KyokaSuigetsu
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Chapter 42: Sasha Yakovleva
🕑 Added 2025-04-02 15:40:01 +0000 UTC[Leo]: Shironeko, help me find Sasha Yakovleva's contact info online, and check if she's still a solo operator or if she's joined the Edgerunners yet.
[Shironeko]: Understood. Executing now.
[Leo]: Also, you sorted my computer data — do you have info on Cyberpunk: Edgerunners in there?
[Shironeko]: I do. Transmitting now. But please remember, this real world is far more complex than a ten-episode anime. Don't rely too much on fragmented 'plot points.'
[Leo]: Got it. I'll be careful.
While waiting, Leo closed his eyes and replayed Sasha's scenes from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
A tragic girl, the first to die in Maine's crew. Her fate? Killed in a Biotechnica tower while trying to uncover the truth behind her mother's death.
Compared to Kiwi and Lucy, Sasha — unmistakably Russian by name — left a far better impression on Leo.
A moment later, Shironeko sent him a number and confirmed Sasha was still freelancing.
Leo perked up. It seemed Maine's crew was still forming — he had time to get involved.
He turned to V with a smirk. "Putting this on speaker. Watch and learn what a real fixer sounds like."
"Sure. Show me the magic."
V rolled a barstool over and sat beside him.
Leo steadied his breathing, then dialed.
Bzzzt—bzzzt—
Connected.
Sasha's avatar appeared in the top-left of his vision — a chibi catgirl. Oddly enough, she didn't speak. Just soft breathing in the background.
[Shironeko]: She's attempting a reverse trace. I've blocked it.
Leo nodded. Cautious — good. Standard solo netrunner behavior.
Since she wasn't speaking, he took the initiative.
"Sasha Yakovleva. A pleasure. Call me L. I'm a new fixer in town."
A pause. Then, a voice — synthetic and anime-styled:
"How'd you get this number? I don't recall any fixer named L in Night City."
"Well, fixers need special info channels, right? I'm new. It's normal if you haven't heard of me."
"Hmm… fine. Doesn't matter. You calling me for a gig?"
"Sort of. I'm putting together a premium crew. Need a hacker."
"Tch. Another one trying to recruit me. Didn't know I was such a hot commodity."
Leo couldn't tell if that was deflection or sincerity — but it was true that she'd soon be invited to join Maine's Edgerunner team.
Before he could respond, Sasha added, "I'll take gigs, but I don't join teams. Especially not fixers I've never heard of."
Leo frowned. Beside him, V was already pulling the "I knew you'd flop" face.
"Hold up. Let me guess — the one who tried to recruit you recently… was Maine, right?"
"Huh!?" Her voice spiked. "How… how do you know that?"
"How could I call myself a fixer if I didn't know the basics?"
He smoothly deflected and fired off some fast-paced intel:
"Maine. Former underground boxer, later enlisted in the NUSA SpecOps. Discharged after two years, came to Night City to escape government strings.
"He's solid, sure. Even got a conscience. I might work with him myself someday."
"But let's talk about you. Join Maine and you'll be a top-tier merc at best. Join me, and you'll be part of a legit company. With real pay and stability."
Silence.
Sasha wasn't moved by the pitch — her mind was racing. How did this stranger know about her meeting with Maine?
They'd only met privately a few days ago. No witnesses. If he knew that, someone in Maine's team might've leaked info.
But then there was this mysterious 'L.' His netrunner was good — so good that every attempt she made to trace or hack him had failed completely.
"If you already have a good netrunner, why come to me?"
"I'm busy. You expect me to run ops with the team 24/7?"
More silence.
Leo decided to throw out the trump card.
"Sign on with me. Base pay — 30k a month. Bonuses for gigs. Beats joining some chaotic merc crew, right?
"Still not enough? Fine — here's intel you might like: I know how your mother, Galina Valieva, really died."
Clatter—
A crash. Chair fell over. Rolling wheels. And a soft curse.
"Who are you?! What the hell do you know?!"
"Sasha, your voice mod's glitching a little," Leo said calmly.
"Don't dodge — what do you know!?"
The more frantic she got, the more Leo enjoyed himself.
"I know plenty. Like the medicine you gave her — Securicine."
He stopped.
Sasha bit.
"What about that medicine!? Tell me!"
Leo smiled. "I'm busy tomorrow. Let's meet the day after — in Night City. I'll send the time and place later. That's all."
Click.
He hung up.
[Leo]: Shironeko, can you wipe our number so she can't call back?
[Shironeko]: Already done. Your number's encrypted for security.
[Leo]: Perfect. Let her stew for two days. Build pressure.
Just as he finished the command, V shot him a skeptical look. "She sounded like a kid. Leaving her hanging like that — isn't that kinda mean?"
Leo smiled. "Pressure works. No way she'd join a stranger's team otherwise."
V had no rebuttal. She glanced at the screen again — Leo's shortlist of elite female netrunners. Sasha's name glowed near the top.
"How do you know her past? Her mom's death? Even the exact drug she used?
"And Maine… I swear I've heard that name before.
"Aren't these supposed to be top-secret things only the people involved would know? How the hell do you know them?"
For the first time, V was truly at a loss.
She'd thought Leo was just some rich eccentric. But this side of him — mysterious, calculating, and far too informed — made her uneasy.
He wasn't just playing a game.
And maybe… she didn't know him at all.
