Chapter One

First Love X Prelude

I want a girlfriend!

Any young man with a pulse had probably thought the same thing at one point or another. As for me, Hiromichi Satou, I had been obsessed with the idea since at least the eighth grade.

But alas, reality was a cruel mistress. In just about every aspect, I would say I ranged from mediocre to below average. My appearance and athleticism—or lack thereof—were nothing to write home about. I didn’t have any remarkable skills, and I wasn’t exactly the brightest tool in the shed. My grades were decent, I guess, but that was only because I had plenty of time to study.

And so my middle school years had passed without a single girlfriend. In fact, I don’t think I had even spoken to a girl outside of the necessary school stuff, or to pass on a message.

I had made friends of the opposite sex once... way back in elementary school. Where had it all gone wrong? Well, from fifth grade onward, the idea of interacting with girls had become oddly embarrassing. I’d ended up distancing myself from them, having become too sheepish to approach them, and wound up in this sorry state.

Because I feared rejection, I’d never put myself out there—you know how it goes. And so, my time in middle school ended without a single girl. I had royally screwed myself over. Looking back on those three depressingly bleak years, I started to panic. Would I end up finishing my entire school life alone, a bitter virgin without a girlfriend? Please, God, anything but that! That would be a fate worse than death!

I want a girlfriend so friggin’ bad!

Although I didn’t have my eye on anyone in particular, I was still desperate. Seriously, I didn’t have a “type” at all—I’d probably end up falling head over heels for the first girl who confessed to me. I would treasure her above all else—of this, I was certain. I simply wanted to be loved! Doesn’t everyone else feel the same way?

In order to find that special someone, that “Cinderella,” I’d hyped myself up at the beginning of high school. This time, I would definitely succeed!

But, of course, that unbefitting enthusiasm was crushed after only one month. Whenever I had tried to greet girls, they had turned around and stared at me as if I was some sort of alien. Their suspicious, probing eyes, to me, seemed to say, “Who is this guy? What does he even want?” Before those gazes, I had deflated instantly, unable to utter another word.

I’d also asked my more sociable friends to include me in their groups. Unfortunately, I hadn’t gained much knowledge or experience of the bizarre entity known as the “female lifeform.” I had no clue what sort of conversation their “diets” consisted of, and as a result, I had only been able to come up with noncommittal responses.

Why did it have to be like this? It seemed that to talk to women, I needed to unlock the “charisma with women” skill. But in order to acquire the “charisma with women” skill, I needed to speak to women! Dios mio, sacre bleu! What was with this crappy, one-star game? Would someone please apply a patch to fix this buggy mess?!

In any case, my first year of high school had passed by in miserable shades of gray.

“Hm-hm-hmm! La-di-da-di-daaa!”

But that was all in the past—water under the bridge, you could say. It was now the spring of my junior year, and I was practically skipping my way to school, humming all the while.

Cherry blossom petals, which reminded me that summer was just around the corner, decorated my path. Morning dew clung to the freshly-grown greenery around me, sparkling and accentuating the leaves’ vibrant colors. How had I once thought of this wonderful world as a bleak, gray wasteland? It was inconceivable.

What had brought about this sudden change of attitude, you ask? Well…

I’d finally gotten a girlfriend. Yes, you heard me right—a real, flesh-and-blood girlfriend! Me, of all people! A girlfriend!

Ahem, apologies for the sudden outburst. Due to the importance of my announcement, I just wanted to emphasize the “real” nature of my girlfriend. I guess I got carried away there. Can you blame me, though? For once in my life, something exciting had actually happened to me.

Of course, I hadn’t been the one to profess my feelings. I wasn’t proud of it, but I didn’t have that kind of courage. After utterly flubbing the start of my high school career, I’d spent a lengthy freshman year with my male friends, never knowing the touch or scent of a woman. But that had all immediately changed as soon as I started my junior year—a girl had confessed to me!

We were the same age, and—despite attending the same elementary school—we’d each gone to different middle schools. It turned out that we went to the same high school, but I was in advanced placement, while she took regular classes. Since our courses didn’t overlap at all, I hadn’t been aware of her existence until the confession.

I vaguely remembered her from elementary school. We had both been placed in after-school daycare, and I had called out to her because she had been all alone. I guess I had been her first friend... Who knew it would have led to all this?

From the moment she’d confessed her feelings, my life had sprung from being broadcast in 144p to glorious 4K. It wasn’t just the colors either—since that day one month ago, everything about the world had undergone a drastic change.

Until recently, I had only picked up the thick, muggy exhaust fumes during my walk to school. Now, all I could focus on was the fragrant spring breeze. Likewise, the trill of the first bell had once beckoned yet another gloomy school day. Now, however, it proclaimed the good news of another day spent with my girlfriend. Finally, whenever I enjoyed udon in the cafeteria with her, the broth tasted as if it were produced by a gourmet restaurant.

“Anyway, Riko from the cheerleading club was basically begging for it, you know? So we went back to her room together.”

“Nice, dude! So how’d it go? You obviously plowed her, right?”

“Heh! Athletic girls never disappoint, know what I mean?”

Before, overhearing these sorts of conversations from the popular guys would have caused me to keel over from jealousy. Now, I could listen to them with a smile on my face. I could even feel—dare I say it—amicable.

Yes, yes, I understand. Romance truly is wonderful, the crème de la crème of our youth. Keep fighting the good fight, kings.

“Huh? But Aizawa, weren’t you going out with Mao Imura from the band? Did you break up with her?”

“Wait, wasn’t he dating Sogabe?”

“Nah, we weren’t really dating. C’mon, do you really think I’d settle for girls like them?”

“Huh? You serious? I thought both of them were pretty hot.”

“If I’m out of a girl’s league, no chance in hell am I committing. Chicks are always sliding into my DMs, man. I don’t need one hanging all over me, acting like she’s my girlfriend just because we’ve bumped uglies a few times. Gimme a break.”

I take it back. Those guys can eat shit and die.

Sure, there were still a few things that got under my skin, but for the past month, my high school life had never been more vibrant. I was certain this positive outlook was all thanks to my new girlfriend. Because of her, I’d also managed to muster up the courage to open up more with others.

Ladies and gentlemen—without further ado, I’d like to introduce the girl who gave me said courage.

School was over for the day, and I was sitting in the library by myself, waiting for my girlfriend to arrive. Unlike me, she was part of a club, so I had to wait for her if I wanted us to walk home together. I set about finishing my homework while repeatedly taking quick, eager glances at the library entrance. This continued for a while until I was suddenly hit by a wave of uneasiness. When I checked the time on my smartphone, I noticed it was 6:10PM.

Wait, 6:10? As in, 10 minutes after six o’clock?

We had promised to meet at 6:00 on the dot, and yet the library door remained closed. My girlfriend hadn’t shown up. How could this be? Oh God, what if it had all been a dream? Had everything up until now been the delusion of a lonely, kissless vir—

“Hiromichi!”

“Uwahgah!”

A cold sensation crawled up the nape of my neck, and I whirled around in response. There was the girl I’d been dying to see—my girlfriend, standing there with a soft drink in each hand and an innocent smile on her face. The features of her beautiful face stood out quite a bit, framed by slightly damp hair that trailed down to her collarbones. She was slightly shorter than me, with long, slender legs. All in all, she was the rare sort of beauty you could find on the cover of any teen magazine. And yes, she was my girlfriend, Haruka Saikawa.

Th-Thank God. It wasn’t a delusion. Since I’d pigeon-holed myself into the forever alone club, I often grew worried that my reality had become a little too convenient. I mean, why else would a beauty like Haruka go out with a nobody like me?

“Ahaha,” laughed Haruka. “Did I surprise you? Sorry for the wait. Practice dragged on longer than I’d expected. Here, take this drink—my humble offering as a way of saying sorry.”

“No, no, don’t worry. I just got here.”

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“Doesn’t look that way to me,” Haruka said after a pause, staring pointedly at the desk littered with my notebooks and textbooks.

Crap. She was spot-on. Based on the current state of things, there was no way I could have “just gotten here.’ If I’d considered that for even a moment, I wouldn’t have told her such an obvious lie. Why did I feel the need to act cool over every little thing? I tended to freak out whenever I was around Haruka, and it was like my body and brain would cease to function. Talk about embarrassing; I could feel my cheeks growing warmer by the second.

“You’re so kind, Hiromichi.”

Haruka didn’t laugh at me for feeling flustered, though. How could I not adore someone so nice? She had not only a pretty face, but also a great personality. I must have done a million good deeds in my past life in order to deserve such a flawless beauty for a girlfriend.

Cheers to you, past self.

“Well then, shall we head out?” Haruka asked.

“Y-Yeah. I’ll put my stuff away in a jiffy!”

“There’s no need to rush.”

“Got it.”

Having said that, I still quickly stuffed my textbooks and writing utensils into my bag. With Haruka at my side, I wouldn’t let these textbooks waste another moment of my time. Plus, we had something special planned for later today.

We left the study room together, walking side-by-side down the sunset-lit corridor and chatting about this and that. All in all, speaking to her was a lot like speaking to my guy friends. The main difference was that we would also discuss our date plans for the weekend like a proper couple would. We went over what had occurred at school earlier and what we’d watched on television last night. I had lent her a few volumes of my favorite manga, and I was eager to hear her impressions on it and gush about it myself. We also discussed various other topics, like the team of four we’d assembled with my guy friends to play Splat Two.

“The club president and teacher have been giving me a lot of praise lately,” she revealed.

“Really? Like what?”

“According to them, my performances have more depth now. They said I’m no longer a huge ham—I’m a honey-glazed ham now!”

“You consider that praise?” I asked hesitantly.

“Ahaha. It’s better than a half-hearted critique, right?”

“I mean, you’re not wrong.”

Haruka’s mother, who had left her family after a divorce, had once been an (unpopular) actress. Apparently, Haruka had decided to follow in her footsteps by joining the drama club, although she—in her own words—was terrible at acting. It was obvious she loved it, however. Whenever I went to watch her practice, she was always giving it her all. Her sweat-drenched hair would stick to her cheeks, and her eyes would shine brightly with a brilliant flame of passion. Whenever I saw her trying so hard, I couldn’t just reduce her love for acting to an “ill-suited obsession.” Regardless of whether she was skilled or not, she loved to do it; that was the most important thing.

For that reason, I enjoyed hearing Haruka talk about her club activities. Those who gave their all at something were admirable, in my opinion, and even more so if they happened to be your adorable significant other. I could listen to Haruka go on forever, and she was the type of girl who could keep a conversation going indefinitely. Since I wanted to share so much with her, our time always ran out before our conversation could exhaust itself.

But today was different.

As we approached the school gate, the two of us ended up falling silent. We stopped in our tracks, gazing furtively at the destined spot. Yesterday, we’d exchanged an important promise, and this location served as its boundary line.

When I glanced at Haruka, our eyes met, but rather than entangling, our gazes came undone. She’d averted her eyes with an embarrassed expression. Still, she cautiously extended her right hand toward me.

That’s right. A month had passed since we’d started dating.

We’d discussed ideas on how to grow closer, and we finally came up with a brilliant solution. Today marked a special day—we decided we’d hold hands for the first time! I mustered all of my courage and… and grabbed hold of Haruka’s delicate, pale hand!

Whoaaaa! Th-This is a girl’s hand?!

Upon feeling our fingers intertwine, my heart practically leapt out of my chest. The difference between her hand and a guy’s was like night and day—hers was thin, soft, and, most importantly, incredibly smooth. The stark contrast and unusual sensations caused my heart to pound, and I wondered how Haruka felt in this moment. When I glanced over at her, I noticed her cheeks reddening slightly.

“Ehehe…” Haruka giggled. “This is sorta embarrassing, isn’t it?”

“Y-You think?” I managed to respond with a squeak.

I see. So Haruka also felt embarrassed—at least slightly.

This should go without saying, but I was far more than just a “little” embarrassed. I was so nervous that a mysterious falsetto had leapt out of my throat, making me sound like a mangled cat.

When we’d first started dating, just being in her vicinity had turned me into a stiff, nervous wreck. I’d clearly managed to beat that cowardice out of myself, but I still had a long way to go. As an obvious example, pretty much anything that brought attention to our romantic relationship caused my composure to fall to pieces.

How did the popular guys do it? They could get all handsy with girls they weren’t even dating. What were they, shape-shifting aliens with nerves of steel?

As I considered the possibility, Haruka spoke up. “I’m sorry. Taking a whole month just to hold hands is weird, right? But this is my first time being in this sort of relationship with a boy. I get so nervous…”

Her face clouded over, and she seemed apologetic. It appeared as though she’d interpreted my silence as me being in a bad mood.

Don’t get the wrong idea, Haruka! I was just such an anxiety-ridden mess that I couldn’t think of what to say!

I hurried to give a proper response. “No, I feel the same way. In fact, going any faster would be exhausting. Sure, you could say it took a whole month to hold hands, but it only took one month, right? I think we’re moving at an awesome pace! I mean, if we can hold hands after one month, how well will we get along for the rest of our lives?”

“Squee!” Haruka exclaimed, turning an even deeper shade of crimson. It was as if a fire had been lit beneath her face—likewise, her hand grew distinctly warmer.

Did… Did I just say something really gross and creepy? Damn it, I definitely did! “For the rest of our lives?!” Pull yourself together, Hiromichi! We’re still in high school, for God’s sake! Why’d I have to jump the gun?

“I didn’t mean that!” I cried. “Wait, uh, I did mean it! I just, uh, got a little ahead of myself. I was only talking about “the rest of our lives” in terms of my feelings, okay? It’s not that deep! I just thought, ‘It’d be pretty nice if that happened,’ and I ended up blurting it out! That’s all!”

Ah, crap. I’ve ruined everything. No matter what I said, I was only covering up repulsiveness with more repulsiveness—a creep matryoshka. How was I supposed to dig myself out of this hole? At this rate, Haruka would see me as some weird, delusional asshole and leave me for good.

“No,” Haruka assured me. “I’m happy you said that.”

She squeezed my hand tighter in response and leaned against my left arm with a smile. This wasn’t the sincere, innocent smile that she showed to my friends. No, this was a special smile that she only showed to me—her boyfriend.

“I told you people have been praising my acting recently, right?” Haruka continued. “It must be thanks to you, Hiromichi.”

“What?”

“Ever since we started dating, each day has been so fun. I’ve never felt so happy in my life. The world is so much more dazzling than before—it’s not even a fair comparison. It’s like feelings of tenderness and strength I had no idea existed are overflowing from my heart. Until now, I never knew how wonderful it was to have someone on this massive earth care about you so deeply. So, thank you. Thank you for choosing me, Hiromichi. I really, really like you!”

“Squee…”

Yeah, it was clear to me now—I’d been born into this world to meet Haruka. No other girl could ever accept me so earnestly or value the same things as I did to such a profound extent. At this point, I couldn’t think of anything but her.

Haruka remained nestled against me until we parted at the train station. Since we were both nervous, we couldn’t hold a proper conversation. From where our bodies were connected, I could feel Haruka’s heart beating as loudly and as frantically as mine. Even so, we never separated. The moment lasted for 15 minutes. Without a doubt, those were the greatest 15 minutes of my 17 years on this earth.

And yet, everything would soon change. I would end up meeting a person who would turn everything on its head—my newfound conviction to remain loyal to Haruka, and the plans for our youth that I’d believed would never end.