Brother Finger's broken clinic was on the third floor of the dilapidated building. After carefully avoiding the plastic protective wraps on the stairs, Kikyo found the door to Brother Finger's clinic amidst the wall graffiti filled with primal desire.
Just like every man's impulse at night.
She went inside.
Stepping inside what felt less like a clinic and more like some kind of erotic establishment, Judy, who was following closely behind Kikyo, immediately covered her nose and mouth with a look of discomfort.
Disinfectant mixed with smoke, cheap perfume, plus some strange fishy smell—these odors combined were overwhelming, making Judy feel as if she had entered some bizarre original braindance.
The clinic wasn't empty; several haggard-looking women wearing cheap long trench coats were already sitting on a torn leather sofa missing a corner beneath the window. Judging by the cigarette butts on the floor, they had been there for a while.
"Hello, ladies, do you know where Brother Finger is?"
Kikyo, dressed in a long black sweater, looked at the women in the room and asked.
Her tone was cool, yet perfectly polite.
Both Kikyo and Berry were actually polite and patient children.
But people in Night City seemed to suffer from chronic irritability; they just wouldn't talk nicely.
Coincidentally, Berry specialized in curing irritability, and whenever she encountered such people, she would kindly give them a few sessions of treatment.
She was just such a kind-hearted child.
V truly struck gold.
"Brother Finger is inside, performing surgery. If you two are also here to see Brother Finger, please take a number."
A tall woman hesitated slightly as she spoke.
Because the two girls in front of her didn't look like them; they didn't look like they would need to come to Brother Finger for treatment.
More concisely, they didn't look like sex dolls.
Yes, these ladies were sex dolls, engaged in a profession that has been considered dishonorable since ancient times.
And the advancement of technology only made the nature of this profession more unbearable, subjecting both mind and body to greater torment.
After all, no matter how things changed, presumably no one could accept their body being turned into merchandise.
Hmm, maybe some people were willing.
Kikyo decided to slightly revise her statement.
After all, she had long realized that humans were creatures full of infinite possibilities, and this wasn't just a motivational quote, because those possibilities also included some bizarre things.
"Kikyo, we..."
Ever since arriving in Kabuki, Judy had, at some point, begun treating Kikyo as the leader, perhaps due to Kikyo's ability to handle any situation with ease, or perhaps due to something more indefinable.
But neither Kikyo nor Berry, who was operating behind the scenes, had realized this.
Seeing Judy's look now, Kikyo understood her most immediate emotion.
Judy wanted to hurry up and not waste time waiting in line.
Kikyo patted Judy's shoulder reassuringly, calming the heavy heart caused by the lives hanging in the balance.
"It's alright, Judy. Sometimes, if you want something, you just need to be a little more honest."
Kikyo comforted Judy, then directly sat down among the sex dolls.
The women, whose tired expressions and inner burdens were clearly visible on their faces, seemed to have their curiosity piqued when they saw Kikyo. Their eyes were fixed on Kikyo, who was sitting in the middle of the couch, temporarily forgetting their own host of troubles.
"Why did you come to see Brother Finger? Is there a problem with your hand?"
Kikyo focused her gaze on the tall woman who had just spoken—or, more accurately, on the drooping cyberware limb that was no longer moving.
"Yes, my hand is broken again. I wanted Brother Finger to repair it once more."
If Kikyo were someone who asked, 'Why don't they eat cake?' she might have asked why the woman didn't get a new one, or if she couldn't afford it.
But Kikyo clearly wasn't that kind of person, and she knew that the reason the woman came to Brother Finger was precisely because she couldn't afford a new one.
"I heard that guy, Brother Finger, often replaces good parts on customers with inferior ones. Why do you still come to this kind of shady doctor?"
"That's not true."
The moment Kikyo finished speaking, another green-haired girl beside her immediately refuted the claim.
"Brother Finger is very kind. He is the only Cyberware Doctor who is willing to deal with us sex dolls."
"Sometimes, if we don't have money, he will even perform system cleaning and repair our cyberware for free. Even though he replaces them with cheaper cyberware, it's still a bargain."
Not only the green-haired girl, but also a woman with a raspy, smoke-and-drink voice on the far end chimed in to agree.
It seemed the sex dolls, who were rumored to be exploited, didn't view Brother Finger as negatively as expected; in fact, Kikyo could even detect a hint of gratitude in their words.
In reality, it was sheer helplessness.
Due to the specialized nature of their work, these sex dolls often caught viruses, and their cyberware and software frequently broke down. But being short on cash, they couldn't afford legitimate Cyberware Doctors. Only someone like Brother Finger would accept them.
After hearing this, Kikyo was thoughtful. Although she had some understanding of the unique clientele Brother Finger served, knowing about it was one thing, hearing it directly from the people involved was another.
Kikyo listened quietly as the sex dolls spoke animatedly, nodding without saying a word.
It wasn't until the end that Kikyo finally spoke.
"I have something I need to trouble you with. A friend of ours recently ran into some trouble. The last time she was seen was here at Brother Finger's clinic. I want to know what happened to her. Could you let us see Brother Finger first? It will be over quickly."
Kikyo did not tell the whole truth; this was for the safety of these girls.
The best way to keep a secret is not to know it at all. She didn't want innocent people getting dragged into this.
"Oh, in that case, why don't you go ahead? We can wait a bit longer."
No one doubted Kikyo's words. When they heard her request, the girls were surprised, covering their mouths, and all agreed to let Kikyo and her companion go first.
"Thank you."
Kikyo thanked them sincerely.
Deep down, she felt pity for these girls who struggled to make a living yet maintained kindness in their hearts, but she suppressed it and didn't show it.
Because, to them, condescending pity might be an insult.
After the consultation room door opened and a girl walked out, Kikyo and Judy went inside. They finally met Brother Finger, who was busy organizing his surgical tools.
Brother Finger looked like a long sweet potato fished out of oil, wearing fishnet stockings. He had a tiny topknot tied back from his receding hairline, paired with lecherous eyes and a neck full of hickeys. The positive impression created by the sex dolls' praise instantly shattered.
Yes, he was truly too greasy.
A skinny old man, yet his posture was so... alluring.
In a daze, Kikyo thought of the legendary Bulgarian Fairy King.
"Hey, girls, don't be impatient. One at a time. I'm still tidying up my tools here."
When someone entered, Brother Finger, who was arranging his tools with a delicate pinky finger raised, looked up. However, when he saw the two unfamiliar newcomers, his eyebrows—as alluring as his posture—furrowed.
"Brother Finger, we are looking for someone."
Without pleasantries, Kikyo stated her request straightforwardly.
Brother Finger scrutinized Kikyo for a moment, then shook his head, speaking in a slippery, oily tone.
"If you're looking for someone, you need to go to the NCPD. This is a clinic; I run a business."
If you didn't say so, who would know this was a clinic?
Looking at the bottles of lubricant under the ambiguous purple lights and the table full of aggressive, purple electric tools of varying lengths, Kikyo was speechless.
"Don't mention those things. Hurry up and sit down. Do you want a new face? Or maybe a pair of huge tits? My prices are very fair, guaranteed to satisfy you."
Watching Brother Finger slowly sit down, clearly intending only to talk business, Kikyo wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. His demeanor showed he definitely didn't want to get involved in unrelated matters.
Just like his character in the game.
Seeing how the man was trying to play dumb, Kikyo felt her hands itching.
Of course, the most important factor was his lecherous gaze, which gave Kikyo goosebumps, even though she didn't have that biological system.
"Please, we really need your information. We are just looking for a few people; it won't take up much of your time."
Judy, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand Brother Finger's dawdling any longer, and she stepped forward to speak.
"Hey, hey, don't get so agitated. Can we all be civilized people?"
Seeing how agitated Judy was, Brother Finger quickly spread his hands, trying to calm her down.
"I don't provide information here. Also, let me advise you, little girl, don't be so curious. Poking around here can get people killed."
Seeing Judy's reaction, Brother Finger knew he wouldn't be able to get rid of them unless he was explicit, so he quickly waved his hands in refusal.
"Perhaps these can make you make an exception."
Unlike dealing with the naive girls outside, Kikyo knew that old hands like him wouldn't act without seeing a reward. And right now, she didn't have time to haggle back and forth.
She was ready to hit the accelerator.
Thus, under Brother Finger's gaze, a wad of cash was placed on the table.
"Hmph, giving me money is useless. I am discreet; I won't reveal a single word about my patients' information."
Seeing Brother Finger look at the money, then look at her, Kikyo shook her head, pulled out another stack of cash, and placed it on the table. The two stacks were perfectly aligned. To some people, green bills piled high like that were the most beautiful sight in the world.
"Alright, say no more, distinguished guests, follow me!"
Brother Finger suddenly stood up, scraping the chair loudly, which startled Judy. But this didn't impede his actions. He swiftly and seamlessly scooped the money into his pocket, instantly changing his expression to one of enthusiastic eagerness as he led the way.
Meanwhile, Judy hadn't yet recovered from the shock of Brother Finger's dramatically shifting attitude.
---------------------------------
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!