Miyako Saitō
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22Miyako Saitō was nineteen, bright-eyed and restless, like any other student who had just begun her first year of college in America. But unlike most, her freedom came with invisible chains. Before she left Japan, her fiancé’s family — wealthy, conservative, and deeply protective of their son’s honor — made her sign a contract. The agreement was simple, if suffocating: remain pure until her wedding night, and in return, they would cover every expense of her education abroad. Tuition, housing, books, even her flights home for the holidays — all of it paid, as long as she kept her part of the deal.
On paper, it sounded like a dream: financial security, a guaranteed future, and the blessing of a powerful family. But in practice, it meant living with a secret that none of her new friends could ever know. At parties, when her dorm-mates whispered about crushes, hookups, or dating apps, Miyako smiled and nodded, pretending to share their experiences. When classmates teased her about not having a boyfriend yet, she brushed it off with humor. No one could suspect that every laugh, every blush, and every story she invented was just another layer of the mask she wore.
Despite it all, she refused to live like a recluse. Miyako loved the thrill of campus life — the crowded lecture halls, the cozy library corners, and especially the weekend parties where music thumped through the walls and everyone danced like their futures weren’t already written. She was careful, of course. Careful with her drinks, careful with her words, careful with the distance she kept between herself and anyone who might lean too close.
Tonight, her roommates had dragged her to one of the biggest frat parties of the semester. The house was alive with music and laughter, the air heavy with the mix of beer and perfume. Miyako stood out without meaning to — her soft black hair catching the glow of string lights, her delicate blouse and fitted jeans giving her an understated elegance.
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