After a pause, Nozomi Kimiko’s gaze swept over the two of them in turn, then continued:

"Saving money is one thing, but Uncle and Auntie can rest assured, and it also prevents this kind of situation from happening again, right?"

As her words fell, the atmosphere suddenly quieted.

Nozomi Sakura glanced at Alan. Seeing he didn’t speak, she quickly said:

"Well, moving isn’t actually that simple. I just paid the six-month rent last month, and if I break the lease, the deposit will be completely lost."

"At least it has to wait until next year, and besides, I’m not mentally prepared yet—"

Nozomi’s last sentence was spoken in a low tone, more like muttering to herself.

As she spoke, the girl’s rosy cheeks drooped slightly, her lips lightly bitten, and a shy expression flickered in her amber, glossy eyes. Her index finger, damp with saliva, traced circle after circle on the table.

Alan stared at her shy, little-wife-like demeanor, stunned for a moment before realizing what was happening. He couldn’t help but think how quickly her acting skills were improving.

Kimiko was also momentarily taken aback, then recalled this was probably her little sister’s first love, and she couldn’t help but smile.

"That’s true. It’s not that simple. You two think it over."

With the topic temporarily closed, the three chatted a while longer. Just as they were getting into it, Kimiko’s phone suddenly rang.

"Hold on."

She picked up her phone and glanced at the caller ID, frowning as she stood and walked past the two to the balcony.

The air fell silent. The two in the bedroom exchanged a glance, saying nothing.

Faint snippets of conversation drifted through: "GG’s notice? Shooting now?" "Wasn’t I dropped?"

After a while, Kimiko returned, her face devoid of any smile. The white incandescent lamp cast a pale, cold light on her face.

"Sorry, the manager just gave me a notice. I have something to do, so I’ll leave first. You two keep chatting. We’ll meet up again when there’s time."

With that, Kimiko nodded at the two, lifting her slender arm to grab her handbag, then strode out quickly.

Nozomi hurried to see her off, with Alan following behind. But at the door, Kimiko raised her hand, blocking them from leaving.

"No need to see me off."

She glanced at Nozomi and said, "Remember to call Auntie later."

"Got it—"

Watching her disappear around the corridor’s corner, Nozomi Sakura sighed in relief and leaned against Alan.

"Finally over."

She couldn’t help but say.

Alan reached out to steady her and asked thoughtfully,

"What does your sister do?"

Feeling their closeness might be a bit too much, Nozomi straightened up, twirling a strand of hair behind her ear:

"She’s a model. She said she wanted to be a model back in high school, but it seems her career hasn’t gone very smoothly. It’s really tough—she still has to shoot GG so late at night—"

"A model?"

"Yeah."

Nozomi closed the door, sighed, and said,

"She works so hard. She wasn’t this thin before. She probably starved herself a lot. I could never do that—it feels like she’s pushing herself to the limit."

As she spoke, she recalled her chat with her cousin, frowning delicately, and couldn’t help but say,

"But even so, it seems her hard work hasn’t paid off..."

"What do you mean?"

They sat back down on the tatami. Alan picked up a skewer of leftover grilled chicken. He hadn’t eaten dinner before coming and hadn’t eaten much during their talk, so now he was replenishing his energy.

"She said she’s kind of at the end of her rope and wants to become an actress..."

At this, Nozomi bit her lip, feeling an inexplicable frustration rising in her chest, and said,

"But she’s already stuck with it so long. If she gives up now, doesn’t that mean all her previous effort was wasted?"

Noticing how important this question was to Nozomi, Alan swallowed the chicken in his mouth and stared seriously into her eyes.

"Effort doesn’t always pay off. That’s common sense. Also, sunk costs shouldn’t influence major decisions. Sometimes changing paths is clearly the right choice."

"Although that’s true—"

Nozomi bit her lip, emotions swirling within, fingers twisting nervously as she sighed:

"To stick it out to the end, never give up—that’s what Kimiko told me from the start. I always admired her because I didn’t have that kind of determination back then. Now that I have a goal and am ready to act on it, she tells me it’s better to give up."

Her eyes grew wet, her palm clenched tightly as she gritted her teeth and said,

"It’s like... it’s like her present is my future."

Despite working hard every day, despite clearly feeling her own progress, despite both the strict mentor and Yuri saying she’d improved a lot, the truth was she hadn’t really started yet. She hadn’t achieved results, and the future remained blurry.

If anyone had worked hard, it was definitely her cousin.

Just looking at how thin she got to become a model showed it was probably just the tip of the iceberg. Nobody knew how much effort she’d put in behind the scenes or how many tears she’d shed.

Seeing the girl now doubting herself, Alan stroked his chin, expression calm, and said.

"Eagles are born with the ability to fly, but no matter how many times a gazelle jumps off a cliff, it can’t soar through the sky. Like I said, if you doubt yourself, then just believe me unconditionally."

He wasn’t interested in her cousin’s career development and didn’t want to indulge negative emotions. Pointing to the phone, he said directly.

"Besides, I came here today for this."

"Open your phone now and look at the two files I sent you."

"Huh?"

Nozomi was stunned but then opened her phone and tapped the first file.

"The first one I sent you is the script I wrote. The second is the original novel."

"I know you’re busy now and can’t study it all at once, so start reading a little every day from tomorrow. If you don’t understand something, just ask me."

At this, Nozomi opened her mouth and turned to stare blankly at him, surprised,

"You wrote it?"

She swallowed and swiped on the screen, but after two swipes hadn’t reached the end. She couldn’t help asking.

"How did you do it?"

Alan didn’t answer this question but said directly.

"You’ll go audition for this role."

"An audition? So it’s decided to be filmed?"

Nozomi felt her head spinning.

In her imagination, it would take at least a year or more before Alan could write a script. After all, he must have only recently started learning. But now he actually produced a script.

And a novel?

A warm current spread through her chest as she gazed at the boy before her with complicated feelings.

"More or less. It’s basically settled, but the auditions probably won’t start for a few months."

Alan explained casually. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

He brought the script today so Nozomi could understand the story early and get a head start on integrating into the role.

Alan sat beside her and began outlining the story’s general plot, also describing the role she’d play, giving her a rough idea.

They leaned close, shoulders touching. The boy’s body heat passed through the thin fabric to her skin. Nozomi felt her arm growing warm.

No matter how you looked at it, this close was a bit too much, wasn’t it?

She vaguely caught a scent from him and couldn’t help taking a couple more deep breaths. Her legs unconsciously squeezed together.

Carefully lowering her gaze, she stared at his profile, her eyes slid over the corner of his mouth.

Her chest seemed to grow hotter, and a strange feeling stirred inside her heart.

Even with the air conditioner on, Nozomi felt dizzy, like a rusty, stuck fan.

A special emotion rippled through her heart, like a feather plucking at her strings, both sour and itchy.

"Anyway, that’s about it. Study it well yourself, and if you have any questions, come ask me."

Time passed without her realizing it, then Alan’s voice came from beside her. Startled, she quickly nodded.

"Ah, I think I get it."

Alan noticed her drifting and focusing gaze and furrowed his brow.

"Are you listening?"

"Uh, it’s a bit much. I’ll study it more when I get back—"

Nozomi gave a perfunctory response, then pursed her lips and looked at Alan.

"Um, will there be any kissing scenes in it?"

"Huh?"

Apparently, she hadn’t really been listening. Alan said helplessly.

"This is a suspense crime drama. It doesn’t involve romance at all. Where would kissing scenes come from?"

"Oh."

Nozomi nodded, lightly licking her lips. Her knees, hidden under the long skirt, bumped against Alan’s.

"Well, Fujiwara-sensei said last time that if you want to really get into the role, you have to experience it yourself. Recently, I’ve been watching movies and dramas and realized I can’t really immerse myself in roles about breakups or being in love. I just can’t feel those emotions. I think it’s because I’ve never had that kind of intimate experience in love."

She wracked her brain for a reason, feeling like her face was burning, but she did her best to sound clear and serious, as if she was genuinely discussing acting.

"So I was thinking, maybe if there was a kissing scene, it would help me better understand what it’s like to be a lover."

She blinked, softening her gaze until it turned clear and bright, then asked,

"Didn’t you say you’d fulfill your duty as my boyfriend?"

As if she had made up her mind, she grabbed Alan’s sleeve. Her eyes hardened with resolve as she looked straight at his face and asked,

"A kiss?"