I looked around the room. Jun was casually waving a hand over the back of the couch, Ichi had thrown confetti into the air, with Hiromi, Malcolm looked like he had half-heartedly joined in.

“I didn’t know.” I mentioned slowly coming down hanging by one hand for a moment as I holstered the Burya and then dropped the rest of the way back to the ground.

Let’s just ignore the hole in the ceiling and the mess that left behind.

“Sorry! I just wanted it to be a surprise.” Hiromi offered looking a little nervous after my reaction, so I just laughed and hurried over scooping her up into a hug and spinning around, she had a moment to start laughing.

Then I chucked her ass on the couch.

“Motokooo!” She shrieked, as she bounced around, and… Oh Rebecca was here too, drinking some of the punch and sitting next to Jun.

“Oh hi Becca.”

“Sup choom.” She greeted back, barely taking her eyes off my brother who was looking a bit nervous.

As he should be. Rebecca was like a shark, and she was obviously interested.

“Motokooo!” Hiromi shouted at me as she got back up and flailed at me a bit, but I just danced away from her blows laughing.

“You did all this for me? I’ve been trying to hang out with you gonks all day.”

“Hiromi grabbed all of us, sorry choom.” Ichi offered, and passed me a cup of punch, which I took. Ignoring Hiromi’s glare.

“So… This is my birthday huh?” I muttered, it felt weird to think this was my fifteenth birthday.

“Yep. I didn’t get you anything, cause I forgot… But I figure since you did too, that covers me.” Malcolm called out, and Hiromi turned from glaring at the back of my head to glare at him.

“I told you to get something!”

“Eh.” He shrugged then looked actually nervous for a second. “Not that I didn’t want to or anything choom. I just figured some rushed thing I picked up today wouldn’t be a preem gift.”

“It’s cool choom. I… Apparently forgot everyone's birthday, so I think you’re clear.”

“That’s what I said!” He called out glaring at Hiromi who glared back.

“I told you it was today!”

“Yeah yeah.”

I sipped at the punch and choked, spitting it back out while coughing.

“Wow choom. There’s like barely any alcohol in this, was that too much for you?” Rebecca asked, as I coughed.

“I didn’t think it was alcoholic! I don’t like drinking.”

“You have to! It’s a birthday bash!”

“I don’t really drink Becca.”

“Nope!” Ichi was at my side.

“Yeah, you can’t refuse today.” Malcolm agreed on my other side.

“I can tear through both of you like butter.” I whispered threateningly at them, but both boys just grinned.

“Drink drink drink.” They started chanting in tandem, and I rolled my eyes.

“I’m not-”

“Drink drink drink!” Hiromi called out, and now that I got a better look at her, she looked a little flushed already.

“I’m-”

“Drink choom! Drink drink drink!” Rebecca called out as well shouting from the couch.

I looked at Jun, who stared at me for a while, before he slowly started smirking.

“Drink drink drink.” He repeated in monotone, and I glared at him!

“FINE!” I yelled throwing slaps at both Malcolm and Ichi to get them to go away. “This is stupid I don’t even like alcohol!"

“Hahaha!” The boys laughed like gremlins as they grabbed their drinks and raised them up.

“To another year!” Malcolm called out in a toast.

“Malcolm, new years is in like two week-””

“Hey hey hey! No arguing! It’s a toast.” He told Hiromi, and I just shrugged.

“To a new year.” I agreed, cup raised.

“Hell yeah! To a new year!” Rebecca called out excited and then I drank.

Eww. The punch was sweet, but the alcohol in it was awful.

Whatever. The only way to solve this was to drink it all fast enough that I wouldn’t have the nasty taste on my mouth anymore.

—--

I groaned a bit as I woke up, stretching feeling my thighs stretch out and my chest flex a bit. Not having fleshy shoulders meant stretching my arms was instinctive but not really the comforting feeling it used to be.

Opening my eyes I looked around my room…

I shrugged. Well time to get up. It was another great day in Night City after all.

Yawning, I got up and padded across my room, passing Tachikoma, who was still working on whatever it was working on.

And opened the door…

“What the hell happened here?” I whispered, the entire room was a disaster zone. My chooms were completely out, laying like a tornado had picked them up and just thrown them somewhere.

Hiromi was hanging off the kitchen counter, her arm and leg hanging.

Ichi was on the couch, but more rolled over it like he’d been thrown and just gave up, and Malcolm was… Oh he was over there under the table…

“Jeeze guys. You really partied yourself out huh?” I wondered, and my voice got a few moans… I guess they were all hungover. Better start cleaning up.

I did my best not to disturb them too much as I padded around and grabbed some bags to pick up trash but the ruffling of the plastic had them groaning in pain and slowly coming too.

As I worked picking things up…

Yeah I don’t remember much past some makeshift Karaoke where I had started singing… Something?

I don’t remember, then I think Rebecca had stuffed a bottle of something in my hand.

Oh well. I felt fine. Honestly though these guys sure left a mess…

“Uuugh.” I looked up as Ichi, slowly shifted, and then sort of rolled off the couch groaning the whole time.

Hungover huh?

“Kill me.” Yeah fair enough.

I sighed. Let me get some shoes. I'll pick up some breakfast junk food for them.

—---

When I got back with dozens of meat sticks from the guy downstairs no one had really moved.

Gathering a clean plate I dumped the meat sticks and brought them over to the couch table. Then I started helping my chooms. Ichi was still looking rather uncomfortable, so I helped him shift around a bit. He groaned at every touch as he was waking up and then tried to weakly slap my hands away as I got him mostly sitting normally on the couch.

So I just pushed a meat stick into his hand and a bottle of water into the other.

That seemed to wake him up as the smell hit him, and he groaned, blinking before looking at me and flinching.

“Morning choom.” I whispered to him and he winced, reaching up pushing the meat stick into his hair as he clutched his forehead.

Poor boy. I walked over and carefully pulled Malcolm out from under the table holding a hand over his head as he jerked when I started tugging on him and he nearly bashed his head into the table.

He started groaning but I got him out and onto the couch beside Ichi, with his own wake up meatstick and water.

Then I wandered over and with Hiromi just scooped her off the kitchen counter, not sure why she was up here.

She groaned instantly, but I carried her over and set her next to the boys, and did the same for her.

Each of them flinched when they opened their eyes and saw me.

Was it too bright? I went to grab some sheets to throw over the windows to help dim it a bit, the Cali sun was pretty bright.

And slowly my chooms came too. Looking like death warmed over as I made sure they had water, and I put a trash bag nearby.

“If you have to puke, use this.” I told them and just got a flinch from all of them. I just rolled my eyes. “Honestly, if you are this weak the next day why did you even drink that much?”

“H-ow.” Malcolm croaked, looking at me with red shot eyes. “How are you so fine? Yo-You drank more than al-Urph!” He reached for the bag and I helped him as he lost himself to puking.

“Please. I’m a very moderate drinker.” I told him. I didn’t like drinking so I didn’t do it, so obviously I was fine.

I got glares from Hiromi, and Ichi until finally Malcolm finished puking.

Ew.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Okay let me put that in the bathroom to take out later.

“Seriously you three shouldn’t drink this much.” I told them, putting on a serious tone. “What would you do if someone attacked you in this state?”

“Puke on them.” Malcolm replied instantly and I… Well yeah that’s true. Fair enough.

“She did all that, and she’s fine… This is fucking cursed.” Ichi whispered and Hiromi and Malcolm both groaned in agreement.

“Huh? What? Last thing I remember was singing karaoke on the table.” I pointed at the table in question and then all three of them looked from it to me, before shaking their heads.

“Nope.”

“Fuck that.”

“I’ll never tell.” Hiromi said haggardly… Then she perked up, weakly as it was. “Motoko… You’re never allowed to drink around anyone but us ever.” She declared pointing at me, and I just tilted my head.

“Oookay. Why?”

“She did all that, and she’s fine? This is fucking cursed.” Ichi repeated quietly dropping his head onto his knees.

“Yeah I agree. No drinking… Uuugh, ever again maybe, this sucks.”

“Eat some meat sticks, the grease should help, and drink the water. And when you three are done acting so weird maybe you can share what happened.”

“Never.”

“No.”

“So cursed.”

“Whatever. Fine.” I rolled my eyes at my three idiots and continued cleaning up and helping them recover.

Then the door opened. I looked up and stilled.

Rebecca walked out in just her bra and panties…

“Is that breakfast?” She asked with a yawn, as she sauntered towards the meat sticks grabbed a few and two bottles of water. She gathered it all under one arm as she walked past me.

*Slap*

“Yeek!” I yowled as Rebecca slapped me on the ass hard!

“What the fuck!?” I demanded spinning on her, but she was grinning cheekily.

“Ooow.”

“No noise.”

“Cursed.” My idiots all groaned at my noise and Rebecca sauntered away before turning to look at me with a grin.

“Last night was wild Strings, you’re going to break a lot of hearts ya know?”

“What?” I whispered shocked at what just happened and then… Jun was there in the doorway… Were those scratch marks on his-Nope! I turned away and very pointedly didn’t process Rebecca returning to my brother's room.

—--

“So what the fuck happened?” I hissed but Hiromi continued to just flush a little brighter, and look away never answering.

I glared at the other two traitors.

None of my chooms would tell me what the fuck happened last night!

The only thing I could get out of them was them telling me not to drink around anyone else!

Obviously I wouldn’t I don’t even like drinking but now I was-

I took a breath and let it out. They were fucking with me or something. I probably sang for a while and passed out. I was back in my room, so they probably continued partying without me… I didn’t have like marker across my face did I?

No, but… Did I put on lipstick last night? I walked into the bathroom, and had a bit left on my lips, so I washed that off… Weird.

Whatever.

It was totally whatever! They were just going to be jerks!

I took out more bags of trash and vomit out to the actual dumpsters. Not that the entire place wasn’t absolutely packed with trash, but I did try and place them where they would actually get taken away.

Night City Sanitation wasn’t exactly impressive though.

And slowly my chooms came back alive. Stuffing them full of greasy food, and water they slowly came alive.

“You guys want a ride home?” I offered, but all three of them just shook their heads, looked a bit sick for doing that.

“No, I’ll drive!”

“I’m good! Don’t need it!”

“No thanks!” They all seemed a bit eager to not have me go with them which was weird…

I shrugged. “Drive safe and have a bag or something to puke in just in case.” I told them and sent them off.

I continued cleaning up and eventually Rebecca came out wearing her big jacket and she sent me a smug look.

“See ya later Charmer. Happy Birthday again.”

“Charmer?”

“It’s what I should change your nickname too after last night! Hahaha!” She disappeared and I just…

“What happened last night?” I called out and didn’t get a response.

Whatever.

“Motoko.”

“Jun… I should kill you, but I am repressing what just happened.”

“Preem.” He agreed and both of us had a sibling moment where we just decided to pretend nothing happened.

—--

I spent most of the day cleaning up, the confetti that Ichi had thrown really had gotten everywhere. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Then well… Hiromi had cleared today from the MSM schedule, but I felt kinda bored just hanging around the apartment…

And maybe I really wanted to escape from hanging around Jun because holy shit he’d totally-Nope.

That thought was not being completed.

I guess I could go do some electronic stuff…

I had wanted to do some Daft Punk, and with the full recording studio at MSM, I totally could…

Shrugging it was a better idea than just doing nothing. I could listen to One More Time, or maybe that Pentatonix song, sure that was A cappella style, but I could combine that with some actual electronic sounds. It had stymied me before, as I’d had to basically generate every line without any of the sources, but still.

I liked Daft Punk.

I took the Kusanagi out, driving out onto the streets of Night City, slipping though traffic to the MSM building. Once more I easily got through security with a scan, and found a spot before sliding into the elevator. As I was going up one of the floors the elevator stopped early.

Blinking a bit at the Rockerboys that slipped into the elevator, their eyes glanced over me before moving on so I did the same.

They hit the same floor I’d already hit, and so I just relaxed until we hit the floor. They moved out first, and I followed.

Let’s see… It was recording room… 48. I popped open the door noticing the band entering the room behind me, and they noticed me. I just glanced at them and moved in.

Just because they didn’t recognize me wasn’t my concern.

Alright. It was quiet for once. Usually when I got here there was the entire band, and of course the audio manager constantly trying to alter my shit.

But I knew how this all worked. I flipped some switches, setting it to electronic control, and pulled out my Personal Link, drawing the cord out of my neck and slipping it in. Okay set control to automatic and… Done.

I pulled out and headed inside. Grabbing my guitar off my back and settling it in, I walked around to the instruments.

I was going to start with one more time, and the sample to start was three parts…

This, I thought with a laugh, this was going to take a while.

At least I knew the sound perfectly. I just needed to recreate it.

—--

“Ooone more time.” I sang, altering how I sang it again, taking the track and layering it in.

“No, not quite there.” I grumbled. Altering a bit more settings, before trying again.

“One more Tiime!” I tried it again and just frowned… Close, but not…

I slipped into the system of the recording area and started altering some settings. Thankfully Rockerboy did give me the knowledge of how to alter this, and I’d been hanging around the guy they got doing it for a while with Stand Alone Complex.

Okay, try that.

“One more time!” I sang and this time when I played it over… Yeah, that would work.

I took off the headset and just had it play over the speakers.

Bobbing my head as the sound came through. That was it. One More Time. Now I just needed to finish the lyric track.

So I started working. It wasn’t that hard really, only a few lines but I had to alter and adjust them to fit into the song perfectly.

And then after all that work, getting all the tracks…

I took off the headset and just set the song to play.

I didn’t hesitate in reaching over grabbing my guitar and just strumming along, singing with myself and a song from a childhood long lost.

And then it was over.

I did it. The most complex song I’ve ever made. Completely from scratch, every sample had to be completely crafted trying to get it perfectly right.

*100 Rockerboy XP Gained.*

*Rockerboy skill level up!*

*1 Perk Point Gained.*

Level 10 Rockerboy. I’d done it.

“Heh! Hahaha! Yes!” I cheered into the recording booth. I'd done it!

Level ten! I could play it all! No matter how complex, or difficult no song could escape me!

I closed my eyes just humming as I opened the system. Taking a look at the perks. There were a lot to choose from. But…

When I first went through these perks, I’d ignored a bunch of them. Of course I had, I had no interest in some of what Rockerboy gave, but…

I was a Rockerboy for real now. I went up on stage and if I did, then just like everything I did, I wanted to be the best.

I looked through the perks shaking my head at a lot of them. But…

Yeah. If I wanted to make the best shows I would need this.

Force of Personality: While performing, you know exactly what to do to draw the eye, to force the attention upon you. Stand on a stage and throw a hand in the air, and none will resist you.

It was… It made me nervous, but it would help. Sure I performed on stage as best I could, but I could be better. Do better.

I selected it, and shivered a bit as the know how, the experience, heck even the training settled in.

Opening my eyes I shook it off and instead headed for the recording room. I could grab a copy of One More Time, and show Hiromi or something later and-

Clapping. “What are you doing here?”

“Watching a performance of course!” Alex offered, with a wide smile that made me want to punch him. There was the guy always trying to fuck with my songs, at the booth, he was running settings, and.

“If you change that song I’ll shoot you.”

“Hey, no worries. We want a raw edit.” Alex said, trying to re-assure me, and the fat annoying guy threw me a thumbs up.

“I won’t touch it yet. I like the idea, create samples and then treat them like an electronic recording. It’s fun. Usually you don't see people make their own samples like that.”

“You’ve been watching?”

“Yep, had a band across the way say they saw someone sneak in, but they just didn’t recognize you, once security let me know I had to come down and see.” He was grinning, but his eyes told me it was all greed.

“Yeah well.” I waved him off, I was going to grab a copy of the original, and leave.

“You know, there is something that might interest you. Now I know Ms. Mitsunashi is your manager, and I’ll talk with her about this too, but I didn’t know you could do this before. There is a movie coming out. MSM is doing the music.” He said but I was getting my copy, which thankfully they’d been truthful no editing. Just the song perfectly recorded.

“Motoko?”

“What?”

“I was saying, there is a large bonus involved for any of our artists whose song gets picked for film. It also does very well for sales, and future projections. If you can be inspired to make a track like this, you could do well with it.”

“I’ll think about it, but-”

“Hiromi will decide?” He said, smirking as if he knew something. “As I said, I’ll let Ms. Mitsunashi know all about it. But think about it.”

I left after that, not wanting to be around the guy without need.

A movie soundtrack? Okay? Who cares?

Whatever.