Since I know some readers have questions, I've adopted the following from Always and Forever's foreword...

This story takes place in Japan. If you are unfamiliar with Japanese honorifics like -san, -sama, -kun and -chan, or terms like senpai and kouhai, then keep reading. If you're a regular consumer of Japanese media feel free to skip to the first chapter.

In Japan, it is very important to know your place and where you stand in relation to those around you. One's social position is embedded in and reinforced by the language itself. When speaking to someone you should know whether you are talking to someone with a higher or lower social position so that you know how to address them correctly.

Usually, one addresses another by their last name and attaches the honorific -san to the end. If they are very important, or you wish to be very respectful, then -sama may be used. If they are a subordinate or a peer, especially if they are male, then -kun may be used. If they are very young or female -chan may be used. -Sama, -san, -kun, -chan, each of these indicates an increased level of familiarity.

(It is worth paying attention to these in the story as indicators of how a character perceives their relationship with others and how those change--becoming more familiar or more respectful--over time or according to the situation).

One generally only uses the first name with family and close friends. One also speaks in very different language depending on the level of closeness one shares so it is important not to offend someone by being either too formal or too familiar. Knowing how to read the situation and respond correctly is an important skill in Japanese and is often referred to as "Reading the Air" or "Reading the Atmosphere."

There are other, though generally less used, honorifics and one may sometimes substitute a title in place of an honorific. For example, adding sensei to a name to refer to a teacher or senpai to refer to an older student or more experience co-worker. Strangely enough, it does not seem that a senior would address his junior directly as kohai. In the same way one might refer to their older brother as Onii-san/Nii-san/Nii-chan or older sister as Onee-san/Nee-san/Nee-chan but older siblings generally just address younger siblings by their name.

Since this story takes place in Japan, it may be assumed that, unless the narrative specifies otherwise, all the dialog is in Japanese. I have however included a number of Japanese words for flavor. In most cases, their meanings should be clear from context though I've also slipped in an explanation in the narrative or dialog at times. Some of the more common are:

Gaijin - outsider

Gomen/Gomenasai - Sorry/I'm sorry

Ohayou/ohayou gozaimasu - morning/good morning

Tadaima - I'm back (home)

Itadakimasu - I humbly receive (this food)

One phrase, in particular, is worth mentioning because it has no direct English equivalent. If you watched an anime or read a manga where a new student is introduced to a class or another person and they say something like "Please be kind to me" or "Please take care of me" they are really saying yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Sometimes at the conclusion of a conversation, one character might turn to the others and say something like "Let's work hard together." That's also yoroshiku onegaishimasu. That phrase can have a variety of meanings from "please help me," "I am in your debt" to "I'm counting on you" or "Nice to meet you" all depending on how it's used. It literally translates as "please thank you." While obviously not exact, the closest English equivalent is probably something along the lines of "Thank you for your support."

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*Update: 2016-8-2 Wow, has it been a year since I started writing this? It's been an eventful year. Life has tried its best to stop me, but I'm fairly pleased with the story so far, though it needs a hard edit. At the urging of a faithful few readers, I decided to enter this story into the #Wattys2016 though I know it is a recipe for disappointment. Still, I don't want to disappoint those faithful few who have stuck by me through some rather bleak times. Thank you all for reading.

*Update:2015-8-03 I'm un-marking this complete as I begin writing the story to my outline. I may (will probably) be revising some of the earlier chapters to bring them in line with where the story is going.

* Update: 2015-07-29 I've pretty much finished my outline, so I will now continue to update, though it will be slow as I've got several other projects going at the same time. :/ Please bear with me and thank you for your patience.

* Update: 2015-03-16 I added a couple more chapters which help to establish the premise of the story. This should give you a better idea of the direction of the story when it is finished. I currently have a nice detailed synopsis. Wish me luck with the writing!

* Update: 2015-03-11 I may have spoken too soon. Expect more information in a day or two.

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I marked this story complete because that's all I plan to write for the moment. After finishing Always and Forever: A Tanabata Story, I'm still trying to decide which project to work on next. This is a prime contender, but I thought I'd get some feedback before devoting a lot of time to it.

So would you read this story if I continue? (Unlike A&F, this story will be rated PG) Would you prefer a different story? To be honest, I wouldn't have a problem letting my readers tell me what sort of story to write. I only recently started writing romance because of the challenge of writing in a new genre. So please leave a comment and tell me what you think.

If you want to keep up with whatever I'm doing next and you haven't followed me yet, please do so.

Thank you for your support.