A large portion of the following plot focused on the interactions between Kazehaya Shota and Kuronuma Sawako after being assigned tasks by their teacher, along with small moments from their daily lives.
Kazehaya didn't discriminate against her.
He wasn't afraid of her because of the "Sadako" nickname, and he treated her politely.
At the very least, from what the story showed, Sawako clearly had an extremely strong fondness for him.
"Too fast…" Lin Youyou already felt uneasy.
If their relationship was established within just one or two episodes, then how would the rest of the story unfold?
Sweet first, then bitter?
Healing first… then emotional devastation?
Just thinking about it made her anxious.
But she had to admit—just the first half of episode one of 'Kimi ni Todoke' had already made her heart flutter.
The youthful atmosphere was overwhelming.
Gu Qingyuan's Sawako and Su Yan's Kazehaya Shota were a perfect match.
Next, the story revolved around the courage test event.
Through a conversation with the organizers—classmates Yoshida Chizuru and Yano—they were shocked to learn that Sawako actually couldn't summon ghosts or spirits.
And Sawako, wanting to help make the event more successful, even volunteered to dress up as a ghost.
At this point, Lin Youyou couldn't help but laugh.
Hadn't the female lead basically just made friends?
Even though her natural aura was scary… why was the idea of her pretending to be a ghost so funny?
The pacing didn't drag.
On the day of the courage test, nearly all her classmates were frightened by her, screaming in terror in the dark forest.
Lin Youyou laughed so hard she slapped her thigh on the couch.
["Old sadist, what kind of brain do you have? How do you even come up with stuff like this?"]
And Sawako's innocence was almost heartbreaking.
Most people would feel troubled if rumors spread that they could communicate with spirits, but she instead thought: since everyone was afraid of her, she might as well play a ghost and contribute to the class, fulfilling everyone's expectations.
But then—
As Sawako jumped out again in the dark forest, she ran straight into Kazehaya Shota.
Though slightly startled, he quickly recognized her and began talking.
"Aren't you scared being here alone?"
"I like being alone. Summer nights—the air, the scent, the rustling of leaves!" Sawako replied seriously.
Kazehaya sat down beside her.
They forgot all about the courage test and instead looked up at the star-filled sky… and the fireflies drifting above the grass.
Kazehaya smiled as he talked to her, even saying that she was actually quite cheerful.
"Cheerful? That's the first time anyone has described me that way." Sawako looked at him, her eyes sincere and full of joy.
After a short while, Kazehaya's face turned red, and he instinctively looked away.
Lin Youyou's fingers trembled.
What was this atmosphere?
This pure love… this youthful feeling…
Something was off.
How could this possibly be a script written by Su Yan?
The way they looked at each other, the careful, tentative emotions between a boy and a girl—it was too sweet.
"I-I'm sorry! I got carried away… I forgot the rule about not making eye contact for more than three seconds. But—but even if you do, you won't get sick or have bad luck!"
Sawako hurriedly apologized, thinking he had looked away because he was afraid of the rumors.
She was already blaming herself.
"It's not that… not those reasons. If you keep looking… it gets embarrassing…" Kazehaya said softly after hesitating.
Sawako, too pure, didn't understand what he meant.
But Lin Youyou—and countless viewers across the Xia Nation—understood perfectly.
A boy only gets shy like that when being looked at by a girl he likes.
And not just any level of liking—
It had to be the kind of girl he truly cherished.
Lin Youyou clenched her fists.
These details didn't need to be spelled out in dialogue—doing so would ruin the atmosphere.
The audience could fill in the blanks themselves.
Su Yan… is this really something your brain came up with?
How is it that I'm feeling this kind of youthful flutter and sweetness from your work?
Is something wrong with me—or have you actually changed?
The music swelled. Fireflies rose into the air.
Under a sky full of stars, the boy and girl sat on the grass, quietly watching the beautiful scene.
After a while, Sawako shifted her gaze and looked at Kazehaya's profile.
The gentle, soothing background music elevated the atmosphere to its peak.
Lin Youyou had already stood up from the couch.
["You two—just get married right here in this episode!"]
The story continued.
The next day, because Kazehaya and Sawako had been together during the courage test, their classmates teased them. Some even made rude remarks about Sawako.
Kazehaya, the class's usual nice guy, got angry and confronted them.
But concerned about Kazehaya's reputation, Sawako stepped forward—
She distanced herself from him and left the classroom, not wanting his relationship with others to worsen.
Lin Youyou felt a pang in her chest.
This female lead was too pure.
Then came summer vacation.
Sawako's inner monologue played as scenes shifted, showing the passage of time.
"The misunderstandings have been cleared up. I said what I truly felt… In that case, Kazehaya-kun's reputation must be safe now. Yes… What I did was definitely right…"
The next day, walking along a path near her home, Sawako suddenly rubbed her reddened eyes.
Her inner voice continued—
"After summer break, he might not look at me anymore… not greet me with a smile… maybe he'll even avoid me. I was used to that kind of thing… but because these days have been so happy… I forgot…"
Step by step, she walked toward home—
Only to have her path blocked.
When she looked up—
He was standing right there.
Kazehaya had deliberately waited for her and handed her a gift.
It was an apology gift from the class for the rude things they had said.
And he personally delivered it.
"You know… I don't think you really understand me." Kazehaya said.
"I understand you very well."
They began talking about what had happened the previous day.
But their conversation completely missed each other's intentions.
Sawako believed Kazehaya must be troubled by being associated with someone seen as a "walking curse," so she tried to distance herself.
But Kazehaya was troubled by her way of thinking.
"You don't understand me at all!" he said, his voice rising slightly, his gaze serious.
"I was looking forward to it too… Even during summer vacation, I wanted to see you, Kuronuma."
He smiled gently at her.
The scene shifted—
Back to their first meeting at the start of school.
Sawako gave directions. Kazehaya thanked her.
Before, this memory had been from Sawako's perspective.
But now—
It was from Kazehaya's.
In her version, the moment ended with his smile and her first experience of being thanked.
But in his version—
After he said thank you, what he saw was:
A girl who usually kept her head down, avoided eye contact, and tried to minimize her presence—
Suddenly revealing a smile as beautiful as a blooming flower.
The eerie filter faded.
Cherry blossoms drifted down.
Gu Qingyuan's radiant, slightly shy smile—her eyes reflecting the boy in front of her—filled the screens of countless viewers across the Xia Nation.
No words were needed.
Even Lin Youyou, watching from outside the screen, felt her heart move.
Let alone Kazehaya.
So—
He had fallen for her from that very first meeting.
And she—
Had also fallen for him because of that single "thank you."
Episode one of 'Kimi ni Todoke' made it clear:
They were both secretly in love—
Yet neither knew the other's feelings.
The ending theme began to play.
It took Lin Youyou a long while to come back to her senses.
That's it?
It's over?!
"Damn you, old sadist… ending it here again?!"
She clenched her fists.
But this time—
There was no anger. No frustration.
Only emotion… and anticipation.
Watching this episode had been a constant shift between being moved to tears and feeling sweetness.
Old sadist… are you serious?
Is this really a sweet drama?
Or is it just sweet at the beginning—
Before turning into something heartbreaking later?
Taking a deep breath, her heart racing, she couldn't hold back anymore.
She opened her computer, logged into the forums—
And was immediately met with overwhelming praise for episode one…
Along with widespread suspicion about what would come next.