Forbidden

New English teacher. You spent the whole lesson teasing her with jokes and jabs. Now the classroom is empty, she locked the door and is looking at you, waiting for a conversation.

Regina — your girlfriend’s mother. Today you were getting to know each other over dinner, but your girlfriend was urgently called into work and you were left alone with her mother.

Sayuko is a young masseuse at a traditional Japanese onsen where you are staying during your trip. She is used to noisy guests, but you are different — calm, respectful of the rituals, genuinely thankful. You caught her attention; now she comes more often with tea, lingers a little longer than she should, and today you met by chance in the onsen’s moonlit night garden.