A new way to earn more money

You took a public automobile to your destination.

It didn't feel necessary to take Juri through the AD route as well when she was already so compliant.

Besides, the place you were planning to go was quite far away.

You didn't want to walk all the way over in this summer heat.

Inside the car, you filled Juri in on the current agenda.

"So... you need to earn $1,000 or more within the next three months, and while Tsun-Tsun works at the hospital during weekdays, I get to earn money on...wherever we're going now."

"Correct."

You nodded.

After a brief hesitation, Juri asked you a question out of the blue.

"This 'Mirko' chick...is she hot too?"

You gave her a disapproving side-eye.

"You're really gunning for every option you can get, aren't you?

Keep in mind that you're all my toys to begin with."

Juri quickly raised her hands to her chest.

"Whoa, whoa. I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries, master.

I'm just trying to make the best out of my current situation.

It's not like I had a bunch of beautiful girls from other dimensions near me back in my world."

You squinted at Juri.

"That's fine...but keep it in mind who your true master is."

"Sure will, master."

Once you arrived at your destination, Juri was more excited than ever.

"Whoa! Is this place what I think it is!?"

Her eyes twinkled with excitement as she looked upon the giant Coliseum towering in front of her.

"If you're asking, can you fight inside it, then yes. That's exactly why you're here."

"Oh, fuck yeah!!"

Juri leaped into the air in excitement, then gave you a big hug.

"Thank you, master!"

It didn't feel bad to see your Character be so joyful.

Maybe there were other ways to enjoy their company apart from using them like a sex doll.

"Hey, don't thank me yet. I'm not sure how this works exactly.

I've only figured out that you can register here every weekend on Saturday."

"Then let's hurry!"

Juri practically bounced from excitement with each step as she dragged you towards the entrance of the Coliseum.

Once you entered the building, you were surprised to find that the lobby was jam-packed with various people and Characters alike.

"This seems odd..."

Juri muttered.

She looked over the sea of heads with a slight frown.

"More than half of them don't even look like fighters."

"Well, it's hard to tell with fictional Characters."

"I suppose you're right..."

Still, Juri crossed her arms with a dissatisfied look.

You were surprised to witness such a moral reaction from her... until another theory came to mind a few minutes later.

"Hold on, you're just worried that you won't get a good fight with a lackluster opponent, aren't you?"

"Yeah, why?"

Juri looked at you with a confused expression.

"...never mind."

You decided to drop the subject.

After all, it was hilariously hypocritical to argue with her about morals when her very existence showed how little this world valued such things.

After waiting for half an hour more, it was finally your turn to walk up to the front desk.

"Owner's name?"

The employee behind the counter asked in a stale tone without even looking up from her computer.

"Uh, James Gardner."

You assumed she was a Character too, but it was hard to tell. Her eyes were even more baggy than Mirko's, which was saying a lot.

The employee typed something, presumably your name, into the computer.

Then she picked up a digital scanner and beckoned for Juri to come closer.

"Turn around and stay still."

The employee pressed the scanner on the back of Juri's neck, where her Reality Chip was.

Beep!

The machine connected to the scanner printed out a short receipt. The employee ripped it out and handed it over to you.

[No. 157]

"That is your number during the exhibition match. Go into the right hallway and put in the number on the keypad; it will lead you to your designated waiting room."

"Thanks."

The employee gave you a lifeless nod.

You walked into the right hallway with Juri, which led to an elevator with a keypad instead of regular buttons.

Once you put in the number on the keypad, the door closed behind you and moved horizontally.

"Whoa, this is awesome."

Juri muttered.

You were also impressed.

You haven't even been in an elevator that moved on a different axis, but you kept your cool—you didn't want to look too childish in front of your ****.

Ding!

The elevator stopped with a pleasant noise.

The door opened up to reveal a fancy wooden door with a plack that read [157].

[Please step out of the elevator and enter your room number. If this is not your room, enter the number once again.]

"Yeah, yeah. There's no need to breathe down on our necks."

Juri rolled her eyes as she pushed opened the door.

You followed her into the waiting room.

It was surprisingly similar to a hotel room.

There was a large bed facing a TV, a small fridge and a bathroom.

As Juri flung herself back-first onto the bed, you picked up a paper left on the bedside table.

[Everything in the room has their own prices apart from the water bottles.

Any purchase will be postpaied once you checkout.

The digital clock will tell you how much time has left until your turn comes up.

We strongly advise you to leave the room at 00:10 (10 mintues left) so that any challenger behind you don't have to wait for long.

If you're somehow late, your number will be skipped and you will have to pay the late fee.

We hope you enjoy the stay at the Neo Pantheon!]

"...Neo Pantheon, eh?"

You muttered.

It was a bit too fancy name for an underground fighting arena, in your opinion.

"Huh?"

Juri looked up with a confused look.

You waved at her that it was nothing and looked around the room again.

In the fridge, there was a dozen watter bottles and a menu with a full set of meals one could order through room service.

Although, everything was disgustingly overpriced so you shoved the menu back in without hesitation.

Also, you noticed a small wardrobe next to the bathroom.

"Oooh, interesting."

Juri, who peeked over your shoulder, muttered in interest.

Inside the wardrobe, there were various revealing clothes on the hanger and a box full of sex toys on the bottom.

"Don't touch anything...for now."

You said as Juri reached out for a purple dildo.

"Aww, man."

Juri pouted, turned around and flopped back onto the bed.

You closed the wardrobe and glanced at the bedside table again.

There, a small table digital clock was ticking down.

[02:29]

"Two hours and 29 minutes..."

It roughly translated to 150 minutes, which meant that every contestant had 1 minute in average during the exhibition match.

You also explained what the paper said to Juri, who weren't much thrilled to learn that she had to wait more than two hours before the action.

"Why is finding soneone to fight against such a hassle around here?"

"I suppose you could look for any street fighting tournaments later if you're really ****...but we'll need to earn some money before that."

"Fiiiiine."

Juri sighed.

Then, after a few seconds of silence, her devious smile switched on.

"So...how are we supposed to spend the time while waiting, master?

Because I have an idea..."

She slowly turned over and arched her back, swaying her hips in front of you in a tantalizing way as she pulled her pants down.

"Of course, the choice is yours, master~♡"