High school student Yuuki Uehara dreams of becoming a manga artist, but his confidence shatters when an editor dismisses his romantic comedy manuscript as unrealistic and trite. As he spirals into despair, he crosses paths with his bubbly and popular classmate Niina Miyamoto, an aspiring manga artist who has received the exact same criticism about her own work. Recognizing their shared predicament and mutual lack of romantic experience, Niina proposes an unusual solution: they should enter a fake relationship to generate authentic material for their stories.

The series follows Yuuki and Niina as they navigate this arrangement, pretending to be a couple while documenting their experiences for their respective manga. Yuuki, a self-described 2D enthusiast who prefers fictional heroines, finds himself increasingly overwhelmed by Niinas energetic and unpredictable personality, which defies the shy, chaste ideal he created for his own protagonist. Niina, a gyaru who dresses provocatively but remains secretly dedicated to her craft, discovers that Yuuki is far from the confident hero she envisioned for her stories. Together, they act out classic romantic comedy scenarios, from amusement park dates to karaoke confessions, all in the name of research.

The setting is a Japanese high school where both protagonists balance their academic lives with the demanding pursuit of professional manga careers. As their fake relationship progresses, they encounter other figures in the publishing world, including editors and professional manga artists for whom they work as assistants. These experiences push them to improve their craft while blurring the line between performance and genuine emotion.

Key narrative arcs include their collaboration on manuscripts for the prestigious New Artist Award, a beach trip intended for drawing practice that becomes something more, and a hot springs vacation where unspoken feelings threaten to surface. The series also explores their individual motivations: Yuuki began drawing to comfort his mother after a difficult divorce, while Niina promised her ailing grandmother that she would one day achieve serialization. As deadlines loom and their professional dreams hang in the balance, the question becomes whether their manufactured romance will lead to comic disaster or transform into something real.

The anime adaptation is directed by Shunsuke Ishikawa, with series composition by Deko Akao and animation production by Studio ROLL2. Yuuki is voiced by Ayumu Murase, and Niina by Sayumi Suzushiro.