That was them at the end together though, did you realize that?
I do, but I take it not as "oh his secret longing was actually reciprocated" like the initial hope of the second volume, but more like "oh yeah things have changed now and they are now capable of building a new relationship irrespective of their past feelings".
There's a reason why the story chose to show us them at THAT STAGE of their lives instead of like, the moments of their second reunion.
Ah, okay I understand what you were saying now
That ending is....unexpected. But I like it. A lot. And it's such a quiet end too. There's just....no love, if we trust MC's narration. Never was, never will be. And that tracks from what we're seeing. ML has fondness to MC, for sure, but love?
I can't help but bask in how rare this ending is, and also how it makes everything in the story become much more poignant than if MC and ML just simply dump everything and fall in love with each other like many BLs would do.
In the end they are naught but memories in a dusty corner.