Series by 帯屋ミドリ

Transfer student Kaede Yuzuki moves into the house next door to Kohei Aida and ends up seated beside him in class. Eager to befriend her, Kohei attempts to strike up conversations, but their exchanges often falter awkwardly. One day, Kaede pulls him aside with a serious request, proposing they start acting as childhood friends from that moment on. Confused yet intrigued, Kohei agrees to the unusual pact, leading them to navigate daily school life with forced familiarity. As they practice gestures and dialogues typical of long-time companions, subtle tensions and budding connections emerge between them.

Arima is determined to get closer to the girl he admires, Yukihira. For some reason, though, his plans keep bringing him into contact with his childhood friend Miyahara instead. Each attempt to approach his crush turns into another moment with the wrong person. Their middle school days fill with awkward timing and familiar closeness. Romance keeps slipping sideways whenever Arima thinks he is making progress.