A quick answer

You send a response to the email, indicating your interest. You don’t receive an immediate reply, but that’s not unexpected. You and Emi make dinner together, the cat girl actually doing more of the cooking tonight. It seems she’s eager to be more helpful around the apartment, and learning to cook really interests her.

Just as you sit down for dinner, your phone rings. You set your fork aside and answer. “Hello?”

“Yes, hello, is this Mr. Stevens?”

“It is.”

“Excellent. Mr. Stevens, I am Annette, and I’m with CompanionCorp. I understand that you’re interested in taking our offer for one of the fantasy Hybrids, correct?”

“That’s correct.”

“Wonderful! I already have most of your information, so this will be fairly simple. I mostly have some things to cover with you, and then we can move forward with this.”

You glance at Emi, who watches intently. “Sounds good to me.”

You hear the sounds of a keyboard. “Thank you, Mr. Stevens. Now, first off, you are accepting the Hybrid that was previously selected. There’s no special requirement for this particular model, so she can live anywhere with relative ease. I can’t give you full details about her until you come finalize your sale, but I can say that she is female, with a cheerful disposition, and very friendly. She has no dietary restrictions, and she is rather small in stature, and so won’t require much space.”

“Sounds fine so far.”

“Excellent. As our email stated, you will be assigned a medical contractor, and we recommend taking your Hybrid to see the doctor within a week to establish a baseline of care. The doctor in your area is…let’s see…ahh, here it is. Doctor Sam Hass. I will contact them and let them know what’s happening, and you can set up a visit once you’ve received your Hybrid.”

“Got it. And they’re not an employee of CompanionCorp?”

There’s a moment of hesitation. “Yes, that’s correct. They report issues to us, but they are not directly employed by us.”

You nod at Emi. “I was just curious.”

“Of course, sir. One last subject, then. The payment. Now, due to the circumstances, the fee is greatly reduced, but it’s still not insignificant. I should remind you, however, that it also covers medical costs and liability insurance for your Hybrid.”

“I understand. I live fairly frugally, so I’ll be fine.”

“Very good. So you’re looking at…only $120. Monthly.”

You blink. That’s a lot, but you’re not terribly surprised. Honestly, it’s cheaper than you anticipated. “Sounds good, I can handle that.”

“Wonderful! Now, if I set an appointment for tomorrow afternoon, would you be able to come to our office? You can sign the paperwork, and we’ll have your Hybrid ready for you.”

“So soon?”

“Of course, sir! We’re all set to go!”

You think for a moment, then you shrug. “Sure, tomorrow works.”

“Excellent. I’ll set up an appointment. Does 2pm work for you?”

“It does, yes.”

“Wonderful, we will see you then. Have a pleasant evening, Mr. Stevens.”

You hang up the phone, and look at Emi. “Well…I guess we’re getting a new roommate. Tomorrow.”

Emi smiles. “I’m sure she’ll love it here. I do.”