Epilogue: Towards a Dream
Makoto and Haru walked into the diner at Shibuya, and headed for the largest table. They needed to make sure they got it today – for the first time since they'd started gathering here, everyone was able to make it.
Today, the two of them had agreed, would be a good day to let all the others know.
They seated themselves at the booth, and Haru leaned on her, resting her head on Makoto's shoulder. Makoto let out a quiet sigh at the other woman's warmth, her calming presence, and the feeling of them just letting themselves be close to each other.
It hadn't even been a week since their first and second dates. But being together had felt so natural – they'd made it a point to see each other more, and walk together between classes when they could. For the first time, Makoto actually knew Haru's class schedule, and that made her wonder how they hadn't planned for that since they first started attending the same university.
But they could make up for lost time now, couldn't they.
There was a sudden burst of noise from the front of the diner, and Makoto looked, then nudged Haru. "They're here."
"Who is?" Haru asked, raising her head.
"Everyone."
Somehow, all of their friends had arrived at once, in one giant chattering cluster. They made enough noise to draw attention from the whole restaurant as they made their way back to Haru and Makoto's booth. Futaba noticed them first, and gave Makoto a wicked grin; Haru had told her about how she'd talked to Futaba from the start, and it wouldn't be the first time she'd known about one of them dating someone before the others did.
How Futaba still managed to play the navigator's role despite them not being in the Metaverse for so long, Makoto had no idea.
"Hey, look who got here first," Ryuji said, his arm around Tsuruko's waist as they walked toward the table. "Been almost two weeks, how you two doing?"
"We're doing well," Makoto said, trying not to look like she was hiding something. Which she knew she was terrible at. Hopefully Ryuji wouldn't catch on yet.
"It's been quite some time since I've been here," Yusuke said, looking around. "The aesthetic of this place is . . . interesting, but lacking something essential."
"Yeah, but the food's good, and that's all that matters." Tsuruko slid into the booth across from Makoto and Haru, Ryuji right next to her, and Futaba and Yusuke joined them on that side.
"They could have a bigger dessert menu, though I'm not complaining too much," Ann said. She and Shiho slid into the booth next to Makoto and Haru, and as soon as Ann looked at them, her eyes opened wide. She gasped, "You two-"
"Seem real close," Tsuruko interrupted, then nudged Ryuji. "They seem really close to you, Ryu-chan?"
"I mean, yeah, we've all known each other for years," Ryuji said. He glanced at Makoto and Haru, then shrugged.
"That's a one on your perception check, Ryuji," Futaba said, then cackled.
Ryuji blinked at her. "What?"
Makoto glanced at Haru, who smiled, then nodded. Might as well tell them now.
The two of them raised their clasped hands from under the table, and placed them on the table for everyone to see. Ryuji's eyes looked like they were going to fall out of his head, and Yusuke blinked, clearly surprised, though he pulled back after just a moment and held up his hands, framing the two of them like he did so many things. Futaba just looked smug. Tsuruko pumped a fist, and said, "That's so cool!"
"I can't believe it, you two?" Ann asked, looking utterly shocked. "I never would have guessed."
"That's not completely true," Shiho said, then leaned forward and gave Haru a devious look. "She asked me if I thought you liked girls, Haru."
Ann flushed bright red. "You didn't have to tell them that!"
"It took us a little time to figure things out," Makoto said.
"Especially me," Haru added. "But . . . that's a long story, and I don't need to tell it here."
"But how did this happen?" Ann asked, still looking bewildered. "Like, how did you two get together?"
"Actually," Makoto said, "it all started when you told us you were with Shiho. . . ."