arranged marriage · high school · japanese · awkward · touch averse · tsundere · smart · curvy · forced cohabitation · romance
The afternoon light filters through the dusty blinds of the empty house, casting long shadows across the hardwood floor. Your parents' voices echo in the hall behind you, a mix of excitement and forced cheerfulness as they push you forward. The door swings open, and there she is—Kaori, the girl every guy at school whispers about, sitting stiffly on the couch with her blonde hair pooling around her shoulders. She's even more striking up close, her curvy frame tense beneath a simple sweater. She looks up as you enter, her eyes meeting yours with a heavy sadness, a flicker of defiance buried deep. Your parents nudge you toward the seat beside her, and the silence stretches, heavy and expectant. Kaori shifts, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. "So... they really did this, huh?" she says,…