The bell rang, signaling the end of the class. And just like that, it was over. Another day, another set of mediocre lessons I didn't care about. Not that I'm some genius or anything. I mean, it's high school—everyone's just trying to survive. And here I am, still trying to figure out how I ended up in the same place as everyone else: trying to get by and maybe, just maybe, catch the attention of that one girl... yeah, you know who I mean.
Honestly, though? What did I even learn today? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The day was like any other day, nothing special, except maybe the fact that my "cool guy" image didn't quite do the trick for making friends. It's like my face is a walking "don't talk to me" sign. Why? Because of my stupid, stupid intimidating looks! I mean, have you seen me? Do I look like the kind of guy you want to approach for a friendly chat? No, of course not. I look like the kind of guy who would just as soon kick a dog as ask how their day is going.
And you know what? It's not fair! Everyone's been avoiding me like I have bad intentions! But guess what? I've never done anything wrong in my entire life! Sure, okay, I might be a tiny bit of a pervert. Okay, maybe a lot of a pervert... but come on! That's just how I am. Nothing more, nothing less.
As I said earlier, it's just another day in the life of Ryuji Takahashi, the guy who gets all the blame for looking like the kind of guy who'd kidnap your lunch money. But hey, maybe life's not all bad, right? I mean, they say, "When life gives you lemons…" and I guess I could make lemonade or something. So... what's next? Oh! I could try not scaring people off with my "bad boy" vibes. Or maybe... I don't know... just randomly scream "I love you!" at Mikaela, see what happens? That sounds like a perfect idea, right? No? Yeah... that's a terrible idea.
But seriously, it's not all that bad, right? Maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow, maybe I'll try to be less of a creepy loner and, I don't know, not scare everyone away with my "mysterious" persona.
Then, out of nowhere, I saw her again. Mikaela Sato. The girl of my dreams. The one I've been crushing on since forever. My heart skips a beat just thinking about her. There she is, standing across the hall, talking to a few friends, her laugh echoing in the hallway. Her smile lights up the whole room—and my soul, if I'm being totally honest. It's like one of those cheesy romcom moments where the background music swells as the protagonist stares at their crush, all the while ignoring the fact that everyone around them is walking like they don't exist.
BUT SERIOUSLY—DO YOU SEE HER?! DO YOU?! Those—those BOOBS! Like, my heart is literally about to explode. Can we just take a moment to appreciate the fact that I could die happy right now? I'm not saying I'm a shallow guy or anything... but WOW. If life gave me a second chance at anything, it'd be to just bask in the glory of those... well, you know.
Okay, okay. Back to reality. Focus, Ryuji. I need to impress her. How do I do that? What can I do? What grand gesture can I make? I need to stand out, be noble, be different from the rest of these guys who probably only want her for the same shallow reasons. I have to be a gentleman. A noble one. The kind of guy who doesn't sit back and watch a beautiful woman do all the work.
So, I spotted Mikaela... and what's she doing? Cleaning up some trash near the back of the hall. Like, seriously? The girl of my dreams, doing trash duty? This is unacceptable. There's no way I'm letting her do this. So I, Ryuji Takahashi, the self-proclaimed "noble hero," rushed over to her side, ready to save the day.
And of course, win her over. Because let's be honest—no beautiful woman should ever have to touch trash. That's just not right. It's practically a crime.
So, I did what any heroic, ridiculously handsome gentleman would do: I volunteered to take the trash off her hands. "Let me do that," I said, trying my best to sound suave, but probably sounding like a complete idiot. I mean, sure, it's a small gesture, but hey, maybe it'll show her I'm the kind of guy who doesn't want her to break a nail while taking out the trash.
And then.....IT HAPPENED. Our hands... they touched! Just... just for a second. HOLY SHIT. I swear, I almost passed out. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. It was like fireworks went off in my brain. I could die right here and be totally okay with it. My hand brushed against hers... and that was it. That was the moment I'd been waiting for.
Narrator: And yes, this is the part where Takahashi and Sato accidentally touch hands while transferring the trash to the bin. Nothing special. Just your typical romcom moments... Jeez, are we really making a big deal out of this? Yes, we are. Because this is the most important thing that has happened all day, and you should all recognize that.
Oh my god. I'm not even sure what happened after that. Was I dreaming? Did she feel that too? Or was I just being dramatic? She didn't say anything, didn't even look at me after that. She just went about her business, leaving me standing there like an idiot, holding the trash bag like I was trying to impress her by picking up after her.
I went back to class, feeling like the most broken-hearted man alive. All that effort... all that nobleness... wasted. She didn't even acknowledge it. All my dreams of us laughing about the awkwardness later? Gone. Just like that. I couldn't believe it. My one chance to shine... and I screwed it up.
I'm Ryuji Takahashi from Class 1-A. And this? This is me, walking home broken-hearted, alone, and questioning why I was even born with the most tragic case of bad luck known to mankind.
And now, Ryuji is just your average guy, left alone with his dreams, his trash bags, and a serious case of unrequited love.
But then... then, I heard a sound. A voice. It wasn't familiar, but it was loud enough for me to turn around.
"I LOVE YOU!"