The neon-drenched streets of Moreau City cast an eerie cyberpunk glow as Rei and Luna made their way down the bustling sidewalks, weaving between the hurried crowds. Holographic billboards flickered with incessant advertisements while sleek air cars zipped silently overhead, their repulsor engines humming.

After the crushing financial bombshell Ms. Kim had dropped on them the previous day, a gnawing sense of desperation clawed at the pit of the twins' stomachs. Their glittering K-pop idol lifestyle hung precariously in the balance, threatening to crumble under immense debt if they couldn't earn big money fast.

"M-maybe we could sell off some of our old albums and merch?" Luna suggested half-heartedly as they walked, her tail twitching with nervous energy. "I heard Vinyl Vortex's shop in the back alleys buys vintage records and stuff."

Rei nodded slowly, her claws instinctively extending as her hands clenched into tight fists. "Worth a shot, I guess. Hopefully, our ancient albums are valuable relics now instead of just garbage."

The pair turned down a dank, narrow side street lined with steaming vents and rusted fire escapes. Flickering neon signs advertising pawn shops, virtual adult entertainment shops, gambling dens, and dingy nightclubs provided the only illumination, casting everything in a sleazy crimson glow.

Vinyl Vortex's storefront sat at the end of the alley, wedged between a dilapidated ramen joint and a hole-in-the-wall robot repair shop. Faded, peeling posters of rock legends and bygone musical acts plastered the smudged windows, enticing relics of decades past.

A dissonant jingle of bells overhead announced their arrival as Luna pushed open the scratched metal door. Inside, the air hung thick and musty, with an aura of melancholic nostalgia from ages gone by.

Row after row of vintage vinyl records lined the crowded shelves, interspersed with autographed posters, dusty cassette tapes, and battered music data spheres in cracked display cases. Chaotic and cluttered yet brimming with old-fashioned charm, the shop seemed frozen in a bygone era.

"Hello?" Rei called out in the retro atmosphere.

Silence and the occasional crackle of static answered her as the twins wandered further inside, absently trailing their claws over the spines of familiar album titles they listened to at the orphanage.

Finally, a wiry figure emerged from the dimly lit recesses of what must have been a storage area, adjusting his smudged spectacles as he scrutinized the two cat-girl visitors.

"Well, well...if it isn't the Kat-X girlies," he rasped, sounding wholly unimpressed as his rheumy gaze raked over their glamorous forms. "What brings a couple of famous pop idols 'round these decrepit parts?"

Squaring her shoulders, Luna stepped forward, forcing a bright smile despite the desperation gnawing at her.

"We were hoping to sell you some of our older albums and merchandise. Now that it's ultra-rare vintage material, we figured a serious collector like yourself would be very interested..."

She trailed off hopefully, but the wizened shopkeeper merely snorted derisively, squinting at them over the rims of his spectacles.

"Oh, is that right? Some real 'vintage' stuff there, I'm sure."

Shooting her sister a sidelong glance, Rei produced a battered cardboard box filled with a motley collection of their earliest CD releases - limited edition holographic cover variants, glossy printed inserts, and even a couple of original vinyl pressings - all remnants from over a decade earlier when they were just starting.

She held her breath as Vinyl Vortex sifted through the merchandise, inspecting each relic with a curmudgeonly frown, plump lips perpetually pursed. When at last he finished, his expression remained stubbornly doubtful.

"I'll give you...50 cryptos. For the lot."

Rei dropped her jaw as the breath rushed out of her in an outraged huff.

"Fifty?! But these are priceless, irreplaceable original albums and merchandise!" she sputtered indignantly.

Luna quickly laid a calming hand on her twin's arm, squeezing gently to silence her protests as she turned back to the jaded shopkeeper, keeping her voice carefully measured.

"With all due respect, sir, we were hoping for something a bit...higher? Maybe 500 cryptos, considering the rarity and condition of these items?"

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

The old man's eyes narrowed to slits behind his glasses as he snorted again in disdain.

"Don't come trying to snow this old-timer, girlie. Your mass-produced bubblegum pop pabulum just ain't worth the 'vintage' premium it used to command. I'm being more than generous at 50 cryptos. So take it or leave it."

Rei opened her mouth, another blistering retort rising hot and defiant on her tongue, but Luna gave her arm another subtle squeeze, shaking her head almost imperceptibly. As much as the insultingly low offer stung their pride, they had little choice but to accept in their current dire straits.

Swallowing hard, Luna nodded tersely and handed over her crypto card. "Very well...we understand. Transferring now."

The wizened old clerk grunted in acknowledgment as the transaction cleared, his leathery features betraying not even the faintest hint of sympathy as the cardboard box of priceless memories changed hands.

As the twins turned to the exit, the ghosts of fortunes vastly diminished hung heavy in the air between them, mocking their meteoric rise to stardom.

How many more blows could their dreams withstand before shattering completely?

*****

The neon lights of the alleyway arcades and clubs blinked mockingly at Rei as she led Luna away from the musty antique shop. She could still taste the bitter sting of the shopkeeper's contempt on her tongue. That greedy miser had seen right through their glamorous pop star facade and charged them double for that stupid data stick.

"That miserable skinflint!" Rei burst out once they were outside, her words dripping with venom. "He ripped us off because he thinks we're just a couple of vapid pop tarts with no credits to rub together."

Luna sighed heavily, slipping the crypto card into the pocket of her blue leather jacket. "I know. I had hoped there was still a shred of nostalgia left for us in this burg." The usual confidence in her voice wavered. "But I guess our star has faded."

Rei placed a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder, putting on a brave face. "Hey, don't get discouraged. We'll figure out a way to get the cash we need." She glanced around the seedy, garbage-strewn alley apprehensively. "There's got to be some sleaze bucket in this town willing to pay us for an hour's work."

A ghost of a trusting smile played across Luna's lips, but doubt clouded her eyes. "If you say so, sis. Lead the way then. We've got..." She checked the glowing digits on her watch. "Thirty days before the repo bots show up to strip our assets."

Nodding, Rei struck out into the cacophony of flashing neon signs and blaring advertisements, dragging Luna along in her wake. But inside, her doubts gnawed at her like hungry mutant rats.

The pulsing lights and deafening noise of the crowded promenade assaulted their senses from all sides, a kaleidoscope of colors and a discordant symphony of sounds all screaming for attention. Rei fought to maintain her composure as the sensory onslaught muddled her thoughts.

How could they have let their career collapse to this point - where they were utterly broke and desperate for any kind of work, legal or not? The memories of their lavish lifestyle of wanton spending and outrageous excess came flooding back, bitter reminders of the carefree extravagance that had ultimately doomed them.

Rei's step faltered as the full, crushing weight of their dire predicament finally sank in. What were they going to do? There was no way they could—

Suddenly, a massive form barreled towards them out of the crowd. Before Rei could even react, a towering, muscle-bound rhino man grabbed Luna in his powerful grip, pinning her arms and wrapping a meaty hand around her slender throat as he jammed the muzzle of a pistol against her temple.

"Don't try anything funny, meat!" he snarled, his beady black eyes glittering with malice as spittle flew from his grunting snout. "Or your pretty little sister gets a hot bullet right between her baby blue eyes."

Rei opened her mouth to protest, but the words caught in her throat as the rhino man tightened his choking grip on Luna, causing her to gasp for air.

"Hey! Ramskull!" a harsh voice barked.

A tall, lean figure in a battered leather jacket stepped out of the crowd, leveling a menacing pulse rifle directly at the thug's chest. He has the head of a German shepherd with a pair of feral dog eyes gleaming with almost feral intensity over his sunglasses.

"I've got a bead on you, Ramskull," the bounty hunter growled, baring a mouthful of wicked fangs. "Let the girl go, and maybe I'll just wing you rather than put a burning hole through that tiny brain of yours."

The rhino man grunted defiantly, yanking Luna tighter against his bulky torso as he shifted his pistol to her head. "Can it, mutt! I'll drop this skinka in a sparkbeat if you so much as twitch."

Rei's heart pounded in her throat as she watched the standoff play out, utterly helpless. Luna's terrified eyes met hers, pleading silently for her to do something.

Before Rei could make a reckless move, the bounty hunter swiftly reacted. With a subtle flick of his wrist, a pulsing disk of crackling plasma lanced out of his rifle, shrieking through the air and impacting the rhino man's shoulder with a sizzling blast.

Roaring in surprise and pain, the thug's enormous body arched backward, his meaty arms convulsing in agony as he involuntarily released his death grip on Luna. The pop diva crumpled to the ground in a gasping, coughing heap.

In a blur of motion, the bounty hunter closed the distance, smashing the butt of his rifle into the staggering rhino man's jaw with a sickening crunch of shattering bone and teeth. As the titanic figure crashed senseless to the ground, the hunter deftly snapped a pair of high-tensile manacles around his wrists.

Rei rushed to Luna's side, gathering her shaking sister into a fierce embrace as she shot a grateful look towards their rescuer.

The bounty hunter ignored them, holstering his rifle with a disdainful snort. He reached down and hauled the inert rhino man up by the scruff of his neck with almost casual ease, thick cords of muscle rippling beneath his battered jacket.

"Guess Ramskull will be going for the cheap lasercort this time," he growled, more to himself than anyone in particular. "This should cover my fee."

As he turned to leave, dragging his quarry behind him, Rei found her voice at last. "Wait! Who... what... thank you!"

The bounty hunter paused, glancing back over his shoulder with a roguish grin that made Rei's heart skip a beat unexpectedly.

"Hunter. Rally Hunter," he rumbled. "Just doing my job, gorgeous. Ramskull's been smashing crypto-exchanges across the district, thinking it'll solve the galaxy's economic woes." He snorted derisively. "Fat chance. But hey, at least I get paid."

With a casual wink and a sardonic chuckle, the dog-headed hunter melted back into the flow of the crowded promenade, disappearing from view as quickly as he had appeared.

"Did you see that?" Luna said, a sly grin spreading across her face as she elbowed Rei playfully in the ribs. "I think someone's got a little crush on our furry savior."

Rei swatted her sister's hand away, feigning indignation despite the flush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

"Whatever," she muttered, turning away to hide her blossoming smile. "It's not like he's not human or anything. Plenty of freaks go for body-mods these days."

Luna smirked knowingly as they set off once more into the pulsing neon throng. "If you say so, sis. If you say so…”

Rei grimaced as she stared in the direction where the bounty hunter trailed off with his prey. Damn! I should have asked for his contact!