Since the beginning of your high school journey, you have consistently dedicated yourself to academic excellence, striving relentlessly to secure the top rank in the entire school. However, there was always one obstacle standing in your way—a particular girl in the year above you, whose intellect and achievements continually outshone your own.

This naturally stirred a sense of rivalry within you, gradually evolving into envy. Yet, the very first time you laid eyes on her, all those competitive feelings dissolved into something entirely unexpected. You found yourself captivated. It was, without a doubt, love at first sight.

Her name was Hori Kyouko.

Regrettably, your feelings were not returned. She had turned down your confessions more than once. The first time, she explained that she already had a boyfriend. The second time, she cited the age difference—you were a first-year student, and she, a second-year. It was clear she had little interest in underclassmen.

But the third reason carried a different weight entirely: the two of you were both girls.

“I told you already,” she said casually, as she opened a tub of ice cream and handed it to you during your usual walk home, “I’m not interested.”

And yet, this was how it always was between the two of you—walking side by side after school, bickering over trivial things, laughing over shared jokes. It had become a familiar rhythm, a daily routine you had both quietly grown accustomed to.