I'm Satō Haru, and I'm 17 years old. The picture I'm about to show you is of my crush.

This handsome devil is Yoshida Akihiko. His name means "A bright, intelligent child," and it's spot on. He's intelligent, and that radiant smile of his could charm anyone. Even I would go to great lengths just to be his friend.

So, you're probably wondering how I fell in love with him, right? Well, it all started when I got caught cheating on a test. Akihiko spoke up, saying, "Haru would never cheat; I was his study buddy." In an instant, my heart went from "dun dun" to "thump thump." At first, I brushed it off as a coincidence.

But not long after, he approached me and said, "Hey, Haru, right?" I stammered out, "Yes?" His voice was so gentle, and I could feel my face turning red. I wondered why I was blushing. Lost in my thoughts, Akihiko's voice brought me back, "Earth to Haru!? Are you there?" I quickly replied, "Uhuh, of course, I am. What were you saying again?" He asked if I could lend him some money because he had given his to our classmate. "Oh, okay, here," I said, handing him the money. He smiled and said, "Thank you, you're a lifesaver." It felt really good helping him out.

The next day, I couldn't help but keep my eyes on him. I hadn't even noticed until someone pointed it out that I had been unconsciously staring at Akihiko for a while. It felt strange because I didn't understand how or why I was doing it. Everything became clear when I took my very first picture of Akihiko during lunch. I was capturing the beautiful scenery, but wait, let me show you.

I can't reveal my location, but it looked somewhat like this. There, I spotted him.

It felt like a photoshoot - everything was perfect. As I took my first picture, it dawned on me that he was the person I had feelings for. Before long, I found myself becoming obsessed with everything he did and touched, just like this.

His tie, it had taken me a painstaking two hours to discreetly remove it from him without arousing suspicion. I'll share my collection of such 'trophies' later, but first, let me tell you more about him.

Akihiko, the man whose tie I had just liberated, had never had a boyfriend but had a girlfriend once. Some of his exes used to claim that he was so perfect that it felt like they didn't meet his expectations. However, that was far from the truth. Akihiko loved everyone equally. He even had a brother.

They say his room smells like fresh fruit. My curiosity got the better of me one night, and I decided to sneak into his room. The aroma that greeted me was heavenly, so enchanting that it almost brought tears to my eyes. However, I managed to keep my emotions in check.

What I did do, though, was take a multitude of pictures of him while he slept. It was a risky endeavor, and I came perilously close to getting caught, but I skillfully eluded discovery.

It was January 2, 2022, just an ordinary school day for everyone, but not for me. Today was the day I was invited to Akihiko's house, and you might be wondering, "What's the big deal? It's not your first time going to Akihiko's house." Well, the big deal was that he was the one inviting me, and let me tell you how it happened.

You see, during our first class of the day, which happened to be chemistry, Akihiko ended up as my partner. It felt like a dream come true, and just when I thought things couldn't get any better, they did.

Our professor announced, "You'll be working on a project about how people's emotions work, and it's due in two weeks. Good luck, students." It felt like a death sentence, but I couldn't help daydreaming about what Akihiko and I could be doing together, you know, those perverted fantasies. 😅 My daydream was abruptly interrupted by a voice I recognized all too well.

I turned to find that the person disturbing my thoughts was none other than Haru himself. "Yes, what's up?" I awkwardly replied, feeling myself almost dying of embarrassment. But Haru didn't waste any time and jumped right in.

"Wanna come to my house?" he asked.

"Sure," I replied eagerly. "Great, I'll see you later after school." Little did he know, I was blushing so hard that I was practically glowing. I was definitely going to show him!

I couldn't contain my excitement as the school day dragged on, eagerly anticipating the moment when it would finally be over. Just as he had promised, we met up after school, and together we headed to his house. It was exactly as I had seen it the previous night. Here, let me show you.

"She's a beauty, ain't she?"

We went to his room, and immediately, I was drawn to something in his room, like this one.

Perhaps it was his clothes, or maybe even one of his underwear or boxers; everything felt surreal, like I was in a dream. (Before we continue, do you think I used the words "dream" or "die" too frequently?)

However, I restrained myself and sat down beside his bed. Haru had mentioned he would fetch some food and drinks for us while we worked on our project. While waiting, I couldn't help but notice a box tucked away under his bed.

The curiosity got the better of me, and I found myself reaching for the box. I was genuinely surprised by what I discovered inside – a multitude of photos of someone and some of their belongings. But what made it worse was that the guy in the photos was none other than the person lying in the bed beside me.

His name is Alexander Sasaki. I was utterly shocked and hurt simultaneously when I discovered that my first crush had feelings for my best friend. It left me feeling lost and heartbroken.

I handed the box back to him as he entered the room. "Let's get this started," he said. I wanted to say something, but his phone suddenly rang, interrupting us. He answered it and explained that it was someone he knew, stating that he had to cancel today's meeting. "Maybe we can reschedule for tomorrow?" he suggested. I wasn't in the mood to talk, so I simply replied, "How about next Sunday?" He agreed with a simple "Sure."

So, he likes Alex, huh? I guess it kinda makes sense why he would suddenly take the blame for me; he liked Alex back then...

Huh, this is great. I'll be a great wingman 😂. I said that, but inside, I felt like crying. At the same time, I wanted to be happy for him...

I didn't feel like going to school today, so I skipped it.

Akihiko's Thoughts:

When I was only 14, I used to get bullied a lot. But then, one day, a new student transferred; his name was Haru. He looked like an angel who had descended from heaven.

It felt like a leap of faith when he rescued me from those jerks. After finishing school, I heard from one of his friends that Haru would be attending the same school.

I had this strong desire to be close to Haru, even from a distance, which is why I decided to attend the same school as him.

Finally, it was the first day of school, and I was eagerly anticipating seeing Haru again. As I approached the school gate, I spotted him waiting for someone. I couldn't contain my excitement, so I waved at him. To my surprise, he didn't wave back. It seemed like he didn't even remember me.

"Huh, what is this feeling?" I thought to myself. "I feel like I'm going to burst into tears... Hahaha."

That day, I felt a deep sadness. However, amidst my sadness, an idea formed in my mind. If I wanted to get close to Haru again, I needed to befriend his friends so I could learn more about him.

During lunch break, I struck up a conversation with one of his friends named Alexander. Alexander quickly picked up on my feelings for Haru but chose not to mention it for my sake.

By the end of the day, Alexander and I had become close, and I had gathered a wealth of information about Haru. I even created a whole file dedicated to him. It might sound strange, but there was something oddly satisfying about knowing so much about Haru. Here's what I learned in a short period of time:

Haru had a preference for sweets over anything else. He was an only child, and his parents were currently on vacation, celebrating their 36th anniversary. Throughout his life, he had only dated two girls. He believed that anyone who disliked him was simply jealous, a defense mechanism he used to shield himself from feeling hurt when people found him a bit peculiar. He had a pet rabbit named Luz (from Owl House), and he was a big fan of cartoons like Owl House, Gravity Falls, Rick and Morty, and Star vs. the Forces of Evil. He preferred milk over coffee because he believed it would help him grow taller. 😅

With this much information and more to come, I was determined to make him fall in love with me. First, I planned to ask if he wanted to sit next to me at lunch. I was going for it—I had the confidence, the looks, and I had rehearsed it a thousand times in my head.