Author's note: I am including reference names for the main characters. If you are interested you can look up photos to go along with the story: Alyssa - Irelynn Dunham, Hanako - Yui Uehara, Aika - Miki Hamano.
As a working class kid from a working class town, college had been Alyssa's first chance to really branch out and explore the world. She took as many classes as she could and kept an open mind to new experiences. This included 2 semesters of Japanese -- the only non-European language offered. Her goal was to learn the basics and study abroad to improve further and have fun.
Her senior year provided the only opportunity she would likely have. Her advisor assisted her in moving classes around to maintain a 4 year graduation schedule and she was ecstatic to find she's been accepted to a program at a small college on the outskirts of Osaka. In July, the university sent a packet with the information about classes, the basics of living in Japan, and the host family. Alyssa was disappointed that there were few details about the family, just an address and a blurry photo of a teenage girl, a couple in their 30s or 40s, and an older woman with their names in Kanji and English -- Hanako, Yuki and Yuichi, and Mitsuko.
Arriving in Japan was as disorienting as advertised and in that era before the proliferation of smartphones, one had to fend for themself as they tried to navigate. The university assisted students, but there was a considerable amount of being shuffled around. Each student was given several folders and booklets, and told a series of instructions in accented English between emphatic welcomes. The group -- mostly Americans with a few Germans and Swedes -- wearily took it in while suffering from varying amounts of jetlag.
Sometime later they were all gathered by the lobby of the university center and one by one delivered to their host families. When she saw Yuki and Hanako she realized that the photo was probably a couple years old. Hanako appeared to be 15 in the photo but now looked closer to 18. Yuki did not look much different but her age was hard to identify. Yuichi and Mitsuko were not there, but another young girl was there with them. Alyssa stumbled through pleasantries in Japanese then Hanako spoke in decent English, introducing herself as Hana, her mother as "Okaasan" (Japanese for mother), and the other girl as Aika. Aika looked older but possibly just due to her body type. She was curvier with fuller features and a sizeable chest to Hana and Yuki's petite, slight builds.
The 4 of them piled into Yuki's tiny car which looked like a toy to Alyssa and drove back to their home. The 2 young Japanese spoke to Alyssa in English interspersed with rapid Japanese to each other while Yuki remained mostly quiet except to ask "tabetai?" (are you hungry?).
The house was 2 stories but compact with many small rooms. Yuki showed Alyssa around with the other 2 following close behind and interjecting. Near Alyssa's bedroom was a small shrine to which Yuki gestured. She said something but Alyssa could only understand "grandmother". Seeing this Hana said, "Obaasan -- grandma, she dead" nearly causing the house's new guest to laugh about their death in the family. That explained why she was not there like in the photo.
Alyssa adjusted quickly with the help of her host sisters who were eager to take her places, show her new things, and laugh at her foreigner mistakes. Back home her friends were close, but not with the physical contact that Hana and Aika seemed to constantly be in. She felt very awkward at their first onsen visit when all 3 were nude together. While not fat, Alyssa felt like it when she compared her soft curves and heavy breasts to the petite women around her. Her host sisters acted no different from when fully clothed. They even scrubbed each other's backs in the shower area.
Three weeks after her arrival the girls invited her to wash with them one night at home. "Japanese shower together like family" they said. She had noticed that they were often in the bathroom together before bed for what seemed like a while. She went along with it telling herself it would be like the onsen and totally normal... well, Japanese normal.
Aika came to her bedroom door in a thin robe holding one for Alyssa. "For you. Towel and cloth with Hana." When Alyssa pushed the cracked door and entered the bathroom she stared for a second at Hana nude and Aika arranging soap with her robe untied. "A-ree-sa, come. We wash." The bathroom was not huge, but the shower water flowed into a drain the middle of the floor so they had space to move around while showering.
Aika dropped her robe and demonstrated how they washed each other. She started on her sister's back then they switched. They then faced with other roughly scrubbing each other's fronts. Without hesitation Aika passed the washcloth gently over Hana's small breasts. Hana did the same, but cupped her hand to go around the much larger boob. Neither pushed between the other's legs but Alyssa was still shocked by this intimacy. One at a time they rinsed themselves and then turned to Alyssa who had barely moved.
"Areesa!" they called to her. "Now you." They approached and helped the apprehensive American out of her robe and towards the shower head. After spraying her, they each took a cloth and started scrubbing with Hanako in front of her and Aika taking the back. Hana went over her chest from top to bottom then giggled as she pushed up gently. "Ookii! Areesa more big [than] Aika." Aika poked her head around to get a close side view but continued on Alyssa's back and ass.
Alyssa tried to giggle with them but found herself almost paralyzed. Her host sisters were looking intently at her nude body while they worked making her feel self-conscious about the plainness (in her opinion) of her looks. Their touch felt really good though. And all 4 hands at once was overwhelming. Hana asked her if she was ok before finishing her legs. Aika sprayed her down and Hana handed out small towels that left them mostly exposed.
After a couple more times the Japanese pair became less and less shy about asking Alyssa if she wanted to bathe together. She still felt on the outside of a twosome who were in the bathroom together two to three times a day, but she did feel welcome to occasionally join.