Digital Higanbana (Lycoris Recoil x Cyberpunk Quest)

You gingerly accepted the offered business card with a slight bow of the head, making note to possibly lose it somewhere. Or perhaps put into someplace very out of mind, a Pandora's box that you never hoped to dial. "Thank you. I'll be sure to reach out if I wish to further our partnership together." You hesitated, then gestured to the cooling cup of coffee. "For now, I'd like to just purchase some of this blend stock to make for my business. Especially if you want to drop by in the future to have a cup yourself."

Fuji smiled and inclined his head. You idly wondered if he was simply being polite, or if it was all a calculated act. "I will arrange for it so. It was a pleasure meeting you, and Internstional Standard wishes you a good day."

-200 eb (17350 -200 = 17,150 eb)


(Repair the Van: 13 +14 (Tech) = 27)

-1250 eb (17150 -1250 = 15,900 eb)

You had thought you had lucked out at first when it so happened that one of Kaori's growing list of regulars happened to include a car mechanic enthusiast, whose circle of friends included contacts with many other custom vehicle workshops across the city. A simple inquiry later, and one of them miraculously so happened to have a spare engine that could fit in your van in storage, something that they actually wanted to get rid of at cost to finally free up the space taken. Apparently, it had been taken out of a similar van in the past when they installed a supercharged version and then they just were never able to sell the old engine since.

Once you informed them of your interest, they were more than happy to sell you the dusty contraption for a steep discount to finally be rid of it. They even delivered it to you across the city, a gesture that was gratefully reciprocated with cups of free coffee for the thankful mechanics. Once they left and you closed up the cafe, you rolled up your sleeves and got to work cleaning off the layers of dust built up over the years. At first, it was an optimistic outlook, with the seller promising that it had been working right before it had been removed from the original vehicle.

However, when you got into the finer and more delicate mechanisms, some worrying details began to appear such as a fine layer of rust or clogged pipes. It soon became apparent that the lack of regular maintenance and cleaning definitely didn't do the engine any favors and you sighed, realizing that in the end, you likely had to probably still buy parts to replace those sections too far gone for a simple cleaning to work. That put you in a rather dour mood when you stormed back into the shophouse, tugging off your gloves and hurling them into the laundry machine the moment you were upstairs.

Mitsu noticed your foul mood and leaned her head backwards from where she was idly watching some samurai drama on the sofa. "Are you plagued by that accursed van still?"

"Just because it was once used for nefarious purposes doesn't meant it's a lost cause," You snapped back, then calmed with with an exhausted sigh. "And at least I'm trying to make something good of it. Wouldn't that be fitting?"

"I do suppose there is an intriguing poetry to it. Oh, perhaps even an epic in itself, the spirit of the vehicle transformed from an evil demon into a spirit of good!" She began to idly go on about this new fictional narrative and you half-listened in, the other half of your mind idly checking your digital mailbox through your opticware. Hopefully there was something interesting in there.

(Shuiwei: 36 +15 (Wako's Tap) = 51)

To your glee, there was and you held up a hand to halt Mitsu's story daydreaming. "Apologies, but I think we might finally have a media lead."

That immediately grabbed her attention and she shifted completely around, peering over the couch expectantly. You sent over the copy of the text and your partner's eyes lit up when she accessed the message. "Hm. A possible connection perhaps patronizing her...establishment in the near future," Mitsu summarized with a raised eyebrow. She then frowned. "But there is very little else to proceed on. Only that a return to that den may be in order."

"Maybe." You gave her a knowing look. "If I asked, would you?"

"Reluctantly so," She grumbled, but that wasn't a denial. You nodded in acknowledge, then considered if it was worth sending Mitsu out alone to make that contact while you tried to look for other opportunities. Or perhaps it should be the other way around in the coming week.

Choose up to four (4) actions you'll carry out through the week

Kagoshima Fragrance (Kaori)
-[ ] [Kagoshima Fragrance] Repair the Van: You've managed to pull apart a good amount of the damage and salvage what you can from the frame. Now it's just a question of if you're willing to pay out the money needed for the replacement parts that you need to finally get the thing at least mobile. (Estimated Cost: 4,000eb)

-[ ] [Kagoshima Fragrance] Manage the Cafe: Devote some time into properly working with your employees to make some extra money after breaking even, which adds to your bank account.

-[ ] [Kagoshima Fragrance] Firing Range: You've got private gun range in the soundproof basement of your shophouse. Put some time there and try to hone your skill with firearms.
--[ ] Pistols
--[ ] Assault

Kagoshima Fixer
-[ ] [Kagoshima Fixer] Gather Information: Go out and listen to the streets, see if there's any big event about in the city that you could muscle in and make an independent gig out of.

-[ ] [Kagoshima Fixer] Offer Consultation: Reach out to one of the many factions in Kagoshima and idly offer your neutral services. See if any of them have free gigs that they are willing to hand over to you to manage, with a cut to them but the freedom of execution to you.
--[ ] Write-in a faction.

-[ ] [Kagoshima Fixer] Media Rumors: So it seemed like the media industry had blacklisted your fellow Lycoris. You weren't going to let that stand. Start putting out feelers and try to find a way to break into the industry as need be.
--[ ] Wako's Tap: Shuiwei texted that there's a possible merc coming in with a possible tie to a media bigwig. Time to send somebody over to hear them out.

-[ ] [Kagoshima Fixer] Lycoris Sighting: Out of all things, a Lycoris First had been sighted shopping at your business. Thing was, this wasn't Kyoto, so what was she doing here? You're eager to look for your possible sister in arms and connect with her.


Flower Cultivation
-[ ] [Flower Cultivation] Ocha Plantation: A tea plantation that supplies your cafe with seasonal flowers in bulk, one of your shop's main products. Take a visit to see if you can buy some new flower seeds from them.

-[ ] [Flower Cultivation] Sow Seeds: You've got your hands on some seeds that you want to begin growing! Take some time to till the soil, plant the gardens, and watch new life being to sprout.
--[ ] Red Spider Lily
--[ ] Nightshade
--[ ] Japanese Rambling Rose

[ ] [Flower Cultivation] Tend to Gardens: Devote a part of your week entirely to making sure you tend to the gardens as diligently as possible, plucking out weeds and making sure each sprout gets just the right amount of water and conditions to grow splendidly.


Blend Cultivation
-[ ] [Blend Cultivation] Buy Stock: You need to purchase new coffee varieties from International Standard to keep a unique taste going for your flower cafe. Go visit your corporate contact and buy some. (Current Stock: 1)

-[ ] [Blend Cultivation] Mix Blend: You'll need to spend some time experimenting, testing, and tasting to make a new coffee blend that will drive up customer interest for a while. The novelty will fade soon after a while, so make it count.


-[ ] [Blend Cultivation] Call Fuji: Your corporate contact at International Standard apparently sees something of definite value in you, and has given you a personal number off the books. Dial him up to make the dive into the cutthroat world of big business.

Shinohara Securities
-[ ] [Shinohara Securities] Visit the Office: You've made a contact in the form of Security Chief Azumi, the leader of an elite corporate police task force. Pay her a visit to chat and see what opportunities she can offer you.

-[ ] [Shinohara Securities] Part-Time Patrol: As Shinohara Securities was perpetually shorthanded, they didn't have enough security patrols going around to keep the neighborhood safe. They've offered to pay you a fair sum to do so in their place. It'd be like a Lycoris patrol, but this time, you get paid!

Secondborn Ronin
-[ ] [Secondborn Ronin] Visit the Pauper: The Pauper is the Fixer of the Secondborn Ronin and is a bridge between the corporate world and streets. Go to the public library to chat with them about what opportunities they can offer you.

The Vendetta
-[ ] [The Vendetta] Schedule a Ripper: La Peste is a mysterious but talented RipperDoc who has offered their expertise if you wish to see them for a health checkup or discrete cyberware surgery. See if they have an opening in their schedule to meet them.

Lycoris Graduate
-[ ] [Lycoris Graduate] Call a Lycoris: There's times where you miss the organization, as unbelievable as that might sound given their grim task. You certainly don't hold it against any of the other Lycoris and want to have a chat with them to see how they're doing.
--[ ] The Commander
--[ ] Misaki Arisu
--[ ] Nakaiji Momiji

Living Life
-[ ] [Living Life] Browse the Library: The public library in your neighborhood has a wide selection of information datashards covering a variety of topics. You can read them to your heart's content in the facility, or you could pay a fee to make a copy and take it home to study.

-[ ] [Living Life] Find a Black Market: As so many things are restricted from sale or possession in Japan, you can only find these prohibited items at a black market somewhere. They're surprisingly common enough if you know where to look, though having some caution about the quality of their myriad of wares is a smart idea.

-[ ] [Living Life] Go Clubbing: Risk the nightlife of the city and visit one of the many neon hangouts around the city to experience something new, maybe even meet some new folks or have magical encounters.

-[ ] [Living Life] The Way: Mitsu's offered to take some time out of her week to help train you in the sword and by extension, other melee weapons. You even had a great dojo to practice in, so it was time to spar to your heart's content.

Miscellaneous
-[ ] [Miscellaneous] Scrap the Van: It's not worth your time or effort to patch it up. Rip it apart and find a seller for the parts.

Available Bouquets

- Your van failure means the price went up by a bit, but not too much yet. We'll see if it continues to go up with more failures.
- If you decide to follow up on Wako's Tap, you still have to nominate who is going to make contact with the, well, contact.

(Sow Seeds (Red Spider Lily): 50 +15 (Intelligence) +12 (Rank 6 Botany) = 77)

You observed the way the dirt colored from the watering can and nodded, pleased with how much moisture was retained. It was a careful balance between too much that could drown the seeds and too little that wouldn't stimulate the right growing conditions for the flower. This particular species in particular preferred a very moist environment, so you had a fine line to walk.

For now, it seemed like you had nailed it and you confidently set down the gardening tool. Now it was a game of watching and waiting for it to sprout for further adjustments. But that didn't mean you had to sit around doing nothing either, especially when you had a business to run. Today though, Kagoshima Fragrance was closed for a specific reason. "Take care you two," You told your chosen employees. "Shuiwei might be friendly with us, but there's no telling how that mysterious contact she's linked us with might be. This is just a first meeting to see if it's anything to follow up on. Don't agree to anything without letting me know, got it?"

"Only a meeting of minds for now!" Mitsu promised with a vigorous nod. "We shall not succumb to whatever temptation or honeyed words they entice us with. Not even the foul ale shall convince our lips to loose!"

You knew your partner well and knew she meant it, then turned to the one untested so far. "Until the contract is signed, our bullets aren't free." Erika promised and smoothed over her Vendetta attire which was definitely a lot more formal than Mitsu's street samurai attire. "Even if it's for a good cause, it still must be approved and handled properly to avoid lingering fallout. That's why we have Fixers."

"That's right," You replied, reminded again that the Vendetta had a code they followed. "And I'm the Fixer in this case, so don't start a fight that I can't clean up yet."

"That, and you want your pound of flesh in the end right?" She asked with a sharp look, one that was almost judgmental. "You wouldn't send us to do your work without knowing what it is you seek."

You paused and carefully responded, trying to define your goal here. "This is only an opening first. Afterwards, we'll see what we need to do, what we need to accomplish...and who we have to flatline."

Erika seemed pleased by your response and followed Mitsu wordlessly to her motorcycle. It was slightly awkward doing up the safety equipment, but soon the two were speeding off in the direction of Wako's Tap. You gave a single parting wave, then began to walk in a different direction to a much more local spot: the neighborhood library, domain of the Secondborn Ronin's Fixer. But you weren't interested in whatever they had, and more about what information was within...and without.

The walk over was pleasant while you observed the final days of spring in Kagoshima. The pleasant warm breeze was giving way to a humid hot haze, one that promised to turn outside heat sweltering. The built-in temperature control system in your work uniforms were going to be a blessing for keeping cool while working in the summer, but a check of the building's air conditioning unit likely wouldn't be amiss. You also reminded yourself to look into some cold drink options, perhaps some iced coffee or tea for a limited summer menu, something to help draw in the sweating crowds needing a nice refreshment after a hot day of work. Maybe even some sweet fruity options for students on summer break.

The thoughts kept you busy until you arrived in front of the library, then you shook your head and began to focus. You headed inside and immediately made a direct beeline for one of the public access terminals, settling in for a long session. There was an interesting moment when you pulled the cable out of your artificial arm and connected using it for the first time, the wire longer than that found in other meat arm, but the link was good and you were soon in the library system. It was here that you utilized a bit of advice you had received from Arisu before she left.

The reason why she had refrained from doing any deep dives into the internet while sleeping over at your place was simple: it was to avoid being traced, identified, and then having all the fun that having that information out there could cause. She obviously did have firewalls to prevent amateur traces, but anybody with real skill that could match up to her could still crack that. So if your fellow Lycoris felt the itch to go Netrunning, she just visited an internet cafe instead for the bonus anonymity, making sure to take public transit to visit all across the city without a single defining area.

You were utilizing a similar trick now, though with notably lower stakes and less risk. Your access to the police servers allowed for you to go through the city's public cameras in search for the mysterious Lycoris First that had visited your shop a couple weeks ago. Hopefully, if she was still in the city, one of the cameras could pick up on her presence. Said servers were usually very light on security and only usually had a bored manual operator whose job was to less to report on jobs, and more on camera outages.

Supposedly the system should be self-reporting upon detecting criminal activity, but it will either never flag full gang shootouts or aggressively label every smoker as arson in progress. Arisu had some very...choice words about the program when she took a peek. It made you wonder how Kyoto and Lycoris was able to detect criminal activity so quickly, then you shook your head. You could ask those questions later if you maybe talked to the Lycoris First, those who usually had very intimate details about the organization's workings in detail.

You setup the search and provided the program with a sample image of your old uniform, just this time recolored red. While it began to churn and run through several different cameras, you turned your attention back to the library's internal system and began to browse through the catalogue to pass the time. Hopefully, there would be a few titles that caught your attention.

(Browse the Library: 87 +15 (Intelligence) = 102)

This time, there actually were quite a few intriguing selections that you paged through virtually, definitely interested. The first of these was a biography of a supposed poker expert, with a very dry retelling of their rich childhood. But outside those riches was a hidden guide on body tells and language they used to win games, something with insanely high stakes but described with the affluent air of somebody too rich to lose. While you hated the narrator's guts immediately, there was no denying that Poker Life could perhaps improve your study on body language if you could stomach it for long enough.

Swapping over to something a bit more palatable, you found there was an actual sequel to Hard Knock Life (Mine!) that proved to be another interesting read. You frowned when flicking through the pages, seeing how the events seemingly had become a bit more fantastical than the last entry. Perhaps the author was making stuff up now to continue their lessons on the streets? Either way, Hard Knock Life (Yours!) still had some basic lessons to better improve your street manners.

If nothing else, then the 'recommended other readings' section of the novel directed you to another work published by the same company, this time being a military thriller story set in the Second Central American War. While definitely fictional, there were still moments apparently based off real accounts about the conflict that sparked moments of true leadership in dire dark moments during the war. You could likely learn a thing or two about directly commanding a group around in heated confrontations via Second Mayan Sun.

Finally, in that vein continuing with the theme of troubles in the Americas, there came a rather dry and normally sleep-inducing translated transcript of a Congressional session in progress. The fact that this made it all the way overseas made you take a second look because surely it cannot be any random session, and you were right with eyes nearly popping out of your skull in cyberspace. It was a transcript interview about the Gang of Four, those who sparked the collapse of the old United States! Even though it was still incredibly plain and nondescript, the content and information within was eye grabbing enough to continue on. Maybe you could learn something about how the CIA director grilled the summoned witnesses to some of the darkest times leading to the NUSA.

You hummed and considered which of these books to purchase and take home for in-depth study.

-[ ] [Library] Poker Life (Rank 3 Body Language) (600 eb)

-[ ] [Library] Hard Knock Life (Yours!) (Rank 2 Streetwise) (400 eb)

-[ ] [Library] Second Mayan Sun (Rank 1 Leadership) (200 eb)

-[ ] [Library] Congressional Session Transcript (2007) (Rank 1 Interrogate) (200 eb)

- If you're curious, Leadership is an Empathy skill while Interrogate is a Cool skill. Note that Interrogate is more akin to like poking holes in a suspect's story, making them squirm and fall apart when you call out lies or omissions in their story. It is NOT something like torture.