Long Way 2 Go

Epilogue

Five years have passed since Haru and I first fall into our secret relationship. We spend that first year navigating whispered conversations in dark hallways and shared meals in the back of cramped ramen shops. The secret only stays safe for twelve months before Abby and Rie accidentally set our world on fire. I still remember the chaos of that afternoon when Rie let our secret slip. Their slip-up drags our quiet love into the center of a massive scandal that nearly ends our careers. But even after the world found out, we stayed together.

On our anniversary, there were no cameras or grand announcements. It is just the four of us on the rooftop of the Lumen House building. The city lights of Tokyo twinkle below us like a carpet of fallen stars, and the hum of traffic feels distant and peaceful. Someone has brought a chaotic spread of convenience store snacks, and Abby has arrived with a bottle of champagne he insists is vintage.

“It was expensive,” he says defensively, already pouring it into plastic cups. “That makes it vintage.”

Rie squints at the label. “This literally has a cartoon bear on it.”

“A classy cartoon bear,” Abby replies. “With a beret.”

Rie raises her plastic cup high against the dark navy sky. The blue highlights in her short hair catch the glow of the string lights we hung across the railing.

“To surviving the fire, the lawsuits, and the fact that we actually own this building now,” she says with a grin. Her expressive eyes sparkle with a mix of pride and mischief.

“To telling the whole truth,” Haru adds. His hand finds mine under the small table and squeezes gently. The warmth of his palm is a constant I never take for granted.

“And to the most legendary accidental leak in the history of idol culture,” Abby says, smirking at his own reflection in the darkened window of the rooftop door. He adjusts his collar, looking every bit the top model even in the middle of a casual picnic. “Admit it, Aurora. I made you the most talked-about girl in Japan for six months straight.”

I lift my cup last, looking at each of them. My heart feels full in a way that my younger self would never have believed possible. “To choosing each other, even when Abby and Rie decide to share our secret relationship with the entire media.”

The plastic cups clink together in a messy, sincere toast.

The plastic cups clinked together in a messy, sincere toast. As the night deepens, Rie leans back against the railing and studies Haru and me with an exaggerated look of suspicion. Her beauty mark hitches as she narrows her eyes.

“So. Five years. And you two are still disgustingly in love. How do you do it?” she asks, poking Haru in the arm. “I mean, Haru is so quiet and you are so... you. It should not work this well.”

Haru laughs, a low and steady sound that vibrates through my shoulder as he pulls me closer to his side. “Maybe it works because we do not have a public breakup every other Tuesday, Rie.”

Rie gasps, clutching her chest in mock offense. “We do not break up that often! The incident last week was a strategic hiatus. I needed space to find my creative center, and Abby needed space to realize that his new blonde highlights were a mistake.”

Abby snorts, reaching for a bag of spicy chips. “My highlights were a masterpiece, Rie. You were just jealous that the fans started calling me the 'Golden Prince' again. Besides, we were only 'off' for three hours. I bought you those designer boots and we were 'on' again by dinner.”

“It is a dynamic relationship!” Rie defends herself, sticking her tongue out at him. “It keeps things spicy. You and Aurora are just boringly perfect. It is actually a challenge. I am going to have to up my game if we want to remain the group's most talked-about pair in the new drama.”

Abby leans his 6'3" frame back, his heart-shaped face glowing under the moonlight. “Please. Haru and Aurora are the industry standard for stability. It is actually very annoying for the rest of us.”

I rest my head on Haru’s shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of his cedar wood cologne and the cool night air. The city hums around us, alive and indifferent, but for the first time, that indifference feels like total freedom. We are no longer property of a corporation. The head of our old agency is behind bars for the negligence that nearly killed Akira, and we are the architects of our future.

My phone vibrates on the table with a new notification. A headline flashes across the screen: "Lumen House Signs First Class of Trainees; Fans Praise Artist-Led Agency for Changing the Industry." I do not click the link. I do not need to read the comments to know we are doing the right thing. I lock the screen and tuck the phone away, choosing the present moment over the digital one.

“Hey,” Abby says suddenly, his eyes glinting with that familiar, reckless wit. “I bet you a thousand yen that the teaser for our joint drama hits ten million views before the first episode even airs. The 'Abbyora' shippers and the 'Haurora' realists are going to go to war.”

Rie rolls her eyes, though a smile tugs at her lips. “A thousand yen? You still owe me from the last bet about that award show, you blonde menace.”

Haru shakes his head, looking at me with a private, knowing smile. His gentle brown eyes crinkle at the corners, the same way they did when we were just teenagers dreaming of a debut. “He never learns, does he?”

“I hope he never does,” I say, smiling back.

I look at the three people who have seen me at my weakest and loved me anyway. The mystery of the fire did not destroy us. The drama of the industry did not end us. The truth of our lives did not break us. It simply cleared the path so we could finally walk together into the light.

As the four of us sit there, laughing and arguing over the last slice of cake, the future feels wide open. The lights of Tokyo continue to shimmer, but they no longer feel like a stage we are trapped on. They feel like a welcome.

“Seriously though,” Abby says, pointing a pocky stick at Haru. “If you get more romantic close-ups than I do in this new script, I am definitely telling everyone you still sleep with a nightlight.”

Haru just smirks and takes a sip of his drink. “The fans already know I am afraid of the dark, Abby. Aurora told them in her last vlog.”

“She did what?” Abby shouts, and the rooftop erupts into a chorus of laughter that carries far out over the sleeping city.