Narumi, Hirotaka, Hanako and Tarou sat at their usual table in Starbocks. They were on their lunch break from the office but the place was surprisingly not too busy. Narumi was desperately trying to get Hirotaka to taste some of her sickly sweet confection of a drink that had more cream piled on top of it than could be deemed reasonable. He deftly dodged the proffered straw.

"What's so great about black coffee?" she moaned, rolling her eyes at his lack of willing. She picked up his cup from where he had set it down, taking a delicate sip and pulling a less than delicate face. "Bleugh!" she said, sticking her tongue out as her senses were assaulted by the bitter flavour. "How can you drink that with no cream or sugar at all?" She set the cup down in disgust. Hirotaka picked it back up, subtly turning it so his lips pressed against the slight impression hers had left behind.

"I don't like sweet things."

The bell above the door rang but the group paid it little mind as Tarou and Hanako had once again started arguing.

"No! You promised. You said this weekend we could spend a whole day together. You're not backing out now."

Kabakura rubbed his temples. "I'm not backing out, we're still spending the day together."

"Watching your anime? Again? I want to go on a date!"

"You said you liked that anime. Besides-"

"Shh, guys, look!" Narumi cut into the argument, perhaps unwisely, and she felt a moment of apprehension as matching glares turned in her direction. Then they saw what she had been indicating to them. Nao and Kou were only a couple of tables away, sitting closer together than they ever had before, faces almost touching as they both looked intently at the handheld console between them. As the foursome watched, Nao whispered something into Kou's ear and the girl blushed furiously. Narumi and Hanako cooed at the sight.

Then Hanako turned to Tarou, her expression haughty and triumphant.

"Pay up then, Baka-kura. 2000¥ wasn't it?" she said, smirking in self-satisfaction.

Tarou slammed his hand on the table. "Wait!... that's... I mean, maybe they're just friends who are really close or-or-or maybe... yeah, maybe they're gay. It doesn't mean she's a... he's a girl. You read enough of that, so obviously they're..." he trailed off, gesturing vaguely. Their loud exchange had obviously caught Nao's attention and the blonde boy bounded up, dragging a less enthusiastic Kou behind him.

Nao's smile was wide, his obvious happiness infectious and Narumi was glad to see how much love was shining in his eyes. Kou hid slightly behind him, her hand tucked into his, her eyes owlish behind her glasses. All four turned fully in their seats to face the couple.

"Narumi-chan! Onii-chan! I'm so happy to see you! This..." he stepped to the side, tugging gently on Kou's hand to bring her forward and more squarely into the spotlight. "Is Kou-kun." They all leaned imperceptibly closer, waiting to see how she would be introduced. They held a collective breath. "My girlfriend."

Hanako crowed in delight, her glasses flashing as she adjusted them on her face. Her laughter was joyful, if not a little maniacal and Tarou folded his arms on the table, his head dropping with a thump. Narumi, for her part, was just excited, jumping up and hugging an obviously uncomfortable Kou. Hirotaka was stoic as ever.

Naoya stared around the group, bemused by the reactions to his news. "Umm... is everything okay?"

"Yeah, just great," came Tarou's muffled voice, his hand reaching out to slap some notes into Hanako's outstretched hand.

"Fantastic!" she agreed, with a great deal more sincerity.

"I'm never going to hear the end of this," he mumbled quietly.

Nao sat down next to his brother, a peaceful oasis slightly apart from the chaos of their friends. Looking on from the outside, both of them sighed in contentment.

"So... what do you think, Nii-chan? Of Kou, I mean."

Hirotaka took a sip of his coffee, observing a little longer.

"She seems okay. She's a high level gamer and doesn't talk unnecessarily. I don't mind her."

Nao leaned against his brother, shoulder to shoulder, his eyes crinkling happily. "I'm glad you like her." He sat up suddenly, his eyes sparkling and Hirotaka side-eyed him. "Oh! I've just realised, now we both have girlfriends, we could double date! That would be loads of fun, don't you think?"

Hirotaka watched as Narumi fussed over Kou, her hands moving wildly as she talked a mile a minute. The harsh artificial light cast a soft glow over her pink hair and her wide smile caused a similar tugging at the corner of his own lips. For a full ninety seconds he forgot that Nao had even asked him a question.

"Onii-chan?"

He startled. "Oh, yeah. A date... Sounds... nice."

With a small smile as he watched Narumi and Kou, he took another sip of his long cold coffee.

I was finished, I really was, but then rightly pointed out that it needed an epilogue. I happened to agree wholeheartedly so whether you wanted it or not (and honestly, if you didn't, you just wouldn't bother reading) here it is. I got this done super fast because I was inspired, but because of that it might be a little clumsy. I have given it a couple of read throughs. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little addition.