Rascal Does Not Dream (light novel)

Bunny girls do not live in libraries. This is simply common sense. And yet, that’s exactly where Sakuta finds one in the wild. More bewildering is who the bunny girl is: Mai Sakurajima, a girl one year older than Sakuta, famous at their school for her acting career even though she’s currently on break. To top it all off, it seems like no one else in the library can see Mai at all, no matter what she does or...wears.

Mai is no longer invisible—she's acting again, and she finally said yes when Sakuta asked her out for the millionth time. Life couldn't be better for Sakuta...until he wakes up and finds himself reliving the morning before she agreed to date him! Assuming this weird time slip to be another case of Adolescence Syndrome, Sakuta begins searching for clues and stumbles upon the first-year Tomoe. Though the last time they saw each other involved getting kicked in the butt, now she's desperately trying to avoid getting asked out by the boy her friend is crushing on.

Just before summer break, Sakuta encounters Shouko Makinohara, a girl in junior high with the same name and face as his first love. Of course, that should be impossible, since she would be in college by now. Then, as if one mystery wasn’t bad enough, Adolescence Syndrome strikes again. His impassive friend from the science club, Rio, discovers she has a doppelgänger. One of the Rios is forced out of her house and winds up staying at Sakuta’s apartment. Definitely not the girl he expected to find himself living with.

​Sakuta is eager to finally have a chance to spend time with Mai again, but instead, he's greeted by a stranger who looks just like her. Apparently, Adolescence Syndrome is paying Mai another visit and has forced her to swap bodies with Nodoka Toyohama, a flashy up-and-coming idol...who also happens to be Mai's half sister! With no resolution in sight, each sister must pretend to be the other and go about their respective lives as best they can. Trouble is, it seems like Nodoka is preoccupied with something besides walking in Mai's shoes...

​After years without contact, Sakuta has received a letter from his first love, Shouko, asking to meet at Shichirigahama Beach. Of course, now that he’s in a happy relationship, he’s not quite sure how to respond...or how to explain the situation to his girlfriend, Mai. Maybe he’ll just focus on helping his panda-loving, stay-at-home sister achieve her goal of returning to school for the time being. But this is easier said than done, given that she hasn’t left the house for two whole years.

Sakuta is doomed. His girlfriend, Mai, has just discovered that while she was away, he’s been living under one roof with his first love, the now-college-aged Shouko. While the three of them try to navigate this complicated love triangle, the mystery surrounding Shouko only deepens when the younger version of herself checks into the hospital. What will become of this middle schooler whose only dream is to grow up? Why did Sakuta’s old flame come barging into his life again after all this time? And exactly how does Sakuta fit in?

Sakuta had been ready to give up his life, but nothing could have prepared him to keep living like this. Now he must find a way to carry on even when it feels like tomorrow will never come. And even if it does, why should he care when the love of his life is already gone? Of course, he can always count on Shouko to show him the way forward in his darkest hour, just like she did all those years ago. As he gathers the strength and courage Mai gave him, Sakuta readies himself to do whatever it takes to rewrite the past.

After a draining December, Sakuta is quickly nearing the end of his second year of high school. Since Mai is a third-year student, they don’t have much time left together before graduation rolls around. Meanwhile, his sister, Kaede, is slowly but steadily venturing outdoors again. Just as she begins to find her footing, she announces her most ambitious goal yet—attending her brother’s high school! Sakuta knows better than anyone how difficult this will be for Kaede, and he’s ready to support her however he can. He’s just not sure if that’s what’s best for her…or what she really wants…

March has arrived, meaning there’s only one month left in the third term. Mai’s graduation has come and gone. This might be a time for change, but that isn’t nearly enough to explain why Sakuta meets a little girl who looks just like Mai did when she was a child actress. Before he can even begin to unravel this fresh mystery, his father calls. Their family hasn’t lived together since Kaede was bullied. Two long years later, their mother says she wants to see her daughter. What’s changed, and what’s stayed the same? There’s only one way to find out.

Becoming a college student means starting a whole new life...right? Sakuta honestly isn’t sure. Some things have changed, but some things are still the same. His reputation definitely precedes him just like before. Of course, it’s because the entire school knows he’s dating Mai, who’s as busy as ever with her acting career. Sakuta also still lives in Fujisawa with Kaede, but now his sister regularly attends school remotely and splits her time between the apartment and their parents’ home. And Sweet Bullet is giving it their all to reach stardom together, just like always.

A miniskirt-wearing Santa appears before Sakuta, calling herself Touko Kirishima and cheerfully informing him that she’s been handing out presents—Adolescence Syndrome. Apparently, one of the lucky winners is Sakuta’s classmate from middle school, Ikumi Akagi. According to urban legend, posts tagged #dreaming are filled with prophetic visions, and Ikumi is using those posts to play hero. Sakuta sees the results of this first hand when he spots her saving someone.

Mai is in danger, and the only clue Sakuta has is a cryptic message from himself saying he needs to find Touko Kirishima. The problem is that even though he knows how to contact her, Touko seems completely uninterested in helping him. There must be another way. The answer might lie with his new student, Sara Himeji, a first-year at Minegahara who may have gotten her own little supernatural present.

Sakuta thought he’d already accomplished step one: Find Touko Kirishima. The next step was convincing her to help protect Mai, but that proved easier said than done. In the process, however, he makes a confusing discovery: There are multiple Touko Kirishimas!

The day Sakuta dreamed about has arrived. Is his search for Touko Kirishima at an end? On stage in front of a live audience, Mai makes a major announcement. So begins the final act of this curious story of adolescence.