Infinite Cashback System

"She means Instagram," Kumiko said quickly. "Chloe’s Instagram. With the photos and the captions and stuff."

Chloe nodded. Relief in her eyes. "Right. That."

Jordan looked between them.

Suspicious.

But he let it go.

Crisis averted.

Barely.

Kumiko made a mental note to be more careful with her words.

"Anyway." She stood. "Just Chatting is good for starting out. You can add other stuff later. Maybe cooking streams? You’re Korean. People love Korean cooking content."

"I can barely make ramen."

"Then make ramen on stream. Chat will eat that shit up. Literally."

Chloe laughed.

The sound was light. Genuine.

Kumiko felt that twist in her chest again.

Jealousy mixed with something else.

Affection maybe.

Chloe was her best friend. Had been since freshman year of High School. They told each other everything.

Well.

Almost everything.

Kumiko had never mentioned the spreadsheet.

The one where she tracked potential boyfriend candidates.

Jordan would have ranked high. Really high.

Good looks. Check.

Tall. Check.

Could sing. Check.

Seemed emotionally available. Check.

Not a creep. Check.

The only problem was Chloe had found him first.

And Kumiko was not about to fight her best friend over a boy.

No matter how perfect he seemed.

"What about equipment?" Jordan asked. "Besides the PC."

"Oh. Right." Kumiko pulled up her notes app. "You’ll need a good microphone. Not the built-in laptop garbage. An actual USB condenser mic. I recommend the Blue Yeti or the Audio-Technica AT2020."

She showed them pictures.

Jordan squinted at the prices. "Two hundred dollars for a microphone?"

"Audio quality matters. A lot. People will forgive bad video before they forgive bad audio."

"That seems backwards."

"Trust me. Bad audio is painful." Kumiko scrolled down. "You’ll also need a decent webcam. The iMac camera is probably fine for now but eventually you’ll want something better. The Logitech C920 is the standard."

"More money."

"Streaming is expensive. Sorry." She shrugged. "You also need good lighting. That ring light is a start but you might want some key lights or soft boxes to fill in shadows."

Chloe groaned. "This is so much."

"It is. But once you have it set up you’re good for years." Kumiko sat back down on the coffee table. "And honestly? Content matters more than gear. You could stream on a potato if your personality is good enough."

"So what you’re saying is I need to be entertaining."

"Exactly."

"Great. No pressure."

Jordan put his hand on Chloe’s thigh. Squeezed gently.

"You’ll be fine," he said.

His voice was soft. Warm.

The kind of voice that made you believe what he said.

Kumiko watched Chloe melt slightly at the touch.

God.

They were disgustingly cute.

She wanted that.

Wanted someone to look at her the way Jordan looked at Chloe. Like she was the only person in the room. Like her words actually mattered.

Every guy Kumiko dated looked at her chest first. Her face second. Her personality maybe third if she was lucky.

Jordan’s eyes had stayed on Chloe’s face the entire conversation.

Not once had he looked down.

Not once.

Kumiko tested it.

She stretched. Arched her back slightly. Let her cardigan pull tight across her chest.

Jordan’s eyes didn’t move.

Still focused on Chloe.

Unbelievable.

Either he was gay or deeply in love.

Given the sex they clearly just had, probably not gay.

Which meant.

Shit.

He really liked her.

"When’s your first stream?" Kumiko asked.

"Thursday," Chloe said. "That’s what we were thinking anyway."

"Thursday. Okay. That gives us two days." Kumiko pulled up her calendar. "I can come over tomorrow night and we’ll do a test run. Make sure OBS is set up right and your audio levels are good and you know how to interact with chat."

"You don’t have to do that."

"I want to. You’re my best friend. I want you to succeed."

Chloe smiled. Soft and grateful.

"Thank you, Kumi."

"Don’t thank me yet. I’m a strict teacher."

"I believe it."

Kumiko stood quickly. "Okay. I’m gonna. Go. Let you two talk. I’ll text you the parts list tonight and we’ll go shopping tomorrow."

"You don’t have to leave," Chloe said.

"I do actually. I have a stream at eight and I need to prep."

Lie.

Total lie.

Her stream wasn’t until nine and she’d already prepped earlier.

But these two needed space.

And Kumiko needed to not watch them be adorable.

It hurt too much.

"Text me later," Kumiko said. She grabbed her bag. "And Jordan? Take care of her. Or I’ll kick your ass."

Jordan smiled. "Noted."

"I’m serious. I know where you live."

"Literally next door."

"Exactly. Nowhere to hide."

Chloe laughed. "Kumi. Stop threatening my boyfriend."

My boyfriend.

Kumiko forced herself to smile. "Fine. But the threat stands."

She headed for the door.

Unlocked it.

Glanced back once.

Jordan had pulled Chloe into his arms. Her face pressed against his chest. His hand stroking her hair.

They looked like a romance novel cover.

Perfect.

Infuriating.

Kumiko stepped into the hallway.

Closed the door behind her.

Leaned against the wall.

Took a deep breath.

She was happy for Chloe.

She was.

She was.

Her phone buzzed.

A notification from Twitter.

Someone had replied to her thirst trap from yesterday.

Some guy with an anime profile picture.

"You’re so hot. Do you have an OnlyFans?"

Kumiko deleted the notification without responding.

She walked down the hallway toward the elevator.

Her heels clicked against the tile.

Loud in the empty corridor.

Maybe she should get a boyfriend.

A real one.

Not the guys she dated who lasted three weeks before she got bored or they showed their true colors.

Someone genuine.

Someone who looked at her the way Jordan looked at Chloe.

The elevator dinged.

Doors opened.

Empty.

Kumiko stepped inside.

Hit the button for the lobby.

The doors closed.

She caught her reflection in the metal panel.

Pink cardigan. White skirt. Twin tails perfectly styled.

She looked cute.

She always looked cute.

So why was she going home alone while her best friend had a perfect boyfriend waiting in her apartment?

The elevator descended.

Kumiko pulled out her phone.

Opened her dating apps.

Swiped.

Left. Left. Left.

Too short. Too old. Shirtless bathroom selfie.

Right.

Maybe this one?

She checked his profile.

"Looking for something casual. No drama."

Left.

The elevator reached the lobby.

Kumiko stepped out.

Walked through the glass doors into the cool evening air.

Her car sat in the parking lot.

A white Honda Civic.

Same as Chloe’s.

Same as Jordan’s.

They’d joked about it at karaoke.

Kumiko unlocked her car.

Slid into the driver’s seat.

Sat there for a moment.

Her phone buzzed again.

Another dating app notification.

She ignored it.

Started the engine instead.

Pulled out of the parking lot.

Headed home to her empty apartment where she’d stream for three hours and pretend to be happy for strangers on the internet.