"…No, my family isn't some noble clan. Just ordinary folk. We've lived in Toyama for generations, so the surname stuck.
Why Nana? Can't really remember. Haha—maybe because the village was sending men to the front, and there were a lot of pregnancies at the time. I was probably the seventh born. Who knows? It's a common name anyway—I even met another Nana on the train once."
"…Yeah, this is my first time in Night City. Toyama's fine, but places like Sasa Pharmaceuticals or Shibata Heavy Industries? Those top-tier megacorps don't just hire anyone. They only want the very best. The whole industrial city's automated and run by AIs. Ordinary people don't stand a chance at employment."
"…My family runs a hot spring inn back in the countryside. You know Mt. Tateyama, right? The Sasa family's private reserve. It's an ecological zone, with a natural ski resort. A small area's open for tourism, mostly to serve the corporations. Executives from the military-industrial and pharma groups visit every year—ski, hike, soak in the springs. A corporate perk. Some tourists too. We made some money… but lately, with Takamagahara so unstable, nobody's in the mood for leisure."
"…So tell me, isn't it absurd? Blind dates in this day and age? Haha! The guy was over forty! Said he was my dad's 'war buddy' and wanted to 'take care of me'—what, in bed? Haha!
I heard his daughter from a previous marriage was my age. Pathetic. He comes to our inn, spots me, and suddenly wants to marry me? Garbage!
Right about then, I met my ex online. He promised to get me work as a club singer in Night City, help me with a residency permit. Business was down, Grandma had robot attendants, so I thought, why not? I came here to chase my dream."
Li Pan sat there speechless, watching Nana again—this time in yoga pants and a cropped top, hugging her knees at the low table, laughing "hahaha" while devouring his pizza and beer. She chattered endlessly, like an old girlfriend.
No, let's be honest—she's just mooching my damn dinner…
"Miss Fuyama, weren't you supposed to start at the club? It's almost ten. Won't you be late?"
Nana slapped her thigh, choking down pizza between bursts of laughter.
"See, listen! That ex of mine sweet-talked me online. Said he admired my talent, wanted to introduce me to a manager—said I'd debut as an underground idol, sing at his nightclub until I got signed. Sounded so perfect!
And I thought—yeah, Nana, you're old enough now. Can't mooch off Grandma forever. Better to chase a dream in the city than run the hot spring inn all your life.
Haha—but guess what! That bastard wasn't a manager at all. Just a pimp! No stage gigs—he wanted escorts. Said I had to sleep with him first before any 'audition.' He seized my luggage, even registered my residency at his address. Tracked me. Practically slave-trading!
I was desperate. Last night I'd decided to drown in booze, grit my teeth, sleep with him just to secure the permit. Then I met you. Hahaha! And when I woke up—bam! The guy was dead. Shot? Accident? Who knows. His whole club crew wiped out. I grabbed my suitcase and ran. And then—met you again! Isn't that hilarious!?"
Li Pan raised a brow.
So… she got conned, nearly sold into club slavery, and still laughs like this? What an oddly optimistic country girl…
Nana downed a beer, wiped her mouth, and steadied her voice.
"Well, Heaven doesn't close all doors. No job, but this apartment lets me get residency. And Night City has plenty of rock lovers. Maybe I'll find bandmates.
Going back's not an option. Grandma would scold me, force more blind dates with old men. Better to fake it in Night City, grind a few years, see if I can make a name."
Li Pan quickly stopped her hand reaching for another slice.
"Miss Fuyama, idols watch their figure, don't they? And what happened to 'independence'?"
Nana pouted.
"Don't be stingy—we're roommates now, aren't we? You bought a dozen boxes, planning to hoard them for a week? Unhealthy! I'm helping you!"
Li Pan:
"…That's a single meal's portion."
Nana:
"Fine, fine. Then—look! Your company's loaded, right? Here's my family's hot spring website. Next time your team has an outing, book through me. I'll give you 20% off!
Our inn's no scam—onsen, snow mountains, authentic cuisine. Five-star treatment! Back in the day, Hokuriku execs visited every year. Now, just Grandpa and Grandma's old friends. But that means it's basically private service!"
She'd even thrown her family's livelihood on the table. Li Pan sighed.
"Fine, eat. Hm? This site photo—is that your high school picture? An ice queen beauty… why the goth look now?"
Nana burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Rude! Makeup is a woman's core skill, duh! I went to Hokuriku Women's Officer Academy—couldn't dress goth there! Haha!"
Li Pan blinked.
"You… were an officer cadet? I thought hot spring heiresses bought out of service. That's the Starfleet Academy, isn't it? You could've gone career!"
Nana laughed until she cried.
"What heiress! Grandma begged old clients just to get me in. Free loans, basic education, that's it.
As for enlisting? Please. Everyone knows what happens to women aboard fleet ships. Recruitment's basically a beauty contest! Better to risk Night City than join a Hell Fleet!"
Li Pan winced. He too had heard rumors about "Hell Fleet." Among men, they weren't deterrents—they were fantasies. Cough. Moving on…
"So, you bought out of service? A rich heir, then. Your company hires only elites. Must've studied at some top private academy?"
Li Pan scoffed.
"You think a young master rents apartments? I went to Engineering Corps Technical Academy."
"Eh? Really?" Nana's eyes lit up. "My grandpa went there too! Did you get the boot treatment?"
Li Pan hissed.
"…Wait, your grandpa too? But locals weren't hazed…"
Nana smiled.
"Right. He was an immigrant, married into our family. All Fuyama men died in war. Grandma rarely speaks of him."
Li Pan froze. "You… are a war orphan too?"
"Haha! You too!" Nana crawled over, grabbed another beer. "Cheers! To interest-free loans!"
Li Pan chuckled, clinked. "To loans!"
The night rolled on. They swapped stories—exes, gangs, burned treasures. They drank pizza-greased beer until dawn, raging, laughing, venting.
Two lonely souls, sharing scraps of common ground, clinging to fleeting dopamine in a steel jungle. Like so many others in Night City, they ended up in bed.
Nana was like a cat. She loved nuzzling his stubbled jaw, rubbing, licking, teasing at the faint sting of hair. Addicted to it.
Li Pan had to admit—last night she'd been a stand-in for K. But tonight, he knew: the woman in his arms wasn't a replacement. She was Nana.
Still… he couldn't shake thoughts of K. Yes, he liked her. But reality: she was a 400-year-old vampire. He? A three-year disposable temp. Not a gap—an abyss. To her, he was just a toy. A rare bloodbag. Nothing lasting.
And Li Pan refused to be anyone's toy. Better a broke office drone than a blood slave. He'd once been offered such a chance—marry into nobility, become a fleet captain… but pride, youth, fury had closed that road. Now he walked the one he chose.
And cats… weren't so bad. Better than lonely wolves.
But just as he stripped down, ready for "battle mode," something flickered in his peripheral vision.
A pale lump crawled from a closed door—the room across from Nana's.
It had dozens of arms and legs, climbing the walls, sticking to the ceiling like a centipede. A cocoon-like torso, bloated, writhing. Human limbs fused into its sides, hair dangling like seaweed.
A human centipede. A nightmare.
In an instant, Li Pan sobered. Damn it—he'd nearly forgotten this was a mission.
Nana cupped his face, whispering:
"I'm not your ex."
"…I know. You're Nana."
The monster dropped, thudding onto the table, unfolding wet scalp and hollow skull cavities. Physical immunity? Bullets might not even work.
Nana pressed her forehead to his.
"Listen. One more time you call me Kate while holding me—I'll bite your throat out."
Sweating, Li Pan gripped her waist, rolled away from the falling mass.
"No problem. Got it. Let's move—to my room."
The centipede lurched, following. Nana frowned.
"Huh? What's wrong with the couch? It's comfy."
Li Pan slipped into his room.
"Beds are better."
"Fine, fine. Use a pillow for support then…"
She leaned in, eyes closed. Li Pan yanked the door—only to freeze.
The apartment was gone.
Instead—mist. Waist-high weeds. Muddy marshland stretching endless. Cold water lapping at his legs. Not a dream. Real.
"What the…? Cold… Where are we?"
Nana clung tighter, teeth chattering.
"Haha! We were in the flat! Now a swamp! My memory's cursed—haha! Isn't this hilarious!?"
"…You can still laugh?"
Li Pan hoisted her onto his back. She couldn't touch the water—it burned her ankles purple. He held her feet in his palms, channeling warmth.
Nana sighed, cheek on his shoulder, and—snored.
Unbelievable. Asleep? Too much beer? Or just nerves? Big heart, this one.
Li Pan checked—her vitals were fine. Better asleep. Less panic.
So he carried her through the swamp, step by careful step.
.
.
.
⚠️ 30 CHAPTERS AHEAD — I'm Not a Cyberpsycho ⚠️
The system says: Kill.Mercs obey. Corporates obey. Monsters obey.One man didn't.
🧠💀 "I'm not a cyberpsycho. I just think... differently."
💥 High-voltage cyberpunk. Urban warfare. AI paranoia.Read 30 chapters ahead, only on Patreon.
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