the manga begins with the protagonist longing for the ability to read minds and understand what others are thinking he reflects on how he Yumi Hasiba Ponders about this every day especially wondering what it would be like to read her heart the scene then shifts to hashiba sitting in the caligraphy Club observing the heroine Mizuki hanay an excellent student and the vice president of the caligraphy Club when she paints her work is vibrant and many people admire it but hashiba knows there's more to her than just that he thinks about how he started dating such an
amazing girl a month ago and how his heart soared as he imagined a future with his first girlfriend however he's quickly encountered a significant problem within this short time snapping out of his thoughts Hashima tries to compliment hanai but inside he's frustrated he feels like he doesn't understand her feelings at all she seems so cold it's been a month since they started dating and yet he's only seen the same neutral expression on her face he clenches his fists thinking about how he knew she was a cool and composed girl from the start and while he
likes that about her he also wants to see different sides of her now that they're together hanai notices his disoriented and resigned expression and stutters his name and concern hashiba quickly tries to shake off his feelings of depression determined to find a way to get her to open up to him later one of the girls in the club calls out to hashiba leaving him and hanai to clean up he notices her carrying some heavy books and offers to help as he places the books on the Shelf he thinks about how he needs to figure out
what hanai might like to talk about and decides to start with some small talk he nervously tries to engage her in conversation but quickly becomes flustered realizing he fumbled his attempt despite his neres he pushes himself to keep trying thinking that the battle to connect with her has just begun hashiba then asked hanai if she likes cats and when she seeks clarification he explains his idea hoping it will lead to more conversation however her casual response leaves him puzzled she then asks what kind of cat he has which catches hashiba off guard he quickly scrambles
to find a picture on his phone feeling nervous but excited that he's finally managed to get her to talk to him flustered he eventually shows her the picture of his cat he points to the screen explaining the funny spots on his cat that led his family to call her Mrs Cow as he glances at hanai he notices her long eyelashes and how good she smells his cheeks flushing red as he stares a bit too long hanai quickly hands his phone back and slides away leaving him shocked and sniffing his arm he wonders if she just
avoided him on purpose or if she noticed his staring maybe she thinks he smells like sweat his thoughts spiral further into doubt does she not like him that much he considers if her constant neutral expression is a sign of disinterest he wishes he could simply ask her about it like he would with his friends but with hanai it feels different and confusing hashiba feels lost desperate to understand her thinking if only he could read her mind lost in his thoughts he fails to notice a book slipping from the shelf above him hanai tries to warn
him but it's too late the book hits him on the head making him fall to the ground with a grunt of pain as he gets up groaning he tries to piece together what happened hanai concerned suggests he stay still for now explaining that he collapsed after the books fell on his head hashiba admits it was his fault for not placing them properly then quickly laughs it off apologizing and asking if she's okay just then he notices something written on her face and asks her about it confused hanai equally baffled touches her cheek trying to figure
out what he means hashiba tries to help by pointing it out out but as he gets closer and tries to touch her cheek he realizes the Mark isn't coming off the characters on her face seem to change and he grows more shocked when he sees the word has changed to shame he notices her cheeks turning red and becomes flustered himself quickly apologizing she looks away saying it's all right but comments that he's acting strange and suggests he might need to go to the hospital hashiba still staring at her face sees the word change again to
Disturbed he wonders if these characters are projections of her thoughts despite how impossible it seems he mentally pieces together phrases like to fret feeling embarrassed and to worry gradually realizing they perfectly capture her emotions whether he's imagining this due to the hit on his head or if it's all just a bizarre Daydream it doesn't matter to him what matters is that he might actually be reading her thoughts he becomes determined clenching his fist thinking this might be his chance to finally understand her feelings he grabs her shoulders and thinks about how he's been afraid to
ask her directly before but now he wants to know what she truly thinks of him as he asks her his heart pounds and he waits for the next word to appear on her face hoping it will be like however the word that appears is stink hashiba screams internally in shock while hanai embarrassed quickly excuses herself saying she needs to go home hashiba collapses to the floor grabbing his hair in distress convinced that she really doesn't like him meanwhile outside the door she pants nervously and sniffs her hand hoping she doesn't smell of sweat her heart
races as she thinks about how close hashiba was to her just moments ago the next day hashiba is chilling in front of the TV watching some show they're talking about people who can see the color of letters or numbers or even taste sounds they call it sthesia where one sense triggers another the show even mentions that big names like d Vinci and Van dog supposedly had it and hashiba thinks it sounds kind of like a superpower then we jump to the classroom where hashiba and Hanah are in their seats they sit down as the teacher
comes in and starts the lesson hashi's thoughts wander back to that sinesia thing trying to make sense of what he's been experiencing he sneaks a glance at hanai and notices the words sleepy on her face ever since he bumped his head yesterday he's been seeing these weird characters pop up on her face and they seem to show what she's feeling she looks all serious but apparently she's tired Hashi is starting to think he might actually have some kind of superpower that lets him see past her usual blank look it's pretty wild but he's rolling with
it the bell rings and he wastes no time heading over to Hani he asked if she wants to have lunch together determined to finally figure out if she likes him or not today is the day he's going to find out no matter what yesterday didn't go so hot but he feels good at after a refreshing morning shower no weak spots today he glances over at her trying to figure out the best way to bring it up just straight up asking do you like me seems too bold and he it's all fidgety and starts sweating meanwhile
hanai is just eating her lunch like normal hashib B eyes catch her rolled omelet and he remembers how freaked out he got when he saw the word like pop up before the thought of seeing the word hate terrifies him lost in his thoughts he's startled when it suddenly appears unbeknownst to him hanai is simply thinking about how her mom gave her pickled plums something she dislikes she notices him acting weird and then hears a loud thud she looks up and sees hashiba with his head on the table looking totally out of it she asked if
he's okay noticing how he looks both red and pale but he quickly pulls himself together saying he's fine he chugs some water internally freaking out about how close he came to making a fool of himself he knows he needs to keep it together he hasn't even asked her anything yet watching her eat he decides to ease into it with some light conversation he puts on his best smile and casually asks if she likes rolled omelets she nods and he takes it as a good sign feeling a bit braver he goes for it and asks what
she thinks about him hanai gets all flustered and hashi's heart is practically jumping out of his chest because she looks so cute so he decides to just go for it and asks do you like me holding his breath for whatever comes next hanai looks at hashiba clearly shocked and confused by his sudden question while hashi's mind races with panic he's instantly regretting his words thinking how Reckless he was to ask something like that his heart beats wildly as he braces himself not feeling ready for whatever she might say next hanai hesitates her face showing a
mix of emotions clearly caught off guard Hashi but catches sight of the word like written faint L on her face but he's too flustered to register its meaning he immediately tries to diffuse the tension feeling both relieved and embarrassed thankful she doesn't outright say she hates him his heart slowly settles realizing that even though he didn't get a clear answer about her feelings he feels he's managed to understand her a bit better today he quietly returns to his meal trying to act casual and play off his nervousness a gentle breeze sweeps through the window brushing
hani's hair slightly asba lost in his food and thoughts misses the moment but hanah's expression softens and the word like remains shyly written on her face the scene shifts to hashiba deep in thought he reflects on how in the spring of his second year in high school he got his first girlfriend he remembers how one day while struggling to talk to her he fainted and since then he's been able to see kanji characters on her face the expressionless Beauty he's referring to is hanai Mizuki he looks over at hanai who has just arrived for their
date and Marvels at her appearance he can't help but think that the power of date clothes is real she looks stunning he realizes he might be the only one who can see these characters on her face maybe as he notices the word nervous written on her face he thinks he's the only one feeling this way but it turns out hanai is nervous too finally they're having their first date after a month and he's determined to use his ability to make it the best date ever coming out of his thoughts he asked asked her if they
should start the date and she nods they begin by eating ice cream and looking for stuffed toys hashiba spots the word cute written on her face and can't help but scream in his mind that she's the cute one he clenches his fists feeling that things are going well so far he used to worry about not being able to read her thoughts but now that he can see the kangi on her face it makes a huge difference he feels confident with this new ability and has nothing to fear turning to her he asks where they should
go next but then he sees something strange written on her face something he can't read and it freaks him out he tries to decipher it thinking it has something to do with horses but the characters don't make sense his mind jumps to horse festival and early product sale he tries to piece it together thinking about how other CI like rock and Forest were formed trying to calm himself down he considers that it might mean Mary Go Round excitedly he asked her if she wants to ride a merry gound but hanai looks confused and repeats his
words clearly not following his train of thought realizing he might be wrong hashiba backtracks quickly saying that he meant he'd like to ride one someday and wonders aloud where the closest one is he pulls out his phone and searches thinking he'll look up three horses and free as he reads his screen he's even more confused finding a Ki that means a movement of many horses he didn't know there was such a Ki and now he's convinced it has something to do with horses in abundance seeing his puzzled expression hanai wonders if he really wants to
ride a merry go around that badly she thinks she should have told him she'd go with him Hashi B snaps out of his thoughts and suggests with a smile that there's a horse festival nearby asking if she wants to go hanai looks around surprised and remarks that it sounds amazing just then another word appears on her face which shocks him as he can't understand it he Taps on his phone thinking about his inability to rid the character he wonders what he should look up since he doesn't know the radicals and feels lost he realizes his
candy vocabulary is too low and laments that even if he can see her feelings he can't understand them looking at his fidgeting expression she shows concern he points inside and reassures that everything is fine deciding to stay calm and figure out the characters he quickly seches his phone contemplating checking by stroke count since he believes there are nine Strokes the word remains vague and he gets more frustrated debating if it could be 10 Strokes determined he resolves to find it despite his growing irritation meanwhile hanai scans the shop and spots a Showcase with horses realizing
it's a merry goor round she turns to hashiba with this discovery who is distracted scratching his head and tapping on his phone she feels nervous and sad observing his preoccupation suddenly hashiba with joy discovers the meaning of the word it reads as in Shin mean to be Lively and bustling he feels happiness thinking about how the festival seemed Lively and cute his Joy is interrupted when he notices a couple arguing startling him he is frightened by the lover's quarrel and worries about making her angry while on a date reflecting on what might have gone wrong
realizing that he has been engrossed in his phone the entire time he shutters feeling alone and questioning his presence there sweat pours from his face as he recognizes his own mistakes wondering if he's just repeating the same mistake today the couple's argument continues behind them with the girl leaving and the boy pleading for her to stay realizing his mistakes hashiba looks at hanai and notices the word lonely fear grips him and he nervously stammers her name later at home hashiba lies uneasily in bed reflecting on everything that's happened since he got a girlfriend he had
envisioned a loving romantic relationship with his new power but the reality is far from his expectations as he heads to school he's stumbling a bit lost in his thoughts he regrets having ruined their first date the day before by being glued to his phone and keeps reping it in his head he remembers apologizing and hanai saying it was okay but he can't shake the feeling that she must be disappointed now as he continues walking he spots hanai and they exchange lifeless greetings but his heart sinks as he thinks about yesterday how he was so eager
to know hanah's feelings and now he dreads seeing what her face might reveal he knows he can't avoid her forever and needs to apologize properly somehow later he sits on the floor of the caligraphy Club lost in his thoughts when suddenly the club president smacks him on the head jolting him out of his days she scolds him for just sitting around and he jokingly comments on her strong arm she points out that he won't be able to to write well with just one hand using hanai as an example hashiba watches hanai writing on the canvas
mumbling to himself about how amazing she looks he quickly jolts with nervousness covering his mouth to keep his emotions in check he awkwardly apologizes realizing he probably shouldn't call her cool since she's a girl she surprises him by saying it's the first time someone has ever said that to her the class president laughs nervously noticing how hani's face Remains the Same no matter what she asked if he's all right and he assures her he's fine but internally he's overwhelmed he's emotionally crying inside wondering if hanai might actually be a goddess for still listening to him
and being happy about his compliment determined he clenches his fists thinking that if he sincerely apologizes he can still make things right suddenly a girl screams calling out to hanai and pushing hashiba aside pointing at the wall and yelling about a huge bug chaos breaks out as everyone freaks out screaming and panicking they all turn to the club president pleading for help but she's Frozen with fear amidst the commotion hashiba glances at hanai who remains calm with the word nothing written on her face he's baffled wondering how she could feel absolutely nothing in this situation
even when faced with a bug while the girls scream and hide behind hanai she stretches her arms out to protect them hashiba notices her unaffected expression and quickly grabs an envelope using it to catch the bug the envelope flutters as he moves it away and he's thinking it's going crazy one of his friends Praises him while the others turned to hanai asking if she's all right she calmly responds that she's fine another friend Praises her for being so brave noting how nothing ever seems to phase her suddenly hashiba grabs her hand and pulls her away
leading her outside confused she asks what's wrong and he lets go of her hand reassuring her that it's okay he senses her confusion and says that they're alone now and it's all right for her to be honest he sees the word afraid appear on her face she finally admits she's not good with bugs she froze at first but knew she had to do something he recalls their friends praise about how Brave and calm she was he wonders what else she might be hiding from everyone clenching his fists he nervously remarks about how cool she was
in that moment she tells him that he's the cool one moving so quick unlike her he responds a bit flustered saying it's not true he admits that on their date the other day he left her alone feeling a sharp Pang of self-hatred washing over him for how he behaved hanai reassures him that everything's fine now her face softening into a comforting expression hashep is a bit surprised by her answer and wants to make sure she really means it he pushes her to be honest about how she feels telling her she doesn't have to sugarcoat things
just to make him feel better better seeing the confused look on her face he goes on saying he's okay with her calling him the worst ored did that's what she thinks he knows he's not always reliable and doesn't want her to feel like she has to put up with his mistakes inside hashiba is feeling super nervous but he's ready to hear whatever she has to say hanai quietly admits that she knows her emotions don't really show on her face and that it's something she struggled with since she was little she never really knew what to
do about it Hashi realizes a bit taken aback that she's aware of how hard it is for her to express herself hanai goes on saying that during their date she worried it might not have been fun for him revealing she was a little anxious about how things went hashiba starts to get it just knowing how she feels isn't enough he needs more than that he suddenly blurts out how excited he was to go on the date with her but admits he was too nervous to relax which might have made her feel uneasy he apologizes and
asks if they could try going out again he decides deep down that it's not just about understanding hanah's feelings he wants her to understand him too hanai nervously mentions that there's somewhere he'd really like to go with him she smiles and adds that she'd love to go to an ice cream shop with him hashiba gets flustered distracted by the Ki character showing her emotion but quickly realizes he doesn't care about that right now all that matters to him is seeing her smile for the first time and he can't take his eyes off her the school
day comes to a close as the final Bell Rings hanai walks down the corridor with her friend who is chattering Non-Stop about something hanai listens with a straight face glancing around as they pass by hashiba noticing hani's distraction her friend Taps her on the shoulder and exclaims that it's been a long time since they went home together hanai explains that she wants to borrow a book and asked her friend to go ahead without her her friend sigh agreeing but reminding hanai that she has to make it up to her next time waving goodbye as she
walks away meanwhile hashiba is deep in thought scribbling on a piece of paper trying to decipher the meaning of a kangi character hanai approaches him and Whispers in his ear confirming if he's studying kangi causing him to jump in surprise he quickly tries to cover up his embarrassment admitting that he's not very good with kangi and has been studying internally he wrestles with the real reason he wants to understand hani's feelings better she notices and comments on how studious he seems and he sees the word respect practically written on her face this only frustrates him
more as he feels he doesn't deserve her respect he's doing it for his own selfish reasons hanai takes a seat beside him and offers to help mentioning that she passed the level one can contest hashiba shocked and excited grabs her hand saying he could really try his best if she were the one teaching him realizing he's held her hand too long he quickly lets go and apologizes flustered she then asks how he usually studies and he stammers saying he writes things over and over until he remembers them noticing her amused expression he trembles with embarrassment
thinking his method must seem childish but hanai reassures him that it's a valid way to remember though she suggests it's better to also understand the meaning behind the characters curious hashiba asks about the meaning and hanai points to a character explaining how it can mean Nostalgia but also something you long for or something that stays in your heart forever he realizes he's been using it without truly understanding its depth internally he begins to connect the dots back then when this word appeared it wasn't just Nostalgia she was yearning for something more something deeper he reflects
on the special feeling associated with the idea of nostalgia at an ice cream shop and Marvels at the depth of kangi hashiba coming out of his thoughts gets excited as he realizes that even a single Ki character can have so many different meanings he feels motivated to study the ones he thought he already knew hanai moves closer to show him another way to use the character and he suddenly becomes very aware of how close they are he's caught off guard realizing he didn't notice how near she had gotten he feels his heart race as he
thinks about how her shoulder is touching his he's surprised at her enthusiasm for teaching him but his focus is slipping away because of their close he finds himself glancing at her slender warm shoulders feeling a mix of confusion and distraction hanai continues explaining different ways to express Nostalgia but hashiba can't concentrate his mind is buzzing with thoughts of wanting to get closer to her and in his nervousness he accidentally blurts it out though he didn't mean to he tries to correct himself but his mind is racing with embarrassment over how he sounded when he looks
at hanah's reaction he notices the word withdrawn and he feels a shock of realization he tries to laugh it off feeling like he just barely managed to save himself from saying something awkward hanai meanwhile is feeling her own surge of emotions she thinks she misunderstood his earlier words and her heart starts racing she struggles to calm down trying to refocus on studying even as her cheeks turn Rosy from this Hashi but too is trying to concentrate on studying the scene shifts to hashiba in class when he suddenly sneezes catching ing the teacher's attention he quickly
apologizes as the teacher mentions a seasonal cold going around reminding everyone to take care of themselves and keep cough drops on hand hashiba glances over at hanai and immediately feels like he's in trouble noticing she's wearing a mask he thinks to himself that today's hanai is especially hard to read and decides he'll have to make do with what he can see as he watches her he can't help but admire how diligent she seems even though everyone in class is coughing and I included worried about her he tries to decipher the word on her face wondering
if it stand or started eventually he realizes she might be asking for throat lozenges and seeing her searching through her bag confirms his suspicion she needs cough drops just then the teacher asks if anyone wants to come up and solve a problem on the board seeing this as the perfect chance hashiba quickly raises his hand thinking he'll use the opportunity to deliver the cough drops to Hannah the teacher is surprised but gives him the go ahead hashiba stands up telling himself to act casually and politely as he walks past hanah's desk he discreetly drops the
cough drop onto her desk she looks up in Surprise and he gives her a thumbs up hoping she understands feeling proud of this smooth delivery he thinks that all his CI studying was worth it no matter how well hidden his intentions might be hanai takes off her mask and grabs the coffe drop hashiba placed on her desk as she does hashiba notices the word cure written on her face but then he sees her pull out another cough drop from her bag which leaves him confused he starts to ponder if she was referring to cure all
along seeing hashi's puzzled expression the teacher calls him up to solve the problem on the board hashiba trying to maintain his composure braces himself for a possible reprimand and admits he has no idea how to solve it this rates the teacher who questions if hashiba wants to fail as the bell rings and class ends hashiba remains seated still troubled he reflects on his mistake with the kangi and feels embarrassed thinking that hanai must be disgusted with him he buries his face in his hands feeling too ashamed to even look at her hanai notices hashi's distress
and recalls when he handed her the cough drop she unwraps it and Pops it in her mouth savoring the sweet taste with a smile oh
