"Now would ya look at this beauty. Classy, clean, fancy enough to make your ex regret leavin' ya."

Maeda held up a sleek black wallet toward the camera, slowly turning it beneath the streetlights with exaggerated care as he addressed the seven thousand viewers watching his stream.

"See this? Plenty o' card slots. Cash pocket's nice and deep too. Y'know... unlike my bank account."

The familiar grin never left his face. It was another night of grinding, just past nine o'clock, and he was as energetic as ever. Truth be told, he loved this kind of work. Even if it meant selling convincing designer knockoffs, all it took was the right sales pitch. Someone out there was bound to buy it.

"C'mon, don't make me take this home. Buy it before I start usin' it myself and pretend I'm rich. Twenty percent off if ya check out before I finish this canned coffee."

What his viewers didn't know, however, was why he always chose this exact spot on the sidewalk to stream. His camera just so happened to be angled toward Madame Ping Restaurant, where you worked the evening shift.

Coincidence?

Not even close.

He simply liked waiting for you to clock out.

Not that the two of you were anything yet... but he'd be lying if he said his heart didn't beat just a little differently whenever you were around.