Since Akiko was the only newcomer to the group, there was no awkwardness as the men dove into nonstop chatter. Their conversations jumped from the latest trends in games to the tragic question of why the mayor of that town had taken his own life.
The topics were all over the place, yet the harmony was undeniable.
There was only one reason the ancestral home was packed this week—and it was all because of Haruki's birthday. Tomorrow, he would turn 23, and many distant relatives couldn't resist bringing along a friend's daughter or a cousin's classmate.
Haruki was simply too outstanding.
Despite not being blood-related to the Ryu family—whose history ran as deep as the founding of Japan—he fit perfectly among these dragons. His unusual grey eyes, which might have been deemed unsettling in anyone else, only added to his charm when paired with his addictive smile.
