Ah, damn it, it was bright.

Way too bright.

The moment I opened my eyes properly, the light flooded my vision, and I frowned without thinking. My head throbbed slightly as I squinted, trying to adjust.

...Why were they all here?

Didn’t he say this was supposed to be a family dinner? 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

I slowly looked around the room, my brows knitting together on instinct.

The dining room was packed.

Too packed.

And the atmosphere—tense didn’t even begin to cover it. Everyone was stiff, shoulders tight, backs straight, like they were waiting for a verdict.

What, did my father chew them out already or something?

Or—wait.

Oh. Oh no.

Was this one of those situations? A father who suddenly summoned his son’s friends during the academy semester and gave them a long lecture under the excuse of "encouragement"?

...That would seriously suck.

"What is this?"

I spoke without raising my voice. Honestly, I was planning to just ask, then send the trembling kids away. I even felt a little bad for them.

But for some reason, the moment the words left my mouth, they stiffened even more.

Their shoulders jerked.

Someone swallowed audibly.

...Huh?

Did I look that scary right now?

"R-Rin, calm down."

Ryan stepped forward in a hurry, his hands half-raised like he was trying to stop a wild animal. He looked genuinely flustered.

"I’m sorry for coming without asking for your opinion. I really am. I don’t have any excuse, but—you seem really agitated right now."

"...?"

I stared at him.

No. Seriously. Why are you being so serious?

I wasn’t even angry.

...Was I?

Wait. Was I actually angry?

The thought stopped me for a second. Maybe I was so irritated that I didn’t even realize it yet. Or maybe everyone acting like this was making me feel weirdly flustered.

Seeing the others so tense made my thoughts spiral in a strange direction.

"I mean—yes, I understand," Ryan continued quickly, glancing back at the others. "Since you know the situation. But they don’t. So, um... please calm down a bit."

He bowed his head slightly.

"I’m sorry for not stopping them, even though I knew you might be displeased."

Following his lead, Leo stepped in front of the others as well, positioning himself like some kind of human shield.

"Rin, it’s okay," he said carefully. "No one meant any harm."

"...I’m not angry."

The words came out flat.

"Yes, I know," Leo replied immediately. "So just—just calm down."

No.

Damn it.

I’m not angry.

Being told the same thing over and over again was starting to irritate me.

I felt something twist in my chest, sharp and unpleasant.

I turned my head away from them, only to catch sight of my sister. Rachel was standing near the doorway, arms crossed tightly over her chest, glaring daggers straight at our father.

...Ah.

So she didn’t know about this either.

Her expression made that painfully obvious.

She noticed me looking and clicked her tongue softly, rolling her eyes like she was saying don’t look at me, I didn’t agree to this either.

Great.

...This was annoying.

A wave of irritation washed over me, slow and heavy.

No, seriously. This wasn’t even my fault. So why did I feel like I was the one being put on trial here?

"Sigh."

I let out a long breath, rubbing my forehead.

Everyone flinched.

Actually flinched.

Even Leona, who was usually calm, stiffened slightly. Kiera grabbed the hem of Leona’s sleeve like she was bracing for impact.

...You’ve got to be kidding me.

"No—wait," I said quickly. "Why are you all reacting like that?"

Silence.

Ryan looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t decide whether it was safe.

Leo glanced at my father, then back at me.

Finally, Leona spoke carefully, choosing her words like she was defusing a bomb.

"Rin... you look very upset."

"...I’m not and lights are too bright that’s why my expression is like this," I said.

Kiera nodded quickly. "Y-Yes! Bright lights can do that to anyone."

"That’s not the point," I muttered.

I turned my gaze to my father, then back to my sister, Rachel.

"sister."

"Hm? Rin?"

"Father said he wanted to have a family talk... but I think I got the date wrong."

"What? No—! I didn’t know about this either. Really, Rin! I swear!"

"I know." I let out a small breath. "I’m not upset or anything. It’s just... I kind of prepared myself for it. So this is a little... disappointing, that’s all."

"Ah... um..."

Rachel fidgeted, clearly at a loss for words.

Honestly, I hadn’t even been that prepared for a heartfelt family discussion. Just the idea of it had taken more mental effort than I wanted to admit.

Maybe I could use this misunderstanding as an excuse and slip away.

If I left now, they wouldn’t be able to stop me.

That thought was tempting.

"Rin."

"Yes, Father?"

"I’m sorry." His voice was lower than usual. "This is my fault, so don’t take it out on the others. And Rachel really didn’t know."

I tilted my head slightly. "Hmm. And?"

"I—I just wanted to know how you’ve been." He hesitated, then sighed. "No, I won’t make excuses. I didn’t have the courage to ask you directly. So... please calm down."

...Ah.

This was bad.

The atmosphere was slowly shifting in a direction I didn’t like. It was starting to feel as if I was the one overreacting.

Damn it.

"I’m calm," I said, perhaps a little too quickly. "I never said I wasn’t."

Rachel glanced between us, her shoulders stiff. "Rin, Father’s just worried about you. He talks about it all the time, you know. He just doesn’t know how to say it."

"That doesn’t make it easier," I replied quietly.

My father clenched his hands. "I know. And that’s why I wanted to talk. Even if it’s awkward... even if you don’t want to hear it."

I looked away for a moment. The room felt too small, the silence pressing in from all sides.

"...I didn’t say I didn’t want to hear it," I muttered.

Rachel’s eyes widened slightly. "Then... does that mean you’ll stay?"

I hesitated. Running away was still an option. A very appealing one.

But when I looked back at my father—at how stiffly he was standing, like he was bracing for rejection—I sighed.

"...I’ll stay," I said. "But don’t make this weird."

Rachel immediately smiled in relief.