Chapter 1

After my mom died, I packed up what little was left of my life in America and moved to Japan to live with my dad’s side of family. I was half-Japanese, but I’d never been to Japan before. At the airport in the city, Dad and a beautiful Japanese woman were there waiting for me. Dad introduced the woman to me, her name was Natsumi and she was our neighbor who was very close to our family. She gave me a half-hearted smile, her eyes holding something I couldn’t quite read.

We didn’t talk much during the long drive. The car hummed through the city streets, then slipped into the quiet of winding roads that cut through the countryside. Five hours passed before we finally reached the village. As the scenery blurred by, endless hills and rows of trees, what was I supposed to do in the middle of nowhere?

As we drove into the village, I spotted a couple going at it in the middle of a field, completely unaware of anyone else around. They didn’t seem to care at all. It was like watching a wild animal in its natural habitat, unbothered by the presence of humans. My cheeks burned with embarrassment as I pretended not to see. I stole a glance at Natsumi, who looked out the window with a null expression, like she’d seen this a hundred times before.

“Don’t you guys see that?” I asked. Dad just smiled and continued driving

I couldn’t shake the image of that couple in the field. Then I remembered something Dad had warned be before I decided to come. ‘The village is different, Joe. Things aren’t like they are in the States or even in Japan.’

The village started to take shape around us, and the quiet, rural life slowly settled in. Small houses dotted the side of the road, their rooftops covered in moss and age. It felt like stepping into the past, where everything moved slower, and the world outside didn’t seem to matter much.

Natsumi finally spoke, her voice breaking the silence. “You’ll get used to it, Joe-kun.” she said, her tone flat. “It’s just how things are here.”

I turned to look at her. “How things are here?”

She shrugged. “People here don’t treat sex the way the rest of the world does. Here, it’s just ... a part of life. A daily need, as basic as eating or sleeping. It’s not a big deal.”

I frowned, trying to piece it together. “How can it be like that?”

“Because,” she said, “there’s no judgment here. No rules about it, either. The standard morality doesn’t apply in this place. Big surprise, huh?”

I sat back in my seat, trying to process. I was pretty sure that in the rest of the world such as in the America, or in Japan, sex was something private, something to feel shame about.

It was already dark when the headlights of our car swept across the front of a small, modern Japanese house that I would now call home. My granddad, a man I had only met once when I was a baby, stepped out onto the porch. He looked much like a healthy old man. He greeted me with a warm welcome. I managed a clumsy reply in my rusty Japanese.

Inside, the house was clean and quiet. Modern appliances blended with traditional Japanese décors. Then something on a wall shelf caught my eye: a column of DVDs. Their covers were explicit, with bold text describing the scenes in graphic detail. Japan’s adult film industry was famous, sure, but these look like the home made one.

I was shown to my room, small but cozy, with a futon on the floor and a tiny window that looked out into the woods. I unpacked my stuff slowly, folding what little I had into the cabinet. When I finished, I went out for dinner. Granddad had prepared a simple meal comprising of steamed rice, miso soup, and grilled fish. We sat around a table in the dining room, eating in silence. No one seemed uncomfortable, but I felt like a guest in someone else’s life, and had to learn how to use chopsticks to pick up rice.

After a bath, I went to bed early, exhausted from the flight and the long drive. But somewhere past midnight, I woke up. At first, I thought it was the wind. Then I heard it, soft moans, giggles, and the faint slap of skin against skin.

I lay there, frozen, heart racing, trying to figure out what was happening. Then it hit me, there were two female voices. So it had to be one of the DVDs. My dad must’ve put one on. The thought of him watching porn in the next room made me feel weird.

The next morning, I woke up early. As I walked past Dad’s room, I glanced inside. The door was half open. He was lying there naked, alone, snoring softly. Nothing around him looked out of place, just the mess of sheets.

I made my way to the kitchen. Natsumi was already there, sitting at the table with a mug in her hands. She wore one of dad’s T-shirts, oversized on her, hanging just low enough to barely cover her thighs and nothing else. She looked up at me with a knowing smile, like she could read every thought running through my head.

“Couldn’t sleep, Joe-kun?” she asked.

“No,” I replied, trying to keep my eyes on her face. “I heard something last night,” I said, keeping my voice low as I grabbed a cup from the shelf.

She didn’t look up. “What kind of something?”

“You know...” I hesitated to speak. “Female voices.”

She finally glanced at me, eyes unreadable. “So?”

“No spooky stories around here, I hope,” I said, frowning at her. “Though I did notice you’re wearing my dad’s T-shirt.”

Her smile widened, turning mischievous. “Are you assuming I got this T-shirt from your dad’s room, probably last night?”

“No! I just...” I stumbled over my words, trying to explain myself.

I was still trying to form a response when the bathroom door slid open. My eyes locked onto the figure that emerged, and a sight that left me utterly speechless. A girl, around my age, stood there in the doorway. Her dark hair was a wild mess, her porcelain skin uncovered. Her face had an East Asian beauty that looked exotic to me. Though nothing flashy, her look was effortlessly attractive, with features that seemed both innocent and, somehow, not so innocent. Her figure had taken on a full womanly shape with decently sized breasts, adorned with light brown nipples.

I quickly looked away and froze, unsure if I was supposed to say something or just pretend I hadn’t seen her bare breasts. Either way, I couldn’t stop the flush rising to my face. She, on the other hand, just stood there calmly, as if there was nothing unusual about any of it, as if my reaction was the only odd thing in the room.

She looked at me, her voice slipping into Japanese. “Hi, you’re Jin-ojisan’s son, the new guy, right?”

Natsumi seemed to enjoy every second of this encounter. “Joe, this is my daughter, Mayumi. She is your age.”

Mayumi waved casually, not bothering to cover herself. My heart raced, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure how to react.

“Did I interrupt something?” Mayumi asked, her gaze flicking from my stunned face to her mom’s. She paused, then, as if realizing something, she exclaimed, “Oh, I’m sorry. You might still...” She quickly walked over to a nearby drawer near the bath, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around herself.

Natsumi giggled again, clearly relishing the awkwardness hanging in the air. “It’s nothing,” she said, her eyes dancing with amusement. “Joe just had a bit of a scare last night. He heard some noises.”

Mayumi raised an eyebrow, her smile widening. “Oh, did I scream too loud?”

I felt my cheeks redden, the heat creeping down my neck. “I think I heard them come from dad’s room.” I blurted out, the words feeling clumsy in my mouth.

Mayumi’s eyes twinkled with mischief, and I could tell she was enjoying the confusion she’d caused. “Well, I wasn’t exactly in his room,” she said lightly, almost teasingly. “But my mom was.”

I then turned to Natsumi, finally asked her. “So, you’re dating my dad?”

“I don’t think it’s exactly dating,” she said, shrugging casually. “Let’s say ... I’m one of your Dad’s regular partners.”

My mouth hanged open in disbelief. “Regular partners?”

Before she could say anything else, my dad appeared into the room. I was glad that he at least wore a boxer. His gaze shifted to Mayumi. “Could you please bring Joe-kun to school today, Mayumi-chan? I think I’ll be there late.”

Mayumi nodded with anticipation. “Sure.”

I quickly changed into the uniform dad had given me. When I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized myself. I hadn’t expected to be pulled back into school life, especially not now. Back home, I was just months away from graduation. But after moving here, I was told by dad that I’d have to repeat the entire year if I wanted a recognized certificate in Japan.

Collage now felt like a distant dream. Preparing for entrance exams would be hard enough under normal circumstances. On top of that, Japanese wasn’t even my first language, and I hadn’t grown up in this education system. A private university was out of the question; my new family simply couldn’t afford it. In this village, hardly anyone even talks about college. Most people start working right after finishing compulsory education.

I left my room and headed downstairs, where Mayumi was already waiting by the stair. Mayumi was dressed in a plain school uniform, the traditional sailor style often seen in Japanese anime. Down the hallway, I could hear Dad and Grandpa talking softly in the kitchen. The scent of coffee wafted in the air.

“You good, Joe-kun?” Mayumi, the girl who I just saw her naked body asked.

I nodded, still couldn’t shake the weird feeling in my chest.

Outside, the morning sun was already warming the air, and the whole village seemed to be waking up. Yet it was still quiet aside from the occasional sounds from birds or bugs.

We walked out together, the door closing softly behind us. As we reached the end of the road where the bus would pick us up, Mayumi turned to look at me with that familiar smirk. “So, Joe-kun, I guess you’re still feeling uneasy to our culture, huh?”

I swallowed hard, trying to gather my thoughts. “Well, it’s just ... cultural shock, I guess,” I said, forcing the words out. “But I’ll try to understand.”

Mayumi’s smirk widened. “Anything you want to talk about, just ask. I could help you adjust,” she said, her voice almost too friendly.

I hesitated, still trying to process everything. “Well ... there’s lot of things already this morning, nudity thing and the fact that dad has multiple partners ... That’s a lot to take in.”

Mayumi gave me a small knowing grin. “Yeah, people outside don’t have the same ... access to sex as we do here. In this village, sex’s just a normal activity, no shame, and no judgment. It’s not a big deal.”

I caught her words, the way she casually said ‘we’, a knot tightened in my stomach. “Wait ... you mean you too?” I asked, unable to hold back the question. “You like ... have sex regularly too?”

Mayumi shrugged, like it was no big deal. “Yeah, why wouldn’t we? It’s a natural need, and it’s fun.”

As she spoke, I couldn’t help but notice how effortlessly she talked about it, her tone so casual, so comfortable. It made my stomach churn. I had just met this beautiful girl, someone I could easily imagine having a crush on. But the idea that she was so used to this lifestyle, this daily need, made it feel like she was completely out of reach. Not because she was out of my league in the usual way, but because she belonged to a world so far removed from anything I understood.

I stared at Mayumi, not sure if I’d misheard. I hadn’t expected a girl so sweet, like her, to say something like that so casually. There was no hesitation in her voice, no embarrassment. Just a simple fact delivered with a faint smile.

I raised an eyebrow. “So ... how does it even work around here?” I said, trying to mock their culture. “I mean, do people just walk up to anyone and ask for sex? Is it like casually asking someone if they want to grab a cup of coffee?”

She let out a small laugh. “No, you can’t just go up to anybody like that,” she said. “It usually starts with friends or people you’re close to, those you’re comfortable with, and then ... things just ... expand.”

“Expand?” I repeated, still struggling to process it all.

Mayumi nodded. “Exactly. It’s more like building connections, getting closer, and then you enter a circle. It’s a natural progression.”

Mayumi gave me an assuring smile before she continued. “In the outside world, people have to sneak around, using dating apps to hook up with strangers because of all the sexual repression caused by cultural norms. Honestly, that seems crazier and more dangerous to me. Sex is a basic need; we shouldn’t suppress it. Only by being open about it can we experience it in a healthy, natural way.”

I blinked, still processing everything she’d said. It felt like I was caught between two worlds, one where everything was normal, and another where it was completely insane. I even started to doubt which world they were in and which one I was in.

Mayumi asked when I was sinking with my thoughts. “I’ve watched a lot of films from America and learned that people there have quite an adventurous sexual life. So, how was your life over there?”

“W-what? No, I...” I stumbled over my words, feeling my cheeks redden instantly. I couldn’t help but wonder if the films she watched were mostly from those websites with the orange and black theme.

Mayumi raised an eyebrow, an innocent smile on her face. “You don’t need to be shy with me, Joe-kun. Tell us about your past sex life. A handsome guy like you must have had plenty of girls back in the U.S.”

I hesitated, feeling embarrassed. “I ... well ... I’ve never ... I’ve never had sex before.”

There was a brief silence. Mayumi then smiled in disbelief.

“You’re kidding, right?” She said, shaking her head. “You’re so handsome, Joe-kun. I thought you’d have had many girlfriends.”

I shook my head, firmly standing by what I’d said.

Mayumi then offered a reassuring smile, “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of opportunities here, because you’re definitely stand out as a hot half-American boy.”

The bus took us to the school, which looked more like a small community center than a real school, nestled among the village’s few low, squat buildings. When we entered, I was greeted by a short woman with a bright smile. She looked to be around forty, and while her presence was both cute and slightly clumsy, there was a sharp determination in her eyes. She looked me over for a moment, then, as if recognizing me, smiled warmly.

“Ah, you must be Jin-san’s son,” she said, her voice calm and reassuring. “I’ve been informed about you. I’m Ami. I’m the principal here and also teach several subjects, including science,” she introduced herself.

I nodded. “Nice to meet you. I’m Joe.”

“I’ll place you in Mayumi’s class today,” Ami continued. “I think you’ll be a good fit.”

Mayumi flashed me a half-smile, clearly glade to have me in the same class with her. “I can’t wait to introduce you to my friends,” she said, her tone light and teasing.

I wasn’t sure how to feel about that, but I tried not to overthink it.

The school was small, much smaller than what I was used to. In fact, it was just a section of the community center. Each class had no more than a dozen students. As we entered our classroom, I noticed my dad in the room across the hall. He was talking to a few students near the door. He was a teacher here, and from the way the students looked at him, he seemed like a cool one.

I stepped inside the room, where there were nine students. Mayumi introduced me to two of them. One was a slim boy with a shaved head and a mischievous grin. His name was Yuta. The other was a thick girl with a warm look, welcoming smile on her face. Her name was Emi, and she greeted me with enthusiasm.

“Hey, new guy! Welcome to the class!”

It felt strange, being in a classroom with only nine other students and my dad teaching just next door, but I tried to focus. After Miss Ami’s lecture, she assigned us a group project. To my surprise, Mayumi, Yuta, and Emi turned out to be incredibly capable teammates. Contrary to what I’d expected from students from a small school in a faraway village, they handled the assignment impressively well. I, instead, was a weak one, especially when it came to writing in Japanese, but I did my best to contribute with ideas and some calculations.

As we worked, Yuta leaned over with a grin, clearly trying to make a friendly conversation. “Man, you’re lucky to be in Jin-sensei’s family,” he said, his voice playful. “Mayumi’s so pretty, huh? You must be having a lot of fun with her.”

I felt my face flush with awkwardness. I’d only just met Mayumi, and Yuta’s comment made me uneasy. Still, I gave him a small smile and nodded, unsure of what to say.

“He just moved here yesterday, you moron!” Mayumi shot back at Yuta, clearly annoyed, but her tone was more teasing than angry. “He’ll need some time to adjust.”

My mind raced, my face still flushed as I thought about the strange dynamics in this village. The idea of sex seemed to be so casual, so present, and it made me wonder how I was supposed to fit into this world. And then there was the fact that I was still a virgin, completely unprepared for how different this place was.