Vash turned around on his Kusanagi CT-3X and saw Panam taking off her helmet.
To be fair, she was quite an attractive woman. She wore a biker's leather vest on top, cargo jeans on the bottom, and underneath, of course, was a daring neon yellow and green swimsuit. The glimpses of her healthy tanned skin at the waist were particularly alluring.
"Damn… she's fine." Jackie said, straightening up and adjusting his collar like he was about to meet royalty. Then he flashed a grin, "Hey, beautiful — call us over for a drink or what?"
Panam ignored his invitation and stared directly at Vash, saying, "That race wasn't official. Those guys played dirty. Under normal circumstances, you should have won."
"I used to be a nomad too. I know the rules of motorcycle racing, and I respect the outcome." Vash said.
Panam raised an eyebrow, then tied up the bag containing €$100,000 and tossed it directly to him, "I don't accept this kind of win. You take the money."
Everyone was stunned by her action. That was €$100,000! Not 100,000 sheets of paper!
Eighty percent of the people in this motorcycle race were here for the prize pool. With that money, one could live comfortably in Night City! To think that Panam won the championship and then just threw away the money?
Recalling Vash's performance during the race, the other onlookers could only watch helplessly.
The money bag traced a parabolic arc and landed directly in Vash's hands.
"Your skills aren't bad."
"It's all thanks to the Kusanagi CT-3X."
"To be able to ride that bike without installing a reaction module, you're quite talented."
Vash and Panam started chatting like old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time.
A moment later, a smile appeared on Panam's face, "Hope we get a chance to race again someday."
"We will." Vash said.
As soon as he finished speaking, Panam put on her helmet and drove away from the scene.
Vash pocketed the money and called out, "Jack, let's head back."
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On the way back to Night City, Jackie was completely sour.
Jackie: "V, I'm tellin' you — that chica's got a thing for you, choom."
Vash: "How many times have you said that since we left the Badlands? Are you a broken record?"
Jackie: "I just don't get it! A guy built like me — don't I scream 'security'? …Alright, fine, you got me beat on looks."
Vash: "Looks like you're aware of our difference in appearance!"
Jackie: "Yeah, yeah — forget it. Wanna hit Lizzie's later? Celebrate?"
Vash refused, "I'm going home to sleep."
After returning to Watson District, Jackie said he had some business to attend to and took off, while Vash returned to his place alone.
After taking a cold shower, Vash lay back down on the bed. He said he came back to sleep, but he was wide awake. He was still thinking about the chance encounter with Panam.
According to the timeline, The Rescue quest in Japantown six months later was supposed to be the start of the game plot. That six-month period was skipped over in the game, and Vash had thought there might be some unexpected developments, but he didn't expect it to change like this.
Panam's appearance meant that the game's plot might be brought forward or altered.
This would reduce Vash's advantage of having completed the game before, but it would make things more challenging.
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The night passed uneventfully, and the next day Vash naturally slept until he woke up on his own.
When he opened his eyes, the smart home system detected signs of the room's owner awakening and began its operations.
「Room temperature adjusted to a constant 25º C.」
「Weather is pleasant today. Curtains opened.」
「Hot water is ready, available for use at any time!」
「Display activated. Now playing Channel 056 Financial News.」
After living here for a few days, Vash had personally experienced this smart home system, and there were no issues with its use. The only downside was that it would destroy one's ability to do things manually, making one feel like a pig in a pen while in the room.
"Looks like I'll have to ask Jack to help me find a new place." Vash said. After the novelty wore off, he felt that less smart was better.
Thinking of this, he took the initiative to call Jackie.
"V — what a coincidence, I was just about to call you." Jackie's voice came through, mixed with street noise.
"You go first then." Vash said.
"You got that 100,000 eddies from yesterday's race, right? Means we can do more now." Jackie said.
Vash suddenly remembered that when they were splitting the money yesterday, Jackie had refused to take any no matter what.
"Hmm, so what are we going to do?"
"Now that we've got money, of course we upgrade." Jackie said, "Flesh and blood don't last long in Night City."
Hearing this, Vash understood.
Jackie was going to take him to see the ripperdoc, Viktor Vektor.
"Alright, let's meet downstairs."
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T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)