Last upgrade: 09-Dec'02

Here you can find synopsis of the chapters of Kare - First Love (And remember to buy these tankobon if you like the summaries, it's the best way of thanking the authors and the synopsis are nothing compared to the real thing! ^^ )

All synopsis are by Zahara Medina, and cannot be used anywhere else without her permission. As she is just a student of Japanese, any help, comments or corrections are more than welcome! ^^;
Please, go to the Image Gallery to see the covers in full! ^^

Chapter 8

Fast Index:

• Vol.01 parts: [01] [02] [03] [04] [05]
• Vol.02(?) parts: [06] [07] [08]

Note: B/w scans are from the magazine, where the print is in low quality paper and different ink colors so it sometimes scans pretty bad and leaves lots of noise in the picture. The tankoubon quality is, of course, much better (perfect, that is).

Chapter 1 (Mar'2002)
In a morning (quite full) bus, three male students talk about some group blind date they would like to go to. One of them has a digital camera and is observing a girl with boring glasses wearing her school sailor uniform and reading a book. The guys start talking about her, and her glasses, as the whole bus stares... She is not very happy about it! (^^; ) The girl thinks that the morning bus is depressing, with all the office workers, and the other students... She looks at the guy and he catches her, smiling in return! She looks away, but he goes to her and asks her if she likes the book she is reading. He says he also has that book, and that he likes the photographs in it. The girl is very upset that he is so close... and that she is turning red in reaction to him! There is a sudden stop and he catches her before she falls, but she realizes it's her stop and runs out of the bus, dropping her book on the way. He takes the book and attempts to return it to her, but her skirt catches in it and is lifted, showing her panties! She then sees he is still carrying his digital camera in the other hand and gets the wrong impression... SLAP! "P... PERVERT!" (And the door closes and the guy would very much like to kill her...) When the girl, Karin, arrives to her class, turns out that everybody in the school knows about the "glasses" comments because a girl from another class was in the bus as well. Karin's classmates laugh and Karin attempts to pass it as a joke (the things one has to do...). One of the girls tells her that she should give up on the glasses (letting it know what she thinks of Karin's appearance), and then proceeds to ask her for help with mathematics. Karin wonders why she needs it again, and the girl replies that it's ok, right? After all, aren't they friends? "How are we friends? You just act like my friend when it serves your convenience! Jerk!" ... ... is what Karin would want to reply to that. (^^;;;) Some of the other girls tell Karin's... er... "friend," Yuka, that the guy who was with Karin was a "cool catch" from Takashiro school, so Yuka decides to have a "group blind date" with them boys! Karin wants out of there, fast, but the girl tells her to go, so she can introduce them. She also attempts to drag into the plan one of the other girls, but she coldly refuses and leaves the class. Yuka and the other girls are upset at how that one girl usually treats them. Poor Karin retreats to the solitude of an empty toilet and ponders on her biggest problem: Cowardice. When she goes out of the place, she finds Ayase, the cool girl from before, who happened to hear her cries for help when she was mumbling to herself in the toilet and who introduces Karin to the concept of saying "NO." Poor Karin's day just turned a little more horrible. After class, Karin recieves the worst blow of them all, when she sees that the guy from the bus, Kiriya, and his friends are waiting at the gate of the school! Karin attempts to walk on, but he stops her to return her book. However, he won't give it to her until she thanks him. Karin is not exactly delighted, but proceeds to thank him in very excructingly polite Japanese (which is actually considered an insult in this case ^^; ). They both end up thinking they really dislike each other... But Yuka appears out of nowhere and introduces herself to the guys, who think she is a friend of "Glasses"-chan. Between the boys and Yuka, they all agree on having a blind group date with Glasses-chan and her cute friends. It will be just so much fun! Fun? Karin (internally) screams in horror, it's gotta be a joke!!! Next day, Karin wants very, very, very much not to go... but of course, she is dragged by Yuka into it. Unlike Yuka and the other (rather ugly ^^; ) girls, who are dressed for the ocassion, Karin keeps her school uniform and Yuka sneers at this. The guys finally appear, and Yuka tells them how horrible it is that Karin came with her uniform. However, Kiriya realizes that Karin is not exactly enjoying the jests from the others, so he decides to drag her away into a nearby clothes discount shop, where he pays for a "total combination" of clothes for (a very surprised) Karin. Back in the group date, things are pretty boring, as Yuka is just there for Kiriya and none else is talking. Finally Kiriya and Karin (in some normal skirt, t-shirt and jacket) appear and the conversation centers around the bus incident. Yuka gets tired of this and makes Karin drop her full glass over her new skirt. Yuka says how useless Karin is, to destroy Kiriya's present so fast, and she and one of the boys start laughing at her. Karin decides that it's enough and retreats to her favorite place... the toilet. Karin feels really bad because even thoug she knew, the realization that Yuka isn't her friend at all hurts all the same. But to her surprise, Kiriya interrumpts her thoughts! Kiriya tries to drag her back while Karin yells that it's the girls' toilet. He says (that he knows ^^;;; and that) she shouldn't let the others do that to her. Karin defensively replies that he doesn't understand her feelings, but then suddenly becomes sick... really sick. So Kairi calls his friend and tells him to go on with the date while he stays to take care of Karin, who passes out. When Karin wakes up, she is on a futon in a stranger's room. She sits up and takes off her glasses so she can rub her eyes. She wonders where she is, and then sees Kiriya, who realizes she is awake and is greeting her when he sees her and is left speechless... she is so pretty! Before Karin has time to react, he seizes her hand, bends over her, and kisses her in the mouth!
Chapter 2 (Mar'2002)
Karin finally wakes up from the shock and pushes Kiriya away (thought she can't see a thing because she is not wearing her glasses... ^^; ). Kiriya helps her with the glasses and teases her nicely about having become so red in the face. He tells her that she is cute without her glasses. Karin explodes in mortification and blushes even more. He laughes at her being so red for just a kiss and says she is so cute... But Karin is having none of it. It was her first kiss!! Karin says she is leaving, but Kiriya reminds her that she is not wearing her uniform (just a shirt), Karin can't believe it! She attempts to remember what happened the evening before, and when she goes out of the appartament, she realizes she has no idea where she is. (And what time is it anyway?) Kiriya follows her out and gives her a helmet, he is driving her to school! (No way! School??) Karin mounts his bike and he tells her to grab him harder, but she won't, so he reminds her of the kiss and Karin sees red, grabbing him way too hard! (^^) At school, Karin still tries to come to terms to the fact that she stayed over at a guy's place and had her first kiss. She calls home on her cellphone and her older sister tells her that she told the family that Karin was staying at a friend's house. The sister guesses, of course, that she stayed at a boy's house, and wonders when did she get a boyfriend. She also says that their mother threw a fit because Karin left no contact address. To make her day just a little bit happier, Yuka appears ready to run her down because Kiriya left and Yuka had a horribly boring time with the others. Yuka talks about the brand of fragance Kiriya uses and realizes Karin smells like it (from riding on the bike with him), but Karin says nervously that it was probably just from being smashed in the bus. Yuka happily agrees with this theory since of course, Karin is so simple and it doesn't suit her and... (you know the drill). Later on, Karin attempts to relax by looking at the photos in the infamous photo book that started it all with Kiriya, and yells that it's all Kiriya's (kiss) fault! Somebody nearby laughes... Ayase! (Just what she needed...) Something falls from the book, it's from Kiriya (and it has his number). It's a photo of Karin looking very pretty while sleeping. Karin is in shock that this is her... and then wonders in horror when did the guy take it (she can't remember it...)! Ayase takes the photo from her and says it's a really pretty photograph... taken in the morning... Karin's boyfriend? Karin takes the photo away as she blushes and insists it's NOT her boyfriend. Ayase walks away after a moment and says that Karin's blushed face is cute. (Just like Kiriya said! Karin goes in shock again...) After school, Karin goes to a drugstore to buy shampoo for her sister (as a payment for her alibi services ^^; ). Karin sees the fragance section and remembers the conversation with Yuka. She tries it and realizes it is indeed the one Kiriya uses. But she also sees a really cute one, with a bottle shaped like a star, called Angel. Karin is very taken by it, but remembers Yuka's words and thinks that it's a no go, because fragance doesn't become her. Next she sees some lipsticks and decides to try one of them. She remembers Kiriya's words about being cute without her glasses so takes them off (but of course she can't see a thing so she has to put them on again ^^; ). She looks at the mirror with the lipstick on and is ashamed because it really doesn't go well with her. But suddenly, Kiriya appears behind her and tells her to try another color. Karin is very embarrassed and tries to whipe the lipstick with her hand. He smiles and comments on her discovering lipstick... he says that it's fate that they keep on bumping into each other. As a sales lady asks Kiriya if they are looking for a present for his girlfriend (Karin), he is noncommital. Karin remembers Yuka telling her that she and Kiriya don't go well with each other, and thinks that she understands... then thinks she is a fool because she is starting to feel something for him.
Chapter 3 (Apr'2002)
Karin faces herself in the mirror ready to use Kiriya's recommendation of a lipstick... but of course Yuka comes in and proceeds to use it herself! Karin would like to send her to hell, but instead is forced to agree to lend it to Yuka. Yuka then "reminds" her about going out from that day on with her future boyfriend... Tooru (Kiriya's friend)! Karin has no idea what on Earth she is talking about, but Yuka just keeps on talking about how she herself will, of course, go on with Kiriya (watch Karin explode...). So again, Karin is dragged of to a meeting she doesn't want to go to by Yuka. But the fact that she is going to meet Kiriya does help her to change her mind, so in the last second she decides to join Yuka in the elevator. It being Yuka, of course, she closes the doors in Karin's face and Kiriya saves her from falling back. Kiriya and Karin take another elevator and he wonders why she is not using the lipstick (while she is too busy blushing and remembering their kiss), he says that it was a really becoming color for her. Karin says that nothing really goes well with her, and they are interrumpted by Yuka arriving to the floor, wondering what they were talking about. Kiriya says that nothing in particular, and noting the lipstick Yuka is using (Karin's), he comments while looking sideways at Karin that it's the same color he gave to a girl he kissed. Karin blushes not knowing what to do as Yuka goes ballistic wondering if Kiriya has a girlfriend, to which he says he agrees he doesn't. Karin gets mad at his teasing and of course, goes to her favorite place, the toilet (^o^; ). Meanwhile, Yuka talks with Tooru about it being a double date, and as Tooru is happy to comment on him and Yuka, Karin happens to go out of the restroom and Yuka calls for her. Yuka says that since Tooru is so very Karin's type, they should go on together. Karin can't believe what she just heard. Karin wonders what did Yuka is thinking about when talking about him being her type. Tooru himself is very surprised at this, though not too eager, but Yuka pushes Karin to say something and asks her is she understands what all this is about. Karin gulps down her pride again as she thinks that Yuka is really sly for pushing her into that position, and starts to doubtfully agree... But Kiriya interrumpts saying that it's too bad because Karin is with him. (Tooru is endlessly thankfull to Kiriya, as he wants Yuka, while Yuka herself is in shock to be left with... with... "this guy" (^^;;; )) Karin and Kiriya walk off, as she thinks that he really helped her. He catches her looking at him and wonders if she is thinking that he is a cool guy! (poor Karin!) She denies it a lot and he simply offers her the can he was drinking from. Does she want to drink? But it will be a second hand KISS, though. Karin gets stuck in the "kiss" part and he laughes good heartedly at her. He says that she is really funny. He says that she was cute the time they kissed and then later the day before. Karin is not happy with this because she thinks he is lying to her even though he doesn't seem to be that type of guy. Karin can just see herself putting him in his proper place with a few well-chosen words... well, maybe next time (^^;;; ) as she just replies Kiriya's "what?" with a, "Nothing." Kiriya tells her that he has a book for her, a photographs book. Karin is very excited but Kiriya just teases her again. Karin is really happy about the book, and he smiles and tells her that he really likes her expression when she is looking at the photographs, it's the same expression she had back in the bus the day they met. It's too much for poor Karin and she starts to cry. Kiriya wonders if it's because of happyness for getting the book (^^;; ), but Karin gets a little mad and says that it's his fault for saying all those weird things about her being cute and because her first kiss was with him. She says that she feels stupid for not knowing what to do. Karin takes her glasses off to whipe off her tears and gets very upset because she wants to stop crying and doesn't know why she is telling him these things. Karin tells him to forget about what she said, about the kiss, about everything! He looks at her with a mixture of surprise, worry and sadness. Karin says that she will forget him too and attempts to leave, but he takes her arm and stops her. He takes her by the hand and tells her with a serious face that he is sorry, that even though he has made fun of her, he really meant what he said about her cuteness and the kiss. Karin is very surprised and drops her glasses, they both kneel down to get them, but Kiriya is faster. Karin blushes because he is so close to her, but a voice interrumpts them, it's a teacher from Karin's school! Kiriya takes her away, and as they hide behind a shop, he hugs her close to him.

Next Chapter...

All images © Miyasaka Kaho, except backgrounds