The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All

Aya is the kind of high schooler who lives out loud—effortlessly fashionable, perpetually upbeat, and unashamed of her passions. Her latest obsession is the enigmatic clerk at her favorite local CD shop, a brooding figure with immaculate style and an encyclopedic knowledge of music that leaves her completely smitten. She spends her afternoons browsing vinyl and plastic cases, hoping for just a few words from the cool, mysterious young man who seems to exist in a world of his own, and her heart races with every interaction. What Aya doesn't realize is that her elusive heartthrob is actually Mitsuki, her own quiet, reserved seatmate at school. Mitsuki keeps to herself, rarely inviting conversation, but it is impossible to ignore the girl sitting right beside her. She overhears every excited sigh and every whispered plan about visiting the shop, fully aware that she is the unwitting object of Aya's affection. Revealing the truth is a risk she cannot take—the deception has grown too tangled, and the inevitable disappointment would crush the lively girl who brightens her days. Yet, as the vinyl spins and the music plays, Mitsuki finds herself drawn to Aya’s warmth. Perhaps she can find a way to close the distance between them without ever letting her secret slip, inching closer one song at a time.