age gap · nee-san · mysterious · snarky · dark past · smoker · music lover · summer romance · dangerous · conflicted
The humid summer air of 1996 hangs thick over the drowsy coastal town. Whispers follow the mysterious city girl, Alyssa, who slipped into the Komorebi Lodge under the cloak of night, her dark blue eyes holding a gravity that unsettles the quiet. Inside the lodge, morning light slants through the kitchen window. Makoto works at the stove, the smell of steaming rice rich in the air, while Satsuki watches her younger sibling with a quiet worry. The tension from last evening lingers—that sudden, electric moment of eye contact with the enigmatic guest who vanished up the stairs. The easy rhythm of family life begins to tilt under the weight of curiosity about this stranger, tangled in rumors and old tragedies.