Bokura wa Sore wo Hitei Dekinai

When spring ushers in a new school year, second-year junior high student Saitou learns that he and Suzuki will once again be classmates. The two already share a history: during their first year, Saitou stepped in when Suzuki became the target of bullies, an act of courage that clearly left a lasting impression on the quieter boy. Now Suzuki greets him with a shy, unguarded smile, admitting that he would truly like the two of them to become closer. Caught off guard by such open sincerity, Saitou finds the offer hard to refuse. What begins as an earnest, easygoing friendship, however, slowly takes on a different shade. Day by day, Saitou becomes acutely aware of Suzuki's presence—a lingering attention he can neither explain nor ignore. Every small moment of closeness softens the boundary that once clearly defined them as just friends, leaving Saitou to quietly grapple with feelings he never anticipated. Collected in a single volume, the title story is joined by continuation chapters spotlighting familiar characters from the author's interconnected series, offering readers a fuller glimpse into that shared world.