(A youthful slice-of-life romance. If it's your wavelength, you'll find it a comfortable read; if not, I can only say we're not meant for each other. The characters may be slightly out of character for the sake of the story's effect. Please try to picture them in an anime or manga style.)
(For this one, let's actually use our brains while reading.)
(This book is a comedy. I hope you'll be generous with your praise and go easy on the criticism, interact more and bring less hostility. The author will also update more often.)
"Bai, I like you. Please go out with me!"
In the hallway, the blue-bobbed girl's ears were faintly red. One delicate hand curled into a fist and rested against her chest.
The bow at her uniform collar fluttered up and down between her promising breasts, keeping time with her nervous, quavering voice.
Like a mirror, it reflected the chaos raging inside the girl.
No matter how approachable she usually was, how effortlessly she handled all kinds of social interactions, or how carefree she could be—enough to make others grudgingly admire her for it—
When faced with Bai Yu, the perfect honor student who had transferred midway through the year from China,
Yanami Anna's delicate, sensitive heart, still reeling from losing her first love, had betrayed her all over again!
From a corner, homeroom teacher Shizuka Hiratsuka poked her head out and watched the scene with relish.
The teacher had come to report the class's compiled high school preferences, but had happened upon what was unfolding outside her classroom. A few ripples of youthful nostalgia, like flowers past their prime, stirred in her heart.
"What a rosy youth."
She remembered that the last time she'd confessed her feelings had been the time before last.
Seventy percent of student romances never made it to the end. Would this inexperienced young couple be among the lucky thirty percent?
"Sorry, Anna, but I can't say yes."
Well.
The mystery was solved at once, instantly shattering her fond memories of youthful innocence.
Some awful guy had chosen "and" between "yes" and "no."
If the person she'd confessed to hadn't been Bai, the girl might have had a chance.
Pressing her thumb hard against the space between her brows, Shizuka lowered her head and fell into thought.
Graduation was just around the corner, yet Bai Yu was still as headache-inducing as ever.
His personality was unprecedentedly strange, his antics could scare away ghosts, and his motives were downright world-shattering... Yet his looks and every measure of his performance as a student were outstanding—so far ahead of the competition that no one else could even see his taillights.
And so, under the pens of the campus forum's future stars of amateur journalism, his peculiar personality and eccentric ways had been recast as a unique brand of freedom and mystery.
Word spread quickly among the students, turning him into a hot topic on campus and the top choice for the first love of many girls just discovering romance.
There was no denying it.
As a soon-to-be high school student, Bai Yu had an exceptional, rare talent.
As for everything else, well, let's just say he was a little out of step with society.
Bai Yu might well hold the top spot on her list of troublesome students throughout her teaching career... Come to think of it,
she remembered that everyone in her class had filled out their preferred high schools a month ago. Which one had Bai Yu chosen?
As she pondered, Shizuka forced a stiff smile, an unpleasant possibility crossing her mind as her thoughts began to wander.
Meanwhile, a chorus of disappointed sighs rose from the confession scene.
The imperfect ending shattered the onlookers' hopes of witnessing one more couple form before graduation.
For a moment, the scene seemed to turn into the set of some matchmaking show, with a bitter love song playing in the background to evoke failure and regret—one of those songs that made your stomach hurt.
The female contestant, who'd charged into battle only to be swiftly rejected, stood frozen in place.
Confusion, bewilderment, incomprehension, embarrassment, anger, disbelief... The audience read countless emotions in her widening pupils.
The next second, those emotions all receded, transforming into a streak of white light...
"Teacher, Yanami's fainted!!!"
A shout brought Shizuka back from her daydream.
Her eyes widened, and without hesitation, she pointed at the other person involved in the confession:
"Bai Yu, take her to the infirmary!"
The infirmary ceiling was a rare sight. All around them, the bed curtains were a watery blue, rippling like waves.
Yanami Anna opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Bai, her ideal boyfriend and light-novel protagonist, standing in the sunlight by the window with a gentle expression.
In that moment,
the girl instantly slipped into bashful mode and stammered, "Bai, you... I..."
Bai Yu sighed and relaxed the facial muscles that had begun twitching from holding the same expression for so long. Then, after searching his mind, he picked out a tactful phrase with no tricks and nothing but heartfelt sincerity.
"I have my reasons for turning you down."
"!" Light shone in the girl's clear eyes.
He really did have his reasons!
Her prince charming was a perfect, gentle, and exceptional man. How could he have rejected her so heartlessly, leaving her to become a losing heroine for the second time?
She really had chosen the right person!
Yanami Anna was overcome with emotion. Her trembling lips twisted into a wavy line, then were forcibly smoothed into a straight one as the boy beside her spoke. They slowly parted... "Huh?"
Bai Yu shook his head, his expression radiating a thousand percent heartfelt sorrow and helplessness. "The high school I put down as my first choice was Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School."
"So please forgive me for being unable to return your feelings!"
He finished speaking and looked away, leaving the girl only the lonely, melancholy outline of his profile.
"A-A-A-Ad... Advanced Nurturing!"
Wasn't that the prestigious high school rumored to shut students away from the outside world and keep them in a closed-off environment for all three years?
As expected of Bai Yu. He'd easily done what no other student could—but choosing that school meant...
Bai Yu saw straight through Yanami Anna's thoughts. Seizing his chance, he fired off a well-intentioned losing-heroine card without the slightest hesitation.
"So, Anna, let's meet again in three years."
Rumble—
A thunderclap exploded across the storm-tossed lake of Yanami Anna's heart.
She couldn't react in time. She drew a deep breath, but the air felt unbearably heavy.
The next second, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted again, unable to bear it...
"School nurse! Teacher Hiratsuka! Yanami's fainted again!"
Before you continue