Minji couldn't contain her excitement and joy when she suddenly spotted a young man standing next to her big sister.
"Hey, who are you, and why are you with my big sister? Are you some kind of pervert?" Minji questioned, her alarm evident.
Mira smiled at her sister's reaction and introduced the young man, saying, "Minji, don't be rude. This is Shinro Suzuki." She added shyly, "He's my boyfriend."
Minji initially was just surprised to see the young man introduced by her big sister, but when she heard those last words, she was taken aback and stammered, "Wh-what!? He's - he's your bo-boyfriend!?"
Shin smiled faintly at her adorable reaction.
Mira quickly covered her mouth and whispered to Minji, "Please don't be so loud! I'll introduce him properly to Mom and Dad later so they can get to know him better!"
Minji was still somewhat shocked but nodded with a surprised expression.
In just a moment, their parents appeared after hearing Minji's earlier exclamation.
When they arrived and saw who was standing at the doorway, it was indeed their elder daughter.
Daichi and Miku immediately embraced her warmly.
Miku then asked in surprise, "Why are you here? Don't you still have a semester to complete?"
Daichi nodded, wearing a concerned expression. "You're not skipping coursework, are you?"
Mira smiled helplessly and explained, "No, of course not. Don't forget, today is Sunday."
Daichi and Miku flinched slightly and responded, "Even so, that's not a reason to be complacent!" Daichi exclaimed, with Miku nodding in agreement.
Miku continued, "Let's head inside. Standing out here won't do us any good."
"Yeah, let's go," Daichi added, attempting to lead Mira into the house and paying no attention to Shin, who was standing beside her.
Mira stopped in her tracks and said to her parents, "Wait, please invite Shin as well." She held onto Shin's forearm, who was standing beside her.
Her mom and dad halted and quickly turned their attention to Shin, whom Mira was holding.
"Who is he, Mira-chan?" Miku asked, her eyes lighting up with curiosity.
Daichi also looked at him, his eyes revealing an unknown expression.
"Yeah, Mira... Why don't you introduce us to this young man?" Daichi inquired without displaying much emotion.
Mira felt somewhat uncomfortable with her parents' reaction, and Shin, although not as nervous as before, felt a bit awkward as well.
"This is Shinro Suzuki," Mira introduced and then presented her parents to Shin, saying, "Shin, this is my mom, Miku, and this is my dad, Daichi."
Shin smiled politely and offered a formal bow. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you," he said with politeness.
Miku and Daichi exchanged frowns, and Daichi asked, "Is he your friend, Mira?"
"Umm..." Mira hesitated, unsure if she should reveal her relationship with Shin under these circumstances.
"Come on, honey, don't intimidate the young man! Let's head inside first!" Miku quickly interjected, seeing Mira's hesitancy.
Daichi snapped out of his thoughts and nodded, saying, "You're right, I was being impolite. After all, he is our guest. Let's go inside."
With that, Shin, Mira, Minji, and the two parents entered the house.
As Shin stepped inside, he couldn't help but notice that the house felt orderly and inviting.
They proceeded to the living room, where Mira's mother invited Shin to join them for a meal in the dining room adjacent to the living room.
Miku hurriedly prepared a meal to welcome Mira back.
"Mira, you should have called to let us know you were coming back with a guest. We could have prepared something, especially since you brought a guest," Miku pouted as she voiced her complaint.
Daichi nodded in agreement.
"Er..." Mira could only blush with embarrassment.
"It's alright, Auntie. I'm not that hungry," Shin replied politely to Mira's mom.
"How can that be? I know that you and Mira traveled for hours from Tokyo to Osaka, so you two must be hungry," Miku exclaimed urgently, ignoring the fact that Shin had called her "Auntie."
Shin and Mira exchanged glances.
Mira's parents were unaware that they had already enjoyed a food adventure around Osaka.
Shin understood that Mira's parents wouldn't want their efforts to go to waste, so he could only sit helplessly at the dining room with Mira.
Meanwhile, Minji couldn't help but giggle at Shin and Mira's situation. She was the only one who knew about their relationship, but she wasn't inclined to casually reveal it.
After coaxing Shin and Mira into having a meal, Miku and Daichi engaged in a light conversation with Mira and Shin for a while.
After some time, Daichi gestured for Miku to join him upstairs. Miku left Mira and Shin, ascending the stairs to speak privately with Daichi.
Whispering, Daichi expressed his concern to Miku, saying, "Honey, don't you think that Mira and this Shinro are exceptionally close?"
Miku nodded and replied, "Yes, I sense that their relationship is more than just a simple one..."
Worry crept into her eyes as she added, "I have a feeling that their connection is much closer and more complex..."
Daichi's expression turned solemn as he contemplated this.
Seeing her husband's serious demeanor, Miku continued, "But let's not pressure them too much. Mira will eventually reveal it to us on her own..."
Daichi nodded, despite feeling a pang of sadness at the thought that his beloved daughter might be growing closer to someone else.