Hearing When Touched

Also known as: Fureru to Kikoeru, ふれるときこえる, If I touch you, I can hear your inside words.

by Wakou Honna

"If I touch you, I can hear your thoughts." This is the supernatural ability of transfer student Satori Osanaga, but to her, it's more of a curse than a blessing. Because of this power, her deepest desire is to avoid being touched by anyone. Unfortunately, while praying to be left alone at a local shrine, her hopes are quickly dashed; noticing her standing exposed in the rain as he is passing by, classmate Sou Izumisawa hands her an umbrella to take shelter in. At school, Satori's strange attire and personality quickly ostracizes her from the rest of her classmates, but despite that, Sou treats her kindly, and she quickly falls in love with him. However, this has a devastating consequence for Sou, for Satori's painful power manifests within him. While listening to the inner voices of passersby becomes draining, the most painful thought he hears is that of his crush Mio Yuikawa, whom he discovers is in love with his close friend Takumi Shirase. Distraught by this discovery, he quickly despairs at being forced to see the hearts of others. In this moment, Satori reveals the origins of the curse to Sou and proposes a solution: if he can cause her to stop loving him, he would lose his power. But to meet that end, he must get Mio to reciprocate his feelings.