Jon finished freshening up before taking a moment to inspect himself in the mirror and get dressed. Though half Japanese on his mother’s side, Jonathan Hyodo bore a complex mix of genes from his father's side of the family. A mixed heritage which included Irish, Native American, and Louisiana Creole to name a few. When he was younger, his parents would often brag that their son got the absolute best of both their family’s genes. And in a way, they were right. Some of the ladies on campus had taken to calling him Chisana Kuma or “Little Bear'', mostly due to his tree trunk like arms and impressive stature. Whether this was meant as a term of endearment or as a nickname designed to poke fun at him was something he had yet to figure out.

Needless to say, for better or worse, Jon stuck out like a sore thumb on his college campus.

Once he was done in the bathroom, he picked his clothes up off the ground and sniffed them. Sure enough, they still reeked of the bar but it was better than nothing. He slipped back into his faded jeans, solid navy button-up, leather jacket, worn sneakers, and the well-used belt before heading to the kitchen.

She had dressed in a dark purple negligee that contoured well to her curvy frame. As Jon sat down at the table in her tiny kitchen, he was treated to a shot of her see-through black lace panties as she reached up into a cupboard for creamer. Occasionally her eyes would drift back towards him when she thought he wasn't looking.

“So how tall are you, exactly?” She asked curiously while still looking for the creamer.

His lip curled into a knowing smirk before shrugging his shoulders. “Last I checked I'm about six foot seven.”

“Mhmm.” She responded very approvingly. “So what brings a southern boy from the US like yourself all the way to Japan?”

“Would you believe me if I told you I was a student at Anju?”

“No way! That's my school!” She replied in total shock. “How in the world did I miss you? You're not exactly hard to notice.”

He chuckled. “I'm actually here on a scholarship. Believe it or not, I'm technically half Japanese.”

“You know, I can sort of see it.” She admitted while giving him a once over. “It’s subtle, but it’s there.”

“Yeah, most of my looks come from my Dad. I inherited very little from my mother…” His smile wavered ever so slightly as he glanced at the dragon's mark on his left hand. “...very little physically anyway.”

“That's an interesting tattoo. How long have you had it?”

He placed his hands back in his pockets. “A while. It's been more of a nuisance than you might expect.”

An awkward silence hung in the air.

“So how did your parents meet?” She asked, breaking the tension.

“I'm a Marine brat.” He explained. “Dad was stationed at Okinawa when he met my mother.”

She smiled brightly at him. “My dad’s an Admiral in the US Navy. Though I do look more like my mother than him.”

That explained a lot. For starters why her English was so flawless, but also why the decor in her apartment was so familiar. Most of it seemed to be inspired by Western culture.

“So do I finally get to know your name?”

She poured two cups of coffee and added cream before offering him one and sitting down at the table opposite of him.

“Miyako Kage.” She introduced herself politely. "Miya, to my friends."

“Jonathan Hyodo.” He replied, taking a sip of his coffee. “Jon for short.”

“I remember. Believe it or not, I was actually sober last night.”

He chuckled awkwardly. “Yeah...sorry about that.” A thought occurred to him as he scanned over Miya one last time. After seeing her in the light, a nagging thought kept pressing against the back of his mind. “Strange question, but how old are you again?”

She cocked her head curiously at him before offering a charming smile.

“I'm sixteen. If you want to stay, I'm sure Daddy will be home any minute.”

The entirety of Jon's six foot seven frame turned white as a sheet. He shot up out of his chair like it had just caught fire. “I think I should leave.”

“Oh my God, I was kidding!” She assured in between bouts of hysterical giggling. “But you should have seen the look on your face!”

He slumped back in his chair as a wave of relief washed over him. “That was so not funny.”

“It so was.” She insisted while still giggling under her breath. “I'll be twenty in December. And before you have another panic attack, I've slept with guys a lot older than you, so you can relax.”

Jon sighed while shaking his head in disbelief. “Still…” He looked around the apartment again. “...wait, so how does a nineteen-year-old afford a nice place like this?”

“I work part-time at a hostess club.”

He cocked a brow at her. “So…”

“Kidding! Totally kidding!” She laughed at him again. “I told you, my dad’s an Admiral. Most of this stuff is gifts from my parents.”

“I see.” He polished off the rest of his coffee and stood up. “Listen, as wonderful as this little chat has been, I have class in a few hours.” He stood up from his seat after putting his mug down.

“Wait.” She stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. Her demeanor suddenly changed. A small frown formed on her lips as she cast her eyes to the ground and a slight blush crept over her cheeks. “Listen, all kidding aside, I really enjoyed last night. Even if you don't remember that much of it.”

He gave her a charming smile. “For what it's worth, I'm just glad I got to meet you.”

“Me too. Which is why…” She placed a piece of paper in his hand she had been clutching in her palm. “...I want to give you my number.”

He glanced down at the number on the piece of paper in his hand curiously. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. Her face was still bright red as she fidgeted in place. “I'll be honest...I really like you. And I'm not just saying that because you're easy to look at. The more we talked last night the more I felt a connection.”

He couldn't help himself.

“Was that before or after I started choking you with my belt?”

She elbowed him in the ribs, her face somehow turning even more red. “Ass…”

Jon rubbed his injured side, snickering in spite of himself. He held the paper in his hand for a moment before finally nodding. “Sure, I’ll call you. That is, if I don't see you on campus first.”

Her eyes lit up as a radiant smile formed on her face.

“I'm so glad you feel the same way!” She beamed.

He returned her smile, though on the inside a pit was already forming in his stomach. “I wish I could stay longer but I do really need to go.”

She nodded before showing him to the front door. “The campus isn't far from here. Just two blocks down and then a right turn. You can't miss it from there.”

“Got it.” He made his way through the door and turned around. “I guess I'll see you around.”

“You better.” She stood up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek before whispering in his ear. “Because next time I want you to remember all the naughty things you do to me.”

He felt a shiver run down his spine. If it wasn't for classes he would have probably suggested another round. But as it was, leaving now was probably for the best.

“See you later, Cowboy.” She added in a sultry voice before closing the door.

Jon took a moment to glance down at the piece of paper still in his hand before stuffing it back into his pocket. A melancholy sigh escaped his lips.

“Ah, Jonathan. You went and did it again. You know better than to go messing with a young thing’s heart like that.” He felt a pang of guilt stab him as he turned to leave.

Jon stared at the mark on his left hand. He’d give her a call, keep up appearances, and with any luck, she would quickly lose interest and move on to find a better man. Someone who wouldn't weigh her down with such a deadly burden.