Infinite Cashback System

Chapter 189: 189 | The Healing Touch

Jordan finished his coffee and headed toward the Economics building. The lecture hall was already half-full when he arrived, students scattered across the rows in the specific patterns that developed over a semester. Jordan’s usual seat was open, third row from the back, right side. Kumiko’s seat next to him was empty. Alexis’s seat on his other side was also empty.

He sat down and pulled out his notebook.

Class didn’t start for another ten minutes, which gave him time to actually read the rest of Kumiko’s dream story. He scrolled through the messages with growing amusement. The illustrations were surprisingly good. Detailed, colorful, with clear character designs that captured everyone’s personalities despite being drawn with phone apps at four in the morning.

Dream-Jordan was indeed shirtless and heroic.

Dream-Chloe was a princess with blue streaks in her crown.

Dream-Kumiko was also a princess but with twin tails that shot magical energy beams.

The dragon that was apparently Kumiko’s mother breathed fire that turned into disappointed sighs.

Jordan was still processing the implications of that last detail when someone slid into the seat next to him.

"Morning, Jordan-kun!"

Kumiko’s voice hit approximately four different octaves in two words. She was practically vibrating with energy despite having allegedly not slept. Her twin tails bounced with every movement. Her eyes were enormous and sparkly in the way they always got when she was excited about something.

"You actually read my dream story," she said, leaning over to look at his phone. "What did you think? Was the dragon too much? I felt like the dragon was maybe too much but it was symbolically important because my mom really did give me that look last week when I told her about my streaming schedule and—"

"I loved it," Jordan said.

Kumiko stopped talking. Her mouth hung open for a second. Then her entire face went red.

"You... you loved it?"

"The shirtless knight was a nice touch."

"That was... that was artistic license. For the narrative."

"The narrative required me to be shirtless?"

"Yes." Kumiko nodded firmly despite her blush deepening. "Absolutely. The armor would have restricted movement during the dragon fight. It was a tactical choice."

"Tactical."

"Very tactical."

Jordan reached over and placed his hand on top of her head.

The effect was immediate. Kumiko’s shoulders dropped. Her breathing slowed. The frantic energy that had been radiating off her since she sat down dissipated like fog burning off in sunlight. Her eyes half-closed and she made a small sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a purr.

"Nnnh... Jordan-kun..."

"Better?"

"Mmhmm."

Several students in nearby rows turned to look at them. Jordan didn’t particularly care. Let them stare. Let them wonder. Let them draw whatever conclusions they wanted about the tall guy with the pretty girl melting under his hand.

He kept the contact going for a few more seconds before pulling away. Kumiko swayed slightly, like she’d lost her balance, then blinked her way back to consciousness.

"That’s not fair," she mumbled. "You can’t just... do that. In public. Where people can see."

"You looked like you needed it."

"I always need it. That’s the problem."

The door at the front of the lecture hall opened and Dr. Jones entered carrying his usual stack of papers. Class was starting. Jordan removed his hand from Kumiko’s head and opened his notebook to a fresh page.

Kumiko sat there for a moment longer, visibly gathering herself. Then she pulled out her own notebook, which was already covered in doodles of dragons and knights and princesses with twin tails.

"I’m adding this to the story," she whispered. "The knight has a healing touch. Very important plot development."

"Happy to contribute to the narrative."

"You’re contributing to my cardiac arrest is what you’re contributing to."

Dr. Jones began his lecture on monetary policy and Jordan pretended to take notes while Kumiko pretended not to be staring at his hands. Alexis’s seat remained empty for the first fifteen minutes of class, which was unusual. She was normally early to everything, claiming her territory before anyone else could take it.

Then the door opened again and Alexis walked in.

She looked... different.

Not bad different. Just different. Her usual perfect composure seemed slightly off. Her hair was immaculate as always but her movements were less confident, more hurried. She slid into her seat without making eye contact with anyone and immediately opened her laptop like she was hiding behind it.

Jordan noticed she was wearing a cream turtleneck. The same cream turtleneck from yesterday.

He also noticed she wasn’t wearing any of her usual jewelry. No earrings. No bracelets. No carefully selected accessories that always coordinated with her outfit.

Interesting.

Kumiko noticed too. She leaned over and whispered: "Is Alexis okay? She looks like she didn’t sleep."

"No idea."

"Should we ask?"

"Probably not."

Alexis must have heard them whispering because her head turned slightly in their direction. Her eyes met Jordan’s for approximately half a second before she looked away, her cheeks flushing pink.

Very interesting.

Dr. Jones asked a question about the Federal Reserve’s role in controlling inflation. Jordan answered without really thinking about it, his brain still processing Alexis’s unusual behavior. The answer was correct. Dr. Jones nodded approvingly and moved on.

Kumiko poked Jordan’s arm with her pen.

"Show-off," she whispered.

"I read the textbook."

"I read the textbook too but I can’t remember any of it because every time I try to study my brain just shows me images of you being shirtless."

"That seems like a you problem."

"It’s definitely a you problem. You’re the one who’s shirtless."

"I’m wearing a shirt right now."

"My brain doesn’t care about right now. My brain is living in the future. Or the past. Or some kind of eternal shirtless dimension where time has no meaning."

Jordan had no idea how to respond to that so he just patted her head again.

"Nnnh..."

Several more students turned to look.

Alexis definitely turned to look.

Her expression was complicated. Something between confusion and irritation and something else Jordan couldn’t quite identify. She watched his hand on Kumiko’s head for a long moment before snapping her attention back to her laptop screen.

Her typing became noticeably more aggressive after that.

Class continued. Dr. Jones discussed interest rates. Jordan took notes. Kumiko doodled in the margins of her notebook. Alexis typed furiously at her laptop while occasionally shooting glances in Jordan’s direction when she thought he wasn’t looking.

He was always looking.

Not obviously. Not in a creepy way. Just... aware. The way you become aware of someone who keeps looking at you. His peripheral vision caught every turn of her head, every flicker of her eyes, every time her fingers paused over her keyboard because she’d gotten distracted by something happening a few seats away.

Alexis Van Der Berg was watching him.

And she really didn’t want him to know.