Free Web NovelChapter 304: 304 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 15
On the day of Viktor’s wedding, Lucy and I dressed nicely and moved to ’El Coyote Cojo’, where the wedding was being held. Jackie had asked Mama Wells to rent it out cheaply, having heard that Viktor was getting married.
There were many people who had received help from Viktor over the years, so quite a lot of people came, more than expected. Among them was ’Sebastian Padre Ibarra’ — Padre is a fixer active in Heywood, and I also sometimes received requests from him.
"Padre, long time no see."
"Long time no see, Jin."
Padre was wearing priestly vestments, so it seemed he had been asked to officiate at today’s wedding. He was originally a Valentino gang priest, but had switched to being a fixer.
"From your attire, it seems you’ve been asked to officiate today, right?"
"Yes, Viktor is one of the few good people in this shitty neighborhood. It’s a joy to officiate for such a person."
"Right. Viktor truly is one of the few good people."
Even Padre acknowledged it. That Viktor is a rare good person.
At that moment, V came over to Padre and me and greeted us. V had dressed up nicely in a suit, which didn’t match his usual image.
"So this is where you were, Jin. Long time no see, Padre."
"You came too, V."
"Long time no see, V."
We greeted each other and talked. The interesting thing was that most of the conversation was about how much of a shithole Heywood is.
"I need to go prepare for the wedding now. See you later. It was nice talking."
"Yeah, I enjoyed it too."
Padre went to prepare for the ceremony, and I, Lucy, and V continued our conversation over a drink. Then Jackie was seen coming toward us with ’Misty Olszewski’.
"Hey~ Jin, long time no see. This is Misty, my girlfriend."
"Long time no see. This is V, a friend I work with, and this is my girlfriend, Lucy."
Unlike the original, this was V and Jackie’s first meeting. And I saw ’Misty Olszewski’, an important character, for the first time — Misty was more beautiful than I expected.
Misty is a character who, after Jackie dies in the original, helps V out a lot mentally. Even though she herself must have been struggling because her lover died. Misty can also be said to be one of the few good people in Night City.
It’s just that, even though Misty is a beauty, I really didn’t like the makeup she wore or her hairstyle. Her makeup was gothic style, and her hair was an undercut bob that stuck out like a broom — I wanted to take her to a salon right away.
Misty was staring intently at me from the moment she saw me.
"Huh? What is it? Is there something on my face?"
"Ah, no. It’s just that I’ve never met a person who feels like nothing at all, so I was surprised. Sorry, don’t mind me."
Misty is a quite skilled fortune teller, who in the game tells V’s fortune through tarot cards and gives advice, and surprisingly, those words become reality. The fact that such a Misty saw nothing from me was probably because of my [Stealth] ability.
"I heard you rented out the shop cheaply to Viktor?"
"I specially asked my mother. It’s not like Viktor is a stranger. More than that, I was really surprised — I never thought Viktor would get married."
"I suppose so."
"And you said this is V? What kind of work does he do with Jin?"
At Jackie’s question, V answered.
"He’s a transporter."
"This guy is from Heywood, like you and me."
"Really? I didn’t know that. Why have I never seen him? I know almost everyone in Heywood, you know. For such a good‑looking guy, I feel like I would have seen him at least once."
That was a mystery to me as well. Since Jackie is a thug and V is a thug, it would be natural for them to have seen each other at least once, yet until now, they had never met.
’Is it because their active areas were different?’
While I was having that thought, Jackie was the first to offer a handshake to V and speak warmly.
"Well, then, we’ll just get to know each other from now on. I’m Jackie, Jackie Wells! Mama Wells’ son. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, V. I come here often, you know. Everyone knows Mama Wells’s cooking."
"Of course! There’s no one in Heywood who doesn’t know my mother’s skill."
Jackie and V, both from Heywood, quickly hit it off and chatted about various things, and in the end, the conversation turned to how much of a messed‑up neighborhood Heywood is. Among people from Heywood, it seemed they felt a strangely strong bond over how much of a shithole this neighborhood is.
"This neighborhood really does seem like a shithole."
Lucy, having listened to that talk for a while, said incredulously. Then Jackie laughed and spoke.
"Normally, if you insult your hometown, people would feel bad, but not here. Everyone knows how much of a shithole Heywood is."
"Hahaha, that’s right."
V also laughed and agreed.
"I think I’ll get along well with you. Let’s stay in touch, friend."
"Sure. Let’s call each other often."
As expected, like in the original, Jackie and V quickly became close.
At that moment, I saw David’s team entering the bar, so I waved to let them know I was there. Then David’s team came over to us.
"Everyone’s here."
"Of course. We heard David’s mother is getting married, so we had to come."
"Ah, right. These are friends from Heywood — V, Jackie, and Misty. And these are Sasha, Rebecca, Kiwi, and Pilar. They’re all mercenaries who can hold their own. And this is David — the son of Gloria, who’s marrying Viktor today."
When I introduced them, everyone exchanged brief greetings. I was so overwhelmed and moved to have all the main characters from Edgerunners and 2077 gathered together like this that I was secretly taking pictures.
Then Jackie asked me.
"If they’re mercenaries that Jin knows, they’re all friends who play in the big leagues, right?"
"That’s right. They also receive requests from the Afterlife."
At that moment, David spoke urgently.
"Oh no, I have to go get ready. It’s about to start."
"Yeah, good luck."
David hurried off somewhere, and the wedding began right away. Padre was seen standing on the platform, and Viktor, dressed in a suit, was seen standing in front of him, somewhat nervous.
"Bride enters!"
When the wedding announcer called out ’Bride enters’, gentle music began to play. Gloria, in a pure white dress, walked out slowly, escorted by David. Gloria had been a good‑looking milf from the start, but dressed up like this, she looked even more beautiful.
The wedding dress in the Cyberpunk world is not as flashy as modern ones, but its simple design that naturally reveals the figure was impressive. As expected of an era centered on technology and practicality, dresses seemed to have evolved in that direction as well.
When David and Gloria reached where Viktor was, Viktor extended his hand and welcomed Gloria. Then Padre began the ceremony.
"Today, this place is the fruit of a precious meeting that God has allowed. These two have chosen each other, become one in love, and begin a new life. In the journey ahead, they will share both joys and difficulties, but God will always walk with them and give them wisdom and peace..."
As expected, Padre, true to being a religious man, conducted the ceremony in a religious tone.
"Groom, you may kiss the bride."
Then Viktor boldly pulled Gloria in and kissed her.
"I hereby declare you husband and wife!"
Wah wah~~~!!!
"Congratulations, Viktor!"
"Be happy!"
When the wedding ended like that, we gathered and took pictures, and Gloria threw the bouquet — an unknown female mercenary caught it. She was probably a mercenary connected to Viktor. But Lucy and Rebecca didn’t particularly try to catch it.
After that, Viktor, together with Gloria, held hands and greeted the various guests.
"You came, as expected, Jin. And Princess."
"Thank you for coming."
"I couldn’t miss an occasion like this."
"Congratulations, Viktor. Gloria."
"The food was also prepared by Mama Wells, so it should be delicious. Eat a lot before you go."
"Okay."
Viktor, smiling brightly enough to split his ears, greeted the guests, and looked very happy. Lucy and I brought food and talked with David, V, Jackie, and Misty.
"Ah... I want to meet a good man and get married too."
When Sasha said that, Pilar suddenly put his arm around Sasha’s shoulder and spoke.
"How about me?"
"I said I wanted a good man!"
"What’s wrong with me?"
"You’re not a good man!"
Hahaha~!
Everyone laughed loudly at that.
I was actually trying Mama Wells’s food for the first time. Since the Cyberpunk world uses such garbage for food ingredients, I didn’t expect much, so I took a spoonful and tried it, and it was quite decent. It wasn’t extremely delicious, but I don’t know how she made this taste with these ingredients. She definitely has skill.
"Wow~ this is good, isn’t it?"
"Right? I’ve never seen anyone in Heywood who cooks as well as my mother. She made plenty, so everyone eat a lot and go."
When everyone admired it, Jackie looked proud. We ate well, had a drink, and talked.
"What did you decide to do about the house?"
When I asked David, he answered.
"Ah, Mother is going to live with Viktor now, and I’ve decided to live with Rebecca at the place where we used to live."
"Then Pilar will be living alone now."
Then Pilar laughed and spoke.
"Now that the noisy brat is gone, I can work in peace, so I like it. And if I get a good girl, I might live with her too, so there’s nothing bad about it."
"What are you saying, you idiot brother. There’s no way a girl like that would exist!"
"Why do you say there isn’t? I can get a pretty girlfriend if I want to. I’ve got good ability, good tech, good style! No one will be able to escape my charm, you know?!"
"Wow... do you even have a conscience???"
At those words, everyone laughed loudly again.
"By the way, shouldn’t we pick a day and go visit Maine?"
When I said that, David spoke.
"Dorio said not to come. She said Maine’s condition isn’t good right now. She said she’ll contact us when he’s more stable."
"I see. They have their own complicated situation, I guess."
Then Rebecca asked Kiwi.
"Old lady, you’re old — haven’t you ever been married?"
"Me? I did have a good person. If that person had been alive, I might have even gotten married. That person was also a netrunner. But they got caught by a corporation and their brain got fried. So I also worked hard not to become like that. Anyway, this isn’t the kind of story to tell at a nice place like this."
This was information that wasn’t even in the original. It seemed that Kiwi’s netrunning skill was the result of hard work.
When Kiwi’s words suddenly made everyone quiet, Jackie stood up and spoke.
"Whoa... the conversation is getting heavy — let’s have a drink. To our future~!"
"Cheers~!"
Thanks to Jackie’s words, the atmosphere became good again, and we laughed and chatted happily, then went home.
About two days after that, a request came in, and we met to plan with David’s team. But there, Jackie was there, and also Julio, who at first glance looked like an extra who would die right away in the original. Julio was a brown‑haired, cocky‑looking guy who, in the original, joined David’s team and died right away without doing anything. I never expected this guy to join the team this early.
"Huh? Isn’t that Jackie!? And who’s this guy?"
When I asked that, Julio ran over and bowed at 90 degrees, greeting me.
"Hello, I’m Julio. It’s an honor to meet the one closest to legend."
Then David spoke.
"Jackie and Julio are new solos who joined our team. I brought Jackie in because he contacted me, and Julio came through Wakako’s introduction. He says he’s a fan of Jin."
"Is that so..."
In the original, Julio had been a fan of David, but in this timeline, he had changed to being a fan of mine. And Jackie — it probably couldn’t be helped. Having met David’s team at the wedding, it would have been a very good opportunity to fulfill his desire to play in the big leagues.
"And Jackie, you... I don’t even know. If Mama Wells finds out, I’m not involved."
"Of course, friend. Don’t worry."
Fortunately, V wasn’t there. If even V had come, it would have been a headache.
Anyway, David set up the operation this time as well, but there was a big problem.
"So, I’d like Kiwi to back us up."
"No, that won’t work. How many solos are there now?"
"Including Jin — me, Rebecca, Jackie, Julio — five."
"Then Kiwi would have to back up all four of you. And within that, you’re split into two teams. Kiwi is skilled, so she might be able to do it, but that would leave no room for error."
"Really?"
"David, listen carefully. Netrunners should always be used with leeway. Until now, it’s been fine because the netrunners on the team were skilled and there were enough of them, but the enemy could also have netrunners, and if we unluckily have to break through heavy security, it takes time. Moreover, if there are also external attacks, the ones who get into the most trouble are the netrunners. So you always need to give netrunners leeway and make your plans. They have many variables."
At my words, not only Lucy, but Kiwi and Sasha as well, all nodded in agreement. Seeing that, David immediately admitted his mistake.
"Sorry, I’m still lacking, so I didn’t think of that."
"Now that you know, try making it again. And it’s best to split up the rookies."
"Got it. I’ll make it again."
David thought carefully this time and remade the plan. This time, Julio joined my side, and Jackie joined David’s side, reducing it to two teams, giving the netrunners some leeway.
"Hmm... good. Let’s do it that way."
This request was a rescue mission for corporate personnel who had been kidnapped by the Animals gang. The characteristic of the Animals is that they are obsessed with strengthening their physical strength itself, so almost all of them are big guys. They had probably kidnapped corporate personnel related to drugs.
Bang bang bang!!
– Damn it! The bullets aren’t working!
Jackie was very troubled, perhaps because he was facing guys who had reinforced their skin.
"Aim for the eyes and neck!"
– Shit, easy for you to say! Huh? Kiwi, thanks!
– Instead of thanking me, just catch them quickly!
– R-right.
After many twists and turns like that, the request was finished. But Jackie had at least fired his gun, but Julio — that guy hid without firing a single shot, and when things were over, he crept out.
"Ha... this won’t do. Special training starts today! Rebecca, teach the rookies how to shoot. David, teach them the Gun Kata you learned from me."
"Yeah, got it."
"Okay."
"You need to teach them well. Because someday, these guys should also become comrades you can trust and leave your back to."
"Got it. I’ll teach them properly."
We loaded the rescued corporate personnel into cars and sent them off, then went to the Turbo Bar, had a drink, and split the request money.
"Wow... so the big leagues really do earn good money."
Jackie said, impressed by the amount he received. But Julio looked extremely sorry after receiving his payment.
"You guys experienced it today, so you know, but if you act like that, you won’t last long. Train hard on your days off." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
"Got it. Just trust me, friend."
"I’ll work hard too!"
I took David aside and also drank with the netrunners, cheering them up.
"It’ll be tough for a while because of the rookies, so please understand. They’ll get better as they train."
At those words, Kiwi spoke.
"That guy Jackie — he seems to have some promise, but Julio is a bit..."
"It’s his first day, so let’s watch him a bit longer. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll cut him or bring in someone else."
"Yeah, got it."
After that, I had a drink with David and spoke.
"Do you know why I took you to talk with the netrunners?"
"Hmm... I’m not sure?"
"Because the netrunners had a hard time because of the rookies today, didn’t they. So you need to encourage them and cheer them up too. If you don’t, dissatisfaction will build up. Because our work is directly tied to our lives, the day dissatisfaction or discord builds up and explodes, the team ends that day. That’s why a leader always needs to check if there are any problems. If anyone on the team has a worry, you need to listen to them too."
"I see. There’s quite a lot of work to do, being a leader."
"Right. That’s exactly the weight of being a leader. You need to get a bit closer to the other team members first."
"Got it. I’ll try."
I taught David like that, step by step, so that he could grow properly. Then, two months passed.
