Dai-kun wa Hitori de Nerarenai

Riko has spent years eagerly anticipating the return of her childhood friend and former neighbor. Six long years have passed since they last saw each other, but her memories of him remain vividly intact. In her mind, he is still the same handsome, warm-hearted boy who always looked out for her and made sure she felt safe. The prospect of reuniting with someone so dear to her heart fills her with nothing but excitement and nostalgia. However, when he finally arrives, reality sharply diverges from the cherished image she has held onto for so long. The gentle, caring companion she remembers appears to be entirely gone, replaced by someone who feels like a complete stranger. For reasons Riko cannot immediately understand, his demeanor and personality seem to have undergone a drastic transformation over the years that kept them apart. Now, she must navigate the unsettling distance between the boy she once knew and the person standing before her. As she tries to make sense of this unexpected shift, Riko finds herself questioning what happened during their time apart and whether the kindhearted friend she loved is truly lost forever, or simply hidden beneath an unfamiliar exterior.