"So boring…"
Kai slumped at the bar counter of the El Coyote Cojo, complaining to Mrs. Wells, Jackie's mother.
"I can't get any jobs, Mrs. Wells. If this keeps up, we're gonna starve to death."
"No need to be so impatient, Kai."
Mrs. Wells smiled as she placed a plate of fries in front of him.
"Isn't it nice to have some free time? Here, try my latest creation—fried potatoes."
"Oh! The ones you said had salt and pepper seasoning?"
Watching Kai go from dejected to lively in an instant over a plate of fries, Oliver and Jackie, sitting at the bar with him, could only shake their heads in exasperation.
Their little team had been together for about a week now, taking on five missions in total. By this point, Oliver and Jackie had a good grasp of Kai's personality. If they had to sum him up in one word—one that Kai himself had taught them in Chinese—it would be:
"Méi shì zhǎo shì" (Looking for trouble when there's none).
Not that Kai caused trouble on purpose. He just couldn't sit still. The moment one job was done, he was already thinking about the next one. He had no concept of rest or relaxation.
Most mercenaries, after taking on a well-paying job, would take a break for at least ten days, maybe even half a month, before considering another one. But not Kai. He was like a mission machine—always looking for the next gig before the current one was even finished.
Oliver and Jackie didn't necessarily think Kai's workaholic tendencies were a bad thing. Thanks to his relentless job-hunting, both of them had improved significantly in skill and had much thicker wallets than before. That was definitely a good thing.
But people weren't machines. They needed rest.
Which was why they'd dragged Kai here to the bar today—to force him to relax.
"Come on, quit frowning and have a drink."
Seeing Kai happily munch on fries, Oliver raised his glass to Jackie.
"According to Kai, once we get enough reputation to take intermediary-level jobs, he'll start being pickier. We just have to hold out until then."
"It's not that I mind having more jobs," Jackie replied, taking a sip. "We're mercenaries—having work is always better than not. But do you really think all these small-time jobs we're doing will ever make us famous enough to get noticed by the fixers?"
"You wanna go big again, Jackie? Like our first job?"
"A guy's gotta have ambition. If every job could net us thirty or forty thousand eddies, I'd be happy to die for it."
Kids from Heywood always talked about death like it was nothing. Normally, only Kai would call them out on it, but today was different.
"Jackie!"
Mrs. Wells shot him a sharp glare.
"…Oh. Sorry, Mom."
Realizing his mistake, Jackie quickly apologized. It was just the way he spoke around Kai and Oliver—he didn't think before saying it in front of his mother.
"You should really cut back on that kind of talk, Jackie."
Oliver was about to say more when he suddenly received an unexpected call.
It was from his sister.
She'd originally told him she'd be back in Night City in two days, but she kept getting delayed. Now, she was finally back and wanted to meet up.
"I'm heading out."
After saying goodbye to Kai, Jackie, and Mrs. Wells, Oliver left the bar. Since he'd been kicked out of the 6th Street Gang, he couldn't return to Santo Domingo without causing trouble. But his sister was coming to Watson, so he could meet her there for dinner.
Not long after Oliver left, Jackie also got called away—his girlfriend Misty, the daughter of Vic's landlord, wanted to go on a date. He sent Kai a quick private message explaining the situation before making up a random excuse to leave. He didn't want his mom to know he was seeing Misty—she still preferred his ex-girlfriend.
And just like that, their rare day off ended with Kai being left alone at the bar, still eating fries.
What could he do?
One teammate was off with his sister. The other was with his girlfriend.
What else could he do?
Fine.
He might as well go home, study hacking, or watch braindances. At least those had proven useful for learning.
"Thanks for the meal, Mrs. Wells."
After finishing his fries, Kai left the El Coyote Cojo and wandered through the streets of Heywood—until he suddenly realized something important.
Oliver had left with the car.
How was he supposed to get back to Watson?
Subway?
But he'd never taken it before. He wasn't familiar with it.
Forget it.
He'd take a cab.
Just as Kai was about to call for a taxi, his phone rang.
Oh? A familiar number.
Wasn't this the big-shot client who claimed he'd only ever use this number once?
So much for that.
Corporate types were corporate types, but money was money.
Kai picked up.
Beep.
"I have a job. I need a bodyguard to accompany me to a negotiation. 50,000 eddies. Solo job. If you're interested, be at the No-Tell Motel in Watson in an hour."
The call ended just as abruptly as it started. No room for Kai to say anything.
Damn, what arrogance.
Oh well.
For 50,000 eddies, arrogance was fine. The client paid well, and all Kai had to do was do his job.
After thinking for a moment, Kai decided not to bother Oliver or Jackie. It was their rare day off—no need to worry them with this. Otherwise, knowing them, they'd probably drop everything to secretly watch his back.
This was a good chance to test out the cyberware upgrades he'd just gotten from Vic.
Over the past few days, aside from setting aside money for braindances and hacking courses, Kai had spent the rest of his earnings on cybernetic enhancements.
Feeling the strange sensation in his arms, Kai flexed his fingers before resting his hand on the JKE-X2 Kenshin, a high-tech pistol from Arasaka strapped to his waist.
Tech weapons like the Kenshin used electromagnetic energy to propel full-metal rounds at extreme speeds, capable of piercing walls and cover with ease. Against it, standard subdermal armor was as weak as paper.
After his last brush with danger, Kai had learned his lesson—he'd spent a fortune on this gun for a reason.
And now, it was time to see what it—and his new cyberware—could really do.
(End of Chapter)