Kyotaro Ichikawa is a painfully awkward middle school boy deep in the throes of eighth-grader syndrome, spending his days obsessed reading morbid books like The Encyclopedia of Murder and anatomical diagrams. His quiet, isolated world is suddenly turned upside down when Anna Yamada, the classroom star, unexpectedly steps into his life. Whether she’s casually eating rice balls in the library, humming to herself, or suddenly closing the distance between them, Yamada’s unpredictable behavior leaves Ichikawa constantly off balance. And before he knows it, she is occupying his everyday thoughts. As they spend more time together, Yamada too begins to find herself drawn to Ichikawa in ways she never expected. It’s the first time either of them has truly understood what it means to “like” someone. Through misunderstandings and clumsy, heartfelt emotions, the distance between them slowly, but surely, begins to close.
