Chapter 233

Hiromi Mitsunashi

 

She startled awake as her agent alarm went off. Hiromi had a moment of inexplicable confusion, before she remembered.

 

Right.

 

Late night with Motoko and the band, early morning for school.

 

Eugh.

 

She should just call in…

 

She groaned as she sat up and looked around her room. The neon lights, and old Tyger Claw stuff left the room streaming in different colors, enough she could see.

 

“Open window.” She croaked, and the shutters quietly opened letting in the Night City sunlight.

 

Rubbing at her face she climbed out of her bed and staggered over to the bathroom. As she slipped under the fourteen sprayers, she tapped the wall panel for a real massage from the heads. Still half asleep she pulled up her agent’s timeline.

 

Tomorrow night was the big gig. Everything for that should be locked in, but she still needed to call the Club owner, and double check there weren’t any issues.

 

Hiromi had skipped a few clubs already for gigs when they tried to gotcha her with extra fees or other gonkshit. As if she was just a street brat, desperate for a chance at a real gig.

 

She smirked a little as she shifted, letting a sprayer get her right under the shoulder where her muscles felt a little locked up from sleeping on her arm funny.

 

Okay, she added that in for her lunch time, she could make the call while she ate. Next thing.

 

Section 9 was quiet, and most of the loot they’d gathered had been sold, but there were still a few bits and pieces that were sitting in storage.

 

Some of that gonks security system hadn’t sold since anyone rich enough for a real security system wasn’t buying second hand from the people that had overcome the system.

 

No, Hiromi would need to reach out to gang contacts, they’d be more willing to pay at least partial price. Every mid range thug thought they needed security in case their many enemies came after them.

 

Unfortunately she hadn’t gotten any bites just yet.

 

She sent off a few more offers to the contacts she’d developed, and moved on.

 

SLS income had a discrepancy.

 

Her agent made the call as she groaned and shifted a bit in the water.

 

*This is Richard.*

*Steel.*

*Ah, Boss. What do you want?*

Hiromi rolled her eyes, he was nervous, but he was still a brat. His words made him sound like he was demanding something from her, when it was, and always should be the opposite.

 

*The last report had some income discrepancies.*

*Yes Boss, I added it to the message last week. Harry lost a bag into the river while running from some street kids. We roughed them up after, but even if we wanted to, the water would have ruined it. We left the bag.*

That’s right. She remembered getting the message now.

 

*Fine, this is a one time allowance, tell Harry if he’s selling around bodies of water to avoid them from now on, or else.*

*Yes Boss.*

*Alright. Everything else looks good Richard, but I’m sending some marketing data I’ve been looking at, adjust the seller locations accordingly.*

*You got it.* He agreed although as always sounded less than willing. Marketing Data and research might as well be magic, he didn’t trust it, but Hiromi was firm on tracking where sales took place and when.

 

No point hanging outside a corpo building to sell some excitement to worker drones while they were all working. You had to show up when the job let off, or on their lunch or smoke breaks. If they got such a thing.

 

*Just follow the information. Everything else has been quiet, correct?*

*Yeah Boss, just the usual stuff, new gonks trying to make some territory, or scop suckers that don’t know that we got agreements. I’ve taken care of it.*

*Good. The income has been tighter recently, but the new music BD’s have done well, excellent job pushing them.*

 

*It’s not the usual flavor, but it’s something new.*

*It’s also important marketing for our most important VIP. Keep it up.*

*Yeah, yeah I know. Ain’t about to start shit with the fucking Onryo.*

 

Hiromi smiled and just hung up. Yes, fear my Motoko! Mwaahahaha!

 

She stretched a bit finishing the shower, and stepping out, drying off and makeup as she ran down the rest of her check list.

 

She scanned over the gigs on offer from some of the fixers, but nothing that was any good. A transport job was forwarded to Ichi though. He could send an acceptance or not on his own though.

 

As she added her customary flair to her eyelashes she sent out a text to Motoko just to get away from all the work.

 

*Hiromi: Want to meet up for lunch?*

*Motoko: Yes! Hiromi, save me! Alice wants to schedule practice every day until the gig! My fingers are chrome, and they’re still sore!*

 

Hiromi twitched into a smile at Motoko’s whining.

As she was responding a beep sounded on her agent and she shifted focus.

 

An offer for one of the security bots? Good. Those things were trash, and she was kinda glad Motoko had forgotten all about them since they were terrible offbrand versions, which made her want to strangle whoever bought them. Offloading them had been a chore.

She swiftly messaged back, but adjusted the text to not sound desperate.

 

Even if she was. The cost to house the things was starting to inch closer to what she could pull from selling them. Dumping them was becoming more and more the optimal solution which made her want to grind her teeth.

 

With that she switched back to Motoko and rolled her eyes, a bit less willing to deal with Motoko complaining about work considering how much she dumped on Hiromi’s shoulders.

 

*Hiromi: Motoko…*

 

*Motoko: Noooo! Don’t give me disappointed Hiromi frown through text, that’s so mean! Okay fine, I’ll stop complaining. It’s only a couple days, and a little practice isn’t bad, I’m really trying to- Ah nevermind.*

Hiromi just shook her head at Motoko’s Rambling texts. Seriously, usually she was quick with her texts, but sometimes when she was distracted she’d just ramble at her.

 

It was cute.

 

*Hiromi: I’ll see you at lunch.*

*Motoko: Great! Oh, I haven’t talked to David since we talked about bringing him in, you should bring him, so we can go over his training. Malcolm agreed to help out.*

Hiromi remembered, during Section 9’s last ‘training day’ that had mostly been Motoko trying to get everyone to work as hard as she did when it came to crazy soldier skills.

 

Seriously, Motoko could just pull out a pistol, stare at a target, and practice her movements for hours, utterly silent and focused as if the idea of boredom was for lesser people.

 

Hiromi smiled. It was one of Motoko’s cool points.

 

But… EUGH. What is with Motoko’s interest in the gonk?

 

*Hiromi: Fine.*

 

*Motoko: Thanks Hiromi!*

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She rolled her eyes. Whatever. She rose up. Makeup done. Hair styled. She’d been growing it out since the mohawk days. Back before Motoko had changed.

 

Now? She was growing her hair out, the natural way as she waited for inspiration to strike how she wanted to style it

 

She ran a hand through the growing thickness on the sides of her head. The former Mohawk being super long, while she had the rest of her hair still short thankfully gave her an acceptable look for now, but she needed to figure out what to do eventually.

 

Maybe she’d ask Motoko what she thought?

She smiled knowing what her friend would say.

 

Anything is good? Or maybe “You’re cute no matter what you do?” She said aloud and smiled at herself, knowing that Motoko was great like that.

 

Well, the new Motoko. Her friend used to be such a bitch… Hiromi grinned. God, she’d been so…

She shook it off. Old Hiromi was gone, just like old Motoko. Only who they were now mattered, and Hiromi liked the new her, and the new Motoko.

 

They were still the same in some ways, but better.

 

Nodding she left her bathroom, and grabbed her Academy Uniform, slipping into the perfectly fitted uniform, she nodded as she adjusted the tie and skirt. Alright. Morning classes, a test she hadn’t prepared for, and a Financial Analysis report, she needed to start right now if she was going to have it ready in time for class.

 

But this was just a normal day for Hiromi Mitsunashi, Corpo, Section 9 manager, and probably the most powerful Teenager in Night City. She grinned as she reminded herself once again that Motoko was her personal assassin if needed.

 

It made classes much less stressful when she knew in the back of her mind that their gruesome murder was only a phone call away.

 

It made her feel warm, that Motoko was there for her.

 

—–

 

The screams hit me as I played the last chord of Faint.

 

A week of preparation. Of playing over and over, and in the end, we just did the same set list as the Electric Orgasm.

 

Alice had gotten cold feet about another new song, but that was fine.

 

I watched as the crowd roared and bounced. 7th Hell, was a much fancier place than any other gig we’d done. Bigger place, more expensive, more packed.

 

I glanced over the bar where I could see corpo suits watching. Three of them. Music producers, here for us.

 

I even recognized the same guy from Dino’s place.

 

“We’re Stand Alone Complex! Thank you and good night!” I roared out, fist raised and got a good response right back.