"Hiss... I feel so dizzy..."
David opened his eyes groggily, reaching out and touching something soft.
He blinked a few times, adjusting to the light.
What came into view was the familiar furnishings of Lucy's room—and he was lying on her bed!
David's pupils dilated in shock as he suddenly sat up. "What... what's going on? I was drinking on the rooftop!"
The last thing he remembered was drinking with Lucy, chatting about life and their dreams.
But somehow, after blacking out, he'd woken up in her bed?!
He glanced toward the window.
The night had long faded, and the sun hung high in the sky. It was already past noon.
Did something happen after I passed out?!
Panicking, David looked down at himself.
Oh, crap!
Sure enough, his jacket was gone, and he was left in nothing but his underwear.
"You beast... Did that little minx Lucy take advantage of me while I was drunk?!"
A shameless thought popped into David's mind, filling him with regret.
If something like that happened, couldn't she have waited until I was awake?
Right now, he had no memory of anything—and no feelings to go with it!
Ding—!
At that moment, the door to the room opened.
Lucy stepped in, carrying a bag of takeout.
Seeing David awake, she smiled lightly. "Finally up? Good timing—I brought lunch. Get up and eat something."
Without another word, she began unpacking the food at the table.
"Ahem… Uh, Lucy?"
David cleared his throat awkwardly. "Last night, we were drinking on the rooftop, right? How did we end up back here?"
"Hah! You've got some nerve asking that," Lucy chuckled. "Your alcohol tolerance is trash. After two dozen cold beers and a bit of the night breeze, you passed out like a log."
"In the end, I had to carry you down here. I was exhausted."
"Ha?!"
David's jaw dropped. This wasn't how he'd imagined things going at all!
"Then why am I half-naked?"
"Oh, you threw up all over yourself after coming down. I tossed your clothes in the washing machine—they should be dry by now. I'll go grab them."
Lucy headed to the balcony to retrieve his clothes.
"???"
David sat there, dumbfounded. This was definitely not what he'd expected!
While he was still processing the situation, Lucy returned and handed him his freshly cleaned clothes.
"Here—put these on."
"Uh... thanks."
David took the clothes, still clinging to a shred of hope. "So… Lucy, that's all that happened last night? Nothing else?"
Lucy raised an eyebrow and leaned close to his face. "Hmm… What else were you hoping for?"
"Heh… hehe… Nothing, nothing at all!"
David laughed awkwardly and quickly got dressed. "Let's eat, let's eat!"
As David scarfed down his lunch, Lucy sat beside him, her cheeks faintly flushed.
Perhaps only she knew the full story of what happened last night.
While they ate, Lucy casually switched on the digital TV in the living room.
She tuned into [News 54], Night City's go-to channel for breaking news:
[Hello, everyone. This is News Channel 54, and I'm reporter Gillian Jordan.]
[Now for some breaking news involving a biotechnology corporation.]
[Last night, our station received anonymous internal documents from a major biotech company, exposing evidence of their illegal use of neuro-analgesic drugs.]
[The documents are currently under expert review. If proven authentic, this could lead to the company's bankruptcy.]
"Hah, here we go again," Lucy scoffed, exhaling a puff of smoke. "Those so-called 'experts' are all in the pockets of the corpos. Even if the documents are legit, they'll probably claim they're fake."
David frowned thoughtfully as he watched the broadcast.
This was probably Sasha's handiwork—the netrunner from Maine's crew.
But if things were as Lucy said, then Sasha's efforts might be in vain.
Worse still, the corporation might retaliate.
Suddenly, the news shifted to another headline:
[Moving on to our next story.]
[Also last night, a murder occurred in the Kabuki district. The victim was Jotaro Shobo, owner of the Phoenix Club.]
[Rumors suggest that Jotaro's involvement in illegal 'Black Mewtwo' operations may have made him a target.]
[The Watson District NCPD is currently investigating the case. Although they've identified a suspect, the details remain confidential due to the victim's family's request.]
Upon hearing this, David froze.
Wait... they're talking about me?!
Lucy's brow furrowed slightly. "Jotaro Shobo has family?"
"It's probably those Tiger Claws punks," David replied coolly. "Gangsters like them wouldn't show their faces on mainstream news."
Lucy's eyes widened. "If that's the case, then—"
"If the news is legit, then yeah," David cut in. "The Tiger Claws will definitely come after me."
"They're the type who can rob, murder, and extort anyone they want. But the moment someone fights back, they'll stop at nothing for revenge."
Lucy looked at him with concern. "David... Should we lay low for a while?"
"No need."
To her surprise, David shook his head calmly. "Sometimes, it's better to face these things head-on than to run away."
His gaze sharpened. "If those Tiger Claw bastards aren't afraid of dying, they're welcome to come and try."
David had already assessed the gang's strength.
The Tiger Claws mainly relied on katanas and close-combat techniques borrowed from Sakura Kingdom's ninjutsu and martial arts.
None of that posed any threat to him.
Even if they used heavy weapons purchased from Arasaka, David had countermeasures ready.
After a quick lunch, David—still new to Watson—negotiated with the landlord of the apartment complex, thanks to Lucy's help.
He ended up renting a larger three-bedroom unit on the 22nd floor—just a few floors above Lucy's place.
The rent was 1,000 eurodollars a month, well within his budget now.
Once they finished cleaning the apartment, Lucy left to handle a gig.
David lay down on his new bed, gazing out the window at Night City's sprawling skyline.
A faint smile tugged at his lips. "So... this is what having a home feels like."
After resting for a bit, David sat up and stretched. "Alright... Time to send the frog cub on its next trip!"
Opening the system interface, he quickly paid the required 200,000 eurodollars.
He also bought 300 intermediate-level amulets and a four-leaf clover for good luck.
After packing a lunchbox for the frog cub, he equipped it with two buffs: [Steel Body] and [Power of Violence].
[Ding—! Your frog cub has set off on its journey. Please wait for its return!]
Just as the system notification faded, another message popped up:
[Ding—! The cost of the next frog trip will be 400,000 eurodollars!]
David exhaled sharply. "Looks like each trip costs more than the last... I'd better start earning more eddies."
To be continued...
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