Chapter 60

Summer days are long, and at this moment, the neon lights hadn't yet come on. The evening sun shone on the girl's long hair, casting a bright gleam.

She ran all the way from the teaching building to the gate without even a chance to stop and catch her breath, then immediately headed toward the train station.

The wind whooshed past her ears. She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but it sounded like someone was calling her.

Takahashi Mio didn't slow down. Even if someone was really calling her, she had no time to stop and chat.

If she had to describe how she felt right then, it was hot.

Body hot, face hot, heart hot...

Like water boiling at ninety degrees in a kettle, her heart bubbled anxiously.

Besides heat, all that was left was regret.

If only she had called her mother earlier, none of this would have happened.

The words she told her mother over the phone—"I'm too busy, no time"—were half true.

She really was busy, but not so busy that she had no time to call.

Many nights she'd thought about calling her mother, after all, there were so many things she wanted to say.

But what could she say?

That she owed two million yen, was stuck in debt, and was saved by Shiratori Kiyoya?

That she wanted to tell her mother how strange he was, how he didn't want anything from her but still willingly lent her money to pay off the debt?

That she discovered his ex-girlfriend was Kitajo Shione—the singer she had once adored?

That several of his ex-girlfriends still had feelings for him, and she was caught in the middle of all that drama?

That he was a renowned lyricist and composer?

That she had finally found a dream worth fighting for—she wanted to become a star?

That she had been studying hard and training relentlessly these days, so exhausted she sometimes didn't even have the strength to cry?

None of these words could be said.

Thinking carefully, she could only move her hand away from her mother's phone number and quietly stare at the ceiling, trying to process it all alone.

No need to guess—her mother wouldn't understand.

She wouldn't believe someone like Shiratori Kiyoya could exist, wouldn't think he really cared for her.

She'd definitely think he was a liar, just like she had at first.

Without firsthand experience of his care, she'd never know how good he was...

But not everything about him was good. This guy was kind of a jerk—he hadn't been tempted by someone as pretty as her, and even now, he hadn't done anything intimate with her.

Though honestly, if he did, she'd probably be scared to death. But still, the fact that he hadn't... left her feeling a bit disappointed.

It was like she had no charm in his eyes, even though the strict coach had praised her striking looks.

Was the bar just set too high?

Damn it!

She couldn't help but wonder if he'd done anything intimate with those other women...

Of course, the most infuriating thing was how he still had lingering ties with his ex-girlfriend. That really boiled her blood.

But he kept his distance and didn't cross any lines.

Even after she told him not to worry about her—that it was okay if he dated Hasegawa Saori—he still didn't agree.

That careful, protective feeling made her feel like she was being held gently in someone's hands.

But he didn't love her...

Every time she thought about that, anger welled up inside.

She had to make him like her.

But now wasn't the time to think about all that.

Takahashi Mio finally caught the train, panting heavily as she leaned against a corner. She flicked through her phone contacts, trying to call her cousin to ask where she was.

But the call went straight to a "number not in service" message.

Mio froze for a moment, then sighed softly. Her red lips pursed gently, and her delicate brows furrowed into an inverted V.

Had she changed her number?

She then scrolled through her friends list, fingers swiping up and down for a while before finally finding her cousin's account.

Her eyes lit up, and she quickly sent a message:

"Miki sis, I heard from Mom that you're coming over to see me. Sorry, I just got out of school. Where are you now?"

But after sending the message, there was no reply, not even a read receipt, all the way until the train arrived at the station.

Was she just too busy or what?

Uneasy feelings surged again. Mio pressed her lips together, having no time to dwell on it, and hurried home.

Takahashi Miki was five years older than her.

The time they were closest was before high school, when visits during holidays were strictly supervised, so the thing she looked forward to most was when her cousin came over to hang out. She always took her out to play.

Shopping, amusement parks, movies, even karaoke...

But after high school, they rarely kept in touch. Miki was probably busy with college.

It had been years since they last met. Her memories weren't exactly vague, but many details were forgotten.

The one thing that stuck was that her cousin's personality was much stronger than hers. Despite having a similarly conservative family, Miki boldly announced in high school that she wanted to be a model.

She remembered Miki once had a big fight with her uncle and reportedly ran away from home for a week, only to be found in an internet cafe in a neighboring city...

When Mio first heard this, she was shocked but mostly scared.

If she were Miki, she wouldn't have the guts to face it.

Imagining herself in her cousin's shoes, facing their father's scolding, made her feel fearful...

But deep down, she admired Takahashi Miki.

No matter what, being able to openly say what you want to do was pretty cool.

So after starting university, she subconsciously dyed her hair a similar color to Miki's.

But now, thinking it over carefully, her cousin's dream didn't seem so practical.

Putting looks aside—Miki was quite pretty—her height was about the same as hers.

To be a runway model, you'd need to be at least 1.7 meters tall. Unless you were doing print modeling, being just over 1.6 meters wasn't competitive.

No idea how she was doing now...

Mio's thoughts wandered chaotically as she unconsciously found herself standing under her apartment building.

She didn't see her cousin anywhere, which gave her a little relief. Upstairs at her door, still no sign of her cousin, and she sighed in relief.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she hurriedly closed the door, tossed her bag aside, and started tidying up without even changing her shoes.

First, the luxury goods she had bought earlier, then the clothes Shiratori Kiyoya had bought for her, each worth over a hundred thousand yen...

Miki wasn't some country bumpkin. She often read magazines and probably knew more about luxury goods than Mio.

Their families were similar in wealth, so logically, Mio shouldn't have so much money. If Miki saw it, she'd definitely notice something was off.

She might easily suspect she'd taken out online loans or something...

But that was a secondary concern.

After stuffing her clothes into a suitcase, Mio rested her hands on her hips and then hid the recent acting materials and textbooks.

If her cousin found out and told their mother, their father would surely know too.

Then she'd be in big trouble, and her dream of becoming a star would probably be dead before it even began...

"Ding-dong."

Just as she put the books into a cardboard box, the doorbell suddenly rang in her ears.

Mio's heart jumped. She kicked the box under the bed, glanced quickly around, and when she saw nothing wrong, hurried to the door.

"I'm coming."