Spring filled the air, and cherry blossoms bloomed across the sky. A letter fluttered down by a boy's feet.
Ever the well-mannered one, Echizen Ryoma casually picked it up and called out to its owner walking ahead.
"Hey, up there..."
He had barely started when the person in front spun around, cutting him off.
"Sorry, but I'm focusing on my studies right now. I'm not considering romance."
Her clear voice was neither loud nor soft, but carried just enough for everyone nearby to hear.
Passersby stopped to watch the drama. Once they saw who the two of them were, they all pulled out their phones to spread the gossip.
Within seconds, the school forum's front page was flooded with posts: Shocking! Prince of Tennis Echizen Ryoma gets rejected after confessing!
The culprit turned and walked away, leaving the cap-wearing boy standing there, speechless.
*
Fuyukawa Kuki had a great figure, excellent grades, was good at sports, and carried herself with elegance. Rumor had it she was the daughter of a wealthy family.
But after school, she lived in a rundown rental and couldn't afford meat with every meal. She barely made ends meet working at a music shop.
She kicked a car thief to the ground, then squeezed money out of an underclassman who happened to pass by so she could eat at McDonald's.
Watching her take huge bites out of her burger, Echizen couldn't see how any of that counted as elegant behavior.
*
"Echizen, have you ever thought about how your talent might destroy other people?"
Between talent and ability, geniuses and ordinary people, there was an unbridgeable gulf.
"That's boring. Instead of thinking about that, you should practice more and get stronger."
"There are countless formidable people in the world. My goal is to keep getting stronger and beat them."
*
After the graduation ceremony, he went to the rooftop as promised.
Her black hair swayed in the breeze. The second button on the girl's collar was gone, leaving only the broken thread behind.
She pressed the button in her hand into his.
"Echizen, I like you."
After being egged on by everyone, the boy had finally worked up the courage to prepare himself, only to be caught completely off guard again.
"You're still a long way off."
He tugged at the brim of his cap to hide his embarrassment, then raised his head a moment later and looked her straight in the eye.
"The guy's supposed to say that kind of thing."
His amber eyes held a touch of swagger.
"Fuyukawa-senpai, go out with me."
Theme: Believe you can do better
