Cyberpunk: The Magnet fruit

"Hmm…"

Lucy snapped back to her senses, shaking her head as a faint smile appeared on her lips.

She wasn't sure if she was laughing at her lapse in focus or at David's peculiar behavior and strange words.

With a shrug, she stretched her slender legs, took two deliberate steps forward, and sat down beside him.

As she settled into the seat, she leaned slightly closer, her sharp eyes scanning David with a mix of curiosity and skepticism.

Dark black hair framed his face, his bangs brushing just above his eyebrows. His brown-black eyes were deep, and his features were distinctly Asian, yet strikingly three-dimensional.

For a fleeting moment, as the light and shadows outside the maglev train alternated through the windows, Lucy found herself thinking that the boy in front of her wasn't half bad to look at.

Certainly better than the cold, hollow-eyed citizens of Night City.

"You ever met me before?" Lucy asked, her tone playful but probing.

David nodded, then shook his head. "Yes and no."

Lucy tilted her head, smirking. "You talk really strange, you know that?"

Her soft chuckle broke the tension, her blue eyes curling into crescent moons.

But as her smile lingered, Lucy's pupils suddenly turned red—a telltale sign she was using her prosthetic optics to scan him.

David sighed, shaking his head as a wry smile crossed his face.

This girl had layers. One moment, she was casually chatting and laughing, and the next, she was scanning him like he was some kind of data file.

Lucy's main gig as a top-tier hacker made her dangerous. With just a glance, her enhanced eyes could pull up the full profile of almost anyone she met.

After a brief moment of scanning, Lucy's eyebrows arched in surprise.

This guy…

He was completely unmodified.

An un-augmented human.

A protozoa.

"You don't have any cyberware?" Lucy asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.

David nodded casually. "I'm afraid of pain."

Lucy frowned. "They use anesthetics, you know."

David shrugged. "Still no money."

Lucy stared at him, speechless.

She wasn't sure if she should laugh or pity him. His responses sounded absurd on the surface, yet there was an undeniable logic behind them.

Ultimately, it all came down to one thing—money.

Lucy let out a soft sigh, shaking her head with a helpless smile.

"You're not cut out for this city, you know that?" she said, standing up abruptly.

She flipped her short, silvery hair back with a practiced motion, her casual charm exuding confidence. "Honestly, a guy like you doesn't belong here. You should leave Night City before it eats you alive."

David didn't respond, watching her with quiet amusement as she prepared to leave.

"It was nice chatting with you," Lucy added, turning to walk toward the next train compartment. "But I've got work to do. See you around."

"Wait!" David called after her.

Lucy paused, glancing back over her shoulder. "What is it now?"

David leaned back in his seat and shrugged. "Maybe we could try cooperating."

"Cooperating?" Lucy echoed, raising an eyebrow.

The word sounded ridiculous coming from someone like him—a complete protozoa with no cybernetic enhancements.

David reached into his pocket and pulled out the chip she had tried to steal earlier. Holding it up, he smirked.

"You do the jobs, I'll handle the rest," David said. "We split it 30-70. You get three, I get seven."

Lucy froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Her laughter echoed in the train car, and she doubled over, genuinely amused.

"Are you serious?" Lucy asked, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "What could you possibly bring to the table? Do you even know how dangerous this city is?"

She leaned forward, playfully tapping David's forehead with a finger. "You'd go cyberpsycho before you even managed to install your first implant."

David smiled, undeterred by her teasing.

Lucy continued, her tone growing slightly more serious. "Do you even understand what would happen if you got caught stealing chips in Night City? You'd be dead before you could blink."

She straightened up and crossed her arms, her expression softening. "Listen, kid. A native like you? You're better off getting out of here while you still can. I don't have time to babysit you."

But before she could walk away again, David held up another chip between his fingers, letting it gleam under the dim train lights.

Lucy's gaze flicked to the chip, her expression one of mild disinterest.

"It's just a platinum credit chip," she said dismissively. "I've got plenty of—"

Her words faltered as her hand instinctively reached for the slot behind her ear.

It was empty.

Her pupils contracted in shock as realization dawned.

"That's… mine."

David twirled the chip between his fingers, grinning smugly.

Lucy stood frozen, her mind reeling.

When had he stolen it?

She prided herself on being one of the best hackers and thieves in Night City. Yet somehow, this seemingly ordinary boy had managed to steal her chip right under her nose.

Her blue pupils flared red again as she scanned him a second time. Nothing. No augmentations, no hidden implants—nothing but a blank slate.

Her confusion quickly turned to frustration.

"How did you…" Lucy began, narrowing her eyes.

David's grin widened. "So, about that partnership?"

Lucy stared at him, torn between laughing and punching him in the face.