Chapter 1: the girl by the window

The first day of spring arrived with a gentle breeze.

Pink cherry blossom petals drifted through the school courtyard as students hurried to their classrooms. Among them was 17-year-old Aiko Tanaka, a quiet girl who loved sketching manga in her notebook.

Aiko preferred sitting by the window in Class 2-B. She enjoyed watching the sky more than talking to people.

As she settled into her seat, the classroom door suddenly slid open.

“Sorry I’m late!”

A tall boy with messy black hair stood at the entrance. His uniform was slightly untidy, and his smile looked effortlessly charming.

The girls immediately started whispering.

“That’s the transfer student.”

“He’s handsome!”

Aiko lowered her gaze, uninterested.

The teacher cleared his throat.

“Class, this is Haruto Sato. He transferred from Osaka.”

Haruto grinned and waved.

“Nice to meet you.”

Then fate decided to play a joke.

The only empty seat was beside Aiko.

Haruto walked over and sat down.

“Looks like we’re neighbors.”

Aiko nodded silently.

For the rest of the day, she avoided eye contact.

⸻

After school, Aiko stayed behind to finish a sketch.

The classroom was quiet until Haruto suddenly appeared.

“You draw manga?”

Aiko nearly dropped her pencil.

“You shouldn’t sneak up on people.”

Haruto laughed.

“Sorry.”

He picked up one of her pages.

The drawing showed a romantic scene between two characters standing beneath cherry blossoms.

His eyes widened.

“Whoa. This is amazing.”

Aiko blinked.

Most people never noticed her art.

“T-Thank you.”

For the first time that day, she smiled.

Haruto smiled back.

Something warm fluttered inside her chest.

⸻

Over the next few weeks, they grew closer.

Haruto often borrowed her pencils.

Aiko shared her lunch when he forgot his.

They walked home together after school.

People started teasing them.

“Are you two dating?”

Both immediately denied it.

Yet neither could stop smiling afterward.

⸻

One afternoon, rain poured unexpectedly.

Students rushed to leave before the storm became worse.

Aiko stood under the school entrance, staring at the heavy rain.

She had forgotten her umbrella.

“Need help?”

Haruto appeared beside her holding a large umbrella.

“You can share mine.”

Aiko hesitated.

Their homes were in the same direction.

“Okay.”

The walk felt strangely magical.

The umbrella wasn’t big enough.

Their shoulders occasionally touched.

Each accidental brush made Aiko’s heart race.

She secretly wondered if Haruto could hear it.

⸻

Days turned into months.

Spring became summer.

Aiko realized something she had been trying to ignore.

She liked Haruto.

Not as a friend.

Not as a classmate.

She was completely in love with him.

But there was one problem.

What if he didn’t feel the same?

⸻

One evening, while helping clean the classroom, Aiko overheard a conversation.

A group of girls surrounded Haruto.

One of them, the popular and beautiful Miyu Nakamura, handed him a letter.

“I like you.”

Aiko froze.

Her heart sank.

She quietly stepped away before hearing his answer.

That night she couldn’t sleep.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Miyu smiling at him.

Maybe someone like Miyu was better for him.

Maybe she never had a chance.

⸻

The next morning, Aiko avoided Haruto.

At lunch, she ate alone.

After school, she left before he could speak to her.

Haruto looked confused.

Days passed.

The distance between them grew.

Until one afternoon, Haruto finally cornered her on the rooftop.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

Aiko looked away.

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

Silence.

The wind carried cherry blossom petals around them.

Finally, Haruto sighed.

“Is this about Miyu?”

Aiko’s eyes widened.

“I heard her confession.”

Haruto laughed softly.

“You left before hearing my answer.”

Aiko stared at him.

“What answer?”

Haruto took a deep breath.

“I rejected her.”

Everything stopped.

The wind.

The noise.

Even Aiko’s thoughts.

“W-What?”

Haruto rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“Because I already like someone else.”

Aiko’s heartbeat exploded.

Someone else?

Who?

Haruto stepped closer.

His face turned slightly red.

“A girl who sits by the window.”

Aiko couldn’t breathe.

“A girl who draws manga.”

Her eyes widened.

“A girl named Aiko.”

The world felt brighter than the spring sky.

For a moment, neither moved.

Then Aiko smiled through tears.

“I like you too.”

Haruto’s face lit up.

The distance between them disappeared.

Under a shower of cherry blossom petals, two hearts finally found each other.

And their love story was only beginning.

To Be Continued… 🌸❤️📖

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