Rain pattered against the window as Alice Aisonoyoi sat cross-legged on her bed, clutching a pillow to her chest. Her best friend Mari lounged beside her, idly flipping through the most dangerous object in Tokyo—Alice's sketchbook.
Mari (Alice's Best Friend, sprawled on the bed, tossing popcorn into her mouth):
"Let me get this straight—you've been secretly sketching Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Scowly for a year, and he just NOW noticed?"
Alice groaned, pressing her face deeper into the pillow. The stolen notebook lay between them, open to Page 23—where Ren's profile was drawn in painstaking detail, right down to the way his glasses slid down his nose when he was tired.
"He didn't just notice," Alice mumbled, her voice muffled. "He touched it. And then I—"
Mari (grinning like a shark):
"Panicked like a squirrel on espresso and bolted? Yeah, I heard. The whole art wing heard. Pretty sure Japan heard."
Alice flipped onto her back, glaring at the ceiling. "I'm moving to Antarctica."
FLASHBACK CUE:
Fine. Let's start from the beginning. Again. But this time… through Alice's disaster-prone eyes.
The morning Alice's life derailed began with three catastrophes:
She forgot her coffee (a crime against humanity)
Her ribbon snapped (leaving her hair to rebel)
She body-checked Ren Kurosawa (a fate worse than death)
What Alice Saw:
A tall boy with headphones clamped over his ears like armor
A sharp jawline tensed in annoyance
Eyes dark as spilled ink, widening when they met hers
What Alice Did:
Dropped her books (spectacularly, like a klutz in a rom-com)
Mumbled something between "sorry" and "I'm a disaster" (unintelligible to human ears)
Their eyes met.
Alice's brain short-circuited.
Say something. SAY SOMETHING.
"I—"
Ren blinked.
Alice's mouth moved on autopilot. "SorryI'msorryI'lljust—"
She grabbed his earbud, shoved it into his hand, and ran.
Fled the scene (like a criminal who'd just robbed a bank)
Mari's Commentary (Present Day):
"Wow. Real smooth, Casanova."
Alice groaned. "I told you, I panicked!"
"You squeaked. Like a stepped-on hamster.""
Alice threw a pillow at her. "Shut up. I was flustered."
Mari (snorting):
"Flustered? You looked like you'd seen a ghost. A really hot ghost."
"Thats because he saw my sketch book." Alice replied
"What's wrong with a sketch book? It's not like you are undressing him or what."
Silence-
Page 1: Ren sleeping in class, sunlight striping his back like a lazy tiger
Page 8: Ren scowling at the vending machine that stole his money (with detailed shading on his clenched fists)
Page 14: The exact curl of his lashes (measured during English class, because Alice had no self-control)
Page 19: Ren mid-sneeze (adorable, but she'd never admit it)
At Class- (That day)
Alice wasn't trying to stare. Really.
But Ren sat diagonally in front of her, and when he tilted his head just so, the sunlight caught the edge of his jawline, and—
Wait.
Was that a scar above his eyebrow?
Before she could stop herself, Alice's pencil moved.
Sketch #1: Ren's profile, the faint scar above his brow, the way his hair curled at the nape of his neck.
She hid it between her notes.
Ms. Thompson, their overly enthusiastic English teacher, clapped her hands. "Today, we're practicing introductions! Alice, you're Partner A. Ren, Partner B."
Alice's soul left her body.
Ren blinked at her, his expression unreadable.
"Hi," he said.
Alice's brain short-circuited. "H-hi."
Result: A five-minute silence so brutal, even the teacher started sweating.
Mari's Verdict (Present Day):
"So let me guess—you two just vibed in silence like a pair of socially awkward mimes?"
Alice groaned. "Ms. Thompson gave us a D."
Rain poured from the sky like the heavens themselves were weeping. Alice's umbrella chose that moment to malfunction spectacularly, flipping inside out like a dying bat.
Alice's Internal Monologue:
"Okay. No big deal. Just… walk fast. Pretend you're meant to get drenched. It's artistic—"
Then she saw him.
Ren Kurosawa, standing under the awning, his gaze locked onto her. He took a step forward.
Alice's Brain:
"He's coming to help!
Wait. What do I say?
'Thanks'? Too basic.
'Nice weather'? It's MONSOONING—"
Enter: Baseball star Takumi, swooping in like a rom-com villain. "Here, let me!" He draped his jacket over her shoulders with a flourish.
Alice peeked over Takumi's shoulder—just in time to see Ren kick a trash can with enough force to send it skidding across the courtyard.
Mari's Verdict (Present Day):
"You owe that trash can an apology. And maybe Ren, too."
Alice buried her face in her hands. "I panicked!"
Alice had one rule: Never let the notebook leave her bag.
But when she returned to the art room to find Ren holding it—
Alice's Brain:
"ABORT. ABORT. BURN THE EVIDENCE. FLEE THE COUNTRY."
Alice moved before she could think.
"Give that back!"
Ren startled, the notebook slipping from his grip. Alice lunged—
—And tripped over a stray chair.
She hit the ground hard, the sketchbook skidding out of reach.
Silence.
Ren stared at her. Alice stared back.
Then—
"Are you... okay?"
Alice scrambled to her feet, snatched the notebook, and ran.
Fled without explanation (leaving Ren looking like she'd just tasered him)
Mari (Present Day, flipping through the sketches):
Mari was howling. "Oh my god! You tripped?!"
Alice buried her face in her hands. "I told you it was bad!"
"Bad? This is legendary."
"Oh my god. You even drew his hands. That's serial killer behavior, Aisonoyoi."
Alice whimpered. "They're good hands!"
Alice hugged her knees, her face burning. "He probably thinks I'm a stalker."
Mari smirked, tossing another popcorn into her mouth. "Correction: You are a stalker. A stalker with impressive shading skills."
Outside, cherry blossoms drifted past the window—just like they had that first day. Somewhere in the city, Ren Kurosawa was probably recounting Alice's weirdness to his therapist.
Mari (leaning in, grinning):
"So. When are you giving him the notebook back?"
Alice's scream was muffled by the pillow.
This was fine. Everything was fine.
...She was absolutely changing schools.
Also somewhere across the city, Ren Kurosawa was also awake—and Alice's sketches were the reason why.