Did my first love just move in next door?! “The Outcome of ‘Like’ Between Him and Me” by Aohitohira（アオヒトヒラ）

Kasakura Publishing cult comics equal collection “The Outcome of ‘Like’ Between Him and Me” is the title I’ll be introducing!

The following is quoted from the back cover. This review does touch on the story’s content! If you just want a quick overview!! I’d be happy if you read only the red text and highlighted sections.

My first love, reunited at last, is just as angelic as ever—and so cuuuute!!!…―――――

Ten years have passed, and he still can’t forget his childhood first love. Kenichi, now a third-year university student, is still unable to fully move on, letting those feelings smolder quietly inside him. Then one day, his first love, “Haru” (Haruhiko), moves into the room next door! Just like before, Haru is angelically cute, sending Kenichi’s mind into total celebration. But there’s one problem. Delighted by their reunion, Haru wants to sleep together and clings to him just like in the old days. Days filled with the struggle between the urge to hold him tight and the need to hold back. After repeating this internal battle time and again, one night, Kenichi ends up having an embarrassingly intimate dream about Haru…!

From Kasakura Publishing cult comics equal collection “The Outcome of ‘Like’ Between Him and Me”

This is the very first work through which I discovered Aohitohira-sensei. It was also the author’s debut comics and first collected volume, and from the cover alone, you can feel Haru’s angelic aura and the black-haired protagonist’s heart-racing excitement…!!（Absolutely the best!!!）

The scene where Kenichi—who keeps his emotions hidden—and Haru—unchanged from the past—are reunited. Ending up as next-door neighbors while living alone as university students—could that be anything but fate…?! Kenichi can’t voice his inner screams that he can never say to Haru, so he spills them to his flirty, bi-friendly yet genuinely good-hearted friend, Chihiro（as someone who bottles up emotions, this is incredibly satisfying）—and honestly, for him, I really want nothing but the best…

I’d like to present him withtheBest Supporting Actor Award…!!!

Having carried his unrequited love for so many years, whenever Haru is right in front of him, Kenichi’s wildly vivid inner world—so rich in emotional imagery—is simply endearing. Appearing in every chapter as the one who watches over him, he offers support on a level worthy of a hero. Is there really anyone who wouldn’t end up loving him??

Haru-kun, who pretends to be innocent just to catch Kenichi’s attention, is absolutely guaranteed a nomination in the “Most Slyly Cute” category. Adorable. As their distance gradually closes into something like semi-cohabitation, it’s heartwarming—but at the same time, memories of when they were separated in the past prick painfully at the heart. Outside of being with Kenichi, Haru is surprisingly cool and a bit aloof, which makes him such an interesting character (＾＾)

Please be sure to see for yourself what happens after the two of them awkwardly fumble their way into loving each other, and witness the full “outcome of their ‘like’!