Yukino Miyazawa comes down the hall. She moves as if she were a model on the runway. An honor student, she dispenses advice in passing to her gaggle of supplicants. Both body and mind are on display, and it is only her soul that Yukino keeps private her perfect awareness that it is all a charade to gain the admiration of others. it is a stage act. In her middle class home, amongst family, Yukino is as plain as the old tracksuit she wears. her hair is tied in a kerchief and her contacts are exchanged for glasses. But as soon as she enters high school, she's on exhibition. The only thing that spoils her grand entrances is her self-appointed nemesis: Soichiro Arima. He knocks her out of her #1 ranking. Her draws the crowds in the hall. He is ever prettier than Yukino contacts or no contacts. And much much worse, Arima is a born gentleman of a wealthy line of famous doctors a man who by birthright claims all the things for which Yukino struggles. The only response she can produce is to try even harder. She never realises that Anima's response will be when he beats her by a fraction of a point on the midterm. he whispers in her ear, I love you. With that most dangerous phrase, Yukino and Arima's high-speed trajectories start to curve and converge, into a slamdance relationship. They strick each other and chip away at the facades they each present to the world. Story creator Masami Tsuda does not cast scorn on the idea of being a success in high school. She admires teenagers who have it together, as do Yukino and Arima. But she also wants them to be happy, and intriguingly, she suggests that they can be only if they break open, pour out their hidden motivations, and together create an even stronger alloy.