Ghost in the City: Early chapter 233 (Patreon)

Hiromi Mitsunashi

She startled awake as her agent alarm went off. Hiromi had a moment of inexplicable confusion, before she remembered.

Right. 

Late night with Motoko and the band, early morning for school.

Eugh.

She should just call in…

She groaned as she sat up and looked around her room. The neon lights, and old Tyger Claw stuff left the room streaming in different colors, enough she could see.

“Open window.” She croaked, and the shutters quietly opened letting in the Night City sunlight. 

Rubbing at her face she climbed out of her bed and staggered over to the bathroom. As she slipped under the fourteen sprayers, she tapped the wall panel for a real massage from the heads. Still half asleep she pulled up her agent's timeline. 

Tomorrow night was the big gig. Everything for that should be locked in, but she still needed to call the Club owner, and double check there weren't any issues. 

Hiromi had skipped a few clubs already for gigs when they tried to gotcha her with extra fees or other gonkshit. As if she was just a street brat, desperate for a chance at a real gig.

She smirked a little as she shifted, letting a sprayer get her right under the shoulder where her muscles felt a little locked up from sleeping on her arm funny.

Okay, she added that in for her lunch time, she could make the call while she ate. Next thing.

Section 9 was quiet, and most of the loot they’d gathered had been sold, but there were still a few bits and pieces that were sitting in storage. 

Some of that gonks security system hadn’t sold since anyone rich enough for a real security system wasn’t buying second hand from the people that had overcome the system.

No, Hiromi would need to reach out to gang contacts, they’d be more willing to pay at least partial price. Every mid range thug thought they needed security in case their many enemies came after them.

Unfortunately she hadn’t gotten any bites just yet.

She sent off a few more offers to the contacts she’d developed, and moved on.

SLS income had a discrepancy.

Her agent made the call as she groaned and shifted a bit in the water.

This is Richard.Steel.Ah, Boss. What do you want?Hiromi rolled her eyes, he was nervous, but he was still a brat. His words made him sound like he was demanding something from her, when it was, and always should be the opposite.

The last report had some income discrepancies.Yes Boss, I added it to the message last week. Harry lost a bag into the river while running from some street kids. We roughed them up after, but even if we wanted to, the water would have ruined it. We left the bag.

That’s right. She remembered getting the message now.

Fine, this is a one time allowance, tell Harry if he’s selling around bodies of water to avoid them from now on, or else.Yes Boss.Alright. Everything else looks good Richard, but I’m sending some marketing data I’ve been looking at, adjust the seller locations accordingly.You got it. He agreed although as always sounded less than willing. Marketing Data and research might as well be magic, he didn’t trust it, but Hiromi was firm on tracking where sales took place and when.

No point hanging outside a corpo building to sell some excitement to worker drones while they were all working. You had to show up when the job let off, or on their lunch or smoke breaks. If they got such a thing.

Just follow the information. Everything else has been quiet, correct?Yeah Boss, just the usual stuff, new gonks trying to make some territory, or scop suckers that don’t know that we got agreements. I’ve taken care of it.Good. The income has been tighter recently, but the new music BD’s have done well, excellent job pushing them.

It’s not the usual flavor, but it’s something new.It’s also important marketing for our most important VIP. Keep it up.Yeah, yeah I know. Ain’t about to start ship with the fucking Onryo.

Hiromi smiled and just hung up. Yes, fear my Motoko! Mwaahahaha!

She stretched a bit finishing the shower, and stepping out, drying off and makeup as she ran down the rest of her check list.

She scanned over the gigs on offer from some of the fixers, but nothing that was any good. A transport job was forwarded to Ichi though. He could send an acceptance or not on his own though.

As she added her customary flair to her eyelashes she sent out a text to Motoko just to get away from all the work.

Hiromi:Want to meet up for lunch?Motoko: Yes! Hiromi, save me! Alice wants to schedule practice every day until the gig! My fingers are chrome, and they’re still sore!

Hiromi twitched into a smile at Motoko’s whining.As she was responding, a beep on her agent, and she shifted focus. 

An offer for one of the security bots? Good. Those things were trash, and she was kinda glad Motoko had forgotten all about them since they were terrible offbrand versions, which made her want to strangle whoever bought them. Offloading them had been a chore. 

She swiftly messaged back, but adjusted the text to not sound desperate.

Even if she was. The cost to house the things was starting to inch closer to what she could pull from selling them. Dumping them was becoming more and more the optimal solution which made her want to grind her teeth.

With that she switched back to Motoko and rolled her eyes, a bit less willing to deal with Motoko complaining about work considering how much she dumped on Hiromi’s shoulders. 

Hiromi: Motoko…

Motoko: Noooo! Don’t give me disappointed Hiromi frown through text, that’s so mean! Okay fine, I’ll stop complaining. It’s only a couple days, and a little practice isn’t bad, I’m really trying to- Ah nevermind.Hiromi just shook her head at Motoko’s Rambling texts. Seriously usually she was quick with her texts, but sometimes when she was distracted she’d just ramble at her.

It was cute.

Hiromi: I’ll see you at lunch.Motoko: Great! Oh, I haven’t talked to David since we talked about bringing him in, you should bring him, so we can go over his training. Malcolm agreed to help out.Hiromi remembered, during Section 9’s last ‘training day’ that had mostly been Motoko trying to get everyone to work as hard as she did when it came to crazy soldier skills.

Seriously, Motoko could just pull out a pistol, stare at a target, and practice her movements for hours, utterly silent and focused as if the idea of boredom was for lesser people.

Hiromi smiled. It was one of Motoko’s cool points.

But… EUGH. What is with Motoko’s interest in the gonk?

Hiromi: Fine.

Motoko: Thanks Hiromi!

She rolled her eyes. Whatever. She rose up. Makeup done. Hair styled. She’d been growing it out since the mohawk days. Back before Motoko had changed. 

Now? She was growing her hair out, the natural way as she waited for inspiration to strike how she wanted to style it

She ran a hand through the growing thickness on the sides of her head. The former Mohawk being super long, while she had the rest of her hair still short thankfully gave her an acceptable look for now, but she needed to figure out what to do eventually.

Maybe she’d ask Motoko what she thought?She smiled knowing what her friend would say.

Anything is good? Or maybe “You’re cute no matter what you do?” She said aloud and smiled at herself, knowing that Motoko was great like that.

Well, the new Motoko. Her friend used to be such a bitch… Hiromi grinned. God, she’d been so…

She shook it off. Old Hiromi was gone, just like old Motoko. Only who they were now mattered, and Hiromi liked the new her, and the new Motoko.

They were still the same in some ways, but better.

Nodding she left her bathroom, and grabbed her Academy Uniform, slipping into the perfectly fitted uniform, she nodded as she adjusted the tie and skirt. Alright. Morning classes, a test she hadn’t prepared for, and a Financial Analysis report, she needed to start right now if she was going to have it ready in time for class.

But this was just a normal day for Hiromi Mitsunashi, Corpo, Section 9 manager, and probably the most powerful Teenager in Night City. She grinned as she reminded herself once again that Motoko was her personal assassin if needed. 

It made classes much less stressful when she knew in the back of her mind that their gruesome murder was only a phone call away.

It made her feel warm, that Motoko was there for her.

—--

The screams hit me as I played the last chord of Faint.

A week of preparation. Of playing over and over, and in the end, we just did the same set list as the Electric Orgasm. 

Alice had gotten cold feet about another new song, but that was fine. 

I watched as the crowd roared and bounced. 7th Hell, was a much fancier place than any other gig we’d done. Bigger place, more expensive, more packed.

I glanced over the bar where I could see corpo suits watching. Three of them. Music producers, here for us.

I even recognized the same guy from Dino’s place. 

“We’re  Stand Alone Complex! Thank you and good night!” I roared out, fist raised and got a good response right back.

The music was good. 

The response, excellent.

And… As I turned and walked off the stage, into the back rooms. I could only think of one thing.

Had it worked?

“Yes!” Jared suddenly roared and I actually jolted at the sudden noise. He reached over, grabbed a bottle of something expensive from a table next to our gear, and just poured it into his mouth. “Yeagh! Did you hear that!? That response! Those cheers! We blew this house down tonight!” He roared out after his drink.

“Pass that shit.” Klein demanded and the two men instantly swapped the bottle taking a swig. “Eugh. That goes down harsh. Damn right. We fucking rocked tonight. Alice!” He ordered and she wandered over and took the bottle, swigging it down.

“Oh that is strong fuck! That’s right! Tonight! Whether it all works out, or comes crashing down we party like we’re famous!” She called out laughing and then they all looked at me.

“Absolutely not. I don’t drink.” I said walking over a bottle of water in my hand that I’d grabbed to help cool off, and instead I tinked it against the bottle and slugged back a drink. “But I think you all did great tonight.”“Oh c’mon!” Klein said, thrusting the bottle at me, but oh no, I wasn’t making that mistake again. I ignored him as I finished my water and chucked it into a trash can as I moved to put my Orphean away.

“Leave it Klein, Motoko’s a kid.”“Fuck you.” I responded to Alice’s words with a middle finger, and she shrugged. That had definitely been an attempt at peer pressure.

The bitch.

“Well we aren’t done yet.” Jared offered, as he adjusted his open holo jacket, and smiled brightly. “The best part of tonight? Time to meet the groupies!” He laughed and Klein and him fist bumped as they put some of their stuff away and then headed out, and up the stairs to the VIP area…

“That means you too Motoko.”

“What?”“Groupies Motoko. Girls and boys that want to throw themselves at the Rockerboys that just filled up every inch of their body with adrenaline and need. C’mon, you gotta come to this too.”“Not really my thing?” I offered, and Alice rolled her eyes.“It’s part of the gig. While it might look like just fun for us, a lot of those people on the dance floor pay extra to come up and hang with us. This is an important part of being a Rockerboy. We get paid by the club for the music, the spectacle, but also the extra VIP room purchases for all of them to come hang with us. Hiromi mentioned we need to do more than just the show, we’ve got to earn the club eddies, so come on front girl, you come too.”“Hiromi said that? We never did this before.” I tried to argue, and Alice snorted. 

“You didn’t, besides we’ve never played at a place like 7th Hell, this isn’t small time. Just come up, hang out, you don’t have to actually do anything. Best not in fact. You’re a bit young.”

“Okay fuck you again, and duh. I’m not… Interested.” I said a bit flatly, and Alice smirked at me smugly. 

“I’ll keep an eye on you for your brother, but we do have to go and drum up some extra attention… Play a song.”“What?”“If you don’t want to be a flirtation attraction, for the groupies, then figure something else out, but be the story… Everyone here tonight wants to have a story to tell their friends tomorrow. That’s what makes Rockerboys so special. I know at least one girl is going to be up there specifically for you.” Alice offered and I blinked, honestly confused…

“Who?”“The girl you tossed that shotgun of yours to.” Alice reminded, and I felt my face get a little warm.

I’d done Heathens the same way, tossing out the shotgun shells, and picking a specific person right at the front to be the Heathen for the song.

She’d absolutely screamed as I dropped the shotgun, and holy shit she’d been top heavy clutching that Carnage to her chest hadn’t done anything to hide the way she’-

“Right. Her… I have to go?” I asked, but Alice sent me a look. “Yeah alright, fine… I guess I’ll… Try?”“If you really can’t figure out what to do, just be the mysterious one, or just play a song, like I said.” She said, jerking her head at my guitar, and I nodded slowly. That wasn’t a terrible idea.

I could just play a song. I had songs. I had all the songs.

I followed Alice when I realized I really couldn’t just hide down in the band room, and up the stairs I was met by a Bouncer that quickly moved aside and opened up the upper VIP area to my eyes.

The band was already swarmed, Alice just flopping into a couch and looking every inch the Rockerboy she was, as she wide armed the couch and looked utterly confident. 

Klein and Jared already had booze in one hand, and a girl each in the other.

And as I walked up onto the floor, my guitar in one hand cause honestly I was planning on using it as a shield I realized that probably wasn’t going to work.

There was a noise, awareness of the groupies gasping at my appearance, pointing or calling. Although thankfully not all of them. 

Instinctively I knew if I hesitated I’d get swarmed. So instead let myself go cool, confident, swagger, I stepped forward ignoring it all as I found a chair just far enough away no one had claimed it, and…

I grabbed the back of the seat, as everyone watched. That’s fine, Alice said I should be part of the story they’d tell.

Okay fine. If this was part of being a Rockerboy, then I don’t think I could be the amorous Rockerboy like the others, but that was okay.

I’d just make my own persona.

The scraping of the chair had grabbed everyone's attention, but Jared, Klein, and Alice were all wondering what was going on.

So I brought the chair into a quiet area along the back wall, and flipped it around so my back was to the wall.

And then I settled in, and before anyone could ask.

My fingers started strumming.

The bass of the club still flowed through, but the live show was over, and the VIP area seemed a bit more insulated from the speakers, so I ran my hands over my guitar. It was no acoustic, but the noise hardly mattered.

I finally looked up, and half bent over, my face half covered by my hair I caught the gaze of the woman that Alice had warned me about, Carnage still clutched to her chest, kinda surprised they let her bring that up here, but anyways.

“Hell-o, I’ve waited here for you, Everlong.” I crooned, just loud enough to cut through the ambient song playing in the club. Instincts, on how to shift, how to move, when to slow the song, when to sing it all the louder flowed through me, and I used every ounce of them.

I’d rather be known as the mysterious Rockerboy with an aftershow, than the Rockerboy that gets swarmed by crazed groupies.

This was a brilliant plan, Motoko. You are so smart.

—--

Hiromi Mistunashi

The discussion had been cut throat. Hiromi though ignored any of the implied threats, instead just smirking confidently through them.

She had the best situation she could have asked for. 

The three Producers were all interested. She had them on the hook, and by the glares they sent at each other they knew it.

Now of course, that didn’t mean the deal was locked, and she’d pressed a little too hard a few times. 

They were just as willing to refuse Motoko entirely, and just blacklist her, Hiromi had learned, so she’d softened her approach, and had played up the potential instead.

“The real question isn't if Stand Along Complex has good music. It’s if anyone wants to hear it.” Charles asked, once again trying to muddy the waters, and lower Hiromi’s demands.

“It’s not a bad point. Anyone with a bit of talent can play a club, but do they really make eddies? Do they have star power?” Ian Carver from MSM of all places asked, the man had a rumpled business suit, and smelled of the liquor he’d been drinking at the bar, but his eyes were clear, and… It was MSM. Practically the biggest label in the city. Some of the big names. Us Cracks, Motoko had mentioned Kerry Eurodyne once or twice.

Hiromi just smirked. She’d set up for this. A Rockerboy had to do more than just play music, they had to draw the eye, and then draw some eddies. 

“Why don’t we have a look at our VIP area outside, and you can decide for yourself if you think Stand Alone Complex, has star power?” She asked, waving her hand outside the door. 

The private room was good, letting them talk in peace, but Hiromi had faith that Alice had listened. 

Draw a crowd to the VIP session. Be loud, be a Rockerboy, party, get the groupies working.

But Hiromi wasn’t sure how well it had worked. Motoko… It was a flip of a coin whether she’d listen or not.

The third producer, Otonoshi Kawa from Eye-Land Records, the smallest of the fish, rose up and the door popped open, and instantly the noise of outside hit them. 

But it wasn’t just normal club noises. 

There was a sort of hush, and yet noise through it all, and as Hiromi got up and followed she realized that once again the Motoko coin flip hadn’t just hit heads or tails. But landed on its side and awed everyone.

The Vip area was packed. With half the crowd from downstairs it felt like, seated literally on the ground as Motoko sat against a wall in a chair, the dim lights of the VIP area putting her in stark relief, her guitar in her hand, and she was just playing.

Quiet songs, yet her voice coming through clearly, enthralling and gentle, and yet teasingly husky as always.

Sexy Motoko voice was really powerful.

But Hiromi pushed that need to go sit with the others away and instead sent the smuggest energy she could at the producers. 

“Well it looks like we’ve got half the club into the VIP room for the afterparty.” She said, playing up her confidence in seeing what had happened. All three men now were on their feet and checking it out, and she could practically see their eyes rove over the crowd.

Each person up here was eddies in the club managers hands. And with how enthralled they all were, it was more eddies in the future for anyone that could snatch up this Rockerboy.

“What’s that song she’s playing?” Ian Carver asked, the first to speak as all three men were taking in what was going on, and Hiromi didn’t know, not one she’d ever heard before.

“Oh Motoko writes new songs all the time. I haven’t heard this one yet. Shame.” She said, honest with the last part. Stupid Motoko, she grumbled, you were supposed to serenade your best choom with all your new songs!

“Alright Ms. Mitsunashi, MSM wants Stand Alone Complex. Let’s solidify the deal.” Ian said simply, and Hiromi could feel the eddies start flowing in, as the other two men turned to glare at their rival. 

“Hey, don’t think just beac-”“Ignore them. I’m taking the band. Sorry Charles, CCT had their chance, you hesitated, when you should have leapt.” The rumpled suited man mocked, then he turned his glowing eyes, green and pink of all things swirling around and locked them onto Hiromi. “I’ll agree to most of your conditions, let’s get the contract done.”Hiromi smirked like a shark. Most? Well let’s see if she couldn’t play him off on the others for a bit more than most of her conditions.

Hiromi realized that with this, everything would change.

Eugh, she still had so much homework to do tonight!