During orientation day at college, Kaoru Hibishi and company run into a bit of trouble when childhood friend, Mayu Miyuki, comes home to Japan after her stay in England. She gives more than just a shock to Kaoru when she kisses him on the lips as a sign of greeting. We find out that Mayu detests her father for deciding her for her, and never taking time out his busy schedule to see her. Mau's clingy personality stems from her lonely childhood, where both parents, busy in their high-end careers never took the time to listen to her. Aoi, in the meantime, is torn apart by the fact that her fiance has kissed another girl. It's during one of Tina's drunken rampages that she spills the beans, but Kaoru can't sum up the courage to face her just yet. A detailed childhood memory reveals Kaoru and Mayu's first encounter at a business party. There's an eerie shot of Kaoru bathed in blood as he attempts to console the young Mayu, encouraging her to appreciate the fact that she has parents at all. Near of end of this saga, Kaoru is finally overcome by his feeling of guilt, but when he tries to confess to Aoi, she seems confident in her trust in him and forgives him immediately.
They then share a romantic kiss beneath the moo and things seem to be settled. The next series of chapters in this volume revolve around the Sakuraba household and friends going on a trip to the countryside to relax and celebrate Golden Week. The chapter first starts off with an ambiguous scene of Aoi stumbling upon an old key while organizing drawers. Mayu Miyuki isn't completely out of the picture yet, when she stumbles upon the party and they end up spending the rest of the vacation bogged down with a tension-filled air. Tina and Mayu have plenty of glaring contests while Aoi and Kaoru struggle to find some one-on-one time. Gratuitous bath scenes supply ample fan service and humor to boot. However, the key ties into the story more as Aoi and Kaoru take a trip down memory lane, when they were first introduced to one another as children. Handed down as keepsake by his mother, Kaoru used the key to mark off their height against a huge tree. They visit this same tree, sharing memories, and mark off their new height again.
- ISBN10 1591826489
- ISBN13 9781591826484
- Publish Date 6 July 2004 (first published 6 January 2004)
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 19 March 2015
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Tokyopop Press Inc
- Format Paperback
- Pages 208
- Language English