AFTER REJECTED & HIGH SCHOOL RUNAWAY NOVEL SC (2025)

Yoshida was just rejected by his crush of 5 years. On the way home from drowning his sorrows, he runs into a girl crouching in the middle of the road, and she offers him a deal-let her crash at his place and he can do whatever he wants with her. When he refuses, she asks to stay for free. This is the story of Yoshida, a 26-year-old office worker, and Sayu, a runaway high school girl, and their unconventional life together.

At an all-time low after being rejected by his crush, office worker Yoshida reluctantly agrees to take in Saya, a runaway high school girl he met on the street. Now, as they are finally settling into their unusual living situation, Saya has a request-she wants to start a part time job! Saya has always held back from voicing what she wants, and Yoshida is overjoyed at her progress. Meanwhile, Yoshida's one-sided crush invites him to dinner, just the two of them...and now she wants to come over?!

As office worker Yoshida and runaway high school girl Sayu find themselves more and more at home in their unusual arrangement, Sayu finally works up the courage to face her future and, for the first time, considers going back home. Meanwhile, the newest employee at Yoshida's workplace turns out to be his high school girlfriend Kanda, throwing Sayu's heart into chaos. And when an expensive, unfamiliar car pulls up at Sayu's part time job, what is she to think? Is Sayu really ready to leave?

When her brother Issa arrives on Yoshida's doorstep, Sayu is given only one week to say goodbye to her new life. Now, as their time together runs out, she decides to tell Yoshida everything about her old life, why she ran away, and what her time with Yoshida has meant to her. But is this really the end?

It's finally time for Sayu to head back to her family home in Hokkaido, and Yoshida has come along to support her. But when Sayu opens the door to her old house, she's met with a slap in the face. As Sayu confronts both her own trauma and the accusations of her furious mother, Yoshida must decide how best to help her. What awaits this strange pair, neither lovers nor family, at the end of their journey? ...And is it truly over??