how it is in the work of mercenaries, can't say much about it."
With a slow blink, Naruto leaned forward, "You guys are mercenaries?"
Jackie grunted as he opened up a box of rice and chicken and began digging in, "Sure is, why? You interested in making biz?"
"Oh, no. I mean, V saw me fight. Don't have it in me, I guess." Naruto chuckled sheepishly.
The woman raised a brow and reached her leg over to kick his knee, "I saw you down there, hard at work. Got that sequence down in two tries, might need some more practice to make it stick, but you got the guts."
"Just need some more meat on those bones," Jackie chimed in with his mouth full of food.
Naruto waved his hands dismissively, "My mom would kill me, especially after putting so much work into getting me into the academy."
A mischievous grin split Jackie's face as he bumped his elbow into the redhead's side, "A mama's boy, huh?"
"As if you're one to talk, Mama Welles practically drags you around by the ear if you misbehave," V interrupted, shooting him a knowing look.
"Didn't need him to hear that V," Jackie sighed and threw the empty food box into the garbage can from across the room, "All I'm saying is, unless you were born out of your mom wearing a designer suit, there ain't much hope out there. No one says you have to be a gunslinger, but you might want to look into how to make a living."
V nodded in agreement, "Consider it a Plan B if anything, not that you have to. Food for thought."
"I see," Naruto mumbled thoughtfully. He wasn't oblivious, he knew that a large number of people from these parts were either part of crime groups or potential mercenaries, hell, you could probably find at least one or two fixers in every region.
And he'd seen some of the BDs, even some of the ones that weren't edited. If he had to be honest, he didn't know if he could stomach it.
But at the same time, he knew that they were barely scraping by as it was. His mom was working herself into the ground, and he couldn't do much to contribute. Even things such as freshly washed clothes were a luxury, since they only had the funds to pay for the washer to work a handful of times a week.
"So uh, what kind of things do you do?" Naruto asked next, his curiosity getting the better of him.
Jackie cracked open another beer and scrunched his nose, "If we get calls from fixers, or contact one, there might be some jobs. A lot of things, like answering SOS calls that the badges are too ignorant to do themselves. Theft, grand theft auto, hits."
The redhead tapped his fingers against his leg, "Isn't that bad though?"
At the question, V let out a breath, "It's how it works around these parts. You should know, you've seen the state of the place. Plus, fixers got a code, they aren't just going to send you on some bullshit job. The people targeted, for whatever reason, often deserve it."
Naruto idly tapped his nails against the cool beer bottle, mentally going over the idea.
He really wanted to help his mom out with the bills, and standing like some kind of statue in a gas station wasn't going to cut it.
"What does it pay?" He eventually asked.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned a bit more serious, as V and Jackie shared a look. The older man sighed as he pulled his feet down from the table and sat up, "You can make a good living out of it, but it requires dedication and results. Fixers won't just give you jobs, you need to prove yourself."
V nodded her head, "What Jackie said, and it'll be hard to get a reputation going without any chrome. You can only get so far with flesh and bones in this century."
"If you need some chrome, you're lucky that we know the best ripper in town. Viktor Vektor, surely you've heard of him, the best cybernetics in town. Quality confirmed by yours truly," Jackie snickered with a thumb pointed toward himself.
The redhead sat as a big question mark as he sweated a bit out of embarrassment, "The only doc I know is the sketchy one in this area, sorry."
V sighed and took a sip of her drink, "We'll introduce you, I know you probably don't have the scratch ready. Since you know us, you might be able to open a tab and pay your debt later, but you better know that if you try and run from such a bill we're the ones coming after you. We look after our own."
"I just don't really get it, we just met today. Why stick your neck out for me like this?" Naruto asked as the question had been burning in the back of his mind for a bit now.
After a quick punch to his shoulder, Jackie stood up to go fetch himself another beverage, "V just said it, we look after our own. People only live in these places if they're getting screwed over by the city and corpos, you'll never make it in Night City without taking chances."
"This is us taking a chance, and maybe making you take a chance, to get a better life that doesn't involve letting privileged kids use you as a punching bag," V continued, as she gave him a mix of a stern but also a soft look.
While Naruto was deep in thought, Jackie opted to stare at V. He knew exactly what else was burning on her mind, and why she was sticking her neck out.
Part of the reason she went to Atlanta in the first place, was coming back to her now.
Along with other things.
"I'll have to think about it, it's a big decision. And I have to think about my mom, I don't want to end up in some trouble that could get her in danger. I appreciate it though, the most similar thing I've experienced is when a sketchy ripper says he'll do something for half the price," He chuckled sourly.
Jackie whistled as he tossed him another beer, "Night City might be a city of dreams and legends, but it's a hell hole if you don't adapt to it. That's why it's split up this way, not everyone has what it takes to make it."
He didn't need to be told twice before he raised the bottle, "That's something I'll drink to." Naruto sighed and started drinking, bottoming out the beer before placing it back on the table.
Both V and Jackie gave him a mix of confused and impressed stares, as they watched the redhead stand to his feet again.
"It's been fun, and thanks for having me. I have to go though, need to make it back before my mom returns from work, don't want her to worry," He smiled, and bowed his head out of gratitude.
Jackie let out a disappointed groan, "So soon? We didn't even bring out the tequila yet!"
With a shake of her head, V ran a hand through her pink locks, "Let him go if he needs to go, we can always get a couple of bottles in case he joins us for a gig soon."
"You sure you'd want me around for a gig though? I'd probably be a deadweight," He chuckled.
She shrugged her shoulders, "You got to learn somehow, and who says you can't be on the lookout for a bit? Learn by watching, and then practice."
"And then you deliver some first-grade ass-kicking," Jackie finished.
Naruto had to wave his hands again as he bit the inside of his cheek, "Look, I appreciate the offer. I have to think about it for a bit, is that alright?"
V shrugged, "Sure, but remember, offers like these don't stay open for long in Night City."
With that said, Naruto gave her a slow nod of his head before he exited the apartment. He let out a small sigh as he kicked an empty beer can out of his way, and started to walk back toward his apartment.
His head was filled with a ton of different questions. He'd of course played around with the idea for fun before while watching some brain dances.
But actually living that kind of life, he didn't know if he had it in him.
Groaning out of frustration, he was once again forced to think about the potential money that was in it. What he wouldn't do for enough cash to just be able to rely on his washing machine more than once during a blue moon, started to fill his head.
Eventually, he shook his head to clear his thoughts as he entered his apartment again, "Mom?" He called out, noticing the silence throughout the apartment.
She should've been home a long time ago.
As he was about to call her, the faint sound of snoring caught his attention. A lone bead of sweat rolled down from his forehead as he tip-toed over to where he'd heard it come from, and smiled slightly at the sight of his mom's sleeping form on the couch.
He shook his head a bit and walked over to pull a blanket over her and turn off the lights to let her sleep in peace.
God knew she needed some proper rest.
A small frown pulled down his lips as he reached forward to push some of her red locks out of her face, her nose scrunching slightly from the ticklish feeling in her sleep as she moved a bit to get comfortable.
"Always overworking yourself, when are you gonna catch a break?" He whispered out with a small shake of his head.
After he'd made sure she was comfortable, he retreated back into his room and dropped onto the mattress of his bed. His hands folded below his head as he stared at the ceiling, mentally going over everything that'd happened during the day.
He sighed and sat up again, leaning his forehead against the cool glass of the window that looked out over Night City.
If he had the guts to do some of the work that paid well, he could help his mom out. Just a little bit extra eddies and she wouldn't have to pass out on the couch every evening from having worked shift after shift, plus the overtime just to pay the bills.
With the frown returning to his face, he gazed down at his hand. Clenching his fist, he clicked his tongue and looked back at the city.
Perhaps V and Jackie had been right about him needing some cybernetics to make it. It'd at least make his Academy life easier. Especially in regard to the bastard Katsuo, if he had just a bit of chrome, and used the moves V had taught him… Then he could knock him on his ass.
The guy had the audacity to judge him because he wasn't born with a golden spoon in his ass, and wasn't academically smart like the rest of him. Hate was a strong word, but he truly despised the guy.
Some day he'd teach Katsuo a lesson and punch that smug grin off of his face, he just needed a bit more time.
It was just difficult to match a person with enough money to buy whatever cybernetics he pointed his greasy fingers at…
Snorting at the thought, he looked down at his palm and clenched his fist again. Digging his nails into the palm of his hand before he relaxed with a small sigh. Closing his eyes as he took a deep breath, and then opened them again.
"Maybe just one job."
改行
So that's a wrap for chapter 1 and the prologue, got to see a bit of change to what was shown to us in Edgerunners and what life path this V is from. Also got some looks into his thought process, perhaps even a few subtle hints to what he is gonna do next.
Anyway, hope you liked it.
Until next time.