Prologue
There’s a saying that high school is the prime of youth.
I don’t know the exact meaning, but I guess it’s basically telling us to enjoy ourselves while we still can and make the most of our youth.
And when adults talk about youth, they tend to focus on one thing in particular—romance.
They go on and on about how you should definitely get a boyfriend or girlfriend while you're still in high school, how that’s when you can experience the sweetest, most innocent kind of love… They say whatever they want.
Yeah, yeah, I get it. I really do. Once you become an adult, you can’t just focus on school anymore. Everything is your own responsibility, and most people don’t have the time to get caught up in romance.
So I understand they’re saying it out of kindness.
——But you don’t have to tell me that!
Sure, I won’t deny that seeing couples all lovey-dovey sometimes makes me a little jealous. There are moments when I think, Huh, maybe that kind of life wouldn’t be so bad...
I mean, I am a high school guy. Of course I’ve had thoughts like that.
But—if you’re asking whether that means I actually want to go out and get myself a girlfriend… Then as far as I, Eita Sasaki, am concerned, the answer is a firm no.
I think most guys would get what I’m saying—there’s something really fun about just messing around with your friends, getting hyped over the dumbest things, or playing childish games like little kids.
Guys, by nature, tend to want to act cool in front of girls. And when that happens, you always have to keep up appearances. You can’t fully be yourself, and after a while, it just gets exhausting.
Not to mention, I’ve been completely hooked on gaming lately, and if I had a girlfriend, I doubt I’d ever go on dates.
Looking at it that way… I don’t really feel the need to be in a relationship right now. And just to be clear, it’s not because I gave up due to a lack of options. Absolutely not.
That being said, it turns out I might be in the minority.
“Hey, Eita, listen to this. Last night, my girlfriend wore my clothes, you know?”
“Ohh, yeah, yeah. That’s great. Good for you.”
With a goofy, slack-jawed grin on his face, my dear friend Kazuki plopped himself down next to me and started rambling.
Dude, you’re being way too annoying right now. Can you take your love life somewhere else?
“Eita, listen! My girlfriend’s staying over at my place soon! Man, I’m already so nervous!”
“Oh, yeah? That’s great. She’s probably just as excited. I dunno, though.”
My other dear friend, Kota, also grinned from ear to ear—without a shred of dignity—before launching into his own love story.
…Huh? Something’s not right here.
Wasn’t it just a month or two ago that we were all messing around, saying stuff like “Screw getting girlfriends! It’s way more fun just hanging out together!”? Or am I the only one who remembers that?
And just like that, my friends started shifting from brotherhood to romance.
I could’ve let that slide. Not that I wanted to, but I could’ve.
The real problem was something else entirely.
“C’mon, Eita, you should get a girlfriend already. It’s seriously the best.”
“For real! It changes your whole world. I used to not care about fashion at all, but now I’m obsessed with clothes.”
“Oh man, I so get that!”
This. This was the issue.
I keep telling them I don’t want one, but they just keep saying the same damn thing over and over again.
It’s straight-up annoying. And every single time, they just have to slip in some humblebrag about their girlfriends, completely oblivious to how obnoxious they’re being.
“Nah, I’m good. Sounds like a hassle.”
Still, they were my friends, so I just let it slide with a half-hearted rejection and a chuckle.
At this point, I’ve heard the same thing dozens of times. That means I’m way more patient than those ‘forgiving-three-times-only’ Buddhist deities or whatever.
So why don’t I have a girlfriend?
Oh, right. Probably because I never go out of my way to talk to girls.
Just as I was about to steer the conversation away, Kazuki suddenly muttered something.
“…Eita, maybe you just don’t have the guts to confess to a girl.”
Whoa there. I may be patient enough to put Buddhist deities to shame, but that I can’t ignore.
“Hey, don’t go making baseless accusations. Of course I can confess if I wanted to.”
“Then prove it.”
“Kota, don’t you start, too!”
I shot back immediately, still holding my two-liter bottle of tea.
But they completely ignored my retort and got even more hyped.
“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you confess to anyone. It’s fine, you know? If you’re too chicken, just admit it. No judgment—we already know you’re a total wimp.”
“Yeah, and you barely even talk to girls. You literally avoid our girlfriends like the plague.”
I’m not avoiding them.
It’s just that every time I try to be friendly, they glare at me like I’m some homewrecker trying to steal their man.
But enough is enough. I’m not letting this slide anymore.
“Oh, so you guys think you can say whatever you want just because I let it go? Fine! You know what? I’ll do it! But if I confess to someone, you’re never allowed to pull the ‘go get a girlfriend’ card on me again!”
I slammed my hands on the desk and declared my challenge.
…Though, since it was still early morning practice time, the classroom was practically empty. No one even noticed.
“O-Oh… uh… good luck, man…”
“…Did we maybe go a little too far?”
I heard something behind me, but I was too busy dealing with the biggest problem—figuring out who to confess to—to catch what they were saying.
——That was yesterday morning. And true to my word, I was about to go through with my confession.
“Alright… is she really gonna show up?”
It was now 1 PM—lunchtime at our school.
At that very moment, I was waiting for someone on the rooftop.
After spending an entire day thinking about how to make my confession seem like a no big deal if I get rejected kind of thing, I ended up narrowing it down to two girls.
Why two? No clue.
I probably lost my mind from pulling an all-nighter just to write those letters.
And when I finally came back to my senses and rushed to take one of them back… it was already gone.
Yeah. Huge regret. Classic case of too little, too late.
But anyway, back to the present.
The first girl—the one who was supposed to be showing up any moment now—was Aira Yuzu.
She had silky, light brown hair, a slightly taller-than-average height for a girl, and a model-tier figure.
Her face was nothing short of stunning—an almost doll-like beauty with a cool, expressionless gaze that gave her a kind of detached vibe.
She rarely spoke, showed little emotion, and had a quiet, cat-like air about her. Because of that, the girls treated her more like a mascot than a friend.
Meanwhile, the guys adored her. Easily one of the top two most beautiful girls in our grade, she had a massive fanbase. And apparently, countless guys had already confessed and been shot down.
(I got all this intel from a different friend—not Kazuki or Kota. And according to him, "This is common knowledge, you idiot!")
Honestly, I was proud of my choice.
If even top-tier, upper-upper echelon pretty boys had failed, then obviously someone like me—who was, at best, somewhere between upper-lower and lower-upper—was doomed to fail.
That way, I could get rejected, make it seem like I tried, and finally shut my friends up about getting a girlfriend.
A genius plan, really.
…So why the hell did past me think confessing to two girls was a good idea?
That regret had been eating at me since this morning, but—
“…Mm, here? Are you… Sasaki Eita?”
A voice like delicate chimes rang out, and there she was—Aira Yuzu, standing before me.
“Ah, yeah, that’s me. Sorry for calling you out like this so suddenly.”
I hadn’t seen her up close before, but she was just as stunning as the rumors said.
Crap. This is actually kinda nerve-wracking.
My stomach started hurting. I needed to get this over with fast.
I took a deep breath, stretched out my hand, and bowed my head.
“I know this is out of nowhere, but—I like you! Please go out with me!”
“…Mm. No.”
“Oh. Okay.”
And that was that.
In the span of just a few seconds, my confession was over.
Without another word, she turned on her heel, skirt fluttering behind her as she walked away.
My first-ever confession… drained way more energy than I expected.
“…Yeah, no. That was not worth all that thinking time…”
Leaning against the rooftop fence, I let out a small sigh.
★
Time flew by in the blink of an eye… and before I knew it, we had arrived at the most exciting time of the day for any high schooler—after school.
That golden hour, that prime time, that moment of absolute freedom.
And yet, just like at lunch, I found myself back on the rooftop.
Standing before me was the second girl I’d chosen to confess to—Himeno Mei.
Just like Aira Yuzu, whom I had confessed to during lunch, she was one of the top two most unattainable girls in our grade—a flawless beauty beyond reach.
Her jet-black hair gleamed like polished obsidian, and her features, while breathtakingly beautiful, carried a delicate charm that only enhanced her allure.
She had a great figure, too.
I mean, Yuzu wasn’t exactly lacking in that department either, but Mei’s proportions were straight-up anime protagonist levels.
On top of that, she excelled in both academics and sports, was kind to everyone, and spoke in a soft, refined tone that made her seem like some noble lady from a distinguished family or maybe even a saint.
Her popularity was off the charts—not just with guys, but with everyone.
And despite being confessed to more times than Yuzu, she was somehow still universally adored by the girls.
She wasn’t just a “high-maintenance” kind of untouchable—she was in a completely different dimension.
(This information, like before, came from one of my friends. And when I asked him about her, he hit me with a crude joke about whether I even had a certain body part, so I responded by smacking him upside the head.)
“U-Um… Are you… Sasaki Eita-kun?”
“Oh, uh—yeah, that’s me.”
Crap.
She was so overwhelmingly above my level that I instinctively slipped into formal speech.
So this was the legendary aura of the so-called saint and Madonna of our school…?
I had gotten a bit cocky after confessing once already, thinking it wouldn’t be a big deal the second time.
I sincerely apologize for that arrogance.
Hearing my confirmation, Mei let out a small sigh of relief, pressing a hand against her chest.
Under normal circumstances, I probably would’ve been captivated by the sight.
But I was already at my limit—if I hesitated any longer, I’d probably keel over from nerves.
So, just like before, I stretched out my hand and bowed my head.
“I know this is sudden, but—I like you! Please go out with me!”
"………I'm so sorry."
Her voice was soft but firm.
"I'm truly grateful for your feelings, but… we've never really talked before…"
"Y-Yeah, that makes sense."
I forced a laugh, doing my best to keep up appearances.
"Ah, thank you so much for putting up with my nonsense today. Really, I appreciate it."
I added a quick "You don't have to worry about it anymore," hoping to make my exit a little smoother.
She looked apologetic as she gave me a small bow before disappearing through the rooftop door.
"…………………………Yeah, I keep thinking it, but this really wasn't worth the effort."
I let out a long, exhausted sigh and slumped against the railing.
"Ahhhhhh… I'm so done. I'll just go home, report to those idiots, and then knock out. Yeah. Gonna sleep this off. Sleep it all away."
——And that was how, in just one day, I earned the humiliating title of "The Guy Who Got Rejected by the Two Most Beautiful Girls in Our Grade."
But what I didn't know at the time— Was that this day would mark the turning point of my entire life, for better or for worse.
——.