"Was Steven Universe your boyfriend?" Akane asks softly. Connie doesn't exactly talk about Steven Universe the way she talks about Ranma, a mix of exasperation, ruefulness, and fondness... but she doesn't not talk about him that way either? And she said she cherished him. Which was the kind of thing you wouldn't say about a boy unless you were dating.

(You could say that about a girl more easily, Akane thinks. After all, she cherishes her time with Connie. But things were different with girls. You could be close with girls and not have to worry they were going to take advantage of it to pull something funny.)