High School Debut: Volume 12

by Kazune Kawahara, 184 pages

After focusing on her killer softball skills since middle school, spacey Haruna decides to spend her remaining high school time enjoying a normal love life. Problem is, she's a total dork and no nice guy will look at her twice (they might look once, but either her weirdness or her muscles freak them out and send them running). Having a background in sports, she realizes what she needs: a love coach. For this, she somehow enlists the moody, polite, yet anti-social services of Yoh, one of the most sought-after but aloof and unattainable guys at school. His one condition? She can't fall in love with him. If that condition actually worked, of course, it would defeat the whole point of the story. :)

Yoh and Haruna are on their first weekend holiday alone, but what will come of it? Not much, if their gaggle of holiday-crashing friends has anything to say about it. Back home, the couple have other problems to worry about, including Yoh's sister's sudden irrational tantrum, Haruna's best friend's secret guilt, and Yoh's imminent graduation.

This is a cute, funny romance with a sweet central couple. Yoh's attachment to Haruna in all her dorkitude is adorable, as is Haruna's heart-on-her-sleeve way of facing every situation.