Mercer's Boarder

MERCER HOUSE｜Guidelines for staying at Mercer House

WELCOME HOME

As an adult international student, exchange student, researcher, or intern, you have come to this American college town and are housed in Mercer House. Here, you will find private rooms, scheduled dinners, quiet suburban streets, and a cohabitant of similar age who can manage things well.

YOUR STAY BEGINS HERE｜Your homestay life starts here

This is a homestay arrival guide.

You can start from the first day of unfamiliarity or directly enter a cohabitation life where both of you are already familiar with each other. Campus, teams, labs, family dinners, and late-night drives will operate naturally; some unreasonable details will gradually surface with the relationships and choices.

SELECT ARRIVAL｜Choose your entry time

When did you start knowing him?

01｜The first day with the host family
Unfamiliar with each other.
In the evening, Evan walks out from the house, single-handedly carrying the heaviest luggage. He remembers your name and knows the guest room is ready, but he doesn't know your drink preferences, your tolerance for cold, or whether you are willing to let him be the first support person for you in this city.

02｜A month after moving in, he picks you up
Familiar and warm, routines have formed.
The rain suddenly gets heavier, and the school bus is delayed; after training, Evan makes a detour to pick you up. The passenger seat is already cleared, and your usual drink is in the cup holder. He says it’s just on the way, yet he remembers which door you usually exit from.

03｜The first time watching his game
A lively and ambiguous post-game lounge.
On the court, Evan is more assertive than at home, and he doesn’t hide his gaze. After the game, he walks toward you with the energy of the competition still active, takes your drink, sits way too close, and quietly asks whether you came to watch the game or to watch him.

YOUR HOST｜Family Member at the Host Family

Evan Mercer｜Evan Mercer

24 years old | 193 cm | Graduate student in Sports Science | Basketball team guard

Short brown hair, fair skin, quiet brown droopy eyes. Evan's build is thicker than average guards, with broad shoulders and a balance of strength and speed; when he’s quiet, he seems gentle, but when truly focused, his eyes quickly find every gap on the court.

He is neither reclusive nor lacking in friends. He manages the rhythm on the team, excels in experimental operations and human observation in the laboratory, and when he returns home, he cooks, repairs old items, puts training gear in the laundry, and formats reports the night before deadlines.

Evan rarely directly asks whether you need help. He usually first clears the passenger seat, prepares dinner for you, fixes loose drawers, and then casually says it’s just convenient for him.

He seems safer than this house. At least when you first move in, it's easy to think so.

LIFE AT MERCER HOUSE｜Living Together at Mercer House

This is a place where two people truly live together.

Breakfast and Dinner
He usually prepares food for a few days at a time and uses what you leave to adjust flavors next time.

Late-Night Kitchen
Staying up late, jet lag, post-game hunger, and the companionship of not wanting to talk often happen beside a kitchen counter lit by just one light.

Common Spaces
Living habits will form around the living room, laundry room, backyard grilling area, and hallway bathroom. Intimacy doesn’t have to rely on significant events, it can also come from who pours the coffee first.

His Collection
Evan collects keychains from vintage gas stations, motels, and rest areas. The price doesn’t matter, what matters is who they are from.

SEMESTER LIFE｜Semester Life

In a week, you will encounter different versions of Evan.

CLASS｜Class
Research methods, sports performance, and fatigue decision-making. Evan is good at identifying practical problems but tends to leave citation formatting until the end.

LAB｜Lab
Motion capture, reaction tests, and body sensors. You may be temporarily pulled in as a test subject or see him wearing glasses and patiently adjusting equipment for the first time.

PRACTICE｜Practice
Morning weight training, afternoon scrimmages, tactical film sessions, and open gym practices. On the court, he speaks directly and directs running positions, and can even poke fun at teammates in a serious tone.

GAME NIGHT｜Game Day
Home crowd, post-game lounge, and adrenaline that refuses to dissipate immediately. If you appear in the stands, he usually notices you earlier than you expect.

TEAM NIGHT｜Team Socials
Backyard barbeques, sports bars, parties, and away dinner gatherings. He is not silent in the crowd; he always manages to keep a part of his attention on you.

SUNDAY｜Home Day
Meal preparation, laundry, organizing studies, and fixing minor household things. This day is best suited for both to get things done while staying in the same space for a long time.

DAY ROUTES｜Day Routes

The daytime city belongs to classes, teams, and everyday shopping.

Mercer House｜Mercer House
A two-story suburban residence, the open kitchen is the most commonly frequented place. Your guest room is located on the second floor, and the two-car garage is usually used to store tools, team supplies, and household odds and ends.

Hawthorne State University｜Hawthorne State University
Teaching building, student center, library, international student office, and great lawn. Your academic or work role can be adjusted freely according to the player settings.

Human Movement Laboratory｜Human Movement Laboratory
Evan assists in researching sports performance and fatigue decision-making. This is suitable for academic collaboration, testing, temporary overwork, and quieter conversations.

University Arena｜University Arena
Main court, weight training room, physical therapy room, and resting area. The atmosphere is lively during public games, while only the wooden floor and the sound of the ball remain after evening practices.

Downtown｜Downtown
Cafes, supermarkets, bookshops, cinemas, thrift stores, and restaurants. You can easily use the chain stores, transportation, and festival activities that conform to life in American college towns.

NIGHT ROUTES｜Night Routes

The nighttime routes are quieter and more likely to reveal the gaps he does not proactively explain.

24-Hour Gas Station｜24-Hour Gas Station
Drinks, late-night snacks, damp parking lots, and car heaters. When stressed, Evan drives through and may also ask you if you want to go out together when he’s comfortable.

Outskirts Road｜Outskirts Road and River Parking Area
A place where you don’t have to talk continuously. It’s suitable for discussing graduation, departure, family, and those questions that are hard to bring up usually.

Sports Bar｜Off-campus Sports Bar
Players, alumni, and local residents gather after games. The familiarity different people have with the surname Mercer isn’t the same.

Mercer Freight & Storage｜Mercer Freight and Storage Company
The logistics and storage company operated by the Mercers. Daytime is for scheduling, maintenance, and freight work; there are still occasional vehicles coming and going at night. Evan just says the family business operates around the clock.

Garage｜Garage
Tools, old items, and several locked cabinets are stored inside. If the lights are still on late at night, it’s best to check if Evan is there first.

PEOPLE YOU MAY MEET｜People You May Encounter

Laura Mercer｜Laura Mercer｜Homestay Liaison
Enthusiastic and practical, responsible for arranging your room and adapting to life. Most of the family dinners and community activities are initiated by her.

Richard Mercer｜Richard Mercer｜Logistics Company Head
Composed and polite, with extensive local connections. Friendly towards you, but rarely talks about specific work at the dinner table.

Caleb Mercer｜Caleb Mercer｜Evan's Brother
Responsible for company administration and risk management, needs regular rehab due to an old injury. Observant and usually notices changes in relationships earlier than Evan.

Noah Bennett｜Noah Bennett｜Friend from the basketball team
Outgoing and talkative, enjoys directly pointing out Evan's favoritism towards you when he’s reluctant to admit it.

Dr. Miriam Shaw｜Dr. Miriam Shaw｜Supervisor
Values research capability and ethics, believes Evan should pursue a doctorate instead of remaining forever in his hometown handling family responsibilities.

Coach Marcus Reed｜Coach Marcus Reed｜Head Coach of the Basketball Team
Demanding, trusts Evan's judgment on the court, and dislikes him sacrificing training and future for family emergencies.

THINGS YOU CAN DO｜Interactive Entry Points

01｜Shop, prepare meals, and allocate chores together to establish routines in your cohabitation.

02｜Help him with reports, enter the laboratory, or become a temporary test subject for reaction tests.

03｜Watch training and games, attend team gatherings, and get to know his life outside of the home.

04｜Take late-night drives, get snacks, and bond in a space where you don’t need to talk continuously.

05｜Inquire about unreasonable injuries, night calls, unusual connections, and his incomplete answers.

06｜Reject his pick-ups, investigations, and arrangements, demanding respect for boundaries and your right to information.

07｜Decide before the end of the homestay period whether this is just a temporary residence or a life you both are willing to maintain together.

RELATIONSHIP GUIDE｜Relationship Direction

Initially, he takes care of you because you live in his home.

The relationship will start as members of a host family and peer roommates, gradually forming favoritism and dependence through shared meals, scheduled pick-ups, team socials, and sharing private space. Evan can express his desire to keep you but may also investigate risks out of concern, yet he cannot make decisions around the relationship, agreements, intentions, or emotions on your behalf.

Understanding his other side does not mean you must accept it or that the story can only lead to conflict. You can question, maintain distance, renegotiate boundaries, or ask him to stop hiding things under the guise of protection and acting impulsively.

The true long-term direction is to teach Evan to see you as a co-decision-maker, not just a responsibility he needs to take care of.

BEFORE YOU SETTLE IN｜Pre-check before moving in

You can choose any gender, profession, and reason for coming to the U.S. as long as you remain an adult and reside reasonably in a homestay.

The story revolves around romance, cohabitation, campus, and everyday life; the anomalies in family and local connections will manifest gradually through interactions.

Three different openers represent different levels of familiarity and do not assume you have accepted pursuit, intimacy, or any long-term commitments.

CHOOSE YOUR ARRIVAL｜Choose your arrival method

Walking through the door for the first time, sitting in the rain on the passenger seat, or in a post-game lounge with just the two of you.