The series begins by introducing it's heroine and primary narrator, Miyazawa Yukino. Miyazawa is always the smartest, most beloved and admired student in her grade. Since a young age she has done everything to maintain her high place in school society, thriving on the praise and worship of others. her high school debut should have been her grand entrance as the best student of the new class, expect there was another student who surpassed her on the exam score. While already fuming over being outdone, when the top student was revealed to be the incredibly hansom Arima Souichiro, Miyazawa decided then and there that her life's goal was to destroy her sudden rival.
Arima comes from a family of successful doctor, his father is the chairman of a local hospital. Aside from his impeccable social standing he is brilliant, attractive and excellent at sports. His calm and caring demeanor is well loved by all around him, much the chagrin of Miyazawa . While she presents the perfect student in public, it is in fact a well crafted façade that is painstakingly honed and curated. While in the safe confines of her home she is ill-mannered and unkempt, relishing in her obsession with praise and admiration. Her younger sisters, Tsukino and Kano, wonder at her strange personality and comment on how startling it was seeing her in public while they attended the same school.
Miyazawa begins to fret over Arima when she realizes that everything she worked hard at faking were qualities that he naturally possesses. Her fears are wiped away when he casually confesses his love for her. Seeing an opportunity to take control of their relationship she rejects his love. Unfortunately for her, that advantage disappears when she accidentally shows her true self to him. On a day off of school he delivers a CD to her house for her to borrow. Thinking it is her sisters returning for something forgotten in their rush out of the house, she gives the stunned Arima a flying jump kick to the chest while wearing glasses, gym uniform and appearing generally unruly.
On the return to school the next day her mind is plagued with her finely controlled ruse being exposed due to her uncharacteristic carelessness. What will he do? How will he expose her for the fake she is? A week goes by and he acts as if her unexpected behavior did not happen but as she settles into calmness he strikes. He black mails her into doing additional work for him in order to keep her secret from being released into the student body. After some time she is pushed to the edge and tells him off, refusing to no longer be under his control. Preferring her secret being revealed compared to his underhanded manipulation. He surprises her by agreeing to no longer force her to do his work, saying it was only due to her own manipulation influencing him. He used it as a way to spend more time with her. While not in a relationship the event starts a friendship between them, with the earlier confession of love always in the back of Miyazawa's mind.
With them spending their time together studying and chatting Miyazawa begins to fall in love with her rival but is unsure if his feelings have changed. Changed with the exposure of her true nature as a deceiver. She then begins to fear that even her friendship is dissolving when he abruptly begins to avoid her. After of week of agony over his attitude towards her she confronts him. The confrontation leades to finding out that he too is hiding within a shell of dishonesty. Arima's parents are his aunt and uncle, his real father, an outcast of his family. Until his adoption, Arima only knew hatred and abuse at the hands of his biological parents. One day they disappeared, leaving he and a load of debt behind for the family. The Arima clan looked at the lost abandoned child with scorn, believing that his genes would lead to him being a disgrace like his father. Instead the eldest son of the clan, his adoptive father, decided that he and his wife would raise Arima as their own. Understanding the situation he came from at an early age. he has striven to do his absolute best to not disappoint his adoptive parents.
With Miyazawa encouraging him to embrace his true self the pair once again become friends and she wonders if he loves her as she now loves him...has her opportunity already passed?
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