Watson, Little China.
If time could be turned back ten or twenty years, this area had once been one of Night City’s main economic centers, second only to City Center in prosperity.
But everything changed during the Unification War, when Arasaka returned to Night City and brought with it a completely new distribution of corporate power.
As a sign of gratitude for Arasaka helping Night City preserve its independence from the New United States of America, then-mayor Lucius Rhyne, the same man who had requested their help when NUSA forces surrounded the city, generously handed over a portion of Watson to Arasaka.
Today, that area is known as Arasaka Waterfront, a massive coastal industrial zone under almost complete control of the Arasaka Corporation.
And precisely because of Arasaka’s enormous influence and status, many companies that had once operated in Watson were completely crushed during corporate conflicts.
Factories and countless other businesses collapsed one after another, leaving an enormous number of people without jobs or roofs over their heads.
Almost overnight, Watson went from being one of the most prosperous parts of Night City to one of its poorest districts.
Leon knew this area very well.
At the beginning of the game, V mostly moved through Watson, so in a certain sense, the entire district could be considered the game’s starting zone.
And their destination, Little China, was one of Watson’s four main areas.
Like Japantown, the name was somewhat misleading.
Although it was called Little China, it was not a single street, but an entire large section of the district.
The other three main areas were Northside, Kabuki, and Arasaka Waterfront.
Northside was mostly Maelstrom territory, while Kabuki was a livelier and more developed commercial area.
As the name suggested, Little China was home to a large number of Asian immigrants.
However, unlike Japantown, this area did not have the same advantages or the same level of investment.
It was a poorer part of Night City.
Of course, from a certain perspective, most of Night City was poor anyway.
If Little China had anything special, it was the large number of medical clinics and ripperdocs operating here.
In the end, Delamain drove them to Bradbury Street in Little China.
There were not many pedestrians on the street.
There were only a few ordinary dollhouse clubs and braindance parlors.
Places like that could be found practically everywhere in Night City.
Bars and casinos came immediately after them in number.
But among all those businesses on Bradbury Street was one place that looked as though it did not belong with the rest of the street at all.
The storefront was decorated with mystical and esoteric symbols, and above the door was a sign:
[Misty’s Esoterica]
“An esoteric shop?”
Hiroshi was still carrying his unconscious sister on his back while following Leon.
When he realized where they had arrived, he simply stared at the sign in confusion for several moments.
“Leon… don’t tell me that ripperdoc you praise so much is also a fortune teller on the side?”
Even after all the years he had spent in Night City, this managed to leave him speechless.
A completely absurd image appeared in his mind.
Did that doctor, in addition to treating people, perhaps immediately handle funerals whenever a patient died?
Maybe he also opened some ancient book and read a mysterious farewell speech?
“No.”
Leon headed toward the door.
“The man we’re looking for is in the passage behind the shop. There’s an entrance to the basement there.”
He pushed the door open and entered.
The interior was wrapped in dark-purple shades, in complete contrast to the golden light of sunset outside.
The place resembled the hideout of some mystic cut off from the rest of the world.
The dim lighting naturally encouraged contemplation, while the warm orange candlelight simultaneously created a sense of peace.
The moment he entered, Hiroshi smelled incense.
Orange candles were arranged throughout the shop.
A young woman was leaning slightly toward a customer, obviously providing some kind of spiritual counseling.
The customer was reclining in a soft armchair, while the woman sat beside her, speaking gently and helping her let go of her worries.
Hiroshi carefully examined the young woman.
Other than her, there was no one else in the shop.
She was obviously the owner of Misty’s Esoterica.
Before entering, he had expected some gray-haired old woman covered in strange jewelry and charms.
Instead, he saw a relatively young woman.
She was not a classic beauty, but she had a very distinctive appearance.
Short, tousled dark-blue hair.
Fair facial features.
An unusual style.
Around her neck, she wore several esoteric necklaces and ornaments, along with a light-blue off-shoulder top and dark-purple lipstick.
All together, it gave her a mysterious, somewhat melancholic appearance.
After a few more quiet, soothing sentences, the customer visibly relaxed completely and even dozed off in the armchair.
Misty then turned around.
Her gaze passed over the two unexpected guests who had just entered.
After briefly examining them, her eyes eventually stopped on Leon.
“Leon? What are you doing here?”
Surprise could be heard in her voice.
“Long story. I’ll tell you later, Misty.”
Leon turned toward Hiroshi.
“I need to find Uncle Viktor and have him examine this girl.”
Following his gaze, Misty finally noticed the girl on Hiroshi’s back.
She immediately covered her mouth with her hand.
“Poor girl…”
Her voice became much quieter.
“Viktor should be able to help. He doesn’t have any patients right now. He’s watching television.”
She pointed toward the back of the shop.
“Just go.”
“Thank you, miss.”
Hiroshi did not waste even a second.
Carrying his sister on his back, he passed through the back door of Misty’s Esoterica and stepped into the passage.
The moment he got outside, he immediately saw the stairs leading down into the basement.
Without hesitation, he headed down them.
Leon had originally intended to follow him.
But then he realized there was no need.
He had already informed Viktor in advance that they were coming.
Even if he went downstairs now, he would only stand at the side as a completely unnecessary observer.
“What happened?”
Misty approached Leon, placed a hand on his shoulder, and quietly asked:
“Can you tell me?”
Concern was clearly visible in her eyes.
Leon hid nothing.
He told her everything that had happened that day.
This gentle older friend with a mysterious aura had long since stopped being a stranger to him.
As one of the more important supporting characters in the game, Misty, just like Viktor Vektor, represented something closest to family for V even though they were not related by blood.
Because of that, after Vanessa Hale took him in and after he gradually gained more freedom to go out by himself while growing up, Leon searched for every possible reason to get closer specifically to the two of them.
The reasons were always simple.
His basic cyberware was causing problems.
He needed an implant checkup.
He wanted to install a new Smart Link.
He needed to upgrade some piece of equipment that helped him study.
There was always something.
And the reason he wanted to meet them in the first place was equally simple.
In the game, both of them had been portrayed as genuinely good people.
Being friends with them certainly would not hurt him.
And maybe one day it would even allow him to naturally come into contact with V.
Even in a city like Night City, where humanity eroded every day under the influence of corporations, violence, and greed, the warmth Viktor and Misty showed others was so rare that one could almost call them saints.
Leon had already visited them countless times by now.
With every visit, their relationship became closer.
“I understand…”
Misty looked quite downcast after hearing the whole story.
“For that man, the sudden kidnapping of his sister truly was a terrible misfortune he did not deserve.”
Then she looked at Leon and smiled faintly.
“Fortunately, you helped him.”
“Leon, I’m proud of you.”
Her expression was still somewhat sad, obviously because of what Hiroshi and his sister had gone through.
Then her mood suddenly improved a little.
“By the way, Leon…”
She reached for the tarot cards.
“Do you want me to read your tarot?”
“Don’t worry, it’s free.”
Leon’s expression changed instantly.
He quickly raised both hands.
“No, no, Sister Misty.”
“I’m really not in the mood for tarot right now.”
“Maybe next time.”
“Yes, next time.”
Misty sighed.
“You always say ‘next time.'”
She looked at him somewhat hurt.
“Do you really dislike my tarot readings that much?”
Leon immediately began shaking his head.
“No! Of course that’s not it!”
“Sister Misty’s tarot is without a doubt the most accurate I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s just… I really don’t want to go through that kind of divination.”
He made a strange expression.
“It somehow makes me uncomfortable.”
What a joke!
Misty was one of the few people in the entire game whose mystical side could never simply be dismissed as superstition.
Her tarot readings could sometimes hint at events that would happen to the player later.
In other words…
she could hint at V’s future fate!
That was practically real divination already!
The main reason Leon had never wanted Misty to read his tarot was that he already had the Life Simulator.
With that, he truly had no need to get involved in this mysterious, almost supernatural way of looking into the future.
And what if Misty somehow saw his original fate?
That ending from the simulation where he ended up on a Scav table, cut open and dismantled for cyberware and organs…?
Leon had no idea how he would even look her in the eyes afterward.