Ai no Tame Ni

Summary:
Harada Aki is a popular girl with plenty of good friends, both girls & guys. She is also known as the queen of introductions! Plenty of couples hooked up because of her, and she's always planning camps and goukons whenever anyone wants a help to find a boyfriend/girlfriend. Aki's special talent is remembering names as well as their phone numbers. lolz

One day, a couple of guys from another class came up. Turns out one of them wants to get a girlfriend and needed Aki's help. Although she does not know both of them, Aki willingly cook up a goukon she planned everthing within a minute with her trusty handphone! Seeing her actions, the other guy, Furuya Takahiro, laughed and called her a miu piao!

That weekend at the goukon, Furuya came as well. Although still angry at him, Aki continued to make the goukon a success by livening up the atmosphere with silly antics. In the middle of the goukon, Furuya suddenly dragged her out and they left together. Aki was so mad because she felt that she had ditched everyone else, making Furuya laughed.

A few days later, both of the bump into each other on the street and Aki asked for Furuya's number, seeing that they are "kind of friends". However her phone's capacity has reached its limit! that phone appearantly can save up to 500 numbers! Aki's amazing! Undaunted, Aki still asked Furuya to give his number, saying that she is capable of remembering it! it became a running gag in the story when Furuya would just suddenly ask Aki his number and she would always recite it correctly, which just makes Furuya laugh. They chatted about Aki's matchmaking skills and Furuya stated that he now know why Aki has so many friends.

They met up again in the teacher's office, when Aki overheard a teacher saying that the upcoming school activites to pull out weeds off the track field! will be held on the day of the fireworks. Angry, Aki demanded that it is unfair since the girls have to prepare beforehand and will be busy the whole day! The teacher just told her that she'll have take care of it alone if she's so adamant...what kind of teacher is that?!!
The day of the fireworks, poor Aki alone is pulling out weeds, when Furuya appears! yeah, like you readers did not expect that! hahaha They spent the whole day in the hot field and only finished by night time. Because of Furuya's kindness, Aki became more attentive of Furuya and his actions around school. Yay! she's falling in love~~
One day, a guy came while Aki & Furuya was chatting and asked her to introduced him to other girls, since the he doesn't like the girl she hook him up with in the first place. Angry, Aki refused because both sides (boy and girl) are her friends. The guy got angry as well and said that she is high and mighty, and that if it wasn't because she could introduce him to girls, he wouldn't be friends with a boring girl like her! And he just walked away.

When Furuya asked if it's alright to just let things off like that, Aki replied yes, because she could see the truth in his words. She was too proud of her matchmaking abilities. Furuya just patted her head and said that he felt it was alot of fun being with her. Aki started crying and wondered how she can face her friend since she introduced such a jerk to her. Furuya stayed with her through her tears and advice her to apologize.

Later, a group of girls came to Aki and one of them asked to be introduced to Furuya, saying that she is interested in him. Aki was shocked, and promptly refused, saying that she likes him!!! And at that moment, Furuya was just standing behind her!!! Embarrassed, because she hadn't properly sort out her feelings, Aki ran off to the rooftop to hide.

However, the girls decided that since Aki helped them all the time before, it's their turn to help her! They dragged her into a classroom where Furuya was waiting, and locked them in together! There, Furuya confessed that he had liked Aki all along!!! When their friends and schoolmates who were all plastered along the windows of the classroom! shouted that he should kiss her, he did just that!

Review:

This is one of the sweetest one-shot high school romance I've ever read!!! It is really so sweet to see friendship and love this innocent. Other than the part where the guy said those cruel stuff to Aki, the rest was just what I would like to imagine my friendship with my schoolmates to be.

Aki's character is so nice that Furuya always laughed at her. But I could feel his respect behind his laugh. For example, at the goukon, Aki brought plenty of pretty and nice girls whom she knows the guys would like. Although Furuya teased that she's not those kind of evil-high-school girl who would bring ugly girls to enhance her own beauty, I could feel that he likes this part of hers who only wants good for her friends.

Definitely a manga that I've read over and over again.

Labels: Oneshots/Single volume

Posted at 7:18 PM