I used to think my high school life was going to be normal.
Wake up. Go to school. Play some games. Maybe, if I felt motivated, study a little.
Then I started noticing it.
The coincidences.
At first, it wasn't too weird.
I'd go to the train station, and there she was—standing two meters behind me. I'd stop by the bookstore, and she was at the same aisle, pretending to browse.
The convenience store? "Oh? What a coincidence."
The arcade? "I… uh, have my reasons."
Everywhere I went, Shirakawa-senpai was there.
At first, I thought I was just imagining things.
After all, Shirakawa Rika was the Shirakawa Rika—second-year beauty, top of her class,
admired by nearly everyone.
Why the hell would she be following me?
But the more I paid attention, the weirder it got.
Because she wasn't subtle at all.
For someone who was supposed to be elegant and refined, she was… clumsy as hell.
Like that time at the ramen shop:
I was eating alone when I felt a stare from the entrance. When I glanced up, I saw her standing outside, peeking through the glass.
I pretended not to notice.
Five minutes later, she was at the table next to me, holding a menu upside down.
When our eyes met, she panicked and blurted, "Ahaha… I'm just sightseeing?"
Sightseeing? In a ramen shop?
I let it go.
Or the time at the arcade—
I was playing a rhythm game when I saw her reflection in the screen. She was behind a nearby claw machine, watching.
I ignored it.
Then she moved to a different game cabinet. And another. But never actually played anything.
When I turned around, she quickly grabbed the nearest arcade stick and mashed buttons.
The screen wasn't even on.
Still, I thought, maybe I'm just being paranoid.
Maybe Shirakawa-senpai was just… socially awkward.
Then, one fateful day, I caught her red-handed.
———
It happened after school.
I was walking home when I stopped by a vending machine to buy a drink. That's when
I saw her.
Shirakawa-senpai was crouched behind the vending machine, furiously writing in a notebook.
I blinked.
She was so focused that she didn't even notice me.
Carefully, I moved closer, peering over her shoulder.
Her handwriting was neat, but what she wrote made my blood freeze.
Kurose Haruto – Observation Notes
Favorite drinks: Lemon tea or black coffee.
Prefers ramen with extra egg.
Adjusts glasses when nervous.
Secretly enjoys action manga despite pretending to read mystery novels.
Currently unaware of my presence (SUCCESS!!)
…What the hell was this?
She was keeping a detailed log of my habits?!
And why was she acting like this was some kind of stealth mission?!
Before I could react, she muttered to herself, tapping the notebook with her pen.
"Hm… maybe I should observe from a higher angle next time?"
…Higher angle?! Was she planning to climb a tree or something?!
I cleared my throat.
She froze.
Very, very slowly, she turned her head.
Our eyes met.
Panic.
Her face went completely red.
"Shirakawa-senpai," I said, deadpan. "What are you doing?"
"A-Ah… um… I-It's, uh—" She immediately shoved the notebook behind her back, sweating bullets.
"T-This is… um… you see, it's…"
"..."
I waited.
She clenched her fists, closed her eyes, and blurted—
"I-It's research for my romance novel!!"
…Huh?
I stared at her.
She looked absolutely desperate to be believed.Her hands gripped the notebook so tightly, I thought she might tear it apart.
"Research," I repeated.
"Y-Yeah!!" She nodded frantically. "I-I'm writing a novel, and I needed a reference for a… a generic male protagonist!!"
A beat of silence.
I stared. She averted her eyes.
"…So you're saying you've been stalking me for research?"
Her face somehow got redder.
"N-NO!!" she squeaked. "I-It's not stalking! It's passive observation!"
"That's literally just stalking with extra steps."
"IT'S TOTALLY DIFFERENT!!"
I sighed, rubbing my temple. I had so many questions.
Why me? Why was she taking notes? And more importantly—why was she so bad at this?!
But before I could ask, she suddenly bowed her head.
"…Sorry."
I blinked.
Her voice was small. Embarrassed.
"I-I didn't mean to be weird," she mumbled.
"I just… I don't know how to do this properly."
"This…?"
She fidgeted. "…Talking to people."
For a second, I just stood there. Then it hit me.
Shirakawa-senpai wasn't just awkward—she was absolutely clueless about social interactions.
The graceful, elegant upperclassman? That was just an image.
In reality, she was a socially inept disaster.
A genius at academics, but a complete idiot when it came to normal human behavior.
I sighed. "…So you thought secretly observing someone was the right way to interact?"
She nodded. "Th-The books made it sound easier…"
I exhaled. "Senpai, have you ever heard of talking to people like a normal person?"
"…T-That's scary."
I facepalmed.
This girl… was hopeless.
———
In the end, I made her promise to stop.
"I-If you don't want me to observe you anymore, I won't…" she mumbled.
I raised an eyebrow. "Wait. So if I didn't say anything, you would've kept going?"
She immediately looked away. "U-Uh… n-no comment."
I sighed.
Despite everything, I wasn't actually mad.
Just really, really confused.
And maybe a little amused.
Because even though she was technically my stalker…
She was way too bad at it to actually be threatening.
That was my first mistake.
Because the next day…
She was following me again.
But this time, when I turned around—
She held up her notebook proudly.
"I-I got permission now!!"
"THAT'S NOT HOW THIS WORKS!!"
This was the beginning of the strangest high school experience of my life.
And somehow…
I didn't really mind.