PART 1 0F 5
Akari's Living Room – Late Afternoon
Akari sat on the couch, scrolling through her phone when Rui—her 8 year old younger brother suddenly barged in, holding a toy sword dramatically above his head.
"Akari! I challenge you to a duel! Prepare yourself!"
Akari raised an eyebrow, amused.
"A duel? Seriously? I'm kind of busy—"
Before she could finish, Rui lunged forward with exaggerated swings. Akari, laughing, grabbed a pillow and used it as a shield.
"Fine! If it's a duel you want, it's a duel you'll get!"
Rui grinned mischievously.
"You'll never defeat the great warrior Rui!"
Akari tossed the pillow at him, making him stumble. She jumped up and started chasing him around the room. Rui, laughing hysterically, ducked under the table.
"Not fair! You're too fast!"
Akari smirked.
"That's because I've got experience. You've still got a lot to learn, rookie!"
Suddenly, Rui stood up, holding a second pillow.
"Then I'll just have to use my secret move!"
He charged at Akari, swinging wildly. She dodged, but Rui managed to land a pillow strike on her head.
Akari —dramatically falling to the floor. "Nooo! I've been defeated by... a child!"
Rui jumped up in victory, raising his pillow like a trophy.
"Victory is mine!"
Akari, still lying on the floor, opened one eye.
"Enjoy it while it lasts, little guy. Next time, I won't go easy on you."
Rui giggled and plopped down next to her, out of breath.
"Next time, I'll be even stronger!"
Akari ruffled his hair affectionately.
"Yeah, yeah. But for now, how about some snacks?"
Rui's eyes lit up.
"Snacks?! You're the best Onee-chan!"
They both laughed, the playful energy still lingering in the room as Akari headed to the kitchen with Rui trailing behind her.
PART 2 0F 5
Hoshizora High – Hallway Near Haruto's Locker
Haruto stood at his locker, minding his own business, trying to remember his combination.
Haruto muttering to himself.
"Was it 17-32-…wait, or was it 23-17…?"
Before he could finish, a group of three giggling girls approached him, whispering to each other loudly enough for Haruto to hear.
Girl 1 (whispering but not really).
"Oh my gosh, that's the new transfer student! He's kinda cute, right?"
Girl 2 agreed. "Totally! And mysterious too. Look at that serious face!"
Girl 3 (pushing them forward).
"Just go talk to him already!"
Haruto, hearing every word, sighed internally. Here we go…
Girl 1 (cheerfully).
"Hi, Haruto-kun! Need help with your locker? You've been standing there for like… five minutes."
Haruto blinked.
"Uh, no. I got it, thanks."
He tried again. Still stuck.
Girl 2 (giggling).
"It's okay! Lockers can be sooo tricky. Maybe fate brought us here to help you."
Haruto, confused, looked at his locker. "It's… a lock. Not fate."
Girl 3 (nudging Girl 1). "Ask him! Ask him now!"
Girl 1 (nervously).
"Sooo… Haruto-kun, do you maybe want to, um, eat lunch with us today?"
Before Haruto could answer, he finally managed to open his locker—only for a pile of notebooks to come crashing down on him.
Haruto (deadpan, under a pile of books):
"...Perfect."
The girls gasped.
Girl 2 worried. "Oh no! Are you okay?!"
Haruto, still buried in books, gave a thumbs-up.
"Never better."
Haruto sighed as the girls scrambled to help pick up the books, all while giggling uncontrollably.
"This is going to be a long semester…"
PART 3 0F 5
Hoshizora Mall – Weekend Afternoon
Sakura and Akari strolled through the bustling mall, shopping bags already in hand.
Akari grinned.
"Okay, next stop: the food court! I need something sweet, like... now."
Sakura laughed. "You literally just had two pretzels."
Akari placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "That was a warm-up. Dessert is its own category."
They made their way to an ice cream stall, where Akari ordered the biggest sundae possible. Sakura, holding a simple cone, shook her head.
"How do you eat so much and stay so tiny?" Sakura asked.
"It's called 'good genes.'" Akari said smugly.
As they sat down, Akari noticed a group of boys from their school passing by, whispering and glancing at them.
"Looks like we've got admirers."
"Stop! They're not even looking at us!" Sakura said.
Akari grinned. "Please, you're like the 'popular girl who doesn't even try.' Meanwhile, I'm over here with ice cream on my face."
Sakura chuckled and pointed at Akari's cheek.
"Uh, you actually do have ice cream on your face."
Akari gasped, quickly wiping her face.
"Nooo! I'm supposed to be effortlessly cool!"
Sakura laughed.
"Effortlessly? You literally tripped on your shoelace five minutes ago."
Suddenly, Akari's phone rang. She answered it dramatically.
"Hello? Yes, it's me. The fashion icon. What's that? Oh, thank you, thank you. Yes, I know I'm amazing."
Sakura stared.
"...Akari, that's your alarm reminding you to drink water."
"...Don't ruin my moment." Akari said, deadpan.
As they laughed, Sakura glanced at a nearby store window with a cute dress on display.
Akari noticed her staring at it.
"You should try it on!"
Sakura hesitated. "I don't know... It's kinda flashy."
Akari pushed her toward the store.
"Exactly! You need more 'wow' in your wardrobe!"
Five minutes later, Sakura emerged from the fitting room in the dress.
Akari gasped.
"Gorgeous! Like, if Haruto saw you right now—"
Sakura blushed.
"No! Don't even start."
Suddenly, Akari's sundae (balanced precariously on the table) tipped over, landing directly on Sakura's new dress.
Both froze.
"...I'm going to scream." Sakura said.
Akari, grimacing.
"On the bright side, you're even sweeter now?"
Sakura chased Akari out of the store, both laughing hysterically as shoppers watched the chaos unfold.
PART 4 0F 5
Hoshizora High Courtyard – Lunch Break
Ishi Kazehaya sat under a cherry blossom tree, enjoying a peaceful moment with her headphones on, scrolling through her phone. Her cool, mysterious aura made her stand out effortlessly.
Suddenly, the tranquility shattered as a nervous boy, clutching a love letter, approached.
"U-Um, Ishi-san…" the boy said, clearing his throat. "I've admired you for a long time, and I was wondering if you'd like to—"
Without even looking up, Ishi calmly replied,
"No."
The boy froze.
"Wait… but I haven't even finished—"
Ishi, deadpan.
"Still no."
Rejected, the boy slinked away, bumping into another boy, who had been waiting for his chance.
Boy #2, approaching confidently.
"Yo, Ishi! Wanna grab some coffee after school?"
Ishi glanced at him for half a second. "I don't drink coffee."
The boy grinned.
"Then tea?"
"I don't drink tea either."
"Uh… water?"
Ishi raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me out on a water date?"
The boy, realizing how dumb that sounded, backed away awkwardly.
A third boy, Boy #3, tried his luck next, holding a bouquet of roses.
"Ishi Kazehaya! These flowers pale in comparison to your beauty. Will you go out with me?" he said dramatically.
Ishi blinked slowly and then, with a poker face, replied,
"I'm allergic."
"To… romance?"
"To bad decisions."
Crushed, he walked away as his friends patted his back.
From a nearby distance, Akari and Sakura watched the whole thing unfold.
"She's like a final boss. No one's getting through." Akari grinned
"I almost feel bad for them… " Sakura added.
Suddenly, Boy #4, wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket, swaggered toward Ishi.
"Hey, beautiful. I'm not like those other guys. How 'bout we—"
"Pass." she interrupted.
The boy was taken aback.
"Wait, but I didn't even finish!"
"I know. It's still a pass."
He dramatically clutched his chest, pretending to faint as his friends dragged him away.
Sakura whispered to Akari,
"Do you think anyone will ever get through to her?"
Akari smirked.
"Maybe… but they'd have to survive the gauntlet first."
PART 5 0F 5
Haruto's Bedroom – Night
Haruto was lying on his bed, scrolling through his phone when it started ringing.
"Video call?—Akari? Why's she calling this late?"
He answered the call, expecting a quick chat.
"Hey, Akari, what's up?"
The screen flickered on, and Haruto's eyes widened in sheer panic.
"W-W-WHAT THE—?! AKARI?! WHY ARE YOU—"
On the screen, Akari, surrounded by bubbles in her bathtub, had her hair tied up in a messy bun with a bath bomb fizzing beside her. She was casually leaning back with a playful grin…
"I… Um…" Haruto was at a lose of words.
"What's your problem?… Why do you sound so weird?" Akari confused.
"A-AKARI! I CAN… SEE YOU!" he screamed.
"See me?" she asked.
Haruto frantically waved his hands. "IT'S A VIDEO CALL!"
Akari blinked, looked down at her phone screen, and froze.
"EHHHH?! VIDEO?!" she shrieked.
She immediately submerged up to her chin, splashing water everywhere.
"I THOUGHT IT WAS A VOICE CALL! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING?!"
"WHY WOULD YOU CALL SOMEONE FROM THE BATH?! THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!"
Akari frantically tried to cover the camera with her hand while still flailing in the water.
"DON'T LOOK, YOU PERV!"
Haruto tried closing his eyes and turning his phone away.
"I'M NOT LOOKING! YOU CALLED ME!"
"HANG UP! HANG UP RIGHT NOW!" she screamed.
"YOU HANG UP!"
Both shouted at the same time.
After an awkward moment, Akari finally ended the call.
Haruto exhaled loudly. "Why do weird things always happen to me…?"
Suddenly, his phone buzzed with a message from Akari:
"IF YOU EVER MENTION THIS TO ANYONE, I'LL END YOU, PERVERT!"
Haruto chuckled nervously, replying:
"IT WAS YOUR FAULT!"
Akari sent back a string of angry emojis, followed by:
"Go to sleep, loser."
Haruto grinned, shaking his head.
Haruto (smirking):
"Goodnight, bubble-brain."
Akari, reading his text from the bath, pouted and whispered,
"Idiot."