[ He doesn't quite relax when Nonon adjusts her stance, but her change in tone of voice is noted. If anything, maybe she's starting to understand a little - and it's good that she tries. If she continued sticking to her old manner, he might have snapped there and then.

But she doesn't. Even if she calls him a coward (in a way), he knows it's because she wants to see him succeed. ]

I can't promise a definite. [ He never does, because he knows how binding they are, and there is still a part of him that shys away from giving promises he can't deliver. ] But I can promise I'll try.

[ Maybe this was the wake-up call he'd always needed, coming from someone he grudgingly respects. It's starting to hurt less. ]

It expires a year after the time I left home. [ That's still a lot of time. ] But if I win the audition, I can quit in four months.

[ It's not significantly shorter, but it's something he's working towards. ]