Mizuki Yamamoto as Momo Adachi is a former member of the high school swim team, a girl who tans easily and bleaches her hair, yet finds herself the target of narrow-minded gossip. In a town where rumor mill churns quickly, she endures whispers that label her as an “easy girl” who has had many relationships. Her only real friend is Sae Kashiwagi, played by Mei Nagano, who feeds those nasty rumors out of jealousy and a desire to see Momo undone.
Momo’s heart is drawn to Toji, a taciturn baseball player whose distance only deepens her attachment. The same quiet boy Sae longs for, though, and she plots to keep him in her orbit. Into this fragile balance steps Kairi Okayasu, a witty and unapologetic playboy, who bluntly reveals a startling piece of history: Momo once saved him from drowning the summer before high school started. Kei Inoo portrays Kairi, a character whose boldness pulls Momo into a magnetic, if complicated, dynamic.
Trouble erupts when Sae spreads a rumor that Momo and Kairi were kissing. The truth of the kiss exists—the moment was initiated by Kairi, leaving Momo stunned—but the lie spirals, and Toji is hospitalized as Sae manipulates events to drive a wedge between them. It’s through Toji’s eventual discovery of Sae’s lies, aided by Kairi’s persistence in uncovering the truth, that the tide begins to turn. Toji's actions save Momo from bullying caused by Sae’s fabrications, and he speaks openly about the truth of his relationship with Momo, prompting apologies from the students and a growing disdain for Sae.
The couple reconciles, but Sae’s schemes don’t end there. She threatens to discredit Momo using her newly acquired access to the mass media, and Toji, initially resistant, makes the difficult choice to part ways in order to protect Momo. The heartbreak is profound, with Momo at first unable to see that she’s been maneuvered by Sae’s games. In time, Momo moves on and begins dating Kairi, whom she had found annoying at first, and a real connection starts to blossom as she grows to care for him deeply. The love triangle intensifies as Momo contemplates the unsettling possibility of choosing between Toji and Kairi, all while the games of Sae continue to throw new challenges into their path.
Sae’s Story unfolds alongside the main arc. Sae is left back a year, a consequence of chronic skipping classes, and she remains stubborn as ever. She continues to haunt Momo’s and Kairi’s university world, visiting daily despite her own stalled progress. Toji pursues a stronger academic path, entering a good university on his own terms. Sae rekindles a complicated attachment when she encounters Kanji (often nicknamed Monkey Boy), a childhood sweetheart who left for Malaysia as a child with a promise to return and marry her. Kanji’s presence is felt as he follows her, drawn by lingering feelings and a desire to win her over.
Kanji’s care extends to Sae’s dog, Sora, whose limp is a visible sign of the fragility of Sae’s world. An incident where Sae hurts Sora by throwing a rock at its paw adds a painful note to their dynamic. Sae turns toward modeling, presenting herself as if she goes to college with Momo, even though she remains in high school. She encounters others on the modeling path—Honda, who works for CC, and Takuma—both of whom leave her for various reasons. Shinji appears as another figure in the mix, though his interest never feels genuine. Through these ups and downs, Sae comes to realize that Momo, Kairi, and Kanji are the core people who genuinely care for her, offering a counterpoint to the turbulent cycles of gossip and shifting loyalties that marked her younger years.
