Present Day

University 

A boy rests his head on his desk, saddened by the rainpour the day decided to give him. He murmurs to himself, 

“I hate the rain, why does it rain so much here?” 

Kousuke redirects his attention away from the pouring rain and instead scans the room for any potential dates. 

“I should have never majored in this, no cute girls here at all…” 

He sighs before picking his head up and perhaps redirecting his attention to the professor, who is wrapping the class up. 

Kousuke stands to gather his belongings.

“Holyy- this professor doesn't even make any sense!! I do the work, it’s fine, and then in the lectures, he makes no damn sense.”

He begins the walk to his apartment, occasionally taking in the natural beauty now ruined by the weather. 

He stops by a manga store to dry himself for a little while. 

Beginning to look around, he begins to ponder.

“I should also pick up dinner while I’m at it huh?” 

“I’ll grab the next copy of Kingdom and get to Nakau.” 

He checks out of the book-off and runs to the nearest Nakau chain restaurant. 

“I never get sick of Katsu Kare, as basic as it seems.”

He shakes himself off from the rain, getting blasted with a wave of warmth, and orders at the machine, the restaurant is empty save for one old man in the corner of the restaurant. 

“That's weird, I wonder what he likes to order here.” 

He sits down and sets his bag next to his chair.

Kousuke opens his new Kingdom volume and begins reading, enjoying the story pickup from the prior volume. 

Eventually, his number gets called. 

“Number 518!” A girl shouted from the court. 

As Kousuke approached the counter, he felt his gaze drawn to the girl behind it. 

She was leaning against the register, lazily holding his tray, and didn't even look up when he arrived.

The girl’s fast food uniform hugged her body a little too closely, clinging around her waist and curving over her hips in a way that made him forget he was even there to pick up his food. 

Kousuke Has seen her work here before, but never at the counter, and especially never this close.

But it was her hair that really drew his attention—short and elegantly uneven, a sleek black on one side and ube purple on the other, with the dark strands falling just enough over one eye to give her an edgy, mysterious appearance.

Her eyes were a fluorescent amalgamation of violet and rose. For just one moment Kousuke made eye contact with her, lost in her gaze, as if he had been looking into something vast and unknowable. 

Kousuke though, even then, knew better than to stare. 

“Thank you very much!” says Kousuke, eager to talk to such a beautiful girl and even more eager to get his food.

She stares blankly at him for a few moments before speaking, her tone of voice monotonous.

“Uh-huh… do you want Katsu sauce with that?” 

Kousuke grins. “Why yes, please!” 

“Here you go-” She nonchalantly throws the sauce on his tray.

Kousuke jogs back to his table and prepares himself for his feast. 

Kousuke, putting his hands together in prayer, begins his thanks for his meal. 

“God, I would like to thank you for this meal, and wonderful restaurants like Nakau for existing in this world where so many don’t get the opportunity, and a world where my classes are quite overwhelming.” 

The girl watches Kousuke begin to pray before turning to return to the register, shaking her head. What a weird guy.

Kousuke chows down on his food but not too fast, as he loves to savor the moment. 

Kousuke looks out at the storming weather outside,  thinking he might not mind the rain if it always came with such good food.

“Then again would my plans really have changed if it was sunny?” he says, thinking aloud.

“I guess not.” 

His phone chimes and he pulls it out to see a message from his Dad, asking how his day was. 

Kousuke promptly responds to the text, half-lying that it was okay and that he enjoyed classes nonetheless. 

Internally, Kousuke realized he didn’t truly have an outlet to tell how he truly felt about things. 

A little sad when you think about it huh? he thinks to himself.

Kousuke once again distracts himself by looking at girls, gazing over at the girl who gave him his food.

He sighs dreamily.

“She’s really cute actually, I wonder if she is single.” 

His admiration of her doesn't last long as she leaves the register to enter the kitchen.

Kousuke returns his attention to his manga and continues to eat his food, bussing his table once he’s finished.

He steps out of the warm restaurant, shivering at the onslaught of cold droplets landing on his back.

Observing the weather, Kousuke groans, “The rain seems to be pouring even harder now…”

He begins running to his apartment, struggling to find an easy method of shielding himself from the rain. 

“The one day I forget my umbrella!” he shouts, frustrated.

He arrives on his street and reaches for his bag to grab his key, which he doesn’t have. 

“Eh?” 

Realizing this, Kousuke flips out.

“WHERE DID MY STUFF GO?!”

An image of his bag sitting next to a chair flashes through his mind.

“I left it back at Nakau didn’t I?” 

Frustrated, he turns back to run back to the restaurant. 

“How could I be this stupid?”

He makes it back to Nakau and stops in front of the entrance as the girl who gave him his food earlier was walking out, with his backpack.

 This time, he could see her fully sculpted body in her uniform, the pants look as if they could nearly rip due to the size and shape of her lower body. 

She holds it out to him, a bored look on her face like she does this every day. 

“Here.” 

“Thank you-!” says Kousuke, gratefully.

She rolls her eyes a little.

“My shift is over, see ya.” 

Kousuke reads her name tag as she walks away.

“I’ll see you around… Haruka!”

The girl in question scoffs and enters a taxi. 

Kousuke starts running back to his apartment, arriving there just as the sun disappears from the sky.

“It’s barely 6:00 and already this dark...” Kousuke contemplates.

He enters his apartment finally, taking off his shoes at the entrance before dropping his bag and the new volume of Kingdom onto his massive bookshelf full of manga, DVDs, and games. 

He gets to his room and jumps in bed, the plush feeling of the mattress making him jittery in a cozy way. 

He checks his phone and notices he's received a text from a friend of his.

Friend (Hiroshi): “DUUUUUUUDE, SCREW SCHOOL.” 

Kousuke: (replying): “What happened today?”

Hiroshi: “I am lost when it comes to my Chinese class.” 

Kousuke: “I don't speak Chinese, I can’t help you sorry man.” 

Hiroshi: “I saw Nakamura in a cafe today, she got fake eyelashes.” 

Kousuke: “Still trying to pick her up?” 

Hiroshi: “Obviously… when will I find a girl my age who has boobs like that?” 

Kousuke: “Good call, hey have you realized how awful the weather has been recently?” 

Hiroshi: “What are you talking about dude? The weather is awesome, I love the rain!” 

Kousuke: “Nah you’re crazy for that.” 

Hiroshi: “You been having any luck with girls?” 

Kousuke: “Definitely not, although two new tenants just moved into my complex, I heard from the landlord they are both girls.” 

Hiroshi: “You’re so lucky, I have to stay home and take care of my Mom, I’d never be able to have girls over.” 

Kousuke, mid-text, receives a knock on his door. 

He slithers over and checks his door’s peephole. 

Standing on the other side was a drop-dead gorgeous woman. 

Kousuke is blown away by the details of her appearance. 

The woman had delicate yet bold glasses which she playfully adjusted with a gentle touch from her fingers, and had blonde hair pulled up into a high ponytail which stopped right below her ears. 

This stranger’s body was a mesmerizing blend of voluptuous curves and mature softness, the kind that instantly captivated anyone’s gaze. 

Her figure had that perfect shape, with full, shapely hips that swayed subtly as she idly stood, emphasizing her natural, seductive rhythm.

The woman’s thighs were thick, plush, and toned, spilling just slightly over the edges of her short shorts and catching the light with a soft, alluring sheen. 

Each curve was accentuated in a way that spoke to her confidence, a body that was unapologetically full and inviting, carrying a maturity and femininity that younger women could only aspire to.

Her ample hips created a striking contrast against her full, generous bust, which pressed enticingly against the soft fabric of her slouchy one-shoulder sweater, filling it out in a way that left little to the imagination.

The lower belly had a slight, natural softness that made her all the more real, approachable, and irresistible, adding to her timeless appeal.

Her skin was smooth, colorful yet light, and with a faint glow that suggested she took good care of herself. Her lips were full and hydrated, with a slight pout that hinted at her youthfulness, reminding anyone who looked that beneath her maturity, she was still a vibrant young woman.

Every inch of her was plush in the most sensual way—built and shaped by years of confidence and self-love. 

Her entire presence seemed to exude warmth and sensuality, like a woman who knew every curve of her own body, was entirely comfortable in her own skin, and relished in the way she affected those around her.

Whoa! This must be one of the new tenants. Kousuke thinks to himself.

Receiving a wave of insecurity, Kousuke gets anxious.

Wait? Do I look good enough?

“Huh… I guess nobody’s home.” The woman sighs. Her voice is velvety, warm, and on the lower side. 

Kousuke drops to his knees and knows he has to open that door. 

Her voice is bringing me to tears! I can’t miss this opportunity!

He frantically opens the door wide, startling the woman. 

“Oh! I-” The startled woman reacts. 

Kousuke bows suddenly and introduces himself.

“HELLO MISS! MY NAME IS HARADA KOUSUKE!” 

The woman waves this off, 

“Oh my, don’t be so formal.” 

The woman appears to be holding a basket of goods. 

“So sorry but the weather is terribly wet today, do you mind if I let myself inside?”

ED Chapter 1