Open the door

“Thank you.”

Mirko gave you a small nod and stepped into your house.

You noticed that when Mirko lowered her head, she also slightly tugged at her dress shirt, giving you the tiniest peek of what she wore underneath.

‘Typical.’

It wasn’t out of the blue for a Character to take such alluring actions.

With everyone and their neighbors having a Character of their own as wage-free advertisements, it was common practice for them to do whatever they could to draw attention.

But even with the knowledge equipped, you couldn’t deny it was effective.

Your eyes lingered on Mirko’s cleavage as you walked beside her.

Your room was simple.

It was one of the complimentary housing provided by RealDreams. There weren’t any fancy decorations or large spaces, but it was more than enough to be a comfortable home for one person.

You led Mirko to the living room, where Mirko took a chair and sat down as you took a seat on a small sofa.

“So…what does the RealDreams want from a broke, fresh meat like me? If this is about taking a loan…”

“Not precisely.”

Mirko smiled and put out several documents on the table.

You reached out to one of them and read the first page, but the unfamiliar words were too complex for you to understand.

“…is there an elementary setting, or…?”

“To keep it simple, RealDreams has a special program for people whose account balance drops below $100.

Although it is a rare occasion for it to hit 0…”

“Bite me.”

You scowled.

You didn’t need a manga character to rub in the fact that you weren’t being the smartest with your money.

“What’s the program? Do I need to sign off my brain to the corporation or something?”

Mirko smiled and placed her hands over her stomach.

“Quite the opposite. The program is called [DreamCare Initiative].

We RealDreams value every human as our potential customer, so we are glad to provide one free Character for those in need.”

“…seriously?”

You sat upright on your sofa.

You couldn’t believe what you just heard.

Characters from RealDreams were among the very few things that were still expensive in this low-spending world, and here, the sole provider of said product was saying they’d give one away for free.

Obviously, this was too good to be true.

“What’s the catch?”

“Oh?”

Mirko set down a sheet of paper with her eyes wide in surprise.

This time, it was filled with pictures of various characters, each with a short description explaining themselves.

“I was going to let you choose which Character to obtain…but if you want to hear the entire deal first.”

Mirko stood up straight in her seat and looked straight into your eyes.

“You need to pay a monthly fee to our company.”

“I knew it.”

You threw your hands up in the air, exasperated.

“Look, if I could get a job that easily—”

“I never said anything about a job, sir.”

You frowned.

Mirko’s tone suggested there was an alternative to earning money through hard work.

“What, you want me to break into a bank and grab cash bags full of money like some C-tier Batman villain? Does the bank even have actual cash anymore?”

“Firstly, yes. The bank still has viable cash in store.

Secondly, that is one of the options. But RealDreams won’t be held accountable for any illegal actions you take with your Characters.”

“Well, then, how do you expect me to earn money?”

“Again, that’s a problem you must answer by yourself.”

Mirko pushed the magazine towards you.

“RealDreams would deduct 20$ from your account on the last date of the month for a year.

If you fail to meet the quota, we will repossess not only the Character we have provided for you, but also other benefits you have been enjoying, such as this house…and free health care.”

You shivered at the thought.

Losing your house was one thing, but the threat of having to pay your own medical bills was something straight out of your worst nightmares.

Mirko smiled again, noting the horrified expression on your face as a sign that you understood the company policies correctly.

“Well then, please take a good look at our suggestion catalog and make your choice.”