Chapter 149: 149 | Carpal Tunnel is Not Cute, But This Rebate Is
The keyboard section alone took twenty minutes because Kumiko and Chloe couldn’t agree on switches. Kumiko wanted Cherry MX Browns for the tactile bump. Chloe wanted something quieter because she planned to stream with her microphone six inches from the keyboard.
"If your audience hears click click click every time you type something in chat, they’re going to lose their minds," Chloe said, pressing a sample key on a display board and wrinkling her nose at the sound.
"But Browns feel so good." Kumiko pressed the same key with her index finger, then pressed it again, then pressed it four more times in rapid succession with an expression of pure bliss. "You can feel the activation point. It’s satisfying."
"It sounds like someone stepping on bubble wrap."
"Bubble wrap is satisfying."
"Bubble wrap isn’t broadcasting live to hundreds of people."
Jordan stood behind them with the basket hanging from the crook of his elbow, watching two women argue about plastic switches with the same intensity most people reserved for politics or religion. He shifted the basket to his other arm. The thing was getting heavy. Microphone, microphone arm, pop filter, shock mount, XLR cable, USB audio interface, and a webcam that cost more than Jordan’s monthly grocery budget from three weeks ago. The new grocery budget was different, obviously, because the System had turned dating into a revenue stream, but the principle remained.
Kumiko eventually conceded to Cherry MX Red switches. Linear. Smooth press with no tactile bump. Dead silent compared to the alternatives. She made Jordan press one so he could appreciate what they were sacrificing, and he had to admit the Browns felt better under his fingertips, but the Reds produced almost no sound, which was the whole point.
Chloe selected a white wireless keyboard with per-key RGB lighting that came with a matching white wireless mouse. The aesthetic matched her streaming setup, clean and minimalist with just enough color to pop on camera. Jordan added both to the basket without commenting on the combined price tag. Kumiko threw in a mouse pad the size of a welcome mat that featured a custom wrist rest and extended all the way to the keyboard position.
"Trust me," Kumiko said when Jordan raised an eyebrow at the oversized pad. "Your wrists will thank you after a four-hour stream. Carpal tunnel is not cute."
They hit the webcam section next, where Chloe already knew exactly what she wanted. Logitech C920. Standard issue for anyone starting out. Good image quality, decent autofocus, worked with OBS out of the box. Kumiko grabbed it off the shelf and tossed it into the basket like she was lobbing a basketball, and Jordan caught it with his free hand before it could bounce off the microphone box. His King of Disco trait, or more specifically the fine motor control it granted him, made the grab look effortless. Kumiko stared at his hand for a second too long before she turned away and started explaining why they needed a specific brand of LED strip lighting.
The lighting section required another fifteen minutes of debate, this time about color temperature and whether RGB strips or warm-tone LEDs would better complement Chloe’s skin tone on camera. Kumiko advocated for full RGB flexibility. Chloe wanted something that didn’t make her apartment look like a gaming cave. They compromised on a set of smart LED bars that could switch between warm tones for Just Chatting streams and full RGB for gaming content.
Jordan carried everything.
By the time they finished, the basket weighed approximately the same as a small child. Jordan had transferred most of the items to a proper shopping cart that Kumiko commandeered from an abandoned aisle, but the cart was now full to capacity with boxes stacked on top of boxes. The total inventory included one professional microphone with full mounting kit and audio interface, one webcam, one wireless keyboard and mouse set, one oversized mouse pad, two LED light bars, a pack of acoustic foam panels, cable management clips, a six-outlet surge protector, and a monitor riser that Kumiko threw in at the last second because she said proper ergonomics separated professionals from amateurs.
Chloe looked at the cart and then looked at Jordan with an expression that contained something complicated. Gratitude tangled up with guilt tangled up with the stubborn independence that defined every financial decision she made.
"This is a lot," she said.
"It’s an investment."
"It’s a lot of investment."
"I told you. Business loan. Zero interest. You pay me back when StellarNote starts making money."
Chloe chewed her bottom lip. The blue streak in her hair fell across her cheekbone as she tilted her head, and Jordan wanted to tuck it behind her ear but didn’t because they were standing in the middle of Micro Center and he was trying very hard to be the kind of boyfriend who supported his girlfriend’s career rather than the kind who couldn’t keep his hands off her for more than forty-five seconds.
"You’re being really annoying right now," Chloe said.
"How is buying you stuff annoying?"
"Because you make it impossible to say no."
"Then stop trying."
She hit his shoulder. Not hard. The kind of hit that meant I love you but I’m too proud to say it in an electronics store. Jordan grinned at her and pushed the cart toward the registers.
Kumiko trailed behind them, her Pocky box now half empty and her twin tails bouncing with each step. She had been quieter than usual for the past thirty minutes, speaking only when someone asked a direct question about specifications or compatibility. Her contributions were still technically brilliant, still laced with genuine passion for the subject matter, but the usual Kumiko accompaniment of squeals and gasps and dramatic gestures had been dialed down to maybe forty percent of its normal intensity. Like someone had turned the volume knob on her personality.
Jordan noticed this. He filed it away. He said nothing.
The checkout line moved fast because Sunday afternoon at Micro Center operated with the urgency of an emergency room. Three registers open, all staffed by employees who scanned barcodes faster than Jordan could follow. Their cashier was a college-aged guy with a neck tattoo and a nose ring who rang up each item without comment until the total appeared on screen.
$1,347.82.
Jordan pulled out his phone and tapped his card against the terminal. The reader chirped. Transaction approved.
Two seconds later, the golden System interface bloomed across his phone screen like a sunrise contained inside six inches of glass.
✨ TRANSACTION COMPLETE ✨
Purchase: Streaming Equipment (Audio, Visual, Peripherals, Lighting, Accessories)
Amount: $1,347.82
Girl: Chloe Kim
Attraction Change: 77% → 79% (+2%)
Rebate: $2,075.63 (1.54x rate)
Net: +$727.81
Chloe’s Updated Status:
Chemistry: 79%
