"Did you know that if two people who love each other go to Todai, they'll live happily ever after?"
"Hm?"
"If it really works, let's go to Todai together, okay?"
"It's a promise!"
They speak in whispers, though neither understands why every quiet word exchanged seems secret. His mother is visiting hers -- the two women have been friends for years, but only online, so this is the first time the parents or the children have met. The adults sit on a couch in the living room, enjoying tea and conversation, while the kids, co-conspirators in a two-person cabal, show off and trade the digital pets they've collected.
They stand close as they talk and look over each other's screens. She can feel his arm pushed against hers; for that moment, she's incapable of pulling her mind's attention away from that spot where their skin meets. The suitcase underneath their bare feet wobbles, their heads lightly bump each other, and they laugh while trying to rebalance themselves. He's too shy to look away from the systems and up at her, too close to smile at her without blushing, but during that moment of shared laughter, he forgets to stop himself from doing both.
