Chapter 47

Hours later I was driving a much drunker Hiromi home.

 

A night out had been… Nice. We all ended up sharing the stories of what happened to us over the past weeks. We all shared the good and the bad, and in the end?

 

We actually felt like Chooms.

 

It was really nice.

 

Pulling up to Hiromi’s apartment, it took a bit of cajoling to get the drunk girl out of the car, and eventually I was forced to princess carry her as she kept falling and giggling.

 

Did I mention she was drunk?

 

It was a little awkward knocking on the door to her apartment, waiting for someone to answer.

 

Her mother didn’t say a word, just an unhappy glare as I carried her almost snoring daughter into the apartment. After a minute of settling her on her bed, making sure she was laying on her side and finding a trash can that would work as a bucket, I hurried out of the dark apartment under the heavy eyes of the corpo woman.

 

But I was safe!

 

I escaped back out to the city where there weren’t angry corpo mom glares.

 

Instead there was freedom.

 

I mean sure freedom sounded like NCPD sirens, which still hadn’t entirely let up. The NCPD were practically leaving the sirens going through the night just to make sure their presence was felt.

 

But I shook that feeling away. Time to go home.

 

I was humming when I got home. Never Fade Away drifting in the air as I walked into the apartment and threw up a hand to say hello to Jun who was sitting on the couch when he leapt from the couch startling me.

 

“Motoko! What happened!? Are you okay? Who did this? I’ll kill them!”

 

“Wha?” I asked before blinking, reaching up to my nose.

 

Riiiight.

 

Bar fight. I forgot. Sure the pain was there, but it was so little, I wasn’t even paying attention to it. Considering how high my Cold Blood skill was, It wasn’t even enough I needed to really use the skill to not feel it. And a nights sleep would set me right…

 

Fuck.

 

“Uhh. You should see the other guy?”

 

Much to my shock this did not set my brother at ease.

 

“Who did this?” He demanded in a growl holding onto my shoulders.

 

“Some gonks at the club. Hiromi annoyed them by talking or something, and they decided to start a fight. It’s okay Jun, really. It was kinda fun honestly. Besides. I won.” I inform him ending in a bright smile as I manage to shake off his hands a bit so I could flex my arm.

 

Not that I had any natural muscle, there, but the image was important.

 

“The club? Ho-oh?”

“Yeah. Some TC Gonks.”

“They touched you? You!?” He growled and I realized Jun was actually getting pretty pissed, like Psycho level angry, not his usual hotheadedness.

 

So I reached up and grabbed his face between my hands.

 

“Hey! Jun. Come on, come back. Everyone is fine. Deep breaths Jun-Nii. Deep breaths.” I ordered, and while he instantly looked to fight, I didn’t let him.

 

Chrome hands were stronk.

 

“Jun-Nii? You back with me?”

He let out a long breath out of his mouth that came out more of a hiss than anything else.

 

“I never left!” He snapped back, but I could tell he was back. His eyes were seeing me and not anyone else.

 

“Right!” I chirped at him as I let go, getting glared at all the while.

 

“They should not have touched you! Not a Tyger Claw!”

 

“I kinda beat their ass Jun… Plus it was fun.”

“Tsk. Ho-oh Club? That means… Jotaro Shobo? That is the man in charge there?”

“Yeah good memory. Hiromi and I had a bit of a run in with him after the bar fight. He was super mad. Talking about ‘punishment’ and stuff. Ichi showed up then, and name dropped the Kamikaze… I’d rather him not spread around that I worked with them, but it made Mr. White suit back off.”

 

“The Devil of Kabuki, said he would punish you? I’ll kill him.” Jun growled, his fists clenching and unclenching as he must have imagined murdering the Devi-

 

“Devil of Kabuki?” I asked before I felt it.

 

Realization.

 

Jotaro Shobo. The Devil of Kabuki.

 

The Devil of Kabuki. Jotaro Shobo.

 

“That disgusting Mother Fuck-” I cut myself off as my own hands clenched and I had to rely on Cold Blood to keep from punching walls and cursing up a storm.

 

I remembered that fucker now!

 

I had only done that quest once. But I remember! The Mox had wanted him dead, because he was a monster. That motherfucker kidnapped people only to torture them to make XBDs!

 

I made XBDs as well, but I murdered people that deserved it. Not kidnapped people that hadn’t done anything. Not people just down on their luck nabbed by assholes like Jotaro Shobo.

 

“You know of him?” Jun suddenly asked, pulling me out of my rapid fire thoughts as I stopped my pacing in the living room.

 

“Yeah. I’ve heard of the Devil of Kabuki before! And the fucked up shit he does.” I muttered. All the times I had met Jotaro Shobo sliding into my realization.

 

Of course I remembered the Ho-oh club now. I had thought the name was familiar. It was where you go to kill the Devil of Kabuki. A job that… Regina? the fixer gives you on behalf of the Mox.

 

Jotaro had no problem kidnapping even Moxes to scroll XBDs of.

 

Jotaro Shobo?

 

Jotaro Shobo was a dead man walking.

 

The decision was made. All I had to do was figure out how I wanted to get it done? Loud or quiet?

 

No, I took a breath. I would need some advice on this. This would be complicated. Very very complicated, my connections with the TC was useful at times, and at others it was a noose.

 

So I shook the disgust at myself for talking to that man, and not knowing away. I was in the moment.

 

“It’s okay Jun.” I told him, Jun having been hovering around as I went off in my own head at the realization of who I had been interacting with.

 

“Doesn’t seem okay. Motoko? Imouto?” Jun asked, his face worried and I could see the stiff way he held his hands as if wanting to grab me, but not sure if he should.

 

“Really Jun-Nii. I’m okay. I think I’ll probably go talk to Wakako tomorrow about it. Might get some advice. But… I guess I just wasn’t really ready… To actually been hanging around someone like that, and I hadn’t even noticed.”

 

Of course. The truth was worse than that.

 

I had forgotten.

 

Jotaro Shobo was a monster, but only a side quest. A little gig you could do, that unless you actually paid attention, you wouldn’t even need to hear the guys name.

 

How many horrible people, monsters, or evil things happened in the game that I wasn’t remembering?

 

I brushed past Jun and headed into my room. I had taken to mostly sleeping on the couch surrounded by parts and pieces of my tinkering or my laptops to grind with, but what I needed now was no distractions.

 

I sighed once the door closed behind me. I started stripping weapons settled on a dresser, their holsters ready to be buckled on when I got dressed, as I slipped out of my Leotard, out of my armored clothing that made me feel like a badass, and into something comfy.

 

Then I sat on the bed and laid back. “What else did I forget?” So rather than sleep. Rather than spend a night grinding, I started thinking back to the game. To the anime.

 

To everything I hadn’t been thinking about as I’d been either having too much fun grinding, or too murderous to think about.

 

Jotaro was just one mission. Were there any other gigs that I should remember? So I started thinking back.

 

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The first thing that popped into my head?

 

“That fucking sick fuck!” I gasped remembering the farm. River and his stupid quest. The creepy fuckin cartoon that I swore if I ever had to watch again I was gonna uninstall the damn game.

 

The creepy bastard and his farm… Fuck. I don’t remember the name of the farm. I would have to jump onto the map I had installed, and see if I can’t find it. Hopefully it will actually be listed.

 

I took a deep breath and let it out.

 

Okay. That was one thing that needed to be dealt with, maybe even sooner than Jotaro.

 

What else?

 

Wait. That Scav Ripper… Shit. I can’t remember what his name was, but he shouldn’t be hard to find. He had an open Ripper shop. Hopefully he is already set up, and I’ll go and put an end to his bullshit, anyone willing to pretend to be a doctor only to rip them apart for pieces for scavs deserved a messy death.

 

Maybe even get some more Scav den data from it.

 

That made me think of Fingers.

 

He was disgusting, and I definitely felt like putting a bullet in his head, but he wasn’t scaving people. Just being a disgusting molesting fuck.

 

But the Joytoys that go to him, do it because he was ‘cheap’ thanks to what he did…

 

I would have to talk to Vik. He would know best. Would killing Fingers actually be a net good?

 

Fuck. This is why I said I wasn’t a hero. I don’t like these kinds of complex good and evil choices. I hated Good and Evil alignment choices in games.

 

I guess… I guess it was good that I didn’t have one.

 

I couldn’t think of anything else directly relevant at the moment. Except for Edgerunners… Faraday was on my list too. That four eyed fucker needed to get put in the dirt, but he was dangerous. He had plenty of guards.

 

That was enough for now. I had my targets.

 

I should sleep. Let the night pass and be ready the next day.

 

But that kidnapping fuck was out there. Right now.

 

I pulled up my map. Farms in the badlands, it took an hour to narrow down my options. Unfortunately it had been way too long since I had actually played 2077.

 

I didn’t remember which farm it was and despite most of them closing down, there were still a few of them around the city.

 

So I had a list. I would just hit all of them until I found it.

 

I should sleep. I could do it. Just a push of a button and I would be out for eight hours.

 

But my knee was bouncing. My fingers tapping. Every piece of me wanted to get up and go kill that creepy fuck.

 

Fuck it.

 

I wasn’t some hero, but I wasn’t going to let that bastard live for another day if I could help it. Making me watch that creepy cartoon in the game was enough to earn his death certificate, even without the kidnapping and creepy shit he does.

 

I got up and started packing my equipment back on. I stepped out as I zipped the leotard back up to see Jun was still up watching TV with a half eaten burrito in his hand.

 

“I thought you went to bed?” He asked, noticing I was arming back up. I even had my Nekomata over my back.

 

“I was. But something came up. Don’t wait up for me. I might not come back in before morning. Might take a while to find him.” I say as I finish strapping everything on and walk over to Jun to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later-”

 

The hand gripping the back of my Jacket kept me from walking.

 

“Not a chance. It’s late, what are you doing?”

 

“Gotta kill a guy. Gonna take a while to hunt him down first.” I answered truthfully which unfortunately didn’t earn me my release.

 

“Details. Now.” He said standing up to block my way.

 

“Fine! I got some info on a serial killer. Some crazy fuck that kidnaps kids does weird shit to them. I know… Generally where he is. Gonna need to hit a few locations to find him, but I’m going to assassinate him, and rescue anyone he has kidnapped.”

 

Jun blinked at my response. My reveal obviously surprised him as he seemed to mull it over.

 

“Fine. I’m coming too.”

 

I sighed. I really didn’t need Jun and his big stompy feet following me around.

 

“Juuuuun!” Whined at him irritated at him trying to interfere in my mur-assasination.

 

It’s an assassination. One is a job, the other is mental sickness.

 

“No. It’s late, and I know I can’t talk you out of leaving.” He said standing up and looming over me. “Since I know how you are, I’m coming with. Someone to watch your back.”

 

“Fine. I’ll wait for you to get ready. It’s gonna be more of a stealth job you know? The guy has like a ton of mines and turrets defending his farm last I heard.”

 

He looked at me for a moment and then he slapped the back of my head!

 

“If that is the case you definitely need someone there to watch your back. Imouto. You can rely on me. You have other chooms as well. Stop trying to take on everything alone.” He added as I gaped at him as he walked off.

 

“I can handle myself just fine!” I called out to him, but he ignored me as he headed into his room to grab his gear.

 

I stood there at the door a little huffy rubbing the back of my head. Jerk. Stupidface!

 

A few minutes later Jun walked out, yawning a bit as he was now kitted up in his Kamikaze gear, facemask included.

 

I rolled my eyes and headed down. Jun following after. Jun kept yawning so I actually stopped at a vending machine and bought a couple of drinks stuffing a few into his arms, making sure they were the type he liked before heading to the garage.

 

He didn’t say anything but he was giving me an amused smirk as he followed after.

 

“Shut up.”