By the time graduation came, Daniel had a number of options for what to do next. He was offered positions at high end restaurants, famous bakeries and pastry shops, and with world renowned chocolatiers all over the world – not only in Tokyo, but in New York, Paris, Rome, London, and Mexico City. However, he decided to turn them all down for the time being in order to fulfill a promise he made to his parents before he began his time at Totsuki – making sure he earned a college degree. While most of his friends and classmates were surprised at this decision, as he could have made a name for himself immediately in the chocolate and dessert world, he was able to explain that he wasn't quitting the culinary world and even explained how his college plan – with a desired degree in international relations – would actually help him to where he wanted to go (he explained that this would give him an understanding of international trade and other issues important throughout the culinary world).

The first step was applying, and getting accepted into, a good university. Thanks to Daniel's background at having graduated from the regular high school system early, serving on the Totsuki Council of Ten, as well as now also having graduated from Totsuki (which was quite an accomplishment in and of itself), he was offered a full tuition scholarship to the University of Tokyo. While he also could have gone back to the United States, Daniel wanted to still be able to see his friends (and especially Hisako) on a regular basis. It also helped that the university took into consideration all of the experience he had with the unique curriculum at Totsuki, and credited him with a year's worth of academic credits – meaning he would be able to graduate in three years instead of four. In addition, he assured everyone that he wasn't going to waste the skills he had been developing for the last three years, as he arranged to work part time with chef Mizuhara at Ristorante F while he was attending college. Specifically, he would be helping out Minna as her apprentice dessert chef.

However, Daniel had an additional way to make sure his name didn't fade from the culinary world while he was studying at the University of Tokyo. As a member of the Totsuki Council of Ten, he had made sure to take advantage of certain perks that came with the position – specifically the ones that allowed for members to travel all around the world in order to further their culinary knowledge. Although he hadn't gone away from campus for several months in one trip like a certain first seat did, he did make several trips over two plus years of being on the council. This included not only meccas for chocolate lovers like France, Italy, Mexico. Switzerland, and Belgium, but also the places where chocolate was cultivated and harvested in Africa, Central America, and South America.

During all of these trips, he had written out extensive notes about his experiences. This included not only the places to get the most delicious treats in every city and country he visited, but also the various uses for chocolate that didn't necessarily include sweet applications, and what he had observed in terms of how cacao was grown, harvested, and traded around the world. Combined with some research he had done on the history of cacao and chocolate (he is a history buff, after all), he felt he had enough material for a history and travel book for chocolate lovers, which he titled The Chocoholic's Wanderlust.

Of course, Daniel told Soma and his friends about his idea, which they seemed to be intrigued by. To be honest, they had never heard of a Totsuki graduate taking the route he was planning before. Soma just smiled and encouraged Daniel to do his own thing, saying that he knew his friend had the smarts and the talent to do it. While he appreciated the encouragement, Daniel knew he would need a little help to get his foot in the door, despite his previous accomplishments. This is where Hisako was able to help him – with her direct connection to both Erina and a significant portion of the culinary world that did business with Totsuki, including a number of book publishers. With Hisako's help in navigating the system, Erina's backing, and his father's help with the legal details, Daniel was able to discuss his book idea with a few publication companies and get a book contract signed by the time he graduated. All that was left now was working with the publishers to make edits and reformat the notes into a more story-like style so that it would be ready for the general public.

The process of making his manuscript ready took about two years – mostly due to the fact that Daniel was balancing going to college, working part time at a restaurant, and continuing to date Hisako (in between, he would communicate with the publisher to discuss and submit changes). By the time the book was ready for publication, it was about the end of his second year at college, and the publisher wanted him to do a book tour in Japan and in the United States, where the book would be initially published to see how it would be met. If it was a success, it would be translated and sold in other countries around the world. He agreed to do a few major cities in the U.S. during his school break, and arranged to make the Japan portion of the tour for the beginning of the third year of college so he wouldn't miss exams. He also got chef Mizuhara to agree to let him do this for a brief time away from the restaurant, as long as he made himself available for discussions on work-related business over teleconferencing (which he did).

The tours went well, as Daniel was met with a good amount of praise for his work both in the United States and in Japan. The reviews in the newspapers and culinary publications also praised him, saying that he had clearly done his homework on the history portion of the book while also seamlessly tying it to the fun and interesting travel portion. "Both an education and a mouthwatering escape," one review stated. Over the course of his final year in college, the book ended up doing extraordinarily well for the genre it was in, and the royalties began piling up. This public success, in addition to the money he earned from both the royalties and working with chef Mizuhara (though mostly the royalties), allowed Daniel to accomplish three things by the end of his third year of college – he had made a name for himself as a chocolate expert (who was also a dessert chef with a Totsuki diploma), he had enough money to put a down payment on a shop location for the chocolate café he wanted to create, and, most importantly, he was able to garner interest from important backers to support the venture.

By the time he got his degree, Daniel's hard work had paid off – he had fulfilled his promise to his parents, made a name for himself in his own way, and was now closer to having a big piece of happiness that was not only his own, but that he would be able to share with the world. There was only one thing missing from that picture, and being who he was, had an idea of how to get it and the determination to do so. For this, he had some extra funds from his earnings and royalties, but would also need some help to successfully pull off – namely from Erina. Specifically, he needed Erina to grant Hisako some vacation time so that he could execute his idea properly. When he told Erina in secret what he had in mind for her best friend, she immediately granted him his request with both excitement for Hisako and a genuine smile, saying, "Don't blow it," as Daniel left her office. The only other person Daniel told his idea to was Soma, who promised to keep it a secret until he returned, wishing him "Good luck."

As for Hisako, Daniel told her that the book was doing so well that the publishers wanted to have him write an addendum for the next edition, and that he wanted to take her with him to also make this trip a combination working vacation and celebration of his college graduation. The place he had chosen – Ireland, saying that it would be an appropriate way to come full circle back to where his culinary wonder had first been really nudged. Plus, he would be able to explore some flavors that he wanted to incorporate into the chocolates he planned to create as a part of his new Tokyo café. All of this was true, as the publisher was interested in potentially running a second edition with an addendum, and Daniel did want to have chocolates in his café, as well as baked goods and other pastries, but Daniel also had something special in mind for this trip.

Hisako was excited that Daniel wanted to do something like this with her (and her, alone), and once she got the time off officially approved from Erina, they made their way to Ireland shortly after Daniel had graduated with his degree. Starting in Dublin, they did some of the usual touristy things and ate at some of the places Daniel remembered from ten years earlier. They also toured the Guinness brewery and a couple of the whisky distilleries, as well as some of the local chocolate shops to see how they integrated the alcohol into the chocolate candy while making sure to balance both. With his reputation, the shopkeepers were more than happy to discuss this with him – just to say that this person visited, and was inspired by, their shop.

As they made their way west, they took in the other cities, as well as the countryside and everything else the country had to offer that they could manage. Finally, they made their way to Galway on the western coast of the Emerald Isle, where they were walking down one of the main streets looking for a particular side street that would lead them to someone Daniel felt he owed a big thanks to. When he finally found it, the couple made their way to the end of the street, where an old antique shop stood, with a very familiar looking old man still running things. When Daniel and Hisako walked in, with the bell above the door ringing in their presence, the old shopkeeper looked at them and raised his right eyebrow for a few moments before recognizing the smile Daniel gave to him. "Well, well," he said, "You have certainly grown into quite the strapping young man, boyo."

Daniel chuckled as they shook hands and exclaimed how good it was to see each other again after ten years. Daniel then turned and introduced him to Hisako, who lightly bowed before shaking his hand. "A pleasure to meet you. I hear you may be the one responsible for Daniel here being a big part of my life." As the shopkeeper raised his eyebrow with an "Oh? Is that so?" Hisako nodded and explained how Daniel had attended Totsuki and how their paths had come together to where they were now – possibly in part due to the "lucky coin" he had given Daniel all those years ago. "You don't say?" he asked, before turning back to Daniel and commenting, "Well, young lad, it seems that you've been living quite a life since you were last in my shop. Tell me, are you happy with how your life has turned out so far?" When Daniel replied that he definitely was, the shopkeeper replied, "Then the coin is doing its job. And if I may say, you've got quite a lass there by your side – and a very lovely one at that."

Hisako chuckled a little nervously at that last comment as she began to look around. While her attention was elsewhere, Daniel and the shopkeeper discreetly engaged in business as the old man handed Daniel a small box as he said, "As we discussed over the email?" Daniel nodded and paid for the item before they shook hands and the shopkeeper whispered into his ear, "Good luck to you, lad." Daniel thanked him and placed the item in his pocket just as Hisako turned her attention back to them, commenting that the old man had a very lovely shop, and even getting information from him for potential future dealings.

After lunch, they made their way to the Salmon Weir bridge near the seashore, where they had a lovely ocean view on a clear day, with the town's old buildings to the left and the cathedral to the right when you looked around. As they were enjoying the view and the peace (it was the middle of the afternoon, so there were almost no other people there at the time), Hisako leaned into Daniel's shoulder and commented, "This is really nice." Daniel then gently wrapped his arm around her and kissed her temple before she said, "This whole trip has been really wonderful so far. I'm so glad that you wanted me to come with you."

Daniel smiled and stated, "Hopefully, it's about to get even better." Hisako looked at him quizzically and asked what he meant before he reached into his pocket, took out the box from the antique shop, and got down on one knee. Hisako was about to ask what he was doing when she suddenly realized what this was and whispered to herself, "Oh my gosh!" Daniel then began his speech. "Hisako, you mean the world to me. When I first got to Totsuki, I saw it as merely an interesting challenge for me to do before going to college. Once I got to know you and we became a couple, it became more, and I wanted to be a part of the culinary world you had been a part of for so long. Now, I am part of that world, and so happy with my life – and there's only one more thing that would make it perfect. Hisako, if you will have me, I want to be with you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?"

He then opened up the box to reveal the ring he bought from the old shopkeeper – a yellow gold band with a thin ring in the center made of the same emerald-colored marble that was in his coin. The stone was a single perfectly cut diamond, lightly tinted pink, which resembled Hisako's hair, but didn't overshadow the rest of the ring. As Hisako began to shed tears of joy, she kneeled down on the ground in front of Daniel, embraced him, and kissed him on the lips as she was finally able to get out, "Yes. Of course I will!" Daniel then placed the ring on her finger, which fit perfectly (thanks to Erina, who had gotten Hisako's ring size for him). They then embraced again and kissed, lost in their own little world, before being brought out of it by a spatter of cheers from the few people around who had witnessed it. After being congratulated by the unexpected spectators, the now-engaged couple made their way back to the main part of town hand-in-hand.

Daniel has now secured the future that he wants for himself – both in love and in life in general. Happiness is a hard thing to find in life, and it can come through the most unexpected paths sometimes. I hope you all liked how I set up the last scene! Please review and comment if you feel the need (but, as usual, no flames, please).

Also, the next chapter will be the last one (sad, I know)! Until next time…