VOLUME ONE

"Atsushi-kun Junan no Hi" (Atsushi-kun's Torturous Day)

        The story opens with Arisawa Atsushi begins his first day attending Jyogaoka High School, for which he's just passed the entrance exam.  He's excited about attending a new school not only because he's worked hard to get there, but also because he'll finally have another chance to see "Ma-chan," the young man who was friend, babysitter, and mentor to him when he was a child, and on whom he's developed quite a crush. 

        When he arrives, he's nearly run down by the Ferrari of Shibata
Masayoshi, who at first he thinks is just some strange rude guy on the
schoolgrounds.  He goes on to class, where his day gets even worse:  the rude guy is a teacher, his teacher to be exact, and he's been assigned to the worst class in the school.  Worst of all, Masayoshi gleefully humiliates him in class in order to make a disciplinary example of him for the others. 

        Just as Arisawa's beginning to wonder if Jyogaoka wasn't the best
choice of school, however, he's greeted by a fellow student---who turns out to be Inagaki Kouji, Arisawa's best friend from elementary school.  And the boy to whom little Arisawa long ago gave his first kiss.  Inagaki's never forgotten him in all that time, and much to Arisawa's shock and horror, he wants to pick up right where they left off.  Arisawa manages to fend him off, but the day just keeps getting better and better as he faces psychotic club recruiters and finally the even more psychotic Masayoshi, who welcomes them to his laboratory when they go looking for the school doctor's office (where Arisawa hoped to find Masami).  It's all too much for the boy; he faints.

        When he wakes, he finally asks Masayoshi whether he is the person
he remembers, i.e., whether he's "Ma-chan"---because if so, his Ma-chan is an idiot who deceived him into thinking he'd be welcome at Jyogaoka.  Masayoshi, still not knowing who this "Ma-chan" is, tries to talk to a hysterical Atsushi... but then Inagaki comes in.  Mass destruction results---and Arisawa loses the photograph of Ma-chan.  Meanwhile, however, Masami finally makes his debut in the series, paying a visit to campus where all of the students greet him worshipfully.  By the end of the chapter, all of the main characters have been introduced.

"Gingiragin ni Sarigenaku"

        Depressed because of his failure to find Ma-chan (or anyone sane),
Arisawa begins his second day at Jyogaoka, following nearly the same
routine as the day before (assault by Ma-chan, assault by Inagaki).
Meanwhile, Masayoshi is plagued by Hayase Yukiko, a girl at the school
enchanted with the idea of homosexuality---in particular with Masayoshi's
(unconfirmed) homosexuality, and who he might be involved with. 

        Arisawa finally notices that his photo of Ma-chan is missing.   He
and Inagaki share lunch, then Inagaki jumps Arisawa, trying to force a kiss out of him.  When they're interrupted, Arisawa flees and is comforted by Masayoshi---but he rejects Masayoshi's concern as yet another joke.

        In an apparently unrelated scene, we finally discover how Masayoshi
can afford a Ferrari on a teacher's salary, when Inagaki visits the owner
of a local host club and asks for work---and finds Masayoshi on the other
side of the desk.  The host club gang---one female and three male
crossdressers---is introduced.  Back at the Shibata household, Masayoshi contemplates Arisawa's hatsu-koi (first love), and reflects on his own---in both cases, for Masami.

"Hatsu-koi no Houteishiki"  (First Love's Equation)

        Another new character is introduced:   Yukiko's big brother Junichi,
the captain of Jyogaoka's basketball team.  He and Inagaki have known each other and been sports rivals since junior high.  He's having a bad day; a big game is coming up, and his team's not up to snuff.  He takes it out on Yukiko and Inagaki, alternately calling the latter a homo and warning him to avoid getting any ideas about his little sister.

        Interlude at Club Lush:  Masayoshi and Masami spend the evening with the Lush crossdressing crew, and almost kiss.  The Lush crew spends the rest of the evening making fun of them.

        The big game begins, and things look bleak; Jyogaoka is losing.
Yukiko finally begs Inagaki to help, which he refuses to do---until Arisawa
asks as well.  Then he agrees, on the condition that Arisawa give him a
kiss if they win.  Arisawa doesn't have a chance to object.  Then Masayoshi decides to join the game as well, and together they help Junichi win, thus earning Inagaki his second kiss from Arisawa.

        After the game, Arisawa begins warming to Masayoshi---until he and Masami finally meet.  Realizing that a) Masami is Masayoshi's brother, b) Masayoshi knew Arisawa was searching for Masami and didn't say anything about it (he didn't get the chance, but Arisawa's not exactly rational about this), and c) his much-fantasized reunion with Masami is nothing like he'd imagined it would be, the combined stress of the past few days finally catches up to Arisawa.  He pitches a hissyfit, yelling that he hates Masayoshi, and flings the picture at him.

"Tada Hitokoto Dake"  (But Just A Few Words...)

        Arisawa spends most of the chapter hiding out in his room, too
depressed to go to school or eat.  Inagaki comes by in an attempt to cheer him up, but is unsuccessful.  Meanwhile, Masayoshi changes his hair back to its natural color (blonde).  He's almost as depressed as Arisawa, and for a similar reason:  the whole business of Arisawa's thwarted crush on Masami has reminded Masayoshi of his own un-brotherly feelings for same.  He begins to consider moving back to Norway (the Shibata boys' mother was Norweigan, and they spent their childhoods there).  Masami becomes depressed at this and Tooru tries to knock sense into Masayoshi---succeeding at least in getting him out of his self-absorbed funk. 

        Masayoshi, in disguise so Arisawa will at least give him the time
of day, pays a visit to Arisawa's home in his own attempt to cheer him up, in the process sharing some of his most private feelings about not
belonging, about losing one's dreams, etc.  Arisawa suddenly cottons on
that there's a lot more to Masayoshi than meets the eye, and realizes that Masayoshi was in fact trying to tell him about Masami, on the day of the basketball game.

        Out of his funk, Arisawa returns to school---in time, it seems, to
bid Masayoshi farewell.  He tells Masayoshi that he likes him now.  At the airport, Masayoshi does some thinking (in part thanks to his father's
well-timed words of understanding), and changes his mind, deciding to
remain in Japan.

Go to Part 2