Chitose-kun Is in the Ramune Bottle

Being popular isn’t easy.It’s hard to beat Saku Chitose. The most popular kid in his high school? Check. An ironclad reputation that can weather even vicious online attacks? Check. A group of friends as attractive on the outside as they are inside? Check. But when a teacher asks for his help bringing back a student who has been shut away in his room for months, Saku’s perfect world will never be the same. What is this, some kind of normie harem story…?

L is for the way you lie to me…If a girl tells you she’s dying to go out with you, you’d probably want to take her at face value, especially when she’s as drop-dead gorgeous as Yuzuki Nanase. But if it seems too good to be true, it probably is—which is how Saku Chitose ends up pretending to be Yuzuki’s boyfriend to catch a stalker. But as is so often the case with Yuzuki, there’s more to her request than meets the eye. The couple’s fake dating gambit may unearth some other truths that are very, very real…

Summer is near, and that means planning for what comes after graduation. For a second-year like Chitose, this is the first step towards envisioning his future, but for his third-year friend Asuka, it’s the beginning of the end of high school. The two have been meeting up more and more, going on outings that feel suspiciously like dates; Chitose should be happy, but it just makes the ache in his heart stronger. If Asuka decides to pursue her dreams, she’ll be leaving for Tokyo soon to help weave other people’s stories—and Chitose’s not sure he’ll be able smile as he lets her go.

SWING FOR THE FENCES, SHOOT FOR THE STARS!July is here, and so are the prelims for the Inter-High Tournament. Haru is the new captain of the basketball club, hoping to lead her team to glory; for Chitose, watching the baseball players butt heads and work toward their dreams, it’s hard not to have some doubts about his previous decision to leave. To make matters worse, when their new star batter is injured, the team approaches Chitose and begs him to come back. What will he choose…and what will finally give him closure?

This moment won’t last forever, but we’ll always remember it.Summer vacation is here, and so is Fuji High’s annual overnight study camp—that is to say, a great opportunity for second-years to enjoy the break with their friends. Blue sky and ocean as far as the eye can see, girls in bikinis, intimate conversations, and chats in the bath with the guys. You can enjoy the sunlight or squint to keep it out of your eyes—either way, hold on to those memories before they get away.

“If you ever need someone…I want my name to be the one you say first.”All it took was a confession during summer vacation to change the dynamic of Team Chitose forever. When the group scattered, only one person went after Chitose. He still remembers the night their relationship began, when “Uchida” became “Yua,” and the deep connection that was forged then. No one knows how the story will end, but one thing is for certain—the summer isn’t over yet.

Reaching for the moonThe summer of Chitose’s second year in high school was unforgettable, lit up with encounters like fireworks across the short-lived night sky. The end of the season may be near, but that just opens the way for new beginnings. In this collection of vignettes from four different girls, that summer will last just a little longer before this chapter of their lives closes for good.

Stalemate.It’s September, the month after summer vacation, the transition into fall. It’s also time to start getting ready for the culture festival, and Chitose’s group teams up with two girls from other grades—Asuka from third year and a first-year named Kureha—to prep for some of the events. After everything that happened this summer, no one is eager to upset the delicate, hard-won balance. But how long can they afford to go without change…?