On the first day of school, Ryūji discovers that he and Taiga, the meanest girl in class, share a secret: each loves the other's best friend.

Taiga's efforts to get closer to Yūsaku fail: A scheme in basketball ends with Taiga knocked out, and she drops a plate of cookies out a window.

Taiga has a photo album full of blurry pictures of Kitamura. Ryūji offers to snap some pictures of him instead.

Yūsaku's childhood friend Ami, a model, transfers to the school and immediately becomes popular with everyone but Taiga, who sees the truth about her.

When the school's pool opens for the summer, the gang shops for new swimsuits, and Ryūji helps Taiga with an embarrassing problem.

Ryūji tries to help Taiga win a swimming race against Ami, but when Ryūji nearly drowns, the truth about Taiga's feelings comes out.

As preparations get under way for the school's cultural festival, Ryūji urges Taiga to consider reconciling with her estranged father.

Taiga's reconciliation with her father divides her friends, but she ends up disappointed when her father doesn't attend her school play.

Taiga wins a beauty contest despite a crushing disappointment about her father; a race is held to determine who will dance with Taiga.

A rumor starts that touching Taiga leads to good luck; Yūsaku gets some interesting news from the student council president.

Yūsaku has a meltdown in class, dyes his hair blond and refuses to run for student council, causing everyone to wonder what's wrong with him.

Yūsaku reveals his love for Sumire, a student council president who is leaving to study abroad, so his friends urge him to run for her council seat.

With Christmas approaching, the student council plans a party while Taiga decides to curry favor with Santa by playing Cupid for Ryūji and Minori.

The entire class pitches in to assemble an artificial Christmas tree with a glass star, but a stray fly ball destroys the decorations.

The love triangle of Ryūji, Minori and Taiga reaches a crisis point when true feelings are realized during the school's Christmas Eve party.

The class trip to Okinawa is canceled, leading to a last-minute change of plans to a ski trip, where Ryūji resolves to tell Minori how he feels.

During the ski trip, Ryūji confesses his feelings for Minori, but not to her. When Taiga disappears, everyone frantically searches for her.

Knowing that Taiga believes she was rescued by Yūsaku during the ski trip, Ryūji asks Yūsaku to pretend that she's correct.

When Yasuko collapses from anemia due to overwork, Ryūji and Taiga take over her job of selling chocolate and use Ami's celebrity to improve sales.

The truth about Taiga and Ryūji's feelings for each other finally comes out, and they make a plan to run off together and get married.

When Yasuko reconciles with her parents, the truth about Ryūji's father is revealed, inspiring him to have a traditional wedding with Taiga.