Chapter 0 (Prologue)

“I-I like you! Please go out with me!”

The orange glow of the sunset cast two shadows on the concrete at their feet. Masato Akatsuchi, a boy entering his second year of high school, was receiving a love confession from a classmate named Kurusu.

The rooftop, bustling during lunch breaks, was now empty except for the two of them after school. That must be why she called him here at this time.

“W-Well… what do you think?”

She peered into Masato’s face, gauging his reaction. Her nervous breathing trembled slightly.

“Oh, sorry… I was so shocked I froze. It’s my first time with something like this… You mean ‘like’ as in romantically, right?”

“O-Of course! I wouldn’t say this when we’re alone like this otherwise…”

Her cheeks flushed with a redness clearly not caused by the sunset, and Kurusu averted her eyes.

Faced with his first-ever love confession, Masato was thrown into confusion. The sheer impact of being confessed to left him unable to even think about responding.

He’d never been the type to attract attention. He wasn’t exceptional in academics or sports—in fact, he was rather clumsy when it came to physical activities. He lacked the charisma to be the centre of the class, and his circle of friends wasn’t particularly large. He wasn’t secretly a celebrity, the son of a politician, or a superhero operating in the shadows. He had no special titles to his name.

So, scenes like this felt like something out of a manga or light novel—something that happened to other people.

To think he’d become the protagonist of such a moment.

A confession on the school rooftop at sunset, bathed in the glow of the evening light—it was like he’d stepped into the role of a protagonist in a typical romance story.

As his confusion finally began to settle and he grew accustomed to the situation, Masato asked the first question that came to mind.

“Hey, uh… what do you like about me? I can’t think of any reason why I’d catch your eye.”

With her long eyelashes, slightly wavy black semi-long hair, and large, cute eyes, Kurusu was a beautiful girl who, while not the centre of the class, seemed like she’d be secretly popular. Masato couldn’t fathom why someone like her would have romantic feelings for someone like him. It almost made him wonder if there was some ulterior motive.

“Hmm… we were in the same class last year, right?”

“Yeah, and on the same committee.”

During their first year, Masato and Kurusu had spent time together as library committee members during lunch breaks or after school. She seemed to have joined out of a genuine love for books, while his reason was far more whimsical—being in the go-home club left him with too much free time after school.

Despite their differing motivations, they got along surprisingly well, perhaps because they shared a similarly low-key temperament. Since the school’s committees operated on a yearly term, once you joined, you were in for the full year. During their first year, Masato spent a lot of time with her after school.

That said, in regular school life, they belonged to different social groups and rarely hung out. They hadn’t even exchanged chat app IDs, something close friends would almost certainly do. Their conversations were limited to committee time.

To Masato, their relationship didn’t feel particularly deep. But perhaps for her, it was different.

“I’ve actually liked you since then. But I don’t really know why. Your sharp nose, your intense eyes, your face—it’s my type, but I don’t think that’s the main reason.”

“What’s that supposed to mean…”

“But isn’t that how it works?”

“I-Is it…?”

Honestly, he didn’t get it. Maybe it was because he’d never fallen in love with someone of the opposite sex before. Of course, as a teenage boy, he was naturally curious about the opposite sex’s body. But falling in love with a specific person—that was an experience he’d yet to have. When he mentioned this to his friend Ide, one of the few he had, Ide laughed and said, “Normally, people have their first crush in elementary school, don’t they?”

“That’s how it is, liking someone. You just… realize it, or maybe you don’t even notice it yourself, and your feelings for that person turn into love. There’s no real reason for it. It’s like… you want to be with them, always.”

“I see…”

It was still a vague feeling he couldn’t quite grasp.

It felt like she was saying she just somehow liked him. But maybe that’s what love was like. Perhaps the dramatic, fateful encounters were just the stuff of fiction, and this was the reality of the world.

“You don’t have to answer now. Tomorrow, or the day after, is fine. I’d love for it to be soon, and if I’m being greedy, I’d hope for a * pinnyes-type answer… See you!”

With that, Kurusu ran off without waiting for his next words.

(She’s gone…)

Honestly, Masato had already made up his mind. He didn’t need until tomorrow or the day after—he could’ve answered now.

Leaning against the tall fence meant to prevent falls, which was twice his height, Masato gazed up at the darkening sunset sky.

“Well, tomorrow’s fine, I guess.”

She’d said so, so he’d take her up on it.

—But, as it turned out, neither tomorrow nor the day after would see Masato’s answer reach her.