Who would co looking for ?
As she watched her cousin walk out of the bedroom, Nozomi Sakura couldn’t help but wonder.
Only a few people knew her ho address—countable on one hand.
Naturally, her parents were out of the question. Even if they wanted to co, they wouldn’t have sent Kimiko to check on her. Akane Mia was working a night shift at the convenience store, and even if soone were coming, they’d have given notice.
So that left only—
At that mont, the girl’s beautiful eyes widened, and she hurried out of the bedroom, only to find Kimiko already opening the door.
Nozomi opened her mouth, then looked past her cousin at the boy standing in the doorway. Her red lips parted as she couldn’t help but say, "Alan?"
What she really wanted to say was, "Why are you here?" After all, even when he dropped her off downstairs before, he never ca up.
But the words stopped on her lips. Asking so directly in front of her cousin would make them seem too unfamiliar with each other.
She opened her mouth again, then closed it, a look of hesitation on her face.
Alan caught the doubt in her eyes and lifted his phone.
"Look at your phone."
"My phone?"
Nozomi froze for a mont, then instinctively reached for her phone on the desk, only to find it wasn’t there. She quickly dove into the bedroom, searching everywhere.
On the bed, under the desk, even shaking out the clothes on the tatami mat, still no phone.
Growing anxious, she kept asking herself silently, Where could I have put it? Maybe when I was tidying up, I stuffed it into a box?
Outside the room, watching her obviously flustered younger sister, Kimiko couldn’t help but smile. She turned back and glanced at the boy in front of her, smiling as she said, "I’m Nozomi’s sister, Nozomi Kimiko."
She extended her hand toward the boy.
Alan glanced at the slender figure before him and felt a little surprised by her identity. He had never heard Nozomi ntion an older sister before.
But he gave a calm nod, lightly clasped her hand, then released it.
"I’m Alan. Nice to et you. Please take care of ."
Noticing his gesture, Nozomi Kimiko lifted her gaze and t his eyes. Sothing stirred inside her.
She had deliberately emphasized her identity, not quite like eting the parents, but still the head of Nozomi’s family.
No matter what, eting the boyfriend’s family—even with plenty of ntal preparation—at such a young age, sudden face-to-face etings would definitely make anyone nervous.
She’d been in relationships and heard friends say how ridiculous their boyfriends acted the first ti they ca ho.
It was perfectly normal for both guys and girls.
But she didn’t see a trace of panic or fluster on Alan’s face.
People could fake expressions and movents, but not their eyes.
His calm gaze was like a deep lake, still and untroubled—no hint of fear or nervousness.
More than that, Nozomi Kimiko sensed a mountain-like steadiness in him.
She only felt this way when facing bosses, directors, or producers, important people.
Suddenly, her mouth felt dry, and she snapped out of her slight drunkenness from earlier.
Looking at his young face, she thought maybe she was overthinking.
Being calm in front of a lover’s family didn’t necessarily an he was extraordinary, maybe it just ant he didn’t love enough.
But then she recalled the look he gave her when he first opened the door—
After a mont’s thought, Nozomi Kimiko smiled softly.
"Ah, I was just telling Nozomi about you. Didn’t expect she’d be secretly dating— I even asked when I’d get to et you, and here we are."
"That is a bit of a coincidence."
Alan smiled back and lifted his phone, showing the call log of nurous missed calls to Nozomi Sakura
"I called so many tis, but she didn’t answer. I was worried sothing happened to her alone, so I ca to check."
Seeing the string of red "Missed" calls, Kimiko blinked and nodded knowingly.
"So that’s why. Sakura really is the kind of person who makes you worry."
She glanced back at the girl bent over searching by the desk, smiled at Alan, and said, "Co on in. Don’t just stand at the door."
At that mont, they heard Nozomi’s surprised shout from inside the room.
"Oh! So it was here all along!"
"So, Sakura, what was so urgent that you threw your bag into the crack of the desk and then completely forgot about it?"
The three of them sat around the long table. Kimiko propped her chopsticks against her lips, teasing with a smile.
Nozomi bit her lip lightly. She’d just showered, her skin as white and smooth as egg whites, flushed with a rosy glow.
She whispered an explanation, "It’s because I heard Mom say Kimiko was coming, so I wanted to co back early and tidy up. Otherwise, it was too ssy—"
"Oh."
Kimiko gave her a aningful look, glanced at Alan, and kept her questions to herself, smiling.
"Good thing Alan was so worried, coming all this way. Next ti, don’t put your phone on silent, okay? Otherwise, it’s hard to find you."
"I—"
Nozomi opened her mouth to explain that her phone had always been on ringtone, but ever since she started studying in the library every day, she’d switched it to silent.
But just thinking about how Alan had called so many tis, worried enough to co see her, made her chest warm. A sweet happiness rippled inside her, and she couldn’t help but squeeze her legs together.
He really cares about , huh?
But before he ca to see her, he seed to have sothing else to say.
Nozomi recalled opening her phone and finding Alan had sent her a file on Lⅰe besides the calls.
She hadn’t looked at the details yet since her cousin was still there, but it seed to be a script or sothing.
Seeing her hesitation, Kimiko didn’t press her further and turned to chat casually with Alan.
Watching this, Nozomi’s heart raced. She took a deep breath and tried to appear calm, though her heart pounded faster.
She had thought they might et family soday, but never imagined it would be so soon.
And their relationship history was definitely too awkward to explain honestly.
No one would believe Alan was really that good. Not her cousin, not her parents.
The girl bit her pink lips. The blush on her face spread down to her neck. Without anyone noticing, she slid her foot under the table to rest against Alan’s leg—just in case he said anything wrong, she could remind him.
Fortunately, Kimiko didn’t ask any prying questions. Instead, she talked about school life and seed quite nostalgic.
Nozomi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled gently at Alan’s ease.
Unconsciously, she pictured the day she’d bring him ho to et her family.
Even her father would definitely like him, right?
Though loving soone and getting married are matters between two people, having your family’s blessing is always better.
She had to work on it, at least start practicing how to et Alan’s family from today.
Should be fine, right?
"Um, Alan, do you live alone now?"
Suddenly, hearing this, Nozomi snapped back to reality.
She was a bit surprised, wondering why her sister brought up the topic.
"Yes, I live alone."
"Oh."
Kimiko nodded thoughtfully, then bit her chopsticks and smiled.
"If that’s the case, why don’t you two rent a place together?"
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