Cashback System From The Heart

Phuby sat alone on the balcony of their Kyoto rental house, legs stretched out, a cup of warm canned coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. Morning mist lingered across the nearby trees, blurring the edges of the view like a watercolor painting. The air was crisp, tinged with the soft fragrance of sakura that still clung to branches in the early days of spring.

He tapped the screen to re-open the latest budget file Hana had shared with him—an exhaustive spreadsheet filled with multiple tabs and rows of numbers. The wedding ceremony estimate. The catering cost. Kimono and suit rentals. The venue decorations. Imam's travel and fees. Guest transportation. Even something as detailed as halal menu curation and seating arrangements was listed with pricing.

Phuby scrolled to the final total, exhaled, and let out a long, amused whistle.

"Rp 983,000,000," he muttered with a wry chuckle. "Nearly a billion."

Even for someone who had begun to grow used to his system-enhanced bank balance, it still felt surreal to stare at that number. A part of him, buried in the memory of scraping by on ramen packets and dodging job rejections, still twitched in disbelief.

But now?

Now, it was a different world.

He took a sip of the coffee and leaned his head back, watching a bird fly past. He didn't feel scared or burdened. On the contrary, he felt strangely… satisfied.

"Almost a billion," he said again, this time with a smile.

It wasn't just the amount. It was what the money meant. Every yen and rupiah spent was a step closer to becoming Hana's—Zahra's—husband. It was the price of memories, of joy, of shared tears and laughter. It was the price of commitment.

And, in a way that still made his chest flutter, it was also an investment that the system recognized.

As if on cue, the familiar soft chime rang in his ears, and a translucent notification popped up in the corner of his vision:

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]Eligible expenditure detected: Rp 983,000,000Doubling cashback…Cashback received: Rp 1,966,000,000New Balance: Rp 9,335,000,000

He grinned.

"God bless the system," he whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. "Marry the love of my life and double my spending? This is insane."

He tucked the phone into his hoodie pocket and leaned forward, arms on his knees. He remembered his mother warning him about being responsible with money, about saving, planning, not being reckless just because he had a windfall. He respected that. Truly. But this wasn't reckless. This was right.

He had no regrets. Not one.

As he sat there, Hana came out onto the balcony in her casual spring jacket, her hair still damp from her shower. "You've been out here for a while," she said, stretching.

Phuby turned and smiled. "Just admiring the view."

"Or doing math?"

"...Both."

Hana laughed and sat beside him. "Is the cost stressing you out? We can cut some things if it's too much. We don't need the custom floral gate. Or the handcrafted paper fans."

"No way," he said immediately. "We're not cutting anything. You've dreamed of this wedding. I want to make it happen."

"But it's really expensive…"

"So?" Phuby bumped her shoulder playfully. "It's you. That makes it worth it."

Hana blushed, looking away. "That's a cheesy line."

"But it's true," he said quietly. "If it costs this much to marry you in Japan, in front of your family and mine, while the sakura are still blooming… then so be it. I'll pay it twice."

Hana turned her head, lips pressed in a small smile. "You're unbelievable."

"And don't forget the system gave me cashback."

She laughed. "Of course."

They sat in silence for a moment, watching the sun push higher in the sky. The calm was occasionally broken by the distant sound of a scooter or the chirp of a passing bird. A breeze picked up, rustling the hem of Hana's jacket.

"I never thought I'd be this happy," Phuby admitted. "Back then… job hunting, no direction, struggling every day just to feel useful. I used to think I was going nowhere."

"And now?" Hana asked softly.

"Now, I'm exactly where I want to be."

She leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. "Me too."

For a moment, everything was perfect. The cost didn't matter. The planning stress, the schedule juggling, the cultural hurdles—they were all just part of the journey. What mattered was that at the end of it, she would walk toward him, wearing the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen, and they would start their lives together.

With that thought, Phuby stood up and stretched. "Come on. We've got cake tasting today."

"Wait, I thought you said we were skipping that?"

"I lied," he smirked. "I want to taste every last option."

"You're hopeless," Hana giggled, following him inside.

"Hopelessly in love," he called back.

She groaned. "Ugh, stop."

But she was smiling.

And so was he.