"This…"
V's mouth fell open, stunned, unsure of what to say.
"Choom, your Devil level's not high enough, huh? Scared of a little light?"
Jack Wells snapped out of his surprise and cracked a joke, quick to recover.
"No helping it, I'm grinding to level up as fast as I can."
Riku threw up his hands like a little bear, playing along with Jack's jab. He was telling the truth, though.
"Let's get moving then. We'll drop you off first, Riku. Where you staying?"
V stood up, abandoning the idea of hanging out longer at Afterlife. There'd be plenty of chances later.
"Uh…"
Riku hesitated, embarrassed. He didn't have a place. He'd been crashing at the Coyote Cojo bar.
"Oh, right! You just got to Night City, haven't found a spot yet, have you?"
Before Riku could respond, V smacked her forehead, remembering. Riku had mentioned he was new in town.
"Yeah, I spent yesterday at Coyote Cojo. Was planning to look for a place."
Riku owned up to his current status as a Night City drifter. But with some eddies in his pocket now, finding a spot shouldn't be too hard.
"Come with me, then. Let's be neighbors. There's some vacant apartments where I'm at."
V didn't hesitate, inviting him right away. A few units had just opened up near her place.
As for how they opened up? Well, tenants died. That was just business as usual in Night City. V had seen her neighbors cycle through plenty of times.
"That's awesome!"
Riku's eyes lit up. Living next to V sounded perfect—someone to have his back. Plus, he knew her area almost as well as she did.
V lived in Watson's Little China, in the H10 megabuilding.
Watson was one of Night City's most chaotic districts, but the rent was relatively cheap.
"Basic package is 1,000 eddies. Gets you the bare minimum furniture—like, a bed. And that's it. Just the bed."
As the trio left Afterlife, V broke down the costs of renting while they walked.
On this topic, V was the expert. Jack Wells didn't live in an apartment like hers; his place was a converted garage.
Compared to V, who was flat-out broke half the time, Jack had it better. His mom, Mama Welles, ran a bar, so he lived a bit more comfortably.
They hopped into V's secondhand Galena and headed for the H10 megabuilding.
Afterlife was also in Little China, not far from V's place. It was a quick drive.
"Look, don't think 1,000 eddies gets you settled. Not unless you plan to sit in the dark, skip the news, and never use electricity or water."
V kept talking as they drove, clearly pissed about the whole deal. She ticked off expenses on her fingers, her mouth running nonstop.
"Power outlets, TV, radio, fridge, washing machine, private phone, net access—all rentals. Costs 20 to 50 eddies a month each. Usage fees are extra. And get this—even the damn door lock costs 100 to rent!"
V's face was pure disbelief as she went on.
"Can you believe it? If you don't pay for the lock, they leave your door wide open! But if you do rent it, you gotta keep paying, or they lock you out!"
As a cyberpunk hustler who often scraped by meal to meal, V had been through it all. She'd missed rent payments before and knew these struggles firsthand.
"Oh, and food? 100 eddies a week. The taste and portions? Let's just say it won't kill you, but it won't fill you up either. Want something decent? Add another 50. Or you can pay 20 per meal, but only a gonk would do that."
V crunched the numbers as she spoke. For her current place, including utilities, you'd need at least 2,500 eddies a month to live somewhat normally.
Most people in Night City made 2,000 to 3,000 a month. Some couldn't even afford a place, which explained the city's homeless problem.
Of course, that was for apartments. If you were really broke but didn't want to sleep on the streets, there were sleep pods. Those were cheaper—around 1,000 a month, or 30 a night.
"Sleep pods? Might as well be homeless. A bunch of people crammed in one room, coffin beds lined up like a damn morgue, just waiting to get cremated!"
V scoffed at the idea. She'd tried a sleep pod before and swore it wasn't fit for humans. The beds were literally designed like coffins.
"Of course, there's even cheaper spots. NID—Northside Industrial District. Rent's like 300 to 500 eddies a month. Just don't mind risking your life."
The NID, part of Watson, was Night City's northernmost edge. In a district already rated "extremely dangerous" by NCPD, NID's security was next-level bad.
Maelstrom's cyberpsychos ran the show there, alongside scavs, smugglers, and wanted criminals, all holed up in rusty containers and abandoned factories.
"Living in Night City's no joke…"
Riku sighed. "No joke" didn't even cover it—this place ate people alive!
"Everywhere's the same, choom."
Jack Wells shook his head. To him, Night City at least had opportunities. Why else would so many people flock here?
The trio kept chatting and soon arrived at their destination: the H10 megabuilding.
The entrance was heavily guarded, with auto-turrets set up. Were they there to scare off outsiders or deadbeat tenants? Hard to say.
"You're paying for those too."
V caught Riku staring at the turrets and smirked. Nothing in this city was free.
"Come to my place first. You can check out the layout. Most units are the same. If you like it, you can sign a lease right away."
V led them to the elevator. Her floor wasn't too low, but it wasn't exactly high-end either.
After getting off the elevator, they turned a corner, climbed a flight of stairs, and reached V's apartment.
V opened the door and invited Riku and Jack inside.
"Take a look around."
As she spoke, V grabbed two cans of NiCola from the fridge, tossing one to Riku and one to Jack before grabbing a third for herself.
"Honestly, this place isn't that small."
Riku shared his thoughts, and he meant it.
The apartment was boxy but functional. Living room, bathroom, storage, closet—all there. Plus a decent-sized window with a view of the city. Small, but it had everything you needed.
The bedroom? Just a bed built into the wall, blending right into the living space.
Honestly, this place was way better than the apartment Riku had rented before he got isekai'd. Of course, that was ignoring the insane rental costs.