Shuchiin Academy is a beacon for talented students with a bright future ahead of them. The vice-president of Student Council, Kaguya Shinomiya, and the president, Miyuki Shirogane, are attracted to each other, but they are both too proud to be honest about their feelings, so all they do is think about how to get the other person to confess their love. Six months pass without anything happening between them, but then one day, the secretary, Chika Fujiwara, comes in with news about how she won a pair of free tickets to see a movie, a movie that supposedly turns males and females who see it together into romantic couples. This is the trigger that kicks off the romantic game of wits...

Yu Ishigami is the fourth member of the student council. Despite being a first-year, he was scouted out by Shirogane for his talent with numbers and appointed the council's treasurer. Owing to Yu's introverted personality, he normally doesn't stand out much, but the council would fall apart without him. But one day, Yu goes to Shirogane and confesses his desire to quit the group. In fact, his mind is made up, even though Shirogane desperately tries to persuade him to stay. Apparently, the situation is beyond Yu's control, but with a tear in his eye, he explains to the president that he thinks he's being targeted for murder...

Kaguya and Shirogane had an argument over the "home visit incident" and as they're both unable to be honest about their feelings, a hostile mood pervades the student council room. Since Kashiwagi has a boyfriend, Kaguya goes to her for "romantic advice," although she lies, saying she's "asking for a friend." Meanwhile, when Shirogane asks romcom fan Ishigami how he can make up with the "person of the opposite sex" he had a fight with, the class treasurer goes off on a heated rant... After getting an earful of various advice, Kaguya and Shirogane begin to realize how they really feel about each other.

After being forced to bail out on seeing fireworks with her fellow student council members, Kaguya shuts herself up in her dark bedroom. Hayasaka, Kaguya's maid, is worried about her mistress's depressive state. She tries to cheer Kaguya up, and when that doesn't work, introduces a plan to sneak out of the family mansion. Kaguya manages to slip past a pair of vigilant butlers and reaches the venue, but the fireworks display is already over. Kaguya is in tears, since she really wanted to see the fireworks with the others, but then she hears a familiar voice: "Then, I'll show them to you."

The boy who has been dating Kashiwagi, thanks to Shirogane's help, comes back yet again for more relationship advice from Shirogane. But something seems different about him. With his return from summer vacation, he has completely transformed into a player. Getting advice was just an excuse to brag about his girlfriend to Shirogane and Ishigami, and the two suspect that he has "experienced nirvana." They decide to leave the couple alone and observe them from afar as the two lovebirds start to get into a romantic mood...

Kaguya finally gets to go window shopping and watches vigilantly for her chance to befriend Shirogane’s sister, Kei. While the Fujiwara sisters get in the way, she eventually manages to position herself next to Kei. But then, she can only see Shirogane’s resemblance in Kei’s profile, making her heart beat wildly out of control. Kaguya still decides to take the opportunity to figure out what she should give Shirogane for his birthday when Kei mutters that she isn’t very close to her brother. What secrets will Kei spill about Shirogane?

With the sports festival now in full swing, the performance of the cheerleading squad is a great success, and Ishigami is overcome with a sense of fulfillment that he has never experienced before. However, when a classmate from middle school, Kyoko Otomo, approaches Ishigami, his facial expression completely changes. While still being visibly rattled, he is chosen to replace the injured leader of the cheerleading squad as the anchor for the relay race. As a pale faced Ishigami steps up to the track, he begins to reflect on an incident he once caused in the past at school...