Standing at the apartment door was a short girl with bright pink short hair. Her angry expression only made her look more adorable, especially with the Chupa Chups lollipop poking out of her mouth, revealing a tiny, cute canine tooth.
"You're mean, Kazuya. Making me come all the way here just to see you. Weren't you planning to say goodbye to me?"
She wore a frilly pink dress that reached her knees, held up by straps that also did a decent job of highlighting her suggestive bust.
She had brought a suitcase with her, for reasons Kazuya knew all too well.
Her name was Hitomi Sakayanagi. One of Kazuya's classmates and his closest friend.
"Sorry, Hitomi-san. I was planning to say goodbye. I just got caught up with something. But come in, don't just stand there."
The boy stepped aside to let her in, grabbing her suitcase in the process.
"Hmph."
She just scoffed as she walked into the apartment.
Once inside, she went straight to Kazuya's bed and made herself comfortable.
Kazuya sighed in resignation, set the suitcase in a corner of the room, and sat down on the floor.
"I see this place hasn't changed at all since the last time I came."
She scanned the room with her eyes, looking for anything out of place.
"I don't know what you mean by that," Kazuya replied, a little annoyed.
"Well, whatever. That doesn't matter now. How about we play something for a while?"
She asked with clear excitement.
Kazuya let out another sigh and turned on the console.
Thirty minutes later…
"I won, I won!"
Hitomi cheered, jumping with joy.
"Good for you. Looks like you had fun."
"Of course! This is the first time I've ever beaten you at anything."
She beamed with a big smile.
"I'm glad you're happy."
Kazuya responded with a faint, sad smile—one that didn't go unnoticed by Hitomi.
She approached him and sat down on his lap, their faces now directly in front of each other.
Kazuya wasn't surprised. Hitomi had grown up abroad, and this kind of thing had become normal between them over time.
"You know, Kazuya… I've been watching you for a long time now…"
Kazuya was caught off guard by her words and started to feel a little uneasy, worried she might've found something out. But realizing she wasn't done talking, he stayed quiet.
"When we started university, you had this aura that screamed 'trash' and 'kick me'—you made everyone around you feel uncomfortable just by existing."
Her words annoyed Kazuya a bit. He knew all too well how unbearable he used to be, but he also knew that wasn't who he was anymore.
"Even so, you pulled through. You proved you had good qualities too. Seeing that reminded me of when we were kids. I was relieved to know you were still that dumb, perverted little boy… but dependable when it really mattered."
Kazuya's heart skipped a beat.
He was sure no such character had ever been mentioned in the original story. He quickly started digging through his memories, but it was no use.
"I'm sure you don't remember, but you helped me a lot back then. That's why I decided to reach out and become friends again…"
Hitomi paused, only making Kazuya more nervous.
"That's when I saw you with Nanami-san. She kept talking crap about you behind your back, but… you looked happy, so I didn't dare step in. A month later, she dumped you—and it really hurt you."
She rested her head against Kazuya's chest, trying to hear his heartbeat. Meanwhile, Kazuya's expression turned unreadable.
"Later I found out it was all because of a bet. I was furious, so I went to confront her, but... I lost. Nanami Mami is seriously terrifying."
Tears began to slip from the corners of her eyes as she clenched her teeth, remembering the helplessness she had felt.
Kazuya started gently stroking her head, trying to comfort her.
"Calm down, Hitomi-san. You did what you could. None of this was your fault."
He whispered softly but clearly. He didn't want to see his closest friend suffer.
"But Kazuya… you must've gone through so much. You locked yourself in your apartment for an entire day."
She said, tightening her grip on his shirt.
As for Kazuya, he was feeling worse and worse. Even though the events she described hadn't happened to him, just knowing that his past self had suffered all that over a stupid bet pissed him off.
"Still… look at me. I'm here. I'm with you. That's all that matters to me now."
Kazuya lifted Hitomi's face gently, their eyes meeting.
"Exactly."
Hitomi replied, calmer now, as Kazuya wiped her tears away.
"That's the most surprising thing. In just one month, it's like you turned into a completely different person."
She took his hand and pressed it against her cheek.
"Out of nowhere, your gaze became intense—even scary. You started dressing differently, too. That made people start avoiding you again…"
"…"
"But that didn't stop you. You started standing out in all kinds of things. You got popular. We met again and became friends. That made me really happy."
They both remembered that day.
It had happened three days after Kazuya woke up in his new body. He'd started an exercise routine to build up strength, and part of that included running. The system even gave him rewards whenever he completed it.
While running, he'd gotten lost in thought and accidentally bumped into Hitomi.
Just like him, she seemed to be out jogging too.
After helping her up and making sure she wasn't hurt, he invited her to run together.
At first, Hitomi wasn't sure whether to say yes. But she figured it might be a chance to get close to him again without raising suspicion—so she accepted.
From that day on, they didn't just run together in the mornings; sometimes they'd hang out, help each other with their studies, and even sleep over at each other's apartments.
Hitomi was happy to spend time with Kazuya. He had proven to be understanding, kind, thoughtful, and more. Being with him made her feel at ease and safe.
And Kazuya was glad to have someone he could relax with—a person he could be himself around, at least every now and then.
That was the bond they shared. A special connection neither of them wanted to lose.
Unfortunately, due to family matters, Hitomi had to return abroad for an indefinite period of time.
This made Kazuya feel genuinely sad. Hitomi had been the first real friend he made since arriving in this world. It's not that he didn't get along with the other guys—they were cool—but those were Kazuya's friends. The original Kazuya. So his relationship with them always felt a bit shallow, kind of superficial.
"Even so… I still feel like you're distant with people. Like you're not being totally honest. Not even with the guys."
Kazuya felt as if his mind had been read in that very moment, and it made him shiver a little.
"You know, Kazuya… I liked the old you—but I love the you right now."
She said, pressing her lips against his.
The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but in that brief time, both of them longed deeply for each other.
"This is my gift—for making me so happy."
She pulled away from Kazuya.
"Now then…"
She stood up and grabbed Kazuya's phone.
Kazuya, for his part, was stunned by how fast things were moving. He wouldn't deny he was aware of Hitomi's feelings for him. He just never truly understood them—after all, he had never seen or heard of her in either the anime or the manga, so it didn't make sense that in just a month, she could've fallen in love with him… or at least that's what he had thought.
"I want you to learn how to connect with other girls besides me. Now that I'm leaving, I don't want to see you alone again."
She said as her fingers swiped smoothly across the screen.
"Here. I'm giving it back."
When Kazuya got his phone back, he was shocked.
Hitomi had downloaded a dating app and created a profile for him. But the most surprising part of all… she had already set up a date for him—with Chizuru Mizuhara.
That made Kazuya realize the plot was finally kicking into gear.
Turning to Hitomi, he looked at her with a confused expression.
"Why'd you do that?"
Hitomi just smiled warmly at him.
"I don't want you to be alone when I'm gone. Besides, you need to start opening up to girls. Even though you know they're not all the same, you still keep your distance. This will help. It's the last thing this old friend asks of you. Can you grant me that wish?"
Kazuya sighed and nodded, accepting her final request.
After that conversation, he accompanied her to the airport, where they said goodbye with a warm hug and a tender kiss.
*********
Author's Note (Wattpad):And just like that, the story of Kanojo, Okarishimasu begins.
For the curious ones:Hitomi is currently an OC, but there's a chance she might reappear later on.