"This'll do," Riku decided after checking out V's small apartment. Sure, there were fancier places out there, but his current savings wouldn't cover them. V's place was solid—everything he needed, though it was noticeably lacking in girly stuff. Instead, it was packed with gym equipment. No surprise there; this was the pad of a woman with an eight-pack, straight out of a Berserk-style training montage.
Once inside, V peeled off her blood-stained, tattered jacket, revealing a tight tank top that showed off her fair skin and killer figure. Small as she was, she was stacked—like a compact, badass Attack on Titan scout.
"Alright, let's go sign the contract," V said, grabbing a fresh jacket and leading Riku and Jack Wells back downstairs.
In the cyberpunk world of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, clothes were practically disposable for edgerunners like them. One job, and your outfit was trashed. Riku was the one who really needed a change, covered in blood as he was, but V's closet definitely didn't have anything in his size.
The trio left V's room and hopped into the elevator. The H10 megabuilding was massive, more than just apartments—it had gyms, shops, everything. The rental office was right by the entrance, impossible to miss.
The contract was a breeze to sign. As a tenant in Night City, you had one right: pay up. Sign and fork over the cash, or get lost. Riku handed over 2,500 eddies, opting for all the basic appliances and services. He kept the meal plan too, just to keep up appearances—worst case, he'd pass the food to V for an extra meal. With 100,000 eddies about to hit his account, a little extra spending didn't faze him. He already had plans for that cash, even if it wasn't in his hands yet.
Keys in hand, Riku saw his new place was on the same floor as V's, just a couple of rooms down.
"Alright, I'm heading out. See you chooms tonight," Jack Wells said, ready to prep for the big job.
"Take my car. Pick us up tonight," V tossed him her keys without hesitation. No way Jack would steal her beat-up, 3,000-eddy Galena when they had a 100,000-eddy job on the line. Plus, with Padre's connection tying them, she wasn't worried.
"Thanks, chica," Jack said, catching the keys with a grin and heading off.
Riku and V said their goodbyes and went to their respective rooms. After a long night, Riku didn't need sleep, but V needed to recharge her batteries.
Honestly, Riku's worry about being stuck during the day wasn't a huge deal. Edgerunners like them worked mostly at night—daytime ops were a hassle. As the old saying goes, "A dark, windy night is perfect for a job," like something straight out of Hunter x Hunter.
Back in his room, Riku stripped off his blood-soaked clothes and hopped in the shower. The grime was getting to him. Clean but with nothing to wear, he wrapped a towel around himself and sprawled on the bed, nibbling on his fingers as mealtime approached.
After a bit of lounging in the empty room, Riku got restless. Like a true JoJo's Bizarre Adventure training arc, he started working out—push-ups, squats, the works. If "grind king" was a title, Riku would be the emperor.
Knock knock knock.
He hadn't been at it long when someone rapped on his door.
"Who's there?" Riku called, opening the cheap 100-eddy lock.
"Uh…" V stood at the door, blinking at Riku in nothing but a oversized bath towel.
"V? Sorry, just got out of the shower. What's up?" Riku adjusted the towel, making sure no shonen-style wardrobe malfunctions were about to happen.
"Knew you'd be out of clothes. Got you something," V said with a sly grin, handing him a set of streetwear she'd just bought.
"Thanks, V! You're a lifesaver. How much do I owe you?" Riku took the clothes, genuinely touched. He'd been about to ask her for help, and she'd already handled it.
"Nah, it's just some cheap street stall stuff. Consider it a gift," V said, waving off payment. She didn't step inside, just turned and headed back to her place.
"…"
Riku closed the door, a bit quiet. V's thoughtfulness hit him hard. She must've realized his "sunlight issue" meant he couldn't go shopping himself, so she'd gone out of her way to grab him something.
Now, Riku wasn't some lovesick shoujo protagonist, reading too much into it. V getting him clothes didn't mean she was crushing on him—it just meant she was solid, a real choom. In Night City, where trust was rarer than a perfect Gundam model kit, V and Jack Wells were as close to "good people" as it got.
Trying on the loud, street-style outfit, Riku found it fit better than Jack's hand-me-downs. "V's got an eye for this," he chuckled. "Too bad you're not a dude, or I'd be swearing brotherhood with you like in One Piece."
With that, he dove back into his workout. Women? Pfft, they'd only slow down his push-up game.
He kept at it until evening, only stopping when Jack Wells pinged him. Stepping out, he saw V leaving her room, slipping on a jacket and transforming back into the fierce street kid, ready for action.
"Hey, V," Riku greeted.
"Let's go make some big eddies," V said with a grin, her eyes burning with ambition. She was never one to sit still, like a Naruto character chasing the next mission.
"After this job, we're only taking big gigs," Riku added, following her. Why did it feel like he was jinxing it?
"Maybe," V laughed. "But if we're short on cash, we'll still take whatever comes. Every eddy counts."
They bantered as they headed downstairs, their vibe noticeably tighter than before, like comrades in a Fullmetal Alchemist squad.
"Whoa, look at the power couple!" Jack Wells called from the driver's seat of V's secondhand Galena, window down, one hand on the wheel, the other holding a cigarette.