Your first kiss is something you remember your entire life. The awkwardness, the embarrassment, the knowledge that things will never be the same between you again...and more than anything, the absolute bliss of that special moment. Despite how things turned out between us, our first kiss is burned into my mind. Similarly, you never forget your first love. I know I haven’t. Mizuto was mine, but would he say the same about me? Surely he doesn’t think his first love is this extroverted college girl who has her act together, right? So why is he following her around like a little puppy?! Argh, why do I even care?! We broke up. We’re stepsiblings now. There aren’t any lingering feelings between us. So how come I can’t stop thinking about our first kiss? Maybe if I’d been more assertive... No. There’s no reason to dwell on the past. I need to focus on what’s ahead, like our family trip to his father’s hometown...

Yo. I’m Kogure Kawanami, and my life’s a living hell ’cause I live next door to my psycho ex. She may look small and innocent, but she’s got more than a few screws loose. Right now, she’s totally obsessed with my friend’s stepsister, Yume Irido. I thought she wanted to become Yume’s sister-in-law, but now she’s tryin’ to hook up some busty chick with Irido! Doesn’t matter, ’cause it’s not gonna work anyway! The Irido siblings have a strong, unbreakable bond. Trust me—my shipping radar never fails. They won’t end up like us. True love will prevail!

Being in a relationship is great, but it’s not without its difficulties—especially when you’re dating your stepbrother. We have to keep our relationship a secret, and thanks to that, people are asking us both out! But never mind that. It’s a new school year, and that means a new me. Mizuto and I have matured since middle school, and I’m sure things will go a lot better for us this time around. With our school trip to Okinawa just around the corner, we’ll have lots of opportunities to spend time together. We’ll just have to go easy on the PDA so we don’t get found out. I’m finally at the point of my life where I can have my cake and eat it too!

Ah, high school. Is there any better place to start fresh after a horrible middle school relationship? Nope! Not unless your ex ends up at the same school as you and is now your stepsibling. What was supposed to be a sanctuary of peace where I could avoid ever seeing her again has become a living nightmare! Everywhere I look, I see her—in my house, in my school, in my class. There's no escape! She even claims that she’s the older sibling. Like hell she is! But I won't lose to her. After all, I'm the older brother in this new family situation. That’s right, we’re family now. No matter how much we may have thought we loved each other before, we saw one another’s true colors and realized we weren’t meant for each other. That’s why even though we may keep up a buddy-buddy sibling act for the sake of our parents, things will never go back to the way they used to be.

I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to pull out all the stops and get Mizuto to ask me out by the end of the year. Last time, I did it, but now it’s his turn. I know we feel the same way about each other. We just need to take that final step to bring our relationship to the next level. I’m going to pull out all the stops to make that happen. I’m ready.

For the upcoming long weekend, Mizuto and I will be going on our first trip together—to a hot springs inn! Sure, the trip’s planned and funded by the student council president, Suzuri Kurenai, and there’ll be a total of ten people including us...but this could be my chance to move the needle on our relationship! And I’m not the only one wanting to get closer to my crush. President Kurenai, Aso-senpai, and Akatsuki-san all seem to have something serious up their sleeves... Just what is going to happen on our trip to the Arima Hot Springs?

My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me: 1. I’m in a coma. 2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore. 3. Sometimes I lie. Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can’t move. She can’t speak. She can’t open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn’t remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from twenty years ago, this brilliant psychological thriller asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it's the truth?