Akira looked at the overly anxious couple rushing towards her. She felt that irritation rise in her again, but she suppressed it. She had decided to come to Mountain Ridge City with an open mind. Still, her defences went up when she saw the two people coming towards her.

"Akira!" Sayaka called out as she stepped before her.

She wanted to hug her long-lost daughter and make her feel at home. However, when she stretched her two arms towards her, Akira took a single step back.

Sayaka's eyes filled with tears at the gesture, but she knew that Akira was not familiar enough with her. To the young woman, she was a stranger who tried to hold her.

However, she still felt hurt because she had not held her daughter in years.

Daiki pulled back his wife and placed an arm around her shoulders in comfort.

"Akira, I am glad you are here." He spoke with a smile.

Akira looked at the man and nodded. Between her two biological parents, she had spoken to her father more. Like her, he was a person of few words, so she did not feel a lot of pressure about talking to him.

As for her mother, she had difficulties talking with her because she wanted too much from her, considering they were still strangers.

"Auntie, uncle!" A gentle voice spoke out.

Akira looked at the young lady in white, standing behind the couple. She had an elegant appearance, but there was something strange about her eyes. They seemed to hold a hint of challenge mixed with dislike.

Akira did not care.

"Akira, this is your cousin, Ito Hanae. She came along with us to welcome you." Daiki spoke.

"We thought you would adapt a little faster if there was another girl around your age in the house. She is a little spoiled, but I am sure that you will get along." Sayaka added with a smile.

Sayaka tried to keep calm. She knew that she needed to get closer to her daughter one step at a time. Her daughter looked cute, but she had a cold personality.

She wondered if the young woman blamed them for being outside and struggling through the years.

"Auntie, I am not spoiled." Hanae stuck out her tongue playfully before turning to Akira. "I am your younger cousin. I hope that we can get along. Don't worry about being new to this place. I practically live here with auntie and uncle. I will show your everything."

Hanae looked at Akira with that show of challenge while declaring her sovereignty over Mountain Ridge and her parents.

Akira simply nodded at her.

Hanae felt irritated after seeing the uncaring face. She wondered if it was a trick the woman was using to accomplish her goals. She had heard stories about how poor people would pretend not to care about wealth so that they could get closer to rich families.

Obviously, this bumpkin was not well-off.

She had heard her aunt and uncle saying that she worked as a chef, so she had lived a poor life.

Even her clothes seemed like the ones bought from a general store. If she could afford good clothes, she would not be dressed like a high school student.

And there was no way she was not interested in money.

Otherwise, why would she show up so suddenly?

Hanae resolved to expose the woman as a money grabber or at least, make her realise that she had no chance of succeeding in her get-rich-quick scheme.

"Let me help you with your luggage," Hanae said with a smile.

"No," Akira said flatly.

"Don't mind her, Akira. Hanae is a little anxious. She was so excited to see you." Sayaka smiled as she patted Hanae's shoulder.

They had been close for a long time, so she could not help speaking up for her niece. As Hanae had said, she practically lived with them.

Her parents had a smaller company, so the whole family had to work a little harder. When she was younger, Hanae did not have a family member to take care of her. Sayaka had offered to take care of her so that she would not be too lonely.

Akira looked at her biological mother before turning away to look around.

"It's alright, Auntie. In any case, it is a small suitcase." Hanae pointed out.

Sayaka looked at the bag and felt pain. Her daughter probably did not have a lot of clothes, and the clothes she had were probably not very good.

"Akira, we can go shopping for whatever you need later. We have prepared some things, but I am not sure that you will like them." Sayaka said.

"Anything is ok," Akira responded.

Daiki could hear a little irritation from Akira's voice. He often heard it when they spoke for too long on the phone. He smiled a little. The girl was as impatient as her elder brother. He could not tell where they got it from when the rest of the family were all easygoing.

"We should go home before discussing things further." He said as he pulled his wife by the shoulder.