"That seems unnecessarily pessimistic."

"It’s realistic." Lila shrugged. "People are going to look at you whether you want them to or not. Might as well control the narrative."

Chloe nodded slowly.

"She’s not wrong. Image management is half the battle in content creation."

"But I’m not a content creator. I’m an accountant."

"For a content creation company." Kumiko had somehow acquired a piece of pork belly on her chopsticks and was waving it for emphasis. "Which means you’re part of the brand! We should do a photoshoot!"

Brooke looked like she might faint.

"I would rather undergo dental surgery without anesthesia."

"That seems extreme."

"My feelings on the matter are extreme."

Jordan reached over and patted Brooke’s shoulder.

"No one’s making you do anything you’re uncomfortable with."

Brooke’s tension eased fractionally.

"Thank you."

"But." He held up a finger. "If you ever change your mind, you’d make a killing on the genius girlfriend archetype. Just saying."

"I have no intention of changing my mind."

"That’s what they all say."

Lila snorted.

"He’s got you there. I said streaming was beneath me and now I’ve got fifteen thousand people watching me eat chips and flame platinum players. Life comes at you fast."

"That constitutes your content?"

"More or less. I play games when the mood strikes me." Lila poured herself more soju. "Turns out guys will pay actual money to watch pretty girls insult them. Revolutionary discovery."

"It’s not revolutionary at all." Brooke’s delivery was completely flat. "The psychological appeal of perceived unattainability combined with intermittent positive reinforcement creates a predictable engagement loop. Humans have understood this dynamic for centuries."

The entire table stopped mid-motion and stared at her.

Brooke blinked at them.

"Did I say something incorrect?"

Chloe started laughing.

Not her controlled, polite laugh.

A real laugh that made her shoulders shake and her eyes crinkle.

"Brooke, you just explained parasocial relationships better than any marketing textbook I’ve ever read."

"I don’t understand what’s funny about that."

"Nothing." Chloe wiped her eyes. "It’s just refreshing. Most people in this industry pretend they don’t know exactly what they’re doing. You just laid it out like a math equation."

"Human behavior is mathematical. People assume it’s unpredictable because they haven’t identified the relevant variables."

Lila raised her soju glass.

"I officially love her. She’s like a robot programmed to accidentally roast everyone."

"I don’t intend to roast anyone."

"That’s what makes it perfect."

Kumiko had somehow migrated closer to Brooke during the conversation and was now pressed against her side.

"Brooke-chan is so smart! Can you explain my audience retention graphs to me? I look at them and my brain goes all fuzzy."

"Audience retention analysis requires understanding the correlation between content timestamps and viewer drop-off rates. If you provide me with your analytics dashboard access, I can generate a comprehensive report identifying optimal content length, engagement hooks, and—"

"See? So smart!" Kumiko hugged Brooke’s arm. "Jordan-kun, we’re keeping her forever."

Brooke’s face had gone from red to something approaching purple.

"I. Physical contact. Warning preferred."

"Oh!" Kumiko released her immediately. "Sorry! I’m a hugger. I should have asked."

"It’s. Fine. Just unexpected."

Jordan watched the exchange with something like wonder. Three weeks ago, his social circle consisted of Kyle and Leo, occasional awkward conversations with classmates, and the parasitic relationship with Eliza that had drained his bank account and self-respect. Now he sat at a table with four beautiful women, one of whom was literally asking permission to hug someone because she cared about their comfort.

Character development.

Who knew it was actually possible.

The grill sizzled as Lila added another round of meat, the flames dancing upward before settling back into their steady burn. The private booth felt warm in a way that had nothing to do with the temperature, filled with conversation and laughter and the kind of easy connection that Jordan had assumed was reserved for people who weren’t fundamentally broken.

"Question." Lila pointed her chopsticks at Jordan. "How many girlfriends do you actually have? Because the math isn’t mathing."

Kumiko giggled.

Chloe raised an eyebrow.

Brooke’s pen stopped moving.

"Two." Jordan kept his voice level. "Chloe and Kumiko."

"And they’re okay with that?"

"We discussed it."

"At length." Chloe’s tone was dry. "With spreadsheets."

"There were no spreadsheets."

"There was a whiteboard. Close enough."

Lila looked between them.

"So you’re just... open about it? No sneaking around or secret phones or anything?"

"Why would we sneak around?" Kumiko seemed genuinely confused. "Jordan-kun loves both of us and we love him. It’s not complicated."

"It’s extremely complicated." Chloe corrected. "But we make it work."

Lila was quiet for a moment.

"Huh."

"What?"

"Nothing. Just." She shrugged. "Most guys would lie about it. Pretend one doesn’t know about the other. Play games. You’re just... out here being honest."

"Lying is exhausting." Jordan reached for more beef. "And I’m lazy."

"You run a company, train at a boxing gym, take a full course load, and apparently own a hot springs resort. That’s not lazy."

"Selective laziness. I put effort into things that matter and refuse to waste energy on things that don’t."

"And lying doesn’t matter?"

"Lying to people I care about would destroy everything I’ve built. So no, it doesn’t get my energy."

Lila studied him with an expression he couldn’t quite read.

"You’re weird."

"So I’ve been told."

"It’s not an insult."

"I know."

The server arrived with more side dishes, small plates of kimchi and pickled radish and seasoned spinach arranged with careful precision. Kumiko immediately grabbed the kimchi and began eating it with the enthusiasm of someone who had discovered religion. Brooke examined each dish before selecting the least spicy option. Chloe continued eating at her measured pace, each bite calculated for maximum nutrition with minimum excess.

"Okay." Lila set down her chopsticks. "Real talk. Why me? There are bigger streamers, more established creators, people with actual consistent schedules. Why recruit the goth girl with a fifteen-thousand-follower channel who can barely remember to go live three times a week?"

Jordan had been waiting for this question.

"Because you’re authentic."