Sunday - May 8th

Sundays in Shibuya were always way too crowded for Lynn's liking. She was far too used to the much quieter highstreets of towns in the UK.

What made it worse was V's insistence on making a start to the day's errands near enough at the crack of dawn. The transfer student really was not a morning person as Ann had sadly found out when trying to wake her. No matter who you were, getting wrapped in a headlock by a half asleep, angry highschool girl probably wasn't the best way to start your day.

Thankfully, the brisk air provided some revitalisation.

Not so thankfully, the first thing on the day's agenda was getting the three new arrivals some better suited clothes. That meant Ann was in charge.

And that meant borderline torture for V and her compatriots.

Lynn couldn't help but feel at least a little responsible for the added zeal the model had today.

As the rest of the gang watched on from a safe distance, Ann had more or less taken over one of the clothing stores in Shibuya's underground mall. The blonde zipped from rack to rack, picking up items, placing them back, picking up something else, throwing it into the shopping cart and so on.

"So let me get this straight. She's a mercenary, she's a porn editor for a gang and he's an ex-cop? And they're all from the future?" Ryuji was barely keeping it together. His grin hadn't faded since Lynn relayed most of what had been said. "It's like effin' Terminator, Blade Runner and Robo Cop all mixed into one!"

"Well, you're not wrong. I saw V's back last night and she has a metal spine! She called it a… Sandevistan… I think." Shiho had joined in on the pop culture talk. Something of note. "Apparently all her limbs are prosthetics too."

"No kiddin'? Damn. River told me a little about his eye thing. His Japanese ain't great but I got the gist. He said his prosthetics were all last-gen. Somethin' about a cop's salary bein' garbage."

"Y'know, the two of you talk like you don't have super powers of your own." Lynn was quick to point out. "It's not like we have the power to go into evil people's brains and punch their cognition into submission. Not to mention the talking cat that can turn into a bus. A few sci-fi prosthetics should be par for the course."

The two shared a chuckle.

"True. But come on, Rin. You gotta admit it is pretty cool." Ryuji gave her a light nudge on the shoulder. Though his boisterous excitement faded as he saw Lynn's distracted expression. "Somethin' up?"

"Hm? Oh, I thought I saw someone staring at Ann."

Shiho perked up. "Did they have bluish-black hair?" Lynn nodded. "I saw him yesterday. He gave me the creeps, honestly." Shiho had gone from amused to concerned in a heartbeat and was now on full lookout mode.

Even still, there wasn't a single person matching that description in sight. Not anymore at least.

Ryuji groaned, giving the two girls incredibly light taps to the back of the head. "Have you seen Ann? Of course she's gonna have people starin'. Plus she's with three people that stick out like a sore thumb."

"I guess." Shiho trailed off.

Although Lynn hadn't known Ann nearly as long as Ryuji and Shiho had, even she could tell how someone like the blonde model would get a lot of attention. Even she was guilty of staring at her back when they first crossed paths.

It was probably just a harmless fan.

"Speakin' of, how long is she planin' on keepin' this up? It's been an hour already!" As if the universe itself was responding to his displeasure, V's voice boomed from deeper within the store. Outright disgust evident in her tone.

"There's no fucking way I'm wearing that!"

Of course, people stopped and stared in curiosity. Though an incredibly agitated glare from a scary looking foreigner sent them quickly on their way. Out from the sea of clothing racks emerged the mercenary. She wasn't dressed in the jacket, shirt and pants from before. Now she sported slim fit jeans, a long sleeveless shirt and a short, chest length coat.

Quite the stylish ensemble.

It did not suit the woman. It was like trying to put Ryuji in a three piece suit. V's whole presence just did not vibe well with such a stylish ensemble.

The item that seemed to have tipped her over the edge was a rather conservative looking dress, likely an alternative outfit. A dress that even Lynn found quite appealing.

"It's a matter of principle! You won't catch me dead in something that damn plain!"

That was her tipping point?

Lynn attempted to stifle a laugh. To no avail. That was until the Eye of Sauron - or rather Eye of V - moved its gaze onto her. "And you're laughing at what, might I ask?"

"I didn't expect you to be so picky." Lynn tried her best not to laugh under V's scrutiny. Her glare only grew in intensity. Even both Ryuji and Shiho looked like deer in headlights. And they had no clue what was being said.

As a small mercy, Judy popped out from the store. She gave her girlfriend a firm jab to the shoulder before doing her best to hold in her own amusement. Instead, she tried to put on her best irritated mother face. "Trust me, Lynn. This one can be a fuckin' nightmare to run errands with. Her fashion sense is a damn travesty too. You should see our wardrobe back home!"

Judy's wardrobe transformation was far more drastic than her partner's.

The techy was now clad in a dark red turtleneck sweater, a plain pleated skirt, thick leggings and shin-high boots. The crazy hair had been covered by a matching beanie hat. She looked good. Most of the tattoos had been covered and that meant less people staring.

V huffed. "There's nowhere to hide iron. Plus these pants are way too tight…" From that complaint, Lynn gathered a little more context to V's issues. It was less about what she wore and more about how she could function in it. At least, Lynn hoped that was the issue. "At least I'm not River. The poor bastard's still in that monster's clutches."

"She isn't that bad. Just… passionate." Replied Lynn. Though she had to admit that she didn't envy them. When Ann got enthralled in shopping and fashion, there was really no stopping her. It was likely a learned behaviour from her fashion designer parents. Briefly, the group caught a glance of a distressed River holding a mountain of folded clothing.

A blur of blonde whizzed to and fro between racks.

V's glare returned to Lynn.

"Very… passionate." Lynn said, beginning to sweat.

Finally - after another half hour - Ann was done with River's transformation. Or rather a simple update to his already casual style. The outfit was new, sure, but it wasn't all that different from the one he wore before. The biggest change was the coat. Instead of a ratty looking long coat, he now bore a swish new bomber jacket.

With the addition of sunglasses to cover his eye prosthetic, he almost looked like a regular tourist.

Now that the three were good and blended in, it was time to move on.

"I'm still uncomfortable not having iron. How is the cat meant to keep my shit safe, anyway?" V groaned. That morning, Lynn demanded each of them completely disarm. Carrying guns around - especially real ones - was a sure fire way of ending up in a prison cell. And the media that still buzzed around Lynn's whole story would have had a field day about it.

As a compromise, Morgana promised to keep the guns in his hidden knap-sack of gear. Something he would have had to visit the Metaverse to use. Hence why the cat was absent for this leg of their trip around Shibuya.

"Alright, that's enough fun and games. Ryuji, I noticed your M1887 was getting a bit sticky on the lever action. I need to pick some parts up for it. I've also been meaning to get something for Ann. The Mac-10 is cool and all, but I feel she could do better." Lynn began - at first - to address the whole group, but soon trailed off in favour of muttering to herself.

The group could only pick up bits of her mutterings. The occasional mention of numbers and FPS's.

She absentmindedly began to wander off with her chin betwixt her fingers.

Shrugging, the rest of the group followed.

"Well, well. If it ain't the Silver Demon in the flesh once again." Iwai looked up from his magazine with a grin. Untouchable was as cluttered as ever with shelves chock full of various models and accessories alike. It was complete chaos with next to no rhyme or reason to how the shelves were stacked.

The transfer student enjoyed the laid back atmosphere. Most people were scared off by the seemingly perpetually pissed off owner, but Lynn knew better than to brand someone on first impressions alone.

Lynn gave a sheepish wave.

She quietly groaned at the nickname. It was a moniker she had earned from her days in the wider British Airsoft community. She didn't think it would reach as far as Japan, but certain circles made the world seem a lot smaller than it was. The moment Ryuji introduced her to the shop last month, Iwai recognised her.

According to Iwai, she was infamous in certain circles. The grizzled old man found it positively hilarious.

Even still, they had managed to build up quite the rapport with one another.

"Hey. I have some new customers for you." She said, gesturing over her shoulder at the three foreigners. Each looking as lost as fish out of water. "The two girls don't speak Japanese but they're real enthusiasts. New arrivals from America."

Iwai's eyebrow rose up. He eyed the foreigners and thoughtfully moved his trademark lollypop around his mouth. "I don't do tourists." He grunted. "Sorry, kid. Find someone else." Not wholly unexpected. Iwai was cautious to a fault.

Lynn's shoulders sagged. "Come on, Iwai. You know this hobby's rare enough around these parts. Are you really going to turn away customers?" She tried her best to put on a pleading expression. Though she knew that wouldn't work. Iwai's irritated glare remained unchanged. It was time to switch tactics. She flashed a mischievous grin as she adjusted her glasses. "You know, I could just go to those two detectives with the bag you gave me the other day. I'm sure they'd be happy to learn of your illegal modding."

For a second, the store owner looked on in disbelief. She could feel the shocked stares from each of her friends burn into the back of her skull.

He then returned the grin. "Well, well. The Silver Demon bares her fangs. You got some guts, kid." Iwai shifted his weight and took his feet off the counter. "Fine. Fine. If these tourists are worth risking our little arrangement over, I'll bite. Entry level stuff only, though." He then caught Ryuji poking at the selection of airsoft grenades. "Hey, blondie! Careful with those!"

As Iwai zipped around the counter to deal with Ryuji, Lynn's attention returned to V and her friends. "Well, we got the greenlight. Just… try to keep the tab manageable. I'm not made of money."

In particular, V's expression was incredibly sour. She studied the store's various wares with intensity. The usual hazel of her irises glowed a faint blue as she did so. From their conversation last night, Lynn could only assume it had something to do with those eye implants she mentioned. "When you said you knew a guy for iron… I thought it'd be… real."

Lynn could only laugh at that. "You really expected a highschool girl to know where to get real guns in Tokyo?" The concept seemed completely farfetched to Lynn. She may have grown up around this sort of thing, but she could have counted on one hand the number of times she had even seen a real firearm.

"Your iron was real enough in the Metaverse."

"That's only thanks to the Metaverse's weird relationship with human cognition." As she began to explain the intricacies of a plane of existence between reality and human subconscious, she absentmindedly began sorting a shelf of holsters by brand. "Our guns are real in the Metaverse because our enemies think they're real."

"So… you're saying that if I took one of these toys into the Metaverse, it'd just… become a real lead spitter?" V looked completely lost. She was eyeing a selection of assault rifles in the corner of the room. "Don't get me wrong, most of these are pretty decently made… but… Y'know what… I'll believe anything at this point."

With that, V wandered off to look through what was on offer. Lynn scrunched up her nose at the remark on these pieces being called toys. To her, they were much more than simple toys. Though she couldn't exactly fault the mercenary for her opinion. V was a genuine mercenary after all.

Meanwhile, Ann and Shiho looked completely lost. Fashion was Ann's deal. Sport was Shiho's. This was Lynn's.

Going back to what she had mentioned earlier, Ann was up next on the chopping block. "I've been meaning to ask. How's your Mac-10? Uh… your SMG I mean." She asked, getting a little awkward. Ann laughed and gave a warm smile.

"Rin, you talk enough about our gear that I know what my little pew pew box is called." She then took a moment to seriously think about it. "If I had any complaints, I guess it's a little… flimsy? It kind'a feels like it'll fall apart in my hand if I keep firing it." Lynn nodded in thought. The Mac-10 was a simple model, for sure. What it lacked in robustness, it tried to make up for in fire rate.

Sadly, as with most machine pistols, it had a nasty habit of overheating and was incredibly inaccurate.

"What about you, Shiho? How's your Contender?"

The girl replied with a smile. "It feels… comfortable. Natural, I guess. I hope that makes sense. I don't particularly like having to use violence, but I think I prefer it to anything else you recommended to me." It sounded like there were no issues there. Lynn felt a small wave of relief from that. At least she wouldn't need to invest in entirely new pieces of equipment for the ex-athlete.

Just in parts to improve the performance of her existing piece.

With that out of the way, Lynn shifted into full gun-nut mode.

"So, Ann is our most acrobatic fighter. She prefers her whip, so ideally she needs something that only requires one hand to fire. Maybe a UMP? Hmm… costly but reliable. Replacement parts aren't cheap, though. How about the MP5? That could work…"

The girl began to trail off.

As she began to mutter to herself, Judy appeared beside Ann and Shiho. "Does she get like this often?" She asked with a rather curious gaze in her eyes. Ann could only snigger with a grin.

"Like, all the damn time. If you even mention guns around her she starts gushing and ranting." The three of them spent a few moments longer watching Lynn geek out. Eventually, she snapped herself out of it. Perhaps it was the staring, or maybe it was a simple matter of coming to a decision.

Without much word to her friends, Lynn trotted off to find Iwai. "In a world of her own." Judy quipped, giggling and turning off towards the rest of the shop.

The grizzled shop owner had just finished lecturing Ryuji on grenade safety. The blond boy looked positively overwhelmed. If Lynn looked closely, she could almost see steam rising out from his ears and his soul trying to escape from his mouth.

"Hey, Iwai, how's the special package coming along?"

He grunted before a chilling grin crawled over his face. "Little impatient, there, ain't ya? It needs some last few parts but should be good by the end of the month. I hope the media ain't still buzzing around you. I don't need any of that shit on me." Lynn could only shake her head. Though she let herself grimace at the whole situation.

There were some journalists still out there that would salivate over simply seeing Lynn in Untouchable.

"Most of the pricks that are, don't operate in Tokyo." A pang of guilt struck her chest. "They're probably still harassing dad, honestly. I'm just glad mum's back in the UK." She shook her head and shifted the growing depression. There was a time and a place for letting emotions go and now was neither of them.

That aside, it felt as though she hadn't had time to properly sit and process things.

"Relax, kid. I've got you covered. I was honestly looking for an excuse to start our little project before you agreed to fund it." Iwai gave the girl a firm pat on the shoulder. "No idea what you're planning on using all these pieces for, but it ain't like I have a right to pry."

"Hey, Lynn? I think we've got everything we need." V's callout brought the two's attention to the front counter. What they saw almost caused Iwai to choke on his lollipop. It did cause Lynn to choke on her shocked intake of air.

"Jesus, kid!" Iwai blurted out. On the counter were several pieces of high grade models, parts and accessories. It was basically a mountain of gear. Some of which even Iwai seemed genuinely surprised at. "I didn't even know I stocked some of that…"

The largest - and by far most expensive looking - piece was a custom work of a good old fashioned AK-47. Knowing Iwai, it was probably built from scratch. Lynn wouldn't have been surprised if it had parts from real AKs. Other pieces included various pistols, revolvers, shotguns and airsoft grenades. There were also various replica knives. The type that didn't have an edge but looked real enough.

It seemed V had taken Lynn's explanation and ran with it. V herself looked quite pleased with herself.

"V… not to burst your bubble… but I won't even be able to afford a third of that." Lynn tried to let her down gently. As if someone had pricked her with a pin, V deflated. Her smile morphed into a sulk. Looking over her initial selection, Lynn gave a little bit of thought. Tallying up prices in her head, the full weight of what the solo was expecting only grew heavier.

A glance up to Judy only garnered an incredibly apologetic look back. River only added to the growing despair with his own selection worthy of a personal armoury.

Her only hope was Iwai.

Though that was dashed at the sight of him laughing uncontrollably over Lynn's expression. "I don't know where you found these foreigners… but hell, they're good for a laugh!"

"Don't suppose there's a regular's discount?"

"Absolutely not, kid!" The shop owner barked, continuing his laughing fit. It lasted for a good minute before he finally settled down enough to form coherent speech. "Tell you what, kid. I'll let one of them work the tab off."

"Are you a Fixer?" V burst into the negotiation. Not speaking English, Iwai gave her a look of confusion.

What was a Fixer?

Lynn then remembered what V did for a living. It dawned on Lynn that V thought Iwai was going to hire one of them as a mercenary. Quickly, she jumped to correct the solo. "He means work in the shop. Y'know… make sales, clean, organise shelves…"

That thankfully got through to V. It seemed she lost all interest in the offer and without another word, walked off back to her two friends.

"Sorry about that. I'll just take that AK and a few of the grenades for now. I think I can cover at least that much." She gave a look back to Ann. It seemed her needs would have to wait for the time being. "Oh, and I need a replacement receiver for Ryuji's Remmington."

"Sure. Whatever." Iwai shrugged and slowly dragged himself back behind the counter. He then went about ringing up the total costs. "I'll keep that offer on the table, though."

Even dropping all of the extra pieces and most of the accessories, the total was damn near extortionate.

Lynn loved this hobby but damn was it expensive. A real account cleaner.

Once everything was bought, paid for and safely stashed in cardboard, the gang stepped out into the brisk midday air. "I think I just shaved a few years off my life…" Lynn groaned to herself. For now, there was only one thing left to do today.

She gave her recent wound a brief rub. The pain had faded since yesterday, but she could still feel a dull ache within her side.

Now that she had time to properly process yesterday's events, a brief rush of horror welled up inside her. She had a sudden urge to start crying. It was a Herculean effort just to stop herself. She almost died yesterday.

Her reaction was delayed, to be sure, but the girl had made it a personal point to keep her insecurities and fears to herself. Some would call it unhealthy, and they would've been right. But Lynn had no intention of unloading any sort of burden on others. Especially after all the trouble she caused her parents during the trial.

It occurred to her that she never actually put much thought into the dangers of this whole Phantom Thief thing.

She was the leader. She couldn't let her friends down like this anymore.

Even with Kamoshida they had barely gotten through it. Luck was pretty much the only thing that had kept them going.

No, she needed to step her game up. Up until now, she hadn't been acting like a leader at all. Yesterday was proof of that fact. She eyed the group as they walked to their next destination. Thankfully no one seemed to be paying Lynn too much mind. At least no one would see her momentary lapse in bravado.

Her attention then latched onto V as the solo conversed with her girlfriend.

When the three of them showed up, V took charge instantly. She issued solid, concise orders and used each of her team's strengths to the fullest. All while acting as the spearhead in both spirit and body.

Honestly, Lynn was in awe.

V clearly had a lot of experience under her belt. If Lynn wanted to get serious as a leader, maybe it wouldn't have been such a bad idea to ask V to mentor her.

Then, as the group rounded the corner, their final destination of the day came to view. Shibuya station.

For whatever reason, V, River and Judy each offered to help the Phantom Thieves. So her recent thought train turned out to be perfectly appropriate. Maybe she'd get to learn from V a bit sooner than expected.

Next stop; Mementos.

Nakanohara awaited his change of heart.

Viktor's Patient Records

Name: Valorie "V" Garcia

Age: 28

Sex: Female

Height: 5'8"

Cyberware: Spine Fitted Zetatech Sandevistan. Kiroshi Mk. 5 Eye Implants. Wrist Mounted Monowire cartridge. Ballistics Coprocessor. Militech Subdermal Armour. Biomonitor. Cortex Fitted Processors. Kerenzikov Neural Overclocker. Reinforced Shock Absorbing Leg Implants

Patient Notes: V continues to amaze, enrage and confuse me. The damn kid runs around like she's invincible and winds up on my table more and more because of it. The biochip's gone and she's not getting eaten alive by a ghost anymore, but the implants I had to screw to her brain to keep it from failing blows my mind. Despite the hardship she's faced, the kid's got moxie, I'll give her that. I just wish she wasn't so reckless with the time she clawed for herself.

Her chrome is holding up just fine. At least she takes the time to properly maintain herself. I'm a bit worried about her dependance of the Sandy, but I haven't seen any signs of cyberpsychosis, so I can't complain. Where she found that piece, god only knows and frankly I don't want to know. I just need to keep my stock of monofilament wire up. She goes through that shit faster than I go through syn-coffee.

Author's Notes

To make up for the shorter chapter, I'm trying out Viktor's Patient Notes. It gives me an excuse to write a bit about the details behind certain characters and their chrome. Although Viktor hasn't made an appearance in this story yet, I still want to include more aspects of the Cyberpunk side of things. Patient Notes will likely appear at the end of slower paced chapters like this one.