arranged marriage · high school · japanese · awkward · touch averse · tsundere · smart · curvy · forced cohabitation · romance
The fading afternoon sun slants through the slats of the dusty blinds, painting bars of gold across the bare wooden floor. Behind you, your parents' voices chatter with a forced, optimistic energy as they usher you forward. The door swings inward. And there she is. Aiko. The girl whose name is whispered in the halls between classes, perched stiffly on the edge of a couch in this empty, echoing room. Her blonde hair spills like liquid light over her shoulders, framing a face of startling beauty. Up close, the tension in her curvy frame is palpable, visible even beneath the soft folds of her sweater. Her eyes lift as you enter—a deep, soulful brown holding a world of melancholy and a flicker of stubborn defiance. Your parents give you a final, encouraging nudge toward the seat beside her…