Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

"Name."

"Chizuru Mizuhara."

"Your real name…"

"I-…I-Ichinose…Chi-…Chizuru…"

The university student had likely never encountered such a scene. A bunch of bizarre-looking beings surrounded her, eager to extract information.

Noldrei, browsing online reviews of her, asked, "How long have you been in this line of work? How much dough do you make per session?" [米 (mǐ) can refer to both "meter" and "rice," but in slang, it can also mean "money."]

"I, uh, not long… My income is… meager."

Ichinose Chizuru's words were almost comical, and even Bronya nearly cracked a smile.

"Meager, huh? I knew the platform was saturated, but not this bad. So, how much for a… coupling session?"

Noldrei's question made Chizuru flush crimson. She stammered, "I don't… I'm still…"

Before she could finish, the room erupted in laughter.

It was a cacophony of amusement. The text here seems to contain corrupted characters, so I've omitted them.

"This is too much! Bwahahaha, I can't hold it in anymore, Bronya!"

"Same. It's like listening to a stand-up routine."

"Putting a price on… services… and then claiming you're not selling your body. Like wearing a skinsuit for a… physical interaction… and pretending it's not actually a physical interaction."

"To think society has become so… twisted…"

"Oh my god, this is killing me! Ahahahaha!"

Everyone roared with laughter, unable to contain their amusement at the absurdity.

Ichinose Chizuru had definitely never encountered this. She had expected a normal booking, not this horrifying turn of events. None of these people seemed normal; she'd even spotted some major figures she'd never seen before (referring to Tesla).

It turned out they'd ordered her just to conduct market research on her profession.

The only one not laughing, Noldrei, seemed utterly indifferent to her distress. Chizuru felt like a specimen exposed under a microscope, helpless and terrified. The mocking laughter was like a thunderclap striking her neurons. Blood rushed to her face, her heart pounding at a rate it never had before.

"Unexpected levels of sexual repression for a primitive era…" Noldrei mused, nodding. He was fairly certain she wasn't lying. It likely came down to bargaining power – more transactions meant a lower price.

He scoffed. "Such fragile primitives. How can they possibly carry the banner of a new era?"

"Can you let me go now?!" Ichinose Chizuru was mortified, having never experienced such intense humiliation.

"Ichinose, was it? Let me ask you, if I were to publicize your platform globally, let everyone know who you are… how would you feel about that?"

"You can't do that!" she cried out in alarm.

Noldrei's expression turned serious. "That's where you're wrong. You should embrace your profession. Advertising will bring you more clients. As for the legality… don't worry, I'll make it a legitimate industry."

"What the hell?! What are you planning?!" Kiana, no longer amused, jumped up. "You can't just legalize that!"

"L-Legal?!" Ichinose Chizuru was dumbfounded, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Legalize, regulate, tax, set industry standards, recruit more talent," Noldrei explained smoothly. "You make money, the platform makes money, you can even get super chats from big spenders. Way more efficient than these… rental sessions. Everyone wins. Isn't that how your modern society works?"

"Crap, he's figured out modern society!" Bronya thought, dreading the increasingly primitive actions of this future man.

"I… I…" Ichinose Chizuru seemed completely overwhelmed by the idea, shocked by Noldrei's words and the image of herself topping a rental leaderboard.

"You could get bookings from wealthy clients, start bidding wars, and choose your favorites. This platform has potential. Think of it – industrialized, streamlined solutions for humanity's cheap sexual repression needs. Even if it's just… fapping to your screen, it's still social progress!"

"That's not social progress! Don't drag us down the path of cyber-prostitution!" Bronya couldn't contain herself.

"No, no, this can't happen!"

Ichinose Chizuru knew she couldn't fight these monsters. She realized they had connections to the upper echelons of Academy City – the Raiden family, Dr. Tesla, and various other… transhuman beings.

Clearly, this leader intended to turn all women into cogs in a machine for processing sexual repression. Even the silent Herrscher of the Void was impressed; Noldrei's methods of human deconstruction far surpassed any Herrscher.

"Sadly, the exploitation of the consumer market hasn't reached its peak. We need to push it to the extreme for maximum impact."

Noldrei cared nothing for the suffering of these primitives. If they chose this mode of production, they must also bear its consequences. If this era wasn't painful enough, how could he push them towards Academy City's gene-currency system?

"If you're worried about physical strain, Academy City offers top-tier healthcare in partnership with your platform. Artificial wombs, replacement organs, even cosmetic surgery – whatever you need. See? Like this…"

Noldrei shifted, his face morphing into an exact replica of Ichinose Chizuru's, demonstrating the future of industrial girlfriend manufacturing. If physical attributes were customizable, the only remaining factor in the emotional services industry would be dedication to the craft. Noldrei was truly dedicated to the purity of the rental girlfriend industry.

His face, identical to Chizuru's, smiled. "Don't worry, customizable bio-tech is coming soon. We'll make cosmetic procedures affordable for every Far Easterner. Change your look every month, attract more clients with a constantly evolving appearance system."

"Here's a survey based on your era's customs. Please fill it out. I'll also order a few more… deliveries… to bring more people into the industry."

"You'll be the rising star of the rental scene!"