grammar - I need help with this sentence! 居るなら居ると言ってくれればい いのにと誰にともなく唇をとがらせる。

A: おかああさん？

B: はーい

ホッとする。同時に拍子抜けする。なんだ居るのかと胸をなでおろしたあとで、居るなら居ると言ってくれればいいのにと誰にともなく唇をとがらせる。

My translation is "...if you're here, I wish you would say 'I'm here'..."

I don't understand after のに…

ともなく means "doing something without thinking", correct?

Please help me understand this!

Answer

With some punctuation:

「居るなら居ると言ってくれればいいのに」と、誰にともなく、唇をとがらせる。

• Here のに is used as a sentence-end particle. Your translation of this part is fine. See: What does のに mean at the end of this sentence?


• と is a quotative particle. Here 思って or something similar is omitted after it.


• 誰にともなく/誰にでもなく is a set phrase meaning "to no one in particular". interrogative + ともなく is a common pattern. You may have seen どこからともなく (="out of nowhere") before.


• 唇を尖らせる/口を尖らせる is an idiomatic phrase, "to pout", "to shoot out the lip".

Without 誰にともなく, the sentence would mean the speaker actually said 「居るなら居ると言ってくれればいいのに」 to their mother. 誰にともなく implies that the person only thought this (or said this in a small voice to themselves).