Seventeen Drops by Sunahara Touko

[insaneneko]

Seventeen Drops by Sunahara Touko (illustrated by Sakura Haiji) is about high school students Eriguchi Yuu and Okumura Hirohisa. Yuu is tall, good looking, social, perceptive, and popular, while Hirohisa is compact, serious, a bit dense, responsible, and sensible. They don't have anything in common, but strangely enough they get to know each other and become closer...

And it's pretty damn obvious where the story goes. The novel is in many ways a very typical high school BL story. What makes it different, and VERY appealing, is Hirohisa's personality. Several people give him the backhanded compliment that he's small but manly, and it's so true. He is very manly, and not in a macho or proud way. He is manly in that he has his own way of thinking, his sense of right and wrong, and he follows through in action and in words. I suppose one could use the word "principled?" But at the same time that dead serious manliness is adorable, especially coupled with the mismatch of his rather cute and small outward appearance. I could totally see how Yuu would find him both very admirable and incredibly adorable. Yuu is more of the typical teenager, with lots of good points but still immature. He's pretty well rounded out as a character, as well. Their interactions and misunderstandings just tickle me to death. XD



Hirohisa first met Yuu on the first day of fourth grade. Yuu had been trying to figure out his place in line (which is by height) and had asked Hirohisa his height. Hirohisa had been dumbfounded by the very pretty boy and completely failed to reply to the small talk Yuu had been trying to initiate. They end up in the same class, but never spoke to each other again. Yuu was popular and social while Hirohisa was reserved. Yuu moved during the first term and was eventually forgotten by the class and Hirohisa.

Yet Hirohisa immediately remembers Yuu when he sees him again in high school. Yuu had grown from small and doll-like into tall and handsome. He is still social and popular, while Hirohisa is still reserved and quiet. Yuu is stylish and popular with the girls. Hirohisa is told by his best friend Umeno that he really marches to a different drummer. He is uninterested in girls, clothes, everything that the "normal" guy is interested in. He has a cute face but seems rather unsociable.

Hirohisa lives with his father and younger brother in a small apartment. His mother had died when he had been young, and he had eventually taken on all the housework. He also works part-time to put into savings just in case. He and his younger brother Yukihisa are not much alike. Yukihisa is big and loud and easily excited (or at least bigger and louder and more easily excitable than Hirohisa ^^;). As Hirohisa prepares dinner before he goes to work, Yukihisa warns him that he'll be late for work. Hirohisa cuts himself when he looks up to check the time. Yukihisa crowds into the small kitchen, yelling "blood! blood!" and telling Hirohisa that he needs to treat it. Hirohisa calmly tells him that it isn't that bad and that he'll just lick it as he'll be late for work. Even as Yukihisa clamors that he should put antiseptic on it, Hirohisa tells him to eat his vegetables properly and leaves.

At the bento shop he works at, a coworker asks him to wash the dishes because she had just cut her finger on something. Though he couldn't even tell there was a cut on the finger she showed him and he actually had a cut that bled on his finger, he agrees to do it. The coworker had told him she couldn't bear the pain of washing dishes, but he could. He figures that she must be sensitive, while perhaps he's not only dense in the head but in sensation as well.

After doing the laundry one weekend, Hirohisa decides to go to the pool because it was a sunny day, unusual for the rainy season. As he is walking from one bus station to another to transfer buses, he runs into Yuu. Hirohisa observes that Yuu looks just as stylish in regular clothing and notes that Umeno's assertion that he would be able to somehow compete against Yuu if they weren't both wearing the same school uniform and he could put together an attractive outfit was probably incorrect. Yuu asks if Hirohisa was going to go shopping or was meeting Umeno. When Hirohisa replies that he was free, Yuu invites him to go to the movies with him. Hirohisa doesn't quite know how to respond, since Yuu had called him "Hiro" instead of "Okumura" as a classmate would. Yuu immediately apologizes for presuming, but ends up calling Hirohisa "Hiro" because Hirohisa doesn't really object. Yuu explains that he chose "Hiro" as "Hirohisa" is a mouthful. Hirohisa agrees to go to the movies.

Hirohisa secretly and hurriedly changes out of his swim trunks and shoves them into his bag, lying that the bathroom was crowded when he took so long and places his bag on the side opposite Yuu even though he knows Yuu isn't going to start rummaging through someone's bag for no reason. He is surprised that the movie Yuu had wanted to see was a quiet suspense drama instead of some big flashy blockbuster. He slowly gets used to having this classmate whom he saw everyday but never spoke to sitting next to him. As he becomes used to Yuu's presence and focuses on the movie, he starts to notice two talkative women sitting behind them. Suddenly Yuu turns around and tells the women that they were being loud. He speaks to them in a very friendly relaxed manner, smiling winningly. He explains that he wants to enjoy the movie, then turns back to the movie and the women stop talking.

After the movie they eat at a fast food restaurant. Yuu asks if Hirohisa had been bored as the movie was not very exciting. He had thought that since Hirohisa was a composed kind of a guy that it might be to his taste, but he hadn't been sure. Hirohisa assures him that he had enjoyed it. Hirohisa had never been called "composed" before. Rather, he'd been called expressionless, vacant, inscrutable. Yuu goes on to comment that Hirohisa didn't really make a lot of noise and play around, always answered correctly when called on in class, and completed all his homework. Hirohisa is surprised that Yuu had noticed so much about him. Hirohisa comments that he found Yuu in the movie theatre pretty amazing, to be able to talk to absolute strangers and make them listen to him. Hirohisa always felt a bit distant from the masses of strangers around him daily. Yuu points out that everyone was the same in their humanity and most would respond normally if spoken to. As he speaks he pulls his legs in to let a couple get out from between the tables more easily. Hirohisa realizes that Yuu was always paying attention to his surroundings and reacting accordingly, even if he didn't seem like he cared. Yuu then notices the small band-aid on Hirohisa's finger from the cut the other day, that even Hirohisa's father hadn't noticed.

After that Yuu makes it a point to include Hirohisa in conversations at school, even though Hirohisa isn't inclined to be sociable. When Hirohisa declines sitting with Yuu and his friends at lunch, Yuu moves over to Hirohisa's desk instead, bringing the entire pack sitting with him over. When everyone found out that he made the meals in his house, he was highly praised. Everyone claimed that they had no time in the morning to make their own bento. Hirohisa found it amazing that the girls were willing to spend all their time fiddling with their appearance rather than food, since to him it was only logical to want to fulfill the natural need to eat. He found that he was truly different from his classmates, from his attitude towards classwork (what's the point of attending classes if you don't do the classwork?) to cell phones (don't need them, all you have to do is arrive at any meeting place on time).

Hirohisa had been asked by Yuu to call him by his first name. Feeling awkward, he avoided calling Yuu anything until Yuu comments that he feels like Hirohisa's wife as Hirohisa had been saying "Hey" or "You" to him instead of calling his name. Hirohisa, realizing that Yuu had noticed his careful avoidance, gives up and starts calling him Yuu.

Yuu comments later when they are talking alone how cool he finds Hirohisa for being serious and being able to do the right thing like all his classwork. Hirohisa had never been praised for his attitude, and he had always thought he was only doing what should naturally be done. He wonders what the almost ticklish feeling in his chest could be...And speculates that perhaps he's happy because Yuu was praising him.

One night at work the classmate his friend Umeno is ga-ga over, Sakurada Aya, comes in. She then comes to buy bento every night, complaining that the food sucked. Hirohisa figures she has something she wants to say to him, so he tells her that he wasn't working the next night. She tells him that she wasn't coming to see him or anything. Hirohisa doesn't say anything more, wondering if he was missing something. After all, everything she said about the food was better told directly to the manager. At school he ends up helping her in her day duty, as it included moving boxes of books and the guy who was also on day duty had skipped out. She comments that though he's small he's still a guy. When he takes some offense at the backhanded compliment, she offhandedly apologizes, saying she should have said that he's strong or something. She suddenly asks if he likes anyone. When he replies that he doesn't, she asks if Yuu likes anyone. She tells him that she likes Yuu and wants to know if he's going out with anyone. She later asks him to ask Yuu if he's going out with anyone, though she doesn't so much ask as much as expects him to help her out as a matter of course.

In the meantime we find out that Yuu's mother runs a club and that Yuu had grown up surrounded by women working in that industry. He's used to scantily clad women and turn to females to provide company and comfort naturally. He has a close relationship with his mother, not even embarrassed when he finds out she had been home when he had brought home a friend and had sex with her. He lounges around grinning like an idiot at the candid shot he had taken of Hirohisa on his cell phone. He had meant to take a picture of a funny face, but it only turned out to be a surprised face. He notes that Hirohisa has big, black eyes, straightforward and pure like a child's.

Entering July, the class prepares for their school trip. Hirohisa idly listens to the clicking of everyone's cellphones as they message each other to arrange groups and roommates under their desks. He gets hit in the head by a paper airplane. It's a message from Yuu asking to be in the same group. Hirohisa finds it silly to bother communicating with paper airplanes in class instead of waiting a bit to talk directly, but sends back a response via airplane that he's already been asked by Umeno. His crappily folded airplane doesn't make it to Yuu, and Yuu has to do a bit of telephone charades to get his classmates to pass the airplane over. Yuu sends back an airplane asking if they can all be in a group together, so Hirohisa tells him he'll ask Umeno later. Yuu sends one more airplane commenting that Hirohisa isn't very good at making airplanes. Hirohisa bursts out laughing, forgetting the existence of his classmates and their cell phones for the moment.

Hirohisa and Yuu walk home together sharing an umbrella in the rain. Yuu is happy because Umeno agreed to be in the same group. Hirohisa, having spoken with Sakurada (and basically pressured into being the go-between because she's never spoken to Yuu and he is Yuu's friend), asks Yuu if he likes anyone. He tells Yuu that Sakurada likes him. Yuu's initial reaction makes him think he won't say yes, so he imagines Sakurada's response to Yuu's rejection. Yuu notes Hirohisa's grim expression, and then agrees to go out with Sakurada. Yuu gives Hirohisa his umbrella and runs home. Hirohisa is shocked to find that he is not happy that Yuu agreed to go out with Sakurada. He realizes he likes Yuu...that it had been love at first sight way back when. He hadn't even realized that he had fallen in love, and probably would have never realized it if he hadn't gotten to know Yuu.

Yuu and Sakurada begin to date, and Hirohisa tries to resign himself as he does over things he doesn't have much control over and can't change. He's a guy, Yuu has a girlfriend, it was pointless to agonize over it. He figures he'll somehow get over it over the approaching summer break. On the bus he sees a girl smile when she receives a message on her cell phone. He wonders how it feels to always be connected with someone, to receive an electronic letter from the person you like, what kind of happiness you are filled with when you open it. He gazes at her cell phone, eventually recognizing the phone strap hanging from it. He had gotten one as a freebie with a drink he had bought for his brother. He had shoved it into a drawer without throwing it away, even though he had no use for it.

During the summer break Hirohisa works. He speaks with Yuu on the phone, and goes to the beach once with him and his friends. He also goes out with Umeno several times. Back at school, Sakurada mentions seeing him at one of his jobs as he washes a mop after cleaning. He asks if she had fun, immediately regretting it. Of course she had fun, dating Yuu. But instead she replies that it was only so-so. Yuu is stylish and kind, but she finds being with him a bit boring because it doesn't feel like he's really with her. She doesn't know what he's thinking. She asks Hirohisa to say something to him, though she doesn't think they will last in any case. Hirohisa realizes that she is willing to throw away the very thing she had wanted and gotten. As he continues washing the mop, Sakurada notes that Hirohisa is very diligent and thus always ends up losing out.

Yuu invites Hirohisa over to his house after school. He tells Hirohisa that he and Sakurada don't leave school together every day anymore. Hirohisa is hesitant for a variety of reasons (have to go shopping for dinner, etc.) but ends up going because Yuu is so fervent in his attempt to get Hirohisa to come over. Hirohisa meets Yuu's mom. She is delighted to meet a "normal" friend. She asks that he get along with Yuu, even though Yuu is terribly childish at times. Yuu explains that she runs a club (I think it's a hostess club, but I'm not 100% sure...). He also mentions that Hirohisa is the first classmate he's had over. Hirohisa asks if Sakurada had never come over either. He tells Yuu that she had said it was a bit boring being with him. He asks what Yuu thinks of Sakurada. Yuu says he likes Sakurada. She's cute and is strong willed. He wonders if she finds it boring because they haven't had sex. He's not sure why they've never had sex, though he wouldn't mind doing it with her. He mentions that he has several people he has sex with occasionally. Hirohisa becomes extremely upset at Yuu because of Yuu's very open and relaxed attitude towards love and sex. Hirohisa tells Yuu that what he feels for people isn't love, to date and have sex with such casual attachment. He calls Yuu licentious and the worst kind of a guy and storms out.

Yuu breaks up with Sakurada. He doesn't know why Hirohisa got so mad, but he doesn't want Hirohisa to dislike him. His mother tells him that they will be going to back to Tokyo because a customer is willing to open a store jointly with her. Yuu doesn't want to move back with her because he doesn't want to leave this city (though he's not sure why), but he couldn't seriously resist when she asks him not to leave her yet.

Hirohisa finds himself making mistakes at work, which is very unusual for him. His manager laughs it off since he's normally so good, but Hirohisa is distressed because his mistakes can inconvenience the customers. He had forgotten to go shopping after storming out of Yuu's house and had ended up cooking a dinner with only the things he had on hand, but he had thought he was okay the next day. He comes to see that he had pushed his own ideals on Yuu, when people were free to have whatever kinds of relationships they wanted. He realizes that he had actually been jealous. He wonders how he can get over Yuu. Instead of going straight home, he wanders around. He has no space for himself in his cramped home. He sees a guy talking on a cell phone and realizes that he's been noticing cell phones lately. He had thought that he didn't have any interest in them, but he realizes that he in fact was interested in them but made himself believe that he didn't because he couldn't have one anyway. Some things can't be sealed away. He can't give up his feelings for Yuu, he wants to keep loving him, and in his heart of hearts wants him to love him back. He starts crying as he walks, berating himself for crying when he was a guy and already seventeen. When he gets home, his father and brother give him a cell phone just in time for his trip. His father figured he was of an age to want one, and wanted to reward him for working so hard.

On the trip, Hirohisa finds himself even more absent-minded than usual. He notices that Yuu isn't quite himself either (even though Yuu had apologized for saying something that seemed to have upset Hirohisa), but as the trip goes on Yuu settles down (though never is fully himself). Yuu and Hirohisa don't talk alone. During the day Yuu is surrounded by girls asking to take pictures with him (Hirohisa notes that it's as though Yuu himself is a sightseeing spot), and at night Yuu visits other people's rooms. On the last night of the trip, Hirohisa is on his way back to his room from the onsen in the hotel when he spots Yuu alone, smoking. He is surprised to see Yuu smoking, but more than that he sees a stranger's slightly dark figure, the person beyond the cheerful, considerate, kind, and stylish image Yuu always projected. Yuu notices him and smiles, asking if he's going to scold him for smoking. Hirohisa asks if he wants to be scolded. Yuu replies that maybe he does, by Hirohisa. They go back to the room they share with Umeno, who had gone visiting another room. Yuu tells Hirohisa that he ran away from everyone because it was too much of a bother to talk to people. He's been irritated this whole time, because something unpleasant happened before the trip. Yet he's not sure why he's irritated, and he's never gotten irritated because something hadn't gone his way. Hirohisa doesn't know what to say to this Yuu, who is showing Hirohisa a glimpse of an unknown willful part of himself. Hirohisa tells Yuu as he crashes on the bed that he should change or his clothes will be wrinkled, but gets no reply. He wonders if he's one of the annoying people Yuu had mentioned as well. He can see where Yuu's mom was coming from when she called Yuu childish. He wonders if Yuu will be even a little soothed if he strokes Yuu's head buried in the pillow. He reaches his hand out, but comes to himself before he touches Yuu at a knock on the door. A classmate had come looking for Yuu, but Hirohisa tells her that Yuu isn't in. Yuu asks Hirohisa why he lied for him. Hirohisa realizes he didn't want anyone to see this weakened Yuu, but he tells Yuu it's because Yuu had said everyone was annoying. As Yuu gets up to change, he moves Hirohisa's bag and finds Hirohisa's new cell phone. He gets upset that Hirohisa hadn't told him about it, grabbing him and asking if he'd already given his number to Umeno. Hirohisa hadn't bothered since they had been always together on the trip, and was at a loss at Yuu's extreme reaction. Yuu realizes he is overreacting and apologizes. He asks if Hirohisa knows how to use it, and opens it to teach him. Hirohisa tries to stop him but is too late. Yuu stops punching buttons, and Hirohisa realizes the game is up. Yuu had found the folder filled only with pictures of himself. After looking at it for a while, Yuu asks Hirohisa a question, looking down at the cell phone:

Yuu: Hey, Hiro, do you have someone you like?
Hirohisa: Uh-huh
Yuu: Is it someone I know?
Hirohisa: Probably...
Yuu (looking up): You don't want to go out with that person?
Hirohisa (looking straight at Yuu while thinking it was a terribly mean question to ask): They are going out with someone already
Yuu: Really...That's too bad. But I think that person broke up with the person they were going out already.
Hirohisa: Huh?
Yuu: They were scolded by a friend for being "licentious"...So I think they called their girlfriend and apologized...and broke up with her.

Hirohisa is completely confused as to Yuu's intentions. Who was he talking about? Who had broken up with whom? He doesn't say anything, and Yuu asks Hirohisa to tell him who he likes, throwing the phone onto the bed. He walks forward towards Hirohisa, who backs up until his knees hit the edge of the bed. Yuu asks again. Hirohisa sits on the bed, and having been backed into a corner replies curtly, "You." Yuu smiles and asks if he is telling the truth. As Hirohisa thinks that Yuu had asked because he knew very well who Hirohisa liked, Yuu brings his face close to Hirohisa, tells him that he likes him too, and kisses him. As Yuu kisses him, Hirohisa absently analyzes his first kiss. He had thought kisses were more amazing, but he finds it the same as any touch.

Yuu tries to go further, but is rejected by Hirohisa. Hirohisa tells him that he may like Yuu, but he doesn't want to do anything more. So then Yuu tries to overpower Hirohisa, but Hirohisa fights back and ends up hurting Yuu. He had even hit Yuu in the face during their struggle. Yuu cuts off his apology and tells him that he'll be moving. He doesn't want to part with Hirohisa like this. Hirohisa finds that he can't fight Yuu anymore at those words. He tries to argue with Yuu, but Yuu persuades him that they might only have this night. Hirohisa strips and is stripped, and Yuu jerks him off even as Hirohisa continues to weakly protest. Afterwards, Hirohisa is mortified and confused. Seeing Yuu's very casual manner and remembering how lightly he treated love and sex, Hirohisa thinks that this was nothing to Yuu when it was a big deal to him. He loses it and yells at Yuu to go away and die. Yuu spends the night elsewhere.

Yuu returns to his home after the trip ends, feeling awful. His body hurt from struggling with Hirohisa. He had never fought with anyone before, he had never done anything that someone didn't like before. But he hadn't been able to help it with Hirohisa, he had wanted him so badly. He knew he had been unfair in emotionally blackmailing Hirohisa when he realized he couldn't win physically. He doesn't understand how he could have been so cruel, when Hirohisa had been so against it, had been crying, and was so dear to him. He wonders if this was the love that Hirohisa had been talking about. He wonders if Hirohisa will ever forgive him. He knows he's being foolish, but he can't help but despair at having been rejected by Hirohisa and thinking that they might part forever like this. He falls asleep, and is awakened by his mom when she comes home from work. She tells him that they won't be moving after all, because the guy had backed out (claiming he hadn't been serious at the time he had made the offer). Yuu sees the souvenir he had brought back for his mom and thinks how he'll always feel a sense of regret when he sees it. He tells his mom that he likes someone, and wonders if he'll be able to become a kind man so the person he likes will like him back. He gets up and tells his mom he's going to go and be totally uncool, because a guy needs the courage to do things that are uncool in order to become someone worthy. He goes to Hirohisa's neighborhood and starts calling out his name as he doesn't know exactly where he lives. Hirohisa's brother notices some strange guy calling out "Hiro," wondering if he's looking for a pet. Hirohisa recognizes Yuu, but at first tries to ignore him. He wants Yuu to leave him alone, he wants to forget that night. He closes the window and tries to distract himself. He can't help but hear Yuu, and wants to cover his ears. Then he hears Yuu stumble and trip over a bicycle left out in front of their building. He can't believe that Yuu, that stylish, cool Yuu, was tripping over a bicycle. Without much thought he dashes outside. When he calls Yuu's name, Yuu looks up with a face about to cry. He apologizes, and Hirohisa can't help but forgive him. After all, Hirohisa is in love with him.

They go to a nearby park, where Yuu apologizes for coming around so early. He had wanted to call, but he didn't want to bother Hirohisa's father. Hirohisa tells him that he was more of a bother randomly calling his name out. Yuu had even called Umeno and asked for Hirohisa's cell number, but he hadn't been able to get through. Yuu tells Hirohisa that he'll become a great guy, a nice guy, so he asks Hirohisa to like him once again. He asks agai with no trace of joking in his voice. Hirohisa realizes that Yuu is serious. He considers how he can tell Yuu that he won't come to like him again, because he's always liked him and had never not liked him, when Yuu gingerly brushes his hand against Hirohisa's. Hirohisa takes his hand, and curtly tells him to bend down. He presses a kiss to Yuu's lips (or he thinks it was to Yuu's lips, but he had closed his eyes so he wasn't sure that he hadn't kissed some place odd). Hirohisa reflects on their first meeting and parting, back when they were kids. He sees Yuu's eyes red from tears and supposes he can cry as well.



When not working, Hirohisa goes out on dates with Yuu. On the way to one such date Hirohisa finds that he is running late, and runs to the bus stop where Yuu is waiting. On the bus, Yuu notes that Hirohisa is sweaty. Yuu tells Hirohisa that he didn't have to run since they could always catch another bus. But Hirohisa is incapable of not doing his best to do what he believes he should, which in this case is to be on time. He tells Yuu that he'd feel bad about keeping him waiting. Yuu asks if it wasn't also that he had wanted to see Yuu as soon as he could. He then leans over and whispers in Hirohisa's ear that he had wanted to see Hirohisa as soon as possible. Hirohisa stiffens and apologizes very solomnly.

That day they they go to a park. When Yuu brings up lunch, Hirohisa tells him he made bento and starts unpacking it. Yuu is very surprised, even though Hirohisa had bothered because once Yuu had mentioned that he'd like to have some of the food Hirohisa made. At Yuu's reaction, Hirohisa thinks taht Yuu had just been joking and starts putting it away, apologizing for misunderstanding Yuu's statement. Yuu hastily stops him and insists that he'd love to eat it, he had just been really surprised.

After eating they linger, Yuu using Hirohisa's lap as a pillow. Hirohisa protests, but Yuu tells him not to worry since a) no one was around and b) even if someone did see them they wouldn't take it seriously. Hirohisa can't relax even as Yuu comfortably lounges. When he leans over to try to catch Yuu's words, Yuu kisses him lightly on the lips. Hirohisa is startled and shaken. Hirohisa doesn't know how to respond to Yuu's straightforward affection, which he so effortlessly shows in his words, attitude, and actions.

The class is preparing for the school festival, in which they will be doing an okonomiyaki shop with the girls dressed up as maids. During a shopping trip for materials with Yuu and Hirohisa and several girls from their class, one of the girls notices that Yuu's cell phone screen has a picture of Hirohisa as the background. Yuu casually comments that it was a very cute picture. The girls agree and drop the matter. Hirohisa is amazed that once again Yuu's easygoing attitude charms people into going along with him, but can't help but be upset. He is brusque for the rest of the shopping excursion, and basically ignores Yuu after they part with the girls. Yuu, anxious, asks what's the matter. Hirohisa brings up the picture, but also mentions that Yuu touching him in public also bothered him. He didn't know how to react. He tells Yuu not to touch him more than absolutely necessary. Yuu replies that he's actually been restraining himself, because he doesn't want to do anything that Hirohisa wouldn't like. He alludes to the last night of the school trip. Hirohisa had actually thought that, because Yuu liked to touch him but didn't do anything beyond kissing him, Yuu didn't actually want to do anything more with him anymore. But he realizes that it wasn't true, that Yuu had been restraining himself, and feels horribly embarrassed for being so clueless and dense. He makes an excuse about needing to buy groceries for dinner that night and escapes.

Yuu and Hirohisa acted normally around each other after that, though there was something between them, a wall or a distance. Hirohisa couldn't help but wonder what it meant to be going out with someone. He certainly liked Yuu, but how did that feeling actually take shape? Did one decorate their cell phone with a picture of the person they liked? Or did they engage in activities similar to what happened on the school trip? Hirohisa wondered if sex was like a trip to the dentist. He had never liked going to a dentist, but he had never complained or said no because he knew it was necessary and he didn't want to cause anyone any trouble. He thought that if he was told that sex was necessary like how going to the dentist was necessary, he'd be able to do it. It wasn't as though he wasn't curious about sex, and as he was a guy he'd be able to bear any accompanying embarrassment. But he had a feeling that that wasn't what "love" was about, or what one did for love.

As preparations for the school festival proceed, Hirohisa runs into Sakurada at the trash area (dubbed mountain o' trash with all the rubbish generated by the preparations). She had accidentally thrown out a prop for her maid outfit, and was searching through it all. Hirohisa ends up helping her as there was no way he could ignore her plight. Sakurada notes that Hirohisa is an idiot, is just ridiculously softhearted. He wonders if she dislikes him, as she always seems to have something sharp to say to him. He finds her prop. As he's dusting himself off, she asks him if there's anyone he likes. It feels like deja vu, with Sakurada asking the same question at the same place previously. But that had been when she had gotten him to be a go-between for her and Yuu, and he doesn't know what her intention is this time. Does she want to get back together with Yuu? When he just looks back at her intently, Sakurada asks if he won't go out with her. He replies very seriously and carefully that he does like someone, that he had liked that someone for a long time and had only recently realized it, so he can't go out with her. When she doesn't reply, he takes leave. But Sakurada tells him that she had in fact been joking, and mocks him for taking her seriously. He has no idea if it's true, but if she says so it must be. He replies that he had to reply seriously, in case it was. He tells her that she can laugh if she thinks it was silly of him. Sakurada sighs and comments that though he's small, he's a man. Hirohisa is a bit put off at the reference to his height, but Sakurada realizes that he doesn't get it and tells him that she was complimenting him for being cool.

After finishing up setting up the shop the night before the school festival, Hirohisa searches for Yuu. He finds Yuu sleeping in their classroom. He had been sewing some classmate's outfit. He calls out to wake Yuu up, but he hesitates. He wants to watch Yuu a bit more. There'd been that distance between them since the shopping excursion, and he'd never seen Yuu's sleeping face before. He leans forward to look more closely at Yuu's face when the supposedly sleeping Yuu asks if he's just going to look. Hirohisa jumps back in surprise. Yuu apologizes, saying he had been pretending to sleep, wondering if Hirohisa would kiss him. Yuu notes that Hirohisa would never do something like that, but is disappointed nonetheless. Hirohisa asks about the outfit. Yuu tells him that a friend had come crying to him and he had obliged. Hirohisa comments that Yuu is very kind, to help out in the end. Yuu says the same could be said for Hirohisa. He had seen Hirohisa and Sakurada at the trash area. Hirohisa remembers that it had been the first time a girl had confessed to him. At his reaction, Yuu asks if Sakurada had confessed to him. Hirohisa, surprised, asked how much Yuu had heard. Yuu says he hadn't actually heard their conversation and had just thrown the suggestion out but realizes that Sakurada had in fact confessed to Hirohisa. Yuu asks how Hirohisa had responded, wondering if he had declined or something else. Hirohisa is surprised that Yuu thinks that he had a choice other than to decline. He tells Yuu that of course he had declined, noting that Sakurada had said she had been joking. The two get into an argument when Yuu is insistent about knowing the details, and Hirohisa leaves.

The next day, Yuu comes up to Hirohisa as he is cooking for their shop and apologizes for being persistent the night before. He promises to be careful not to do anything Hirohisa wouldn't like. Yuu is dragged away by some friends and Hirohisa goes back to cooking. When Sakurada puts in an order, she thanks Hirohisa for finding her prop. He tells her that it was a good thing they were able to find it. She asks how it looks, so he replies that it's well made but not very warm. He warns her to be careful not to catch a cold. Sakurada calls him the worst and runs off. Umeno then runs up to him, making a big deal about how cute Sakurada was in her maid outfit. Hirohisa really has nothing to say when Umeno figures that no guy would not feel something seeing her like that.

At the end of the day, Hirohisa is in the cooking classroom washing and drying the dishes for his class by himself. Students from other classes worked together to clean up, so they finished and left, leaving him alone. He figured everyone went to the dance party that was the highlight of the day. Yuu comes in and starts helping him dry the dishes. Hirohisa feels very awkward. Yuu had apologized earlier, but he hadn't been able to say what he wanted to say. He didn't know how to say it. But he finally bring it up:

Hirohisa: I have something I need to say to you
Yuu: Wh..what?
Hirohisa: Sometimes I don't know what to do when I'm with you
Yuu: Do you mean...that you don't like being with me?
Hirohisa: *shakes head* No, but it's really hard for me. I'm not clever or proactive like you
Yuu: Something like that's not...
Hirohisa: Yuu, you told me before, right? When we went to the park...That you were okay with being seen. That people would just think we were fooling around.
Yuu: Ah..Yeah, I did, didn't I...
Hirohisa: I...can't be okay. Because I'm not fooling around. Because it's not a joke. I can't fool around when I kiss you or have you put your head on my lap...That's why I can't be okay with being seen.
Yuu: Hiro, I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I hurt you. But it's not like I'm joking or being careless.
Hirohisa: I know. I know that, and it's not like I don't like it...But it irritates me that I can't be like you. But I can't be that way...
Hirohisa: I love you...I love you, that's why I can't

Hirohisa looks up at Yuu, thinking that his words were sloppy and badly put. Yuu, looking down at Hirohisa, asks if he shouldn't be thinking that he'd like to kiss Hirohisa right then. He looks terribly embarrassed. Hirohisa doesn't think it's a bad thing, but remembers where they are. They hide behind a counter and kiss. Hirohisa notices that Yuu's hand was trembling. Yuu confesses that he had thought Hirohisa was going to break up with him. He also confesses that he actually wanted to touch Hirohisa more, doing things like that time on the school trip, or more. But he was too afraid that Hirohisa would end up hating him if he tried. Before Hirohisa could find words to reply, Yuu pulls Hirohisa up so that they could go to the dance.

Yuu is sort of besieged by girl friends wanting a dance. Hirohisa watches as they try to convince him to just one dance, when Yuu looks over. Hirohisa realizes then that Yuu wasn't accidentally looking over. He had caused Yuu to look, because he had grabbed Yuu's hand and pulled him towards him unconsciously. Hirohisa panics, knowing that he should let go right now. But he realizes that he doesn't want to. He doesn't want Yuu to go. Yuu apologizes to the girls, saying he has something very important to do. He squeezes Hirohisa's hand back. When the girls leave, Yuu teases Hirohisa, saying if Hirohisa doesn't let go he will actually go through with the "something." But Hirohisa doesn't let go even though he knows he should. Instead, he grips Yuu's hand even harder.

They sneak away and go to Yuu's apartment, where of course they have sex. Er...I really don't want to summarize in detail what happens (tab A goes into slot B enough?) physically so I'll just comment on the bits I found really sweet (I actually like reading this particular sex scene because a) they are adorable together and b) Hirohisa's way of thinking is just...unique XD).

At one point Yuu comments that he's odd in sometimes wanting to make Hirohisa cry. Until Hirohisa he'd always wanted to make people he liked happy. He figures that if they were in elementary school he'd do stuff like hide Hirohisa's indoor shoes, graffiti Hirohisa's textbooks and make crank calls over summer break, and get totally hated by Hirohisa.

Hirohisa hadn't known about the existence of anal sex. When Yuu first brings it up he thinks Yuu was making it up. But he figures that even if Yuu was making it all up, if Yuu wanted to do it he was willing. He thought of it like going to see the dentist and getting his wisdoms pulled. He'd bear it because it was necessary. But as things proceed he comes to realize that while sex was a way to show one's feelings, it wasn't something to be borne. And finally when they are joined, Yuu calls out his name in a rough voice full of want. At that moment Hirohisa realizes that he wants this man who wants him just as much. He didn't want to "bear" anything, he just plain wanted. Sex wasn't a unilateral, one-sided affair.

Hirohisa wakes up afterwards to find Yuu still sleeping. Finding Yuu's sleeping, defenseless face adorable, he considers pinching Yuu's nose or pulling Yuu's ears. Instead, Hirohisa kisses him, surprisingly naturally. Getting no reaction, he lightly sucks and pulls at Yuu's lips until Yuu woke up. Yuu doesn't know what happened, so Hirohisa explains that he felt like kissing Yuu...so he did. Hirohisa is amazed at how easily he is able to do these things that just yesterday he thought he'd never ben able to do. Yuu flushes, explaining that he never thought he'd actually be kissed by Hirohisa. Hirohisa begins to think that he'd done something completely outrageous in the face of Yuu's embarrassment, and the two fall silent.

The silence is broken when Hirohisa's stomach growls. Yuu burst out laughing at the loudness, and Hirohisa ends up laughing as well. Yuu offers to make okonomiyaki for Hirohisa. He notes that Hirohisa always makes food for other people, but today he'd make something for Hirohisa.

Basically the rest is a wrap up with some cute details. The big thing that comes out at the very end is that Yuu and Hirohisa had both remembered each other from elementary school, but both had thought the other didn't remember. Yuu asks if Hirohisa noticed that he had actually followed Hirohisa from behind before they "accidentally" ran into each other at the bus stop. He had actually planned on going swimming at the gym, but ended up inviting Hirohisa to the movies because he wanted to talk with him. Hirohisa bursts out laughing at that. He decides to keep the fact that he had planned on going swimming that day and had been wearing swim trunks underneath a secret a little longer.





Yuu invites Hirohisa to the movies.


Yuu runs home after agreeing to go out with Sakurada and leaving the umbrella with Hirohisa.


Last night of the school trip. (I really like this pic for some reason....I think it's their expressions...)


Early in the morning at the park.


Hirohisa telling Yuu not to be so touchy feely and doing things that would make people wonder.


Hiding and kissing during the school festival.



Sorry if the summary really meandered this time. I had to fight not to write about every little thing in the book. ^^; One last comment because I'm just kind of tired now...Seriously equating sex with having one's wisdeom teeth pulled out WINS.

Comments

[flyby311.livejournal.com]

I can't believe I read all of that right now. XD;; The novel sounds really really cute though, and those pictures are so pretty :3 Pft, I couldn't help but think, "Hirohisa sounds kinda emotionally stunted or something." to myself, but awwww at the sex scene towards the end.

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

The story is really cute, and I thought the illustrations really match it. Hirohisa is totally emotionally stunted, but he's so adorable in his stuntedness. XD

[mirichan.livejournal.com]

Well... that was really lovely (and yes, I read it all... Started before work this morning and just finished it now)... Their story was cute and it was interesting to see them grow and how sweet they could be together (and thank you for actually NOT summarizing the sex. That would have been useless [I understand the mechanics of it ^_~] and would have detracted for the story itself, I feel).

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I like to reread this pretty often because they are sweetly dorky together. I didn't think anyone was missing anything when I skipped the graphic details. Especially if you've read one sex scene, you've read a thousand very similiar to it...

[modorenai.livejournal.com]

Ack! The cuteness of it all is just killing me! *swoons*

I really liked how the author used the cellphone parallel to give a deeper insight into how Hirohisa really feels, and the bit where just as he's thinking he can't get some things in life that he wants, his dad gives him the cellphone... It just made me want to go all "Awwww" and pat Hirohisa on the head. :D

And on another note, I'm just amazed at how you managed to finish such a long summary without getting bored of all the summarising. Thanks for the really enjoyable read. :D

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

I suppose I may have overly expounded on the cuteness of it all? ^^;

You liked the cell phone thing! I was worried about it being too extraneous, but I'm glad I kept it in. Hirohisa's mild suppressed obsession with cell phones was fun (but sad) to see throughout.

You know, I was getting the impression that this summary was somehow really long from the other comments, but you've come out and said so...Too long, perhaps? I actually cut stuff out that I thought really was too extraneous. *sighs*

I did get bored at times, which is why it took me over a month to finish it up. ^^; Glad people seem to like it, makes it all worth it. XD

[modorenai.livejournal.com]

Ack, no, I didn't mean it that way! I actually really liked the fact that it was so long - it was really great fun reading all about the novel, and it really helped me get a better feel about what it was all about. If you feel the need to cut short future reviews, that's fine by me, but I hope you don't cut them short just because of my comment, because I really do like reading long reviews, especially since I have no hope of reading BL novels myself anytime soon. ^_^;;