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Jordan’s thumb stayed frozen over the no button.

Kumiko turned away from the TV screen. Walked directly toward him with purpose that made his survival instincts kick in.

She stopped at the edge of the table. Looked down at him with those big eyes that probably worked on every guy who’d ever made the mistake of saying no to her.

"Duet time."

Jordan blinked. "What?"

"You and me. Right now." She held out her hand like she expected him to take it. No question. No hesitation.

"I really don’t think—"

"Come on. It’ll be fun." Her voice carried that particular pitch that girls used when they’d already decided the outcome and were just waiting for the guy to catch up.

Jordan glanced at Chloe.

She was watching Kumiko with an expression he couldn’t read. Something passed between them. Some silent conversation that existed entirely in micro-expressions and the slight tilt of Chloe’s head.

Kumiko’s smile never wavered.

Chloe’s eyes narrowed. Just barely.

Then Chloe’s mouth curved up at one corner. "Go sing. We only have forty-five minutes left."

The words came out casual. Easy. Like she was suggesting he grab another piece of chicken instead of performing a romantic duet with her best friend while a magical phone app tried to convince him to lock said best friend into a permanent relationship slot.

Kumiko’s grin widened. She grabbed Jordan’s arm. Her fingers wrapped around his bicep with surprising strength for someone who looked like she subsisted entirely on strawberry milk and anime.

"Come on, come on." She tugged. Insistent.

Jordan stood because staying seated would’ve required actively resisting, and that felt like it would draw more attention than just going along with it.

His phone was still in his other hand. The notification glowed under the table.

Register to Slot 2?

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He shoved the phone back in his pocket without answering. The screen went dark.

Kumiko pulled him toward the front of the room. Picked up the second microphone from its stand. Handed it to him with the confidence of someone who’d done this a thousand times.

"What kind of song do you want?"

Jordan looked at the TV screen. Scrolled through options with zero comprehension. His brain was still stuck on the notification burning a hole through his jeans.

"You pick."

"Really?" Her face lit up like he’d just handed her a winning lottery ticket.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever you want."

Kumiko bounced on her heels. Actually bounced. Then she grabbed the remote and started scrolling with the focus of a military tactician planning an invasion.

Jordan glanced back at the booth.

Chloe was talking to Alexis. Their heads were close together. Alexis said something that made Chloe laugh and shove her shoulder.

Kyle leaned toward Leo. Whispered something. Leo’s eyes went wide.

Whatever conversation was happening back there, Jordan wasn’t part of it.

"Found it." Kumiko’s voice pulled his attention back.

The song title appeared on screen. Some J-pop love song he’d never heard of.

The opening notes started. Bright. Upbeat. Aggressively cheerful in a way that made Jordan’s teeth hurt.

Kumiko started singing immediately. Her Japanese was flawless. Perfect pronunciation. She hit every note with the kind of ease that came from singing this exact song fifty times minimum.

The English lyrics scrolled underneath. Something about meeting under cherry blossoms and promises that last forever.

Jordan’s part came up highlighted in blue.

He lifted the microphone. Opened his mouth.

The Alluring Whisper trait kicked in before his brain could stop it.

His voice came out smooth. Rich. Wrapping around the Japanese syllables even though he had no idea what half of them meant and was just reading them phonetically off the screen.

Kumiko’s eyes went wide. She missed the next line entirely.

Then she recovered. Came back in on the chorus. Their voices blended together in a way that shouldn’t have worked but somehow did.

She moved closer. Stepped into his space with zero warning.

Her shoulder bumped his arm. Her twin-tails swayed as she swayed. The pink ribbons caught the colored lights from the TV.

The song hit the bridge. Kumiko’s part. She sang it while looking directly at him with an intensity that felt like being studied under a microscope.

Jordan’s part came back. He sang it while looking at literally anything except her face.

The wall. The ceiling. The half-eaten plate of tteokbokki on the table.

His eyes found Chloe.

She was still watching. Her expression hadn’t changed. Still casual. Still easy.

Except her fingers were pressed flat against the table’s edge. White at the knuckles.

The final chorus hit. Kumiko grabbed his hand. The one not holding the microphone.

Lifted it. Placed it on her waist like they were dancing instead of standing in a karaoke room that smelled like fried chicken and soju.

Her hand stayed on top of his. Held it there.

Jordan’s brain short-circuited.

The last note faded. Silence crashed down.

Kumiko was still holding his hand against her waist.

Kyle started clapping. "Okay that was actually really good."

Leo nodded like his head was on a spring. "Seriously. You guys should like. Do that professionally or something."

Alexis picked up her phone. Didn’t look up. "It was fine."

Chloe said nothing.

Kumiko let go of Jordan’s hand. Stepped back with a smile that looked too practiced. Too perfect.

"See? That was fun." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Jordan’s throat felt dry. "Yeah. Fun."

He walked back to the booth. Dropped into his seat next to Chloe.

She turned to look at him. Those blue eyes were unreadable again.

"You’re really good at that."

"At what?"

"Singing with other people."

Kyle grabbed the microphone. "Alright my turn again. I’m picking something from the 2000s and nobody can stop me."

He picked some pop-punk song. Murdered it with enthusiasm.

Kumiko sat down on Jordan’s other side. The side that wasn’t Chloe.

She leaned close. Her shoulder pressed against his arm. "That was really fun. We should do it again."

"Maybe later."

"Or we could do a trio. You, me, and Chloe." Her voice carried that same bright energy. Relentless. "What do you think, Chloe?"

Chloe was pouring herself another shot of soju. "I think Jordan should probably take a break."

"But he’s so good at it."

"I noticed."

Something sharp lived under those two words. Something that made the temperature in the room drop approximately ten degrees.

Kumiko either didn’t notice or chose to ignore it. She picked up a piece of chicken. Took a bite. Talked while chewing.

"Jordan, what’s your type?"