Christmas Eve.
Leonard's house.
"Paige, let me introduce you."
Adam smiled. "This is Leonard's father, Dr. Alfred Hofstadter!"
"Hello, Dr. Adler."
"Hello, Dr. Alfred Hofstadter."
"This is Leonard's mother, Dr. Beverly Hofstadter."
After Paige and Leonard's father nodded in greeting, Adam led Paige inside and introduced her to Beverly, who had risen to her feet.
"Hello, Dr. Adler."
"Hello, Dr. Beverly Hofstadter."
Paige and Beverly nodded to each other.
"This is Leonard's sister, Dr. Lecher Hofstadter."
Adam introduced Paige to the young, aloof woman beside Beverly, the only one who had inherited Beverly's height.
"Hello, Dr. Adler."
"Hello, Dr. Lecher Hofstadter."
Lecher sized Paige up.
"This is Leonard's younger brother, Michael."
Adam then looked toward Michael, who had come down from the stairs and was staring at him and Paige with less-than-friendly eyes.
"Hello, Dr. Adler. I'm a loyal fan of yours."
Michael excitedly held out his hand.
"Hello, Mr. Hofstadter."
Paige did not take his hand. Her single sentence left Michael frozen in place.
Seven years later, a certain engineer with a master's degree would deeply understand how that felt.
When everyone was greeting one another as Dr. This and Dr. That, only for someone to suddenly be called Mr. So-and-So, the feeling was truly excruciating.
Especially for a proud young man standing before both his goddess and his romantic rival.
That blow was simply unforgettable.
"I'll definitely become a doctor!"
Michael's face turned bright red.
Meow!
At that moment, a little cat jumped out, crouched on the sofa, and meowed at everyone.
"Paige, let me introduce you. This must be Leonard's cat, Dr. Puss in Boots Hofstadter!"
Adam noticed Michael's hostility and seized the opportunity to stab him once more.
"Hello, Dr. Puss in Boots Hofstadter!"
Paige had also noticed Michael's hostility toward Adam and seriously greeted the