Kaguya-sama: Love Is War (かぐや様は告らせたい～天才たちの恋愛頭脳戦～)

CONFESSION

CONFESSION

You fall in love with someone...

P-Please be my girlfriend!

confess that love...

and become a couple.

Everyone would say that's a wonderful thing.

But they're wrong!

Even among sweethearts, there exists a distinct power relationship!

A side that exploits and a side that's exploited,

a side that's devoted, a side receiving devotion,

a winner and a loser!

If you're trying to live a noble life, then you mustn't become a loser.

Love is war!

The person who falls in love loses!

LOVE IS WAR

Shuchiin Academy!

It's a prestigious school with an ancient and honorable origin,

founded as a facility to educate upper-crust children.

The focus on the nobility is gone,

but many talented students born into wealthy, distinguished families

How do you do?

and shouldering the future attend the school.

How do you do?

Naturally ordinary people wouldn't be permitted to lead and bring these students together!

Everyone, look!

The Student Council members!

Kaguya Shinomiya, the vice-president of the Student Council at Shuchiin Academy.

Total assets: 200 trillion yen.

Her family owns the Shinomiya Group,

one of the top four financial conglomerates in Japan, with over 1,000 subsidiaries.

SHINOMIYA BANK

Befitting her superior lineage, she's a talented young woman

who has attained splendid achievements in various fields,

such as traditional performing arts, music, and martial arts.

That is Kaguya Shinomiya.

And the young man Shinomiya supports is...

Miyuki Shirogane, the president of the Student Council at Shuchiin Academy.

He's wise and intelligent, strong and silent.

He scores first place in the practice exams.

In contrast to talented Kaguya,

his devotion to studying commands awe and fear,

and because of that exemplary behavior,

PRESIDENT OF STUDENT COUNCIL

he was selected to be the Student Council president,

despite being relatively new to the school.

The weight of a solid gold braided cord has been passed down

from president to president at Shuchiin Academy for 200 years!

Those two always look so good together.

There's even a dignity to them!

Do you think they're dating?

- Somebody, please ask them! - I wouldn't dare!

STUDENT COUNCIL ROOM

It would be presumptuous to even get close to them, let alone ask such a question!

It seems...

I WILL MAKE YOU INVITE ME TO A MOVIE

there's a rumor going around...

that we're in a relationship or some such.

That's normal for their age.

You should ignore it.

That's all it is?

They think Shinomiya and I are dating?

The fools certainly do enjoy talking about nonsensical love affairs.

Although...

if Shinomiya demanded that I go out with her, I suppose I would mull it over!

And I'm certain she has feelings for me.

Probably just a matter of time.

She should just take off the mask of a perfect, pampered young lady

Shirogane, I need to talk to you.

and make her blushing appeal to me.

The ignorant children with their common talk.

Who do they think I am?

I'm a member of the Shinomiya family, the heart of this country.

How did they reach the conclusion that I would be dating a commoner?

Well, I suppose there could be a very slight possibility.

If he got on his knees and offered up his body, soul, and hometown,

I suppose I could train him to be a man who measures up to me.

Certainly, there's no man who doesn't pine for me.

It's probably just a matter of time.

While they were engaging in this kind of thing...

half a year passed!

Nothing of note happened during that period.

By the way, today there were snails

in the interior of the apple and cherry relief in the courtyard's water fountain.

My younger sister once caught a cold taking a dip in the water fountain,

even though it was hot outside.

When you act according to emotions, nothing good results.

During this period of nothingness,

their thoughts shifted from, "I wouldn't mind dating him/her"

to "Maybe I'll make him/her confess his/her love to me."

Meanwhile, one other person had no idea that two super high school-level minds

STEAMED BUN

were engaged in sophisticated strategizing!

SHUCHIIN ACADEMY STUDENT COUNCIL SECRETARY

That reminds me! Listen to this!

CHIKA FUJIWARA

I won a pair of movie tickets, but my parents won't let me see stuff like that,

STEAMED BUN

LOVE REFRAIN

So are you two interested?

CHEAPSKATE

Hmm.

Come to think of it, I have a rare free weekend.

So, Shinomiya, why don't we—

Supposedly there's a jinx. If a boy and a girl

go see this movie together, they'll become a couple.

How romantic!

Oh, Shirogane.

Did you just invite me?

You want to go with me to a movie in which males and females

are said to become a couple if they see it together.

Oh, dear, that sounds a lot like...

Like I'm asking her out on a date!

Shirogane's predicament was, in romance,

"The person who falls in love loses" is the rule!

As they were both full of pride, neither one could confess one iota of romantic interest!

What should I do? It's blatant. The only thing I can do is smooth it over!

Why don't we sell the tickets to a scalper?

Oh, Shirogane, I've never seen you this flustered before.

It's cute.

This is unacceptable! There is no escape route on the path that Shirogane conquers!

You're the one who's going to run, Shinomiya!

Yeah, I invited you, Shinomiya.

I don't care about rumors like that, but it seems you do.

Do you want to see this movie with me?

LOVE REFRAIN

That moment, Shinomiya thought...

After indicating the intent to invite me,

he assigned me the choice of whether we see the movie or not.

Well played.

I could choose to refuse,

but then all of my preliminary arrangements up to now would become meaningless.

WINNER

I went to all the trouble of fabricating a prize and putting it in Chika's mailbox.

All right!

My plan to aim for one of Shirogane's rare free days would be for nothing!

LOVE REFRAIN

And if I turn him down now,

Shirogane may never invite me to anything again!

From the viewpoint of a young lady, I say no! And I say no to that kind of choice!

LOVE REFRAIN

Yes, well...

I can't help believing in stories like that.

So if we are going,

I'd like you to at least invite me with more passion.

MISS INNOCENT

"Miss Innocent" skill implemented!

It's a negotiating skill passed on from father to child in the Shinomiya family.

It's said this calculated expression and voice even make the gods' hearts beat faster.

In truth, Shirogane's thoughts were also in disarray.

Well, I guess it's the man's duty to ask a woman out.

That thought crossed his mind!

Of course, Shinomiya didn't let that chance go by!

She pursued without a moment's delay!

LOVE REFRAIN

I'm at the age where I'd like to try a little romance, too.

This battle of thoughts seemed to be like a chess problem.

Shinomiya cornered Shirogane, who searched for an opportunity to turn it around.

The brains of these prodigies raced two steps ahead,

clashing with each other as wheels turned faster than any ordinary mind!

Kaguya strengthened her defense.

Shirogane tried to break through!

They both constructed a theory leading to a conclusion!

The one who completed the theory first would be the winner!

If you don't like love stories, you can also use the tickets...

to go see the movie, "The Birdie from Tottori."

“The Birdie...

...from Tottori”?

Chaos theory.

Secretary Fujiwara's casual remark

added an element of chaos into the theories that were all but completed!

It was only one element, but like the Big Bang, the chaos increased the possibilities.

In order to process the vastly expanded choices,

Um, is something wrong?

the wheels in their brains spun even faster, going beyond their limits!

As a result, their brains craved a great deal of sugar!

SUGAR

The only sugar in the Student Council office was in a single steamed bun!

Thus, whoever obtained the steamed bun would be the winner!

Afternoon classes are about to start.

Well, see you again after school.

It was a sophisticated romantic battle of the brains,

with the ingenuity and pride of these two geniuses on the line.

TODAY'S BATTLE RESULT

BOTH SIDES DEFEATED

I repeat, it was a sophisticated romantic battle of the brains,

with the ingenuity and pride of these two geniuses on the line!

Huh?

KAGUYA WANTS TO BE STOPPED

Oh.

Oh dear, huh?

A love letter?

Yes.

He was very passionate, even asking me out to dinner.

In other words, he invited you out on a date?

A love letter to Shinomiya?

Some men really are fools for love.

We're talking about Shinomiya who usually passes the time looking at me.

Does this fellow know, next to me, any other male in the vicinity

would only register as a talking weed?