In the blink of an eye, our university life was over and our graduation day arrived. The sky was clear and a crisp breeze that smelled faintly of spring. The campus was filled with students dressed in sleek robes and tassels. The laughter of the students filled the air, and proud families gathered to celebrate the culmination of years of hard work. The futuristic architecture of JSRI looked more beautiful than ever under the bright sunlight, shimmering with a metallic glow…
Joseph, Abdul, and I stood together among the crowd, adjusting our robes as we waited for the ceremony to begin. It was hard to believe that we had finally made it…. years of sleepless nights, brutal exams, research failures, and hard struggle had brought us here. Today wasn't just an end; it was the beginning of the next chapter…
"Man, we actually did it…" Joseph said with a wide grin, fixing the tassel on his cap. "I never thought I'd survive the whole university without having a mental breakdown..."
Abdul smirked, adjusting his glasses. "That's thanks to me. Because I carried you through those classes…."
Joseph scoffed. "Carried??? Please... I was the emotional support this group needed..."
I chuckled as Abdul rolled his eyes. "Emotional support!!! More like a joker…."
The three of us burst into laughter, drawing a few amused glances from the other graduates around us. It felt good to laugh, to let the weight of everything melt away even if it was only for this moment…
"Alright, Shin…." Joseph said, nudging me with his elbow. "How does it feel to finally graduate?!.... Are you emotionally prepared to become a boring, serious adult???...."
I grinned. "I'll let you know when that happens…"
As we talked, the ceremony began to wind down, and one by one, our names were called. When it was my turn, I walked across the stage, my heart pounding as the announcer called out, "Shin Takamiya."
I shook the hand of the dean, feeling a strange sense of pride wash over me. It wasn't just about the degree in my hand…. It was about everything… It was about the journey… It was about the struggle…. And it was about the thorny paths I had overcome to get here. For a moment, I thought of Rina. A bittersweet ache settled in my chest, but it didn't overwhelm me like it used to in the past. I had made it… I had successfully overcome the grief…
When I stepped down from the stage, my eyes immediately searched the crowd. And there she was—Maki, standing at the edge of the crowd, her smile wide and genuine…
Maki pushed through the crowd as soon as she saw me, practically launching herself into my arms. "You did it, Shin!!!... I am so proud of you…" she exclaimed; her voice filled with excitement.
I caught her with a laugh, spinning her in a quick circle before setting her back down. "We did it," I said, holding her close.
Maki's arms lingered around my neck, her smile softening. "I knew you could do it, you idiot... I've always known..."
Her words carried a weight that only the two of us understood. It was a reminder of the journey we had shared…the pain we had endured… the sufferings we had to go through and a new bond that had grown between us…
Before I could say anything, Joseph and Abdul appeared beside us, both grinning.
"Hey, no fair hogging all the glory, Maki…" Joseph teased, clapping me on the back. "Shin belongs to the group today..."
Abdul nodded, a rare smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Yeah, congratulations, Shin. You earned this..."
Maki rolled her eyes playfully but stepped aside, giving them space.
Joseph slung an arm around my shoulders. "Alright, boys, you know what time it is??!..."
"Beer o'clock???..." I guessed with a grin.
"Exactly!" Joseph said with mock seriousness.
"Graduation isn't official until we're slightly buzzed and embarrass ourselves in public..."
"I'll pass on the buzzed part…" Abdul said, adjusting his cap. "But I'll join. Someone has to make sure you two idiots don't get arrested…"
Maki laughed. "I'll come too. Someone has to drag Shin home when Joseph inevitably gets him into trouble..."
Joseph gasped, clutching his chest dramatically. "Maki, how could you also doubt me??... I'm a responsible adult now!!!...."
Abdul raised an eyebrow. "You tried to steal some chemicals from the lab last year… remember… You nearly got us kicked out of the university…..."
Joseph shrugged. "I stand by my actions."
The four of us were headed to the student bar for one last time. We were determined to celebrate our final day as university students…
The place was packed with other graduates, the air was thick with excitement and relief. Neon lights bathed the room in soft blues and purples, and the music thrummed with energy.
We squeezed into a booth. We were laughing as we remembered about the ridiculous moments that had gotten us through the past few years. Joseph ordered a round of drinks… and non-alcoholic for Abdul, of course…. and we toasted to the future, to friendship, and our dreams were finally within our reach.
"To the Kepler Mission!!!..." Joseph declared, raising his glass high.
"To new beginnings…" I added, tapping my glass against his.
"To not dying in space…" Abdul quipped, earning a round of laughter from all of us.
Maki leaned close to me, resting her head on my shoulder. "To staying together, no matter what…." she whispered, her voice soft but full of meaning.
"Together…" I whispered back.
Without even thinking, I leaned down and pressed a kiss on Maki's forehead. It was a small gesture, soft and natural, but it carried the weight of everything that had between us…
Suddenly, Abdul choked on his drink, soda spraying across the table. His wide eyes locked on me in disbelief, "What the fuck are you doing??!!..." he blurted out, wiping his mouth with his sleeve…
Maki burst into laughter, and Joseph nearly fell off his seat. "You good, Abdul??!!" Joseph asked. "You look like you just saw a ghost!!!..."
Abdul pointed a finger at me accusingly, his jaw dropping further. "Bro…. that's haram!!!... Kissing your sister like that is straight-up illegal in my book…."
Maki doubled over in laughter, clutching her sides. "Sister???..." she wheezed. "Oh my God, what?!"
"Wait, wait…" Abdul continued, raising both hands as if trying to grasp what he was seeing. "You guys... lived together, right?? You shared a house?? I thought…" He squinted at us both. "I thought you two were siblings or something!!!..."
Joseph slapped Abdul on the back of the head. "In what universe do they look like brother and sister, genius?? You high or something!!!...."
"Hey, it made sense to me!" Abdul grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "You both lived together! You were always looking after each other…. I thought you guys were…."
Joseph cut him off with a grin. "Nah, I saw this coming a mile away. When Maki helped Shin through the whole Rina thing, it was obvious. No one else could have gotten through to him like that." He gave me a knowing look. "You were a goner the moment you leaned on her, weren't you???..."
Maki smiled softly, leaning her shoulder against mine. "Maybe."
I shrugged, a grin tugging at the corner of my mouth. "What can I say? I got lucky…"
Abdul shook his head like he was trying to reboot his brain. "Hold on... You guys are together? Like, together together??..."
"Yes, Abdul…" Maki said with a grin. "Surprise…"
Abdul leaned back in his seat, rubbing his temples. "This explains... so much. So, you've been together this whole time, and no one thought to tell me??...."
"We figured you'd find out eventually," I said, chuckling. "Though not like this…"
Abdul muttered something in Arabic under his breath, probably cursing me…. Then he sighed dramatically. "Man, I was really rooting for you two as brother and sister. Like a heartwarming family drama…."
Joseph snorted into his beer. "You watch too many soap operas."
Abdul threw up his hands. "Whatever. I'm happy for you guys, I guess…. But you owe me some warning next time before you start kissing like that in public. I almost died…."
Maki grinned mischievously. "You'll survive…."
The conversation quickly shifted into more teasing and banter, as it always did when Joseph and Abdul were around…
"So…" Joseph said, leaning closer with a sly grin, "does this mean we should start preparing for the inevitable wedding? Or... you know... should I start calling you Mr. and Mrs. Takamiya right now???...."
Maki snorted. "We're not married…yet… Joseph."
"Not yet…" Joseph corrected, waggling his eyebrows. "But if you ever need help with anything, you know who to call…."
"Not you," I deadpanned. "Definitely not you…."
Joseph gasped, clutching his chest in mock offense. "Betrayal!! After everything I've done for you guys!!...."
Abdul shook his head, clearly enjoying the chaos. "For the record, I'm staying out of all wedding planning. I've already got enough on my plate with this whole Mars mission…"
With a grin, Joseph said, "Definitely feeling jealous Mr. Single forever…"
Maki laughed, and I couldn't help but join in. Moments like this—simple, carefree, filled with laughter—were rare. And after everything we had been through, they were like a gift.
As the night wore on, the bar grew louder, and the celebrations became even more chaotic. Joseph made sure everyone had one last drink (or five), and Abdul tried—unsuccessfully—to prevent Joseph from ordering nachos at midnight.
Through it all, Maki stayed by my side, her hand brushing against mine every now and then. But it was exactly what I needed… just the two of us, surrounded by friends, laughing about the future and the ridiculousness of the present….
The night outside was quiet, and the cool breeze was a refreshing contrast to the warmth and chaos of the bar. Joseph slung an arm around my shoulder, still buzzing with energy, while Abdul followed a few steps behind us, shaking his head like he was still trying to process everything…
"I seriously can't believe it," Abdul muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "You two… I thought you were, like, siblings or something..."
Joseph burst out laughing again. "Abdul, buddy, how does that even make sense? In what universe do they look like siblings??!!..."
Abdul threw up his hands, exasperated. "I don't know! They lived together! It just... made sense in my head, okay?"
Maki giggled, resting her head on my shoulder. "Well, sorry to break it to you, Abdul, but we're definitely not siblings..."
Abdul gave an exaggerated groan. "I'm never going to live this down, am I???...."
Joseph clapped him on the back, grinning. "Nope. This one's going on your permanent record, buddy..."
Abdul muttered something in Arabic, probably swearing at both of us, but there was a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
As we said goodnight to Abdul and Joseph at the corner where we split ways, Maki slipped her arm through mine, pulling me close as we made our way back home. The streets were almost deserted…
"Your friends are insane…" Maki whispered, though there was relief in her voice…
I chuckled while squeezing her hand. "Yeah, but you love them…."
"I guess they're growing on me..." She smiled, leaning into me as we walked. our footsteps were echoing softly in the still night.
It was one of those moments that felt perfect…. no pressure…. no worries…. just the two of us walking side by side, holding each other close. After all the ups and downs, we'd been through…
After returning home we shuffled toward the couch, still tangled in each other's arms. I sank into the cushions, and Maki curled up beside me, her legs tucked under her, her head resting on my shoulder. I draped a blanket over us, and we both relaxed…...
She gave a small sleepy laugh. "I still can't believe Abdul thought we were siblings!!!"
I chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "To be fair, I think that's the strangest thing anyone's said to me in years…."
Maki tilted her head to look up at me, her lips curving into a mischievous smile. "I mean, do we give off sibling vibes??!..."
I shook my head, smirking. "Not even close. Joseph was right—how could anyone see us like that??!!..."
Maki giggled, nestling closer into me. "I love those two idiots. But, man, Abdul... that boy needs to update his software…"
We both laughed quietly, the kind of laugh that comes from knowing someone inside out.
Maki reached out, tracing a light pattern across my chest with her fingertips. "You know," she murmured, "Joseph wasn't completely off tonight..."
I glanced down at her, brow raised. "What do you mean??!!..."
She smiled, though it was a little more serious this time. "He joked about us getting married, but..." She paused, biting her lip. "Have you thought about it? Us, I mean..."
For a second, I was stunned —not because the idea of marrying her hadn't crossed my mind, but because hearing her say it I was kind of shocked ….
"Yeah," I whispered, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "I have thought about it all the time…."
Maki's smile softened, "You did??..."
I nodded, feeling strange and happy at the same time "How could I not?? You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Maki..."
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she pressed herself closer against me, her fingers twining with mine. "I didn't think I'd ever feel this way," she admitted quietly. "After everything with Rina, I wasn't sure if you'd... you know… be ready."
I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "But you... You changed everything. You made me realize that it's okay to move forward. That it's okay to be happy again..."
Maki blinked a few times, her eyes glimmering. "I love you, Shin…"
"I love you too…" I whispered, leaning down to kiss her forehead softly.
She smiled against my skin, letting out a quiet sigh. "So... What do you think? Should we get married?"
The question hung in the air between us, simple but full of meaning….
I grinned. "Well, I mean... if it's between that or living as 'siblings,' marriage sounds like the better deal…"
Maki burst out laughing, smacking my arm lightly. "You idiot..."
I laughed with her….
"But seriously…" I said after a moment, my voice soft but steady, "Yeah… I want to marry you, Maki. I want to spend the rest of my life with you..."
Maki's eyes softened, and she curled tighter against me, her voice barely above a whisper. "Me too, Shin. Me too…."
For a while, we just lay there, wrapped up in each other. We talked about what kind of wedding we'd want… something small, with just a few close friends, or maybe a simple ceremony on the coast, overlooking the ocean. Nothing fancy, just us and the people who mattered most.
Joseph, of course, would demand to be the best man. Abdul would pretend to be annoyed. Wouldn't be perfect, but it would be just ours.
The thought made me smile. Not just because of the stars we were reaching for, but because Maki was by my side…
Eventually, our conversation faded into comfortable silence. Maki's breathing slowed, her body relaxing completely against mine as sleep pulled her under. I ran my fingers through her hair, feeling the familiar weight of her against me, grounding me in this quiet, perfect moment.
I kissed the top of her head for one last time, whispering in her ear, "Goodnight, Maki..."
She murmured something in response—something soft and sleepy and I smiled, pulling the blanket tighter around us.
The future could wait. Right now, we have each other. And that was more than enough.
As the soft sounds of the city drifted through the open window, I closed my eyes, holding her close, knowing that whatever came next—whether it was a wedding, the Kepler mission, or anything in between—we would face it together.
TO BE CONTINUED