Hatsukoi no Tonari

A chance encounter brings college student Morimoto face-to-face with Jinno, his former teacher. What begins as a simple reunion over a shared meal quickly evolves into something more intimate when Jinno is deeply moved by the warmth and skill of Morimoto’s home cooking. Before long, the two fall into a comfortable routine, sharing dinner together almost every single day. Their quiet domestic rhythm offers a sense of closeness that neither expected to find again. Yet beneath the surface of these peaceful evenings lies an unspoken tension. While they enjoy their meals together, Jinno occasionally catches a fleeting look of sadness in Morimoto’s eyes—a quiet sorrow that lingers just out of reach. The reason for this hidden pain belongs to a chapter of their past that Jinno has seemingly left behind. Years ago, Morimoto gathered the courage to confess his feelings, only to have them casually dismissed by the very man now sitting across from him at the dinner table. As their daily lives continue to intertwine, the weight of that forgotten rejection threatens to complicate the fragile bond they are rebuilding, leaving Morimoto caught between the comfort of Jinno's presence and the ache of an unresolved first love.