Extra 2

In the year 2079, on a certain day, at a corner of El Coyote Cojo, a group of men sat around a table, unable to hide their grinning faces.

At the center by the window sat David, with Vincent and Johnny on his left, and Maine and Jackie on his right.

Chilled beer bottles and light snacks made with Delamain-brand synthetic food that closely resembled natural ingredients were laid out on the table, giving the atmosphere of a celebratory gathering.

"Well then, to David’s long-awaited dream coming true."

"""Cheers!"""

The five men gulped down their beers with throaty satisfaction, exhaling in contentment. With the buzz of alcohol kicking in nicely, the mood grew increasingly lively.

"Man, seriously though, that’s awesome news."

"How many years were you hung up on her?"

"…Two years waiting, and two and a half years from before she left… so, four and a half total."

"Whistle—well done. Landing that girl? That’s a major score."

"So how’d the confession go down?"

"Well, I heard from Kagura that Jug had come back, so I sprinted at full speed to meet her, and then, well… one thing led to another?"

"Hey now, don’t get all embarrassed on us."

"Ehh… So, you guys already know Jug’s a reincarnator, right? Apparently she thought of herself as a foreign object in this world, like she didn’t have the right to be happy or something. So I went all-in to affirm her and then confessed."

"Oho, nice work David. Can’t believe that dropout brainiac’s grown up this much."

"Speaking of which, how did you even meet Jug?"

Jackie’s question amped up the energy at the table even more.

The second round of beers was passed around. As they picked at their snacks, it was clear their real aim was to feast on David’s love story.

"Let’s see, probably best if I go in chronological order. I met Jug about five years ago, back when I was still a student at the Arasaka Academy. This was back before I knew my mom was stealing implants off corpses at work and reselling them."

"Didn’t you just casually drop some crazy confession?"

"We’re drinking beer, so all I heard was the sound of carbonation."

"So anyway, I was living in a room at the H4 Megabuilding, barely scraping by. Just being at Arasaka Academy was like a miracle. So, naturally, I got targeted by this guy whose dad was a higher-up at Arasaka. Basically, ‘poor people shouldn’t be at the Academy.’ …Uhh, who was that again? Honestly, life got so hectic afterward I forgot. Anyway, the harassment was constant. I was keeping up with classes, but all I could afford were cheap connection devices, so…"

"Ugh, that sucks. At the Academy everything’s designed around Arasaka’s latest gear. Even slightly outdated stuff gets you laughed at."

"What the hell? So it’s all just product placement?"

"Most of the students are Arasaka execs’ kids. The gear gets distributed through them. They even collect the old stuff to harvest data."

Vincent, who used to be in a corp and also attended the Academy, looked disgusted as he recalled and spat out the memory.

"Exactly. They’d show off their gear like jerks, it was infuriating. So yeah, there was this—what was it? A ‘relaxation room’ to help stabilize your mental state? You needed an updated device to connect to it, but mine was ancient and didn’t cut it. I was already mentally worn down, so I bought some bootleg BDs from a back-alley doc—edge-runners series featuring cyberpsychos—to blow off steam. And then one day, to save money for a device upgrade, I walked home instead of taking the metro."

"Oh, finally the part where you meet her. Took long enough."

"Hey, backstory’s important. You wouldn’t eat pizza without sauce, right?"

Johnny quipped while chomping on a piping hot Mexican pizza.

"So I was looking up at Arasaka Tower when I saw this short-haired boy standing in an alley. I thought, ‘He’s gonna get messed with standing there,’ and sure enough, he was. Back then Jug really looked like a guy, so I didn’t realize for a while."

"Jugra back then was seriously rough around the edges. When I barged in, I thought I was gonna die."

"So yeah, I almost ignored it, but I didn’t want to be the kind of guy who’d turn a blind eye, so I stepped in. Then Jug whupped them with her Sandevistan and took me—this guy worried about school—to a clinic in a Delamain."

"H4… That’s over in the center district near Pacifica, right? That’s way the hell off from Japantown."

"Yeah, it was my first time in Japantown, my first time in a red-light district. I was super nervous. …Now that I think about it, Jug’s warped view on romance probably started in Jig-Jig Street."

"Most likely. Plus she was living alone with no parents, right? No wonder her values got messed up."

Maine, ordering another round of beers, gave a sympathetic smile.

"So, at the clinic, I talked to her about the Academy and got my device replaced with an awesome one. I was so happy, thinking I’d finally made a really great friend. …But then the next day, my mom didn’t come home, and that joy got wiped out."

"Ah, that time, huh… No one thought Gloria would get nabbed by scavengers."

"Huh? Oh, Maine, you were Mom’s client, weren’t you?"

"Yeah, and when I didn’t know what to do, Jug was the one I felt I could rely on most. So I called her on holo… and one thing led to another and she arranged everything so we could go rescue my mom. That’s how I met Maine and the others. Technically just Rebecca at the time."

"We were waiting at the pickup point to exchange the goods, but got stood up. When we investigated, we found traces showing she’d been abducted on the way. Our rep was on the line, so we went for payback… but man, what followed was a pain in the ass."

"Hahaha… Yeah, you stormed into Jug’s clinic in a rage, only to get absolutely wrecked by her Yakuza preaching, courtesy of Wakako-san’s teachings."

"Come on, back then the Tyger Claws were the top gang in Night City! How was I supposed to know her ripperdoc was under their protection?"

"By the way, from that point on, Jug always referred to you guys as ‘second-rate cyberpunks with muscles for brains and zero info-gathering skills.’"

"HAHAHA! That’s harsh, Maine. I may be a meathead, but even I know you’ve got to leave the smart stuff to the pros or you’ll end up dead. Not that it’s like that anymore."

"Shut it. I’ve been fixing that since back then… or maybe Jugra fixed me."

Maine scowled as Jackie burst into a roaring laugh, recalling the bitter memories.

David, who had been dispatched to the Edge Runners at the time, shared those same bitter memories.

"After that, Jug started working as a fixer too and brought Maine’s crew under her wing. I was sent there as a rookie cyberpunk to help out."

"So that’s how you bagged Rebecca and Lucy."

"Yeah, I guess. You don’t often see a soft-spoken Japanese guy these days. That kind of gentleness probably got to them."

"Heh, leave it to the great Johnny ‘playboy’ Silverhand to say something like that."

"Can it. You’re the real monster here. How many women did you sleep with in those developing countries, huh?"

"Who knows? One or two a day, maybe… Well, whatever, I’m not doing that anymore."

Vincent and Johnny’s exchange left the three less experienced men quiet.

Still, aside from David, the others were all now married. They turned their thoughts away from the past and toward the wives or girlfriends they had now.

"So, how’s life living with Jugra? You’ve been staying at the clinic, right?"

"Oh yeah, I heard about that. So, what's it like?"

"If you want to ask, start by talking about yourself first..."

"Orto’s got a body made from memory-trace tech now, so she’s pretty much perfect. Still, when I so much as glance at another woman—or they look at me—she just glides over and silently gives them a warning. It’s like this old cat that used to avoid me turned into a cuddly house pet. Adorable, really."

"Sounds to me like you’re completely under her thumb. But hey, happy couples are a good thing. Things between me and Misty are just the same as always. Oh, and since we got married, she’s gotten along with my mom really well—been learning to cook like they do here. Feels like our future’s in safe hands."

"That’s great to hear. The food here’s been good since forever. Me and Panam mostly stick around the Badlands, so we kinda became a safe haven for folks like Vally who left their clans and want to head into Night City. She’s like a tough mom to everyone. I’m always on edge, though—gotta crush the young ones trying to make a move on her and all."

"Yeah, well, don’t go trying to dump the mess on us when you physically crush them... I run a butcher shop with Dorio, selling farmed meat supplied by Delamain. Just because we’re nearby doesn’t mean you can borrow the grinder whenever you like. That thing’s for breaking down bones for disposal. If rumors start spreading that we’re dealing in human meat, I’m calling in Jugra to wipe you out."

Even while conveniently ignoring their own faults, the five of them shared their latest news and drank beer, getting pleasantly buzzed.

Night City, once ruled by Arasaka, was now firmly in Delamain’s hands and experiencing a rare peace. It was finally seeing economic growth as if the long-frozen times were starting to move again.

In particular, the demand for food produced using near-natural farming techniques was incredibly high, enough that even the gangs were staying quiet.

Everyone understood one thing clearly: if you messed with Delamain, you’d end up eating that god-awful meat-like something again.

Delamain’s corporate policy focused on building solid foundations for a better life, so the former tyranny was long gone.

And so, many were still working to pay off the debts from those dark years. Night City was slowly healing itself from within.

"Alright, alright, my turn. Jug... she’s amazing. Apparently, she was a guy in a past life, so she totally gets how guys think. Makes living together feel so easy. It’s like we’re walking through life side-by-side—just warm, peaceful days. She’s always lived alone and is a great cook, too. I think she came from a world where natural food was so abundant it got tossed out. She’s got all these recipes, so I feel like I’m eating something new every day. When I tell her what I liked, she adjusts the seasoning the next time to suit my taste. Man... it really feels like she loves me."

That wasn’t just a couple living together—that was full-on newlywed energy. The other four felt it in perfect sync and shoved beer into their suddenly sweetened mouths.

"Jug’s basically clingy. When no one’s watching, she snuggles right up. It’s seriously cute—her small, pet-like stature just adds to it. Makes me think, 'Man, I’m lucky to be the one protecting this girl for life.' At the clinic, she centers the work around me and even trains with me now and then. Honestly... I just feel really, really happy."

David’s heartfelt bragging, earnest and full of genuine affection, made the other four smile awkwardly—but also warmly.

Maine, who’d known him the longest, and Vincent and the others who’d worked with Jugra back in her fixer days, had seen firsthand how hard David had worked.

As the waitress brought out steaming tamales, their beer consumption only increased.