"Of course, that's fine, but you've gotta have the skills to back it up."
Mann's proposal was something Riku and the others had no reason to refuse.
The guy had laid it out so plainly, showing genuine enthusiasm to help. If they turned him down now, it'd look like they were just here to stir up trouble.
"Don't worry, the skills are definitely there. We've worked with her plenty of times."
Mann spoke with confidence, clearly trusting the hacker's abilities.
"Kiwi-neesan is amazing. She's a veteran hacker with tons of experience."
Sasha nodded from the side, backing up Mann's words with her professional opinion.
"Kiwi, huh?"
Riku paused for a moment. At first, he thought it might've been Lucy.
But on second thought, it made sense. At this point, Mann's crew didn't know Lucy yet. Only Kiwi was close with her.
Kiwi's relationship with Mann's team was more like a partnership. She only joined them for big jobs. Normally, Mann's crew relied on their own hacker—Sasha for now. After Sasha's death, Kiwi would introduce Lucy to take her place.
Of course, since Sasha was still alive, there was no need for Kiwi to bring in a new hacker yet.
But for Riku's team, which was currently short a hacker, there was a good chance they'd get the new hacker Lucy through Kiwi's introduction.
"Problem solved at last. Mann, you've got some serious connections, man! Here, let me toast you!"
With the matter settled, Jack Welles raised his glass, ready to clink drinks with Mann and Dorio.
As for Rebecca, she was sipping on juice. Afterlife Bar operated legally, sticking to Night City's rules: no alcohol for anyone under 21.
"You don't drink?"
Noticing everyone else raising their glasses while Riku just sat there, Rebecca asked curiously.
"Nope. No smoking, no drinking."
Riku smiled and nodded, then added, "It's better for my health."
"…"
Rebecca gave him a strange look, clearly thrown off by his response.
"So, what do you drink? Juice? Milk? Water? Want me to order you something?"
She held up her own juice, took a sip, and looked at Riku.
"No need. I'm a Devil. I can only drink human blood and eat human flesh. Your mortal food means nothing to me."
Riku's face was dead serious, but his words made Rebecca's mouth twitch. Is this guy nuts or what? she thought.
"Pfft!"
"Riku, stop teasing Rebecca. She might actually believe you," Sasha said, laughing from the side, amused by their exchange.
"Sasha! You think I'm an idiot or something?!"
Rebecca rolled her eyes. As if she'd fall for that!
"Sorry, my body's a bit… special. I can only consume specific nutrient solutions. Regular food and drinks don't work for me."
Riku gave a little shrug, looking helpless as he explained.
No one believed the truth, so he had to keep building up his persona. At this rate, he was starting to sound like some lab experiment that escaped from a megacorp facility.
"Uh…"
Rebecca and Sasha exchanged a glance, both clearly shocked. This was a first for them.
"Sorry, I didn't know," Rebecca mumbled, apologizing even though she hadn't done anything wrong. Riku hadn't mentioned it earlier, after all.
"No harm done. You didn't get mad at me for not noticing your age, right?"
Riku winked at Rebecca. Despite her wild personality, she clearly wasn't the type to be arrogant or unreasonable.
"We're even, then."
Rebecca grinned, her mood lifting as she started joking again. She wasn't one to hold onto grudges and preferred to be straightforward.
Soon, the group was laughing and chatting, getting to know each other better.
"Alright, it's about time to head out," V said, checking the time and glancing at Riku. She stood up, suggesting they wrap things up.
They'd been hanging out for a while, and if they didn't leave soon, the sun would be up. Riku, after all, couldn't handle sunlight.
"Yeah, we should get going."
Riku smiled, agreeing with a nod. V's so thoughtful!
"We're heading out too," Mann said, as his crew stood up as well. At this hour, it was time for cyberpunks like them to call it a night. Their schedules were always this flexible.
After saying their goodbyes, Riku, V, and Jack Welles left Afterlife Bar and drove back to the H10 megabuilding in their secondhand Galena.
V still let Jack drive, trusting him more now.
"Riku, you really can't eat normal food?" V asked hesitantly in the elevator, finally voicing the question that had been nagging at her. She wasn't one to keep things bottled up either.
"Of course. No need to lie about it," Riku said with a nod, answering confidently before continuing, "So, you can take my share of the food. Otherwise, it'll just go to waste."
"Uh… I'm not that hungry," V muttered, her face flushing with embarrassment.
"You could just not order the food combo," V suggested simply. If he didn't eat, why waste the eddies?
"There aren't many people who skip it, right? I don't want to stand out too much," Riku replied. Honestly, from a cost perspective, the apartment's meal combos were a good deal. Hardly anyone skipped them.
They kept chatting as they stepped out of the elevator, said their goodnights, and headed to their respective rooms.
"Limit System."
Back in his room, Riku called up his system and opened his personal page.
---
Personal Page
Name: Riku
Level: Lv3
Experience: 72/300
Status: Oni Transformation
Title:
Currently Equipped: Hundred Rat Slayer
Hundred Rat Slayer: When equipped, intimidates rodent-like creatures.
Attributes:
Strength: 11 + 7 (Oni Transformation)
Agility: 11 + 7 (Oni Transformation)
Constitution: 14 + 7 (Oni Transformation)
Intelligence: 11
Perception: 10
Charisma: 15 - 9 (Oni Transformation)
Remaining Attribute Points: 0
Skills:
Oni Transformation Lv3: Transformed into an oni by the blood of the Oni King. Strength, Agility, Constitution +7, Charisma -9. Grants Blood Demon Art and Constitution Alteration.
Constitution Alteration:
1. Regeneration Immortality: As long as regeneration power isn't depleted, you won't die, even if your head is crushed.
2. Death by Sunlight: Exposure to sunlight turns your body to ash and suppresses regeneration.
3. Cannibalism: In addition to human flesh, you can consume oni flesh.
Note: Current constitution allows regeneration to sustain immortality for 42 hours.
Blood Demon Art: Shadow
1. Shadow Wolf: Transform your shadow into a wolf to assist in combat.
Remaining Skill Points: 0
Remaining Skill Optimization Points: 0
---
Riku's eyes landed on the Experience section. From this one mission alone, he'd gained a whopping 210 experience points!