The cost of a brain

"Dating show?" My eyes grew wide. "This has to be a joke! You woke me up after three centuries just to throw me into some cheesy dating show?"

There is no way this is happening! I've paid a small fortune for this cryogenic program, and now they're tossing me into some stupid reality TV show? Me? Airi Osaki? The heir of the most wealthy and respected families in Japan? No! I'm not going to stoop so low!

Naomi lets out a sigh, likely noticing the shift in my mood. "It seems like someone skipped over the fine print before they went for the whole brain freeze deal, didn't she?" The blonde woman smirks, placing her right hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle.

Then she pulls out a tiny, see-through triangle from her right pocket. As she runs her thumb over one of its corners, it morphs into a little projector, casting a beam of white light that hits the glass walls and blossoms into a hologram.

"Here it is! This is the contract you made with Eureka Forever in 2024. Check it out; your signature is right here." Naomi points to a spot on the floating holographic page, "and if you flip to page fifty-six..." She gives the triangle a swipe again. "It clearly states that the company is allowed to revive your brain for any activity they consider vital for the good of humanity."

Is she really poking fun at me right now? I'm not tolerating this level of disrespect anymore.

I start to breathe in deeply as I struggle to not get upset. "Are you hearing yourself? How exactly is a dating show supposed to be essential for humanity? I really thought we had moved on from this kind of low-tier entertainment." I cross my arms and frown. "Back in my day, there were tons of shows like these. But let's face it, people weren't tuning in to get a brain boost."

The blonde woman laughs. "Well, it's for entertaining the masses, of course. Humanity needs entertainment to function too! It's in our Constitution now.Thanks to our new President of Earth, that is." She then shrugs.

I think I'm beginning to hate this president the more I hear about him.

"But I guess I shouldn't be shocked you're not into it. Rich folks like you used to be like that back in your day. Always looking down on the stuff everyone else enjoyed." Naomi turns the hologram off with a swipe.

"It's funny because I've been through your background, and you were quite the smart woman, am I right? So how is it that the heir of such an influential family like yours didn't give this contract a good once-over before slapping your name on the dotted line?" Naomi looks at me with a smile.

I can't believe she is still mocking me!

"But don't worry, I've seen this kind of situation all the time, really," she assures me. Naomi then settles into her glass armchair once again, crossing her legs like she's getting comfortable for a chat.

"I still think you should give this opportunity a try. You have nothing to lose." She pauses for a few seconds before she continues to talk. "Personally, I'm a big fan of the idea of the show! Even the aliens love it, and they're very picky when it comes to reality TV." She nods a few times, her voice sounding very excited as she continues to talk.

"The dating show is called Pick a Brain & Fall in Love. It's got a pretty unique concept. Just hear me out a little." She wiggles a little in her armchair, getting more comfortable.

I'm still not interested, but I will listen.

"So, there are these three contestants, right? And they all get to choose a brain from this lab's selection, but here's the catch: they only know their first name, age, and the year the brain was preserved. No photos, no personal details, not even their social media posts!" She laughs.

"And as you might expect, the goal of the show is to find true love within three whole months." The blonde woman looks totally smitten just talking about it; it was easy to tell Naomi is a big fan of the show.

"I still think it's dumb." I shift in my seat and lean back. "What's going to happen if I don't go along with it? Are you going to do something crazy, like kill me?" I gaze straight at her.

"Yes, and I will be the one who will have to do the killing." Naomi's voice changed into a more serious tone. And her stare turned cold.

"Um... what?" I look back at her in disbelief.

After a few seconds, she bursts into laughter. "Got you!" She laughs even harder. "I'm just joking, of course! You're in no danger here. The world is much more peaceful now than it ever was!" Naomi continues to laugh, but I don't laugh with her.

This woman is crazy!

"Oh, come on! I wouldn't hurt a cute, adorable humanoid like you!" She smirks before she returns her attention to a yellow plant with round leaves that was hanging from the ceiling.

"Look. If you're not comfortable with it, just say the word. I'll make sure someone comes to get your brain back into the freezer." Naomi sighs, then she rises from her chair and stretches her legs.

"But honestly, it's a shame..." She walks across the room to gaze out the window. "A contestant already invested a whole lot in that brain of yours." She pauses for a few seconds. "I mean... oops, maybe I shouldn't have let that slip." She flashes a grin my way, then spins around to face me directly.

"What do you mean?" I then look back at her, confused by her statement.

"Well, you didn't hear it from me... but someone went all out to get you on this show. They really put a lot of HP on the table for your cute little brain!"

"HP?"

"Yes. A brain like yours is very expensive since it's 300 years old and all that." Naomi scratches her chin and then glances back at the window. "This contestant put A LOT on the line to get a chance to meet you." She then stares out the window for a few seconds more.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, but contestants need to pay to participate in the dating show. Don't judge us. We have to make a living somehow!" She shrugs before she begins to walk around the glass room. "Don't worry, you don't have to, since you're one of the brains on the show." She pauses and looks at me. "However, we don't take regular money; our company only takes HP."

"Ok, but what's HP?" I look at her, feeling more and more confused.

"We earthlings now have a new special currency called HP that exists alongside money. But it's not something you can just buy with your old, regular cash." Naomi crosses her arms and looks at me.

"And these points are usually used for buying really rare, one-of-a-kind stuff, like, for example, a 300-year-old brain or maybe a one-of-a-kind diamond that can only be found on Jupiter."

A currency that can't be bought with money, huh? And they call it HP? Wait a minute!

HP as in... health points? How is this even legal?

Naomi giggles before settling back into her glass armchair.

This has to be a joke! Did that contestant really trade their own life span just to be on a dating show with... my brain? What kind of crazy world is this?