"We're here, let's park here."
Crossing the bridge, Kikyo drove to Westbrook District, and now before her was the entrance to Kabuki.
Kabuki is not just a simple street; it's a complex district made up of several interwoven streets, like a bustling market where you can buy anything.
It's precisely because it's so lively that, in some people's eyes, Kabuki's attraction even outweighs its risks, making it perpetually busy with people, day and night.
Especially the affordable sex industry, which attracts a large number of common people who are short on cash and have accumulated enough stress during the day. Therefore, it has become a different kind of prosperity, distinct from the high-rise buildings.
Food, clothing, shelter, and the release of desires—this is Kabuki, full of danger and vitality.
"We're here, let's park here."
Crossing the bridge, Kikyo drove to Westbrook District, and now before her was the entrance to Kabuki.
Kabuki is not just a simple street; it's a complex district made up of several interwoven streets, like a bustling market where you can buy anything.
It's precisely because it's so lively that, in some people's eyes, Kabuki's attraction even outweighs its risks, making it perpetually busy with people, day and night.
Especially the affordable sex industry, which attracts a large number of common people who are short on cash and have accumulated enough stress during the day. Therefore, it has become a different kind of prosperity, distinct from the high-rise buildings.
Food, clothing, shelter, and the release of desires—this is Kabuki, full of danger and vitality.
After parking the car in the open-air lot, Kikyo led Judy down the stairs and into the streets below. This was where the real hustle and bustle of Kabuki was.
"We're looking for Brother Finger, right?"
Looking at the idle Tyger Claws members smoking on the street, Judy tightened the jacket Kikyo had lent her.
The relationship between the Tyger Claws and the Moxes had never eased. The Tyger Claws, who constantly sought to expand their business into Watson, always viewed the Moxes as a thorn in their side.
To be honest, if it weren't for the presence of a heavyweight gang like the Maelstrom in Watson, the Tyger Claws would probably spare no effort in trying to completely eliminate the Mox gang that resisted them.
Considering the hatred between the two gangs, Judy felt completely uneasy in this Tyger Claws territory, so she stuck closely behind Kikyo, following her through the crowds toward Brother Finger's clinic.
Kikyo had no such worries. Firstly, these street-level, protection-fee-collecting Tyger Claws wouldn't cause her any trouble; perhaps all the Tyger Claws on this entire street wouldn't be enough for her to fight.
Secondly, there was no secondly: hard fists were the hard truth.
The rules of Night City were always this simple and brutal: if you hit hard, you could walk wherever you pleased, until you were smashed to pieces by an even harder fist.
Brother Finger's location was easy to find; it was even marked directly on the navigation.
So, Kikyo weaved through the crowd, bypassed the main streets—which were neon-lit and packed even in the daytime—and took several turns through quiet, dim alleyways, quickly arriving at the entrance of Brother Finger's clinic.
The door was only a few steps away, but Kikyo frowned.
Because sitting sprawled across the steps were several thugs, and they didn't look like they were willing to let the two women pass.
"Nothing to see here, beat it, scram."
The thugs, who had been chatting idly, saw Kikyo standing there and impatiently waved their hands, wanting these two unknown people to quickly buzz off.
"I'm looking for Brother Finger. Is he inside?"
Kikyo automatically ignored the rude remarks of the group.
"Brother Finger? What, are you two sex dolls coming to Brother Finger for treatment too?"
Hearing Kikyo mention Brother Finger's name, the leader, a loafer with a cigarette dangling from his lip, curiously sized up both Kikyo and Judy.
"But you don't look like sex dolls."
The leader frowned and exhaled a puff of smoke. The thugs didn't budge, clearly having no intention of clearing the way.
"However, if you want to go inside, there is a way."
Sizing up Kikyo's fair face again, the thug leaned against the steps, flashing a sleazy smile.
"Just kiss me once, and I'll let you pass. How about it?"
The thug pointed to his face, looking at Kikyo provocatively, waiting to see if she would comply.
Or rather, he was sure she would comply.
Those who came to Brother Finger were usually bottom-tier sex dolls with little money and no backing. These gatekeepers often took advantage of those easily bullied girls.
Brother Finger forbade them from taking money, but taking advantage?
Since sex dolls did that kind of business anyway, what was a little favor? With a few burly men sitting there, they hadn't seen many brave enough to resist.
But these guys didn't know that, facing Kikyo, they had picked a fight with a tough opponent today.
"Hurry up! If you want to see Brother Finger, do it!"
"Just one kiss, little sister. You wouldn't deny us this small favor, would you?"
Hearing their buddy start harassing the two women of unknown origin, the other thugs began cheering them on, treating it like entertainment.
Especially the tall woman in front of them; in their desolate world, she was high-class merchandise rarely seen in Kabuki. If one of them could get a kiss, they could brag about it for half a year.
So, the whole group watched expectantly, waiting for Kikyo's move.
"Damn it, you motherf—"
Seeing their outrageous remarks, Judy, standing beside Kikyo, couldn't hold back anymore. Her face flushed red, her teeth clenched, and she prepared to step forward to argue with them.
But before she could step forward, Kikyo reached out and stopped her.
"It's fine, little Judy, let me handle this."
Kikyo gave Judy a slight smile, gesturing that she would take care of it.
Heh heh.
Looking back at the shameless thugs, a hint of a smile tugged at Kikyo's lips.
This smile, however, made the thugs even more restless. No wonder; the beauty's smile was truly captivating. That fleeting, subtle smile was enough to make these thugs—who had only ever seen Kabuki girls with crude makeup and smiles uglier than cries—unable to restrain themselves.
Especially since they immediately assumed Kikyo's smile meant consent, which made their blood boil even more.
Seeing the look on these hoodlums' faces, Kikyo smiled even more happily.
However, anyone who knew Berry knew that this smile was a sure sign that she was about to do something bad. V, especially, knew this feeling well.
These guys mistakenly thought Kikyo was going to compromise. Well, they were definitely in for a treat.
Hmph hmph.
Good grief. You street-scum think you can ask for a kiss from Kikyo, who is so pure she hasn't even given away her first kiss, huh?
Berry calculated in her mind how to give these guys a profound lesson so they would learn how to respect people in the future.
"Come here, you. Come closer."
Kikyo beckoned the leader with her fair finger. The guy proudly stood up amidst the jealousy and envy of his companions, puffing out his chest, ready to receive the beauty's fragrant kiss.
However, in his smug satisfaction, he failed to notice Kikyo's clenched fist.
"Kikyo..."
As Judy looked at Kikyo with disbelief, wondering why she would compromise under the threat of a few thugs, Kikyo struck with a speed that no one could react to.
"Ugh!!!"
Kikyo punched fiercely. Her clenched fist slammed hard into the face of the daydreaming thug, the savage force driving straight through, making his face cave in and deform.
That wasn't enough. Kikyo twisted her fist on his ugly face, using it as a canvas to grind out a spiral, while the bone-chilling force penetrated deep, causing the soft brain inside to malfunction, making him temporarily forget the faces of his parents.
Although, whether one had ever seen their parents' faces in Night City was another matter entirely.
Regardless, this couldn't stop the guy's body from flying backward like a spinning top, slamming hard into a nearby trash heap, resulting in a crash of breaking bottles and cans.
Yes, that must have hurt a lot.
Kikyo remained in her punching stance, completely devoid of pity.
Her serious punch instantly took down an osteoporotic loafer.
This was the result of her intentionally holding back her strength; if she had used her full power, the poor guy's head might have exploded on the spot.
However, her actions were shocking enough. At least the thugs present were stunned speechless, dropping the cigarettes from their mouths.
"Well? Are you planning to come one by one, or all at once?"
Kikyo looked at the group, who hadn't yet recovered from the shock, and waved her hand easily, signaling that if they planned any retaliation, they should hurry up, as she was busy rushing off to the next thing.
However, what happened next was somewhat unexpected for Kikyo.
"Apologies, Big Sister, we didn't know the rules!"
Perhaps having seen too many gang thugs who treated life like a toy, Kikyo was momentarily nonplussed seeing these guys sincerely bowing side-by-side.
Uh, is everyone this sensible now?
Looking at these guys standing straight, apologizing honestly, and acting better than model students, Kikyo wondered if she was out of touch.
Nevertheless, this seemed to indicate that the trouble was resolved.
As the saying goes, strike one punch to avoid a hundred; Kikyo thought this famous quote from Chagatai Khan made a lot of sense.
Clapping her hands, Kikyo nodded to Judy beside her, signaling her to follow. Judy complied, though the surprise on her face had not yet completely faded.
Hmm, Judy was good at editing and splicing emotions, but she hadn't yet learned how to directly manipulate people's emotions using her fists.
Kikyo concluded that Judy still had a lot to learn.
While the thugs were pulling their unlucky companion out of the trash bin, Kikyo and Judy had already entered the building.
The building was dilapidated, just like any other dilapidated building.
Hmm, that seemed like a redundant statement.
But that was the point: it was so ragged, with large holes in the walls, that an outsider might mistake it for a combat zone.
But unfortunately, this was Night City.
Kikyo wasn't arrogant enough to call this the real Night City.
Skyscrapers and bustling traffic were Night City, and dilapidated stairwells and terminally ill junkies hiding in corners were also Night City.
What Night City truly looked like depended on what your eyes saw.
As the great Chosokabe Motochika once said, what you see is your life.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!