"Dude, don't tell me you don't have any cybernetic implants (gitaisho) on you?" Pepi asked, raising an eyebrow at Riku.
Before Riku could answer, Pepi suddenly blinked, realizing how dumb his question was. I mean, come on, even the crappiest chip module comes with a built-in time display. That's, like, shonen anime levels of basic functionality—no need to even mention it.
"Uh, yeah, you know, like the Beast Gang (Kemono-dan) folks, I'm not big on all that electronic junk," Riku said with a forced laugh, falling back on his go-to "Beast Gang" excuse to dodge the question.
"Man, come on! You're out here living the street life—don't you at least have a chip module slot and an interaction interface?" Pepi said, looking genuinely baffled.
Not having even the most basic cybernetic setup in this day and age? That's like showing up to a mecha anime battle without a mech. It makes everything a hassle—for you and everyone else.
Riku totally got what Pepi meant. The "chip module slot" Pepi was talking about was basically a "brain-computer interface" (nouki), straight out of a cyberpunk game. In this world, everyone's got a chip in their head, jacked into the net. You can make calls, send messages, look up info, transfer eddies—all super convenient, like having a smartphone in your skull.
As for the "interaction interface," that's the chip port and a portable data cable. People don't just plug chips in to read data or learn skills—they can also jack into other devices, hack into systems, you name it. When this stuff is basically standard issue, not having it makes you a walking inconvenience. You'd need to carry a clunky phone, and don't even get started on how much of a pain transferring money would be.
Sure, phones haven't completely disappeared—some stubborn folks still use them—but still.
"Maybe you've got a point. If I had one installed, I wouldn't be bugging you for the time," Riku said with a grin, tilting his head and tapping the table to nudge Pepi back on track. Yo, bartender, quit sidetracking me, alright?
"Uh, my bad," Pepi said, scratching his head, clearly embarrassed. He'd been so caught up he still hadn't answered the damn question. "It's 207—"
"Hey, Pepi! Pour me a drink—the spiciest one you've got!" a bold, confident voice cut in, interrupting Pepi mid-sentence.
A woman slid into the seat next to Riku, sprawling with the kind of swagger you'd expect from a street-raised badass. Her vibe screamed "main character energy," like she just stepped out of a Cyberpunk 2077 cutscene.
"V?! Weren't you headed to Atlanta?" Pepi's attention snapped to her, his half-finished answer to Riku completely forgotten.
"…" Riku's forehead was practically sprouting veins at this point. Are you kidding me?! Was getting the time in any world this freaking hard? Last time he tried, he got turned into a kijin from Demon Slayer. What was the cost gonna be this time?
Still, despite the annoyance, Riku held his tongue. Pepi's words had caught his attention—V? Atlanta? Was this woman the V? The protagonist from Cyberpunk 2077?
Riku's eyes flicked to the woman beside him, the one Pepi called "V."
She was rocking a jacket covered in wild, colorful graffiti, looking like something straight out of a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure wardrobe. Her short red hair was swept to one side, the other side shaved close to the scalp—a classic street-style single-side shave, the kind of look you'd see in Night City's underbelly. Her sharp features and androgynous charm gave her a vibe that could make guys stare and girls swoon. Total street-punk heroine energy.
Street V, huh? In Cyberpunk 2077, V has three possible backgrounds: Street Kid, Corpo, or Nomad. Street V hails from Heywood, and she's tight with folks like Pepi.
"Ha, yeah, I'm heading out in a couple days. But you think I'd leave without saying goodbye to my crew?" V said with a smirk, giving Pepi a playful punch to the chest.
"Better not die out there, V. If I get your obituary, I'm not dragging my ass to Atlanta for your farewell party," Pepi shot back.
V was here to say her goodbyes before leaving her hometown, Night City, to make a name for herself in Atlanta. From the independent West Coast hub of Night City to the major East Coast city of New America, it was a journey with no guaranteed outcome—pure shonen stakes.
"That's my line, Pepi. Don't you dare croak while I'm gone, 'cause I sure as hell ain't coming back to collect your corpse," V replied, her tone as blunt and real as it gets. Classic street-style banter, no sugarcoating.
The two clinked fists, then downed their drinks in sync, like comrades in a gritty anime.
"Who's this guy? Introduce us," V said, turning to Riku. She'd noticed him staring but didn't seem fazed—probably used to it. "Those horns are badass, man."
Before Riku could speak, Pepi jumped in. "This is Riku, from the Beast Gang. Total hardcore dude."
Riku almost choked. Why'd you have to hype me up like that, Pepi?
"Looks the part," V said, nodding approvingly and flashing Riku a thumbs-up.
She'd clocked him the second she walked in. Hard not to—he was practically a walking spectacle, like a demon lord from Berserk.
"Bet you've taken some beatings with that look, huh, buddy?" V said, blunt as ever. Growing up on the streets of Heywood without much formal education, she wasn't one for tact—just raw, honest vibes.
"Hang on, let me clear something up," Riku said, jumping in before the misunderstanding got worse. "I know I look like I'm with the Beast Gang, but I'm not actually part of them. Just to set the record straight."
He wasn't about to keep waving the Kemono-dan flag. That was a one-way ticket to getting hunted down by the real Beast Gang.
"Totally get it. Not every Heywood kid joins the Valentinos either," V said, nodding in understanding. She pointed at a Valentino gang logo on the wall—a golden V framed in a red rose—then at herself. "See? No gang ink here."
The Wild Wolf Bar was a Valentino stronghold, protected by the gang, with their symbols plastered everywhere. But V, unlike Jack Wells or Pepi, didn't rock the obvious Chicano cultural style that marked most Valentinos.
"I'm V. Nice to meet you, horned buddy," she said with a grin, holding out her fist.
"Nice to meet you too, V. Just call me Riku," he replied, bumping her fist. And just like that, he'd officially met the street-raised V from Heywood.