01x07 - Higashira Isana Doesn't Know What Love Is

[bunniefuu]

When I made my confession

We'd been spending every day of summer

break together at the school library.

On the last day before second term,

I professed my feelings in a love letter.

It's customary to leave such letters

in the recipient's shoe cubby.

Naturally, that was my intention.

However, when the time finally came,

I lost my nerve.

And before I could recover, he walked in.

All I could do was watch as he changed shoes.

My mind raced as we made

our way to the library together.

"What do I do?

Should I try again tomorrow?"

"No, I can't. This is the

last day of summer break."

Thursday, August 27th

"If I don't tell him now,

I'll never get the chance again."

If only I'd found my resolve sooner

The reason I'd defaulted

to such an old-fashioned tradition

was simply because I hadn't the

courage to confess to him directly.

As I waited for him to read my letter,

I was overcome with regret and

thoughts of self-loathing.

"This sucks. I wanna run away.

I wanna go home."

And after what felt like an eternity,

he finally looked up and said

I don't think I truly deserve your affection,

but I'm excited to be your boyfriend.

And so, in the summer of my

second year at middle school,

I got what you might call a boyfriend.

Looking back, I can only describe it

as youthful indiscretion.

My Stepmom's

Daughter Is

My Ex

Higashira Isana Doesn't Know What Love Is

We know your secret. If you don't want people to find out,

come to the place shown below after school. Alone.

"We know your secret."

"If you don't want people to find out,

come to the place shown

below after school. Alone."

Welcome!

Table for one, is it?

U-Um

Table for three!

We know your secret. If you don't want people to find out,

come to the place shown below after school. Alone.

Here

Sorry, Higashira-san.

Akatsuki-san only meant the note as a prank.

There's nothing to be scared of.

I-It was just a prank?

You're not blackmailing me?

Of course not!

Why don't I pay for your drinks?

What do you say?

But we weren't lying about

knowing your little secret.

Know what I mean?

W-Well, if I had to guess

Could it be you found the VTuber channel

I did a test stream of a while back?

CHA

Izanami Homura

Test

Views

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That's not even in the ballpark!

That's way more out there

than what we've got!

Th-That wasn't it?!

sh**t! Does that mean I spilled

the beans on myself?

Well, putting aside your embarrassing past

Higashira-san,

you like Mizuto-kun, don't you?

Huh?

Well, of course I do.

Oh Uh

Higashira-san.

Akatsuki-san doesn't mean you like him

as a friend. She means romantically.

R-Romantically? You mean

like in those romcoms?

That's it.

Think "love."

You think I love Mizuto-kun?

I'm sorry, but you've got the wrong idea.

Yume-chan, if you'd be so kind

Edit

Wait for it

We've got video too!

Done

Just imagine it.

Let's say Irido-kun were to

Psst, psst

Psst, psst, psst, psst, psst

Psst, psst, psst, psst

Psst, psst Psst, psst, psst

Gotcha!

Th-That's what I look like right now?

But I look like a harlot, of all things!

Well? Do you admit it now?

for him?

Do you really think I have feelings for him?

Huh?

I h-honestly couldn't tell you myself.

I've never experienced anything

of the sort before in my life.

What?! Are you for real?

Your first crush? At this age?

Wow. That's, like, so

Interesting. Nostalgic, even.

Well, now that that's settled,

we can finally get down to business.

What business?

Higashira-san

We're gonna help you land

a date with Mizuto-kun!

Both me and Yume-chan!

What?!

U-Um, Akatsuki-san?

I never said anything about helping

Whaddya say, Higashira-san?

I doubt you'd be able to find a better

duo for the job than Yume-chan and me.

No, that's okay

Huh? Why not?

I wasn't lying when I said

I like him as a friend.

I'm quite happy just being able

to talk like we have been.

A-And besides

If I were to pursue anything more,

I'd just end up looking pathetic.

Zero confidence in herself.

Convinced that nothing

she does is good enough.

Avoiding everything because of it.

Determined to maintain the status quo,

even when she's unhappy with it

She's basically who I was

back in middle school.

Don't throw in the towel before you try!

Save that for when you've

exhausted all possibilities!

You want to be his girlfriend, don't you?

You want to be more than friends, don't you?

Well, it could happen if you ask him out!

You could walk to and from school

holding hands every day.

You could go on dates together.

You could exchange gifts on Christmas, too!

If you catch a cold,

he could wait on you hand and foot.

Well?! All of that could be your life!

Knowing that,

are you still content just being friends?

I w-wanna be his girlfriend.

I w-wanna flirt with him.

I want him to tell me he likes me.

I w-wanna be more than just friends with him.

All right.

Then it's settled!

Our mission starts bright and early tomorrow!

Yeah!

Wait Am I really okay with this?

So, what would you have me do, exactly?

First, we need to assess the situation.

We'll observe how you two normally interact

and target his weak point from there.

His weak point? Are you sure

Mizuto-kun has one of those?

Why are you asking me?

Sure he does!

No matter how uninterested

Irido-kun pretends to be,

with a boy and a girl,

there's always a way!

Are you sure about that?

Are you quite certain?

Well, we're assessing the situation

to find out, aren't we?

Come on, you two! Let's ready up!

Library

Haganai:

I Don't Have

Many Friends

TIME-LAPSESLO-MOVIDEOPHOTOSQUAREPAN

I can't believe Irido-kun hasn't taken

one look when her boobs are right there.

Haganai: I Don't Have

Many Friends

You're right.

I'm starting to feel sorry

for her at this point.

Haganai: I Don't Have

Many Friends

Haganai:

I Don't Have

Many Friends

What? What's wrong?

That! Right there!

TIME-LAPSESLO-MOVIDEOPHOTOSQUAREPAN

O-Oh no

Hey, Higashira.

Yes?

Th-This is bad!

I can see your underwear.

Th-Thanks for telling me.

U-Um I'm gonna go to the restroom!

Erm

Do you think he sees me as

girlfriend material at all?

Not one bit.

I thought not.

Looks like we're gonna have to get physical

to make him appreciate your womanly charm.

What do you mean by "physical"?

Don't act all innocent with me, young lady.

I'm talking about those mighty

melons you're packing!

Whoa, they're sho amazhing!

C-Could you stop that, please?

You really think that's going to work?

As I was saying,

quantity over quality, right?

The more he touches them,

the more he'll think about them.

There's not a guy in the world who'd

forget touching a boob, right?

So let's get to it, shall we?

Library

You okay? Got an upset tummy or something?

N-No, no need to worry.

Can you believe this guy?

Now, now.

Okay! Go for it, Higashira-san!

M-Mizuto-kun, could you take

a look at this part?

Hmm? What part?

Th-This part. Right here.

She really did it!

TIME-LAPSESLO-MOVIDEOPHOTOSQUAREPAN

Well? How about that?!

Higashira.

Y-Yes?

Your breasts are touching me.

This guy

That would be the point.

Huh?

Huh?

Haganai: I Don't Have Many Friends

Yomi Hirasaka

Since you seem to favor the less endowed,

I thought I'd take it upon

myself to convert you.

Come now.

Feast your senses on the

voluptuous female figure.

TIME-LAPSESLO-MOVIDEOPHOTOSQUAREPAN

H-Hey, quit it already!

But that face

Show him that instead.

You chickened out, huh?

Right back to the friend zone.

I may have feelings for Mizuto-kun,

but he is still my friend.

Is it wrong of me to have

a crush on a friend?

Does liking someone really mean I

have to give up their friendship?

Akatsuki-san and I consider

the people we like to be special.

We don't think of them as friends,

but as something far more precious.

But that isn't the case for Higashira-san.

To her, liking someone is just

an extension of friendship.

She doesn't believe having feelings

for someone is a reason

to sacrifice friendship with them.

That's who she is.

I'm sorry, Higashira-san.

We won't ask you to change

how you act anymore.

I think you're better off staying

true to yourself anyway.

Right, Akatsuki-san?

I think you're right.

Th-That's a relief.

But the fact remains

Your lack of confidence still

isn't doing you a ton of favors.

My lack of confidence?

If you believed in yourself a little more,

Irido-kun would start looking

at you differently for sure.

And on that note

It's time for Higashira-san's

special makeover!

Makeover?

My Stepmom's Daughter Is My Ex

Haganai: I Don't Have

Many Friends

M-Mizuto-kun?

TIME-LAPSESLO-MOVIDEOPHOTOSQUAREPAN

All right, now we've got this in the bag.

I hope so.

Higashira, your

Y-Yes?

What's up with your lips?

Did you eat fried chicken or something?

You'll gain weight if you eat

too much fatty food, you know?

You should be more careful.

TIME-LAPSESLO-MOVIDEOPHOTOSQUAREPAN

I wouldn't say this to

Higashira-san's face

But I have no idea what

on earth she sees in him.

S-Same here.

Go, go!

H-Has he

Finally taken notice of her?!

Why do you keep moving away, Mizuto-kun?

I like my personal space.

If you invade any further,

all that awaits you is hell.

Well, well.

Why don't you show me

this "hell" you speak of?

Haganai: I Don't Have Many Friends

Yomi HirasakaBuriki

Wh-What are you doing?!

I'm showing you hell.

Aren't you happy? Now you can

practice fixing your hair.

He's totally

He's hiding his embarrassment.

Th-This is bullying!

Bullying, I tell you!

You might be right.

In that case

You should get bullied too.

If you insist.

There's no way!

I can't confess. It's too soon!

Maybe we should give her a

little more time, Akatsuki-san.

I'm sure she needs to prepare mentally.

Sh-She's right! I'm not prepared at all!

Then prepare yourself right now.

What?

Listen up.

If you can't psych yourself

up right now, you never will.

Quit expecting your future self

to do all the heavy lifting.

Never put off till tomorrow

what can be done today!

The longer you put it off,

the harder it'll be.

If you let him view you as a

friend for months or years,

he'll be way more put off when

you do make the confession!

That's why your chances of success

are higher the sooner you strike.

B-But

I'm awkward. And annoying.

The only good thing about me is my chest.

At least your confidence

in your breasts is rock-steady.

What do you think, Yume-chan?

He seems to enjoy spending

time with you, Higashira-san.

So if you said you wanted to spend more

time together, I doubt he'd refuse.

You think so?

Do you really think I can be his girlfriend?

I do.

I guarantee it.

Irido

So he asked if they could meet

up behind the school at five.

He's probably realized

she's gonna confess to him, huh?

Probably.

Man, now even I'm getting nervous.

I get that.

Well, Yume-chan,

are you excited that your stepbrother's

about to get a girlfriend?

You think he'll say yes?

Don't you? I mean, that's the typical thing.

But I guess Irido-kun

isn't your typical guy, huh?

He's not?

Yeah. If I had one worry,

I guess it'd be that.

Like whether he sees any value

in getting a girlfriend or not.

I guess he probably doesn't.

He seems like he'd be just fine without one.

Like he's the type who doesn't

see any value in having a partner.

So if a guy like him were to get a girlfriend

Yup, lookin' good.

D-Do I really look okay?

You're fine, you're fine.

Cute as a button!

Friday, June 24th

It's almost time.

I'm starting to get nervous.

Okay then, we'll stay hidden over here

and support you from the shadows.

Good luck!

You'll be fine. You can do this.

Right, I'll do my best.

I'm here, Higashira.

U-Um Th-Thank you

for coming t-to meet me.

Sure.

S-So you know

Th-There's something I wanted

to tell you, Mizuto-kun.

To express my gratitude

No, scratch that. What I mean is

Um Um

Higashira.

Y-Yes?!

Just tell me what you have to say at your

own pace. In whatever order you'd like.

I can put the pieces together from there.

Do you remember when we first met at the

library and you came up to talk to me?

That made me so happy.

And not just because I'd met someone

who shared similar interests.

But because when we spoke, you actually

seemed to enjoy talking to me.

People have always told me that

I'm weird, annoying, and a freak.

So truly, deeply

I was so happy to have someone actually

listen to me when I ramble.

Not only that, but for the first time ever,

someone actually responded to me.

It's been so much fun.

So I wanna spend more time with you.

I wanna spend all my time with you.

So please let me be your girlfriend.

I like you.

You always told me you saw me as a friend.

Th-That hasn't changed!

I like you as a friend too.

I enjoy spending time

with you too, Higashira.

You're the first person I've ever met

that I've clicked with so effortlessly.

So if we were to date, there's no

doubt in my mind that we'd be happy.

Sure, we'd still fight.

Knowing us, we'd likely forget all about it

while discussing some new book.

But I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, but I can't go out with you.

Wh-Why?

I'm selfish.

I can't be attentive to more

than one person at a time.

And the one slot that I have

It's already occupied by someone else,

even though she doesn't deserve it.

And I know in my heart

that despite having no obligation to her,

I still can't bear to see her cry.

So I'll apologize again and again.

I'm sorry.

I'm doing you a disservice by using someone

else to turn you down, and I apologize.

But it's not your fault at all.

There's no one else to blame either.

This is on me.

These are just feelings I know I

have that I simply cannot deny.

So I'm sorry, Higashira, but I

I can't be your boyfriend.

So if a guy like him were to get a girlfriend

since he wouldn't be doing it

for pride or status,

it'd have to be someone he just wants

to have by his side that badly.

Even though it's obvious you'd

be better off with her than me

Even though I'm nothing but

a stepsister to you now

Why are you letting someone who isn't

even your girlfriend anymore

be the one by your side?

Well, explain yourself!

Explain what?

This, of course.

Edit

Haganai: I Don't Have

Many Friends

It's a picture of me and Mizuto-kun

talking in the library.

Is there something wrong with that?

He just rejected you, didn't he?

How can you talk to him

like nothing's changed?

Um I may have gotten my heart broken,

but it's not like we stopped being friends.

Huh?

If anything, now that he's rejected me,

it makes being friends more easygoing

and straightforward, don't you think?

Have you lost your mind?!