Ebisu Shugo has been known since childhood as everyone's Ebisu-kun: handsome, kind, good at sports and studies, and always able to read the room. He has spent his whole life living up to others' expectations, but inside he feels incomplete. When he enters high school, he loses his position as the most popular boy in school to Meguro Saku, a cool and charismatic classmate who also joins the basketball club. Determined to reclaim the top spot, Ebisu focuses on challenging Meguro. However, his world turns in a new direction when he meets Kayaba Shinsaku, a girl who treats him differently from everyone else. She does not care about his popularity or his rivalry with Meguro. Ebisu falls in love for the first time and confesses his feelings, hoping to become her number one even if that means being uncool.

Shinsaku turns him down, revealing that she already likes someone else: her older cousin Daisuke, who works as the basketball team's coach. Ebisu is crushed but cannot bring himself to give up. Meanwhile, Meguro notices Ebisu's struggle and begins to act in unexpected ways, hinting at his own hidden feelings. The story follows Ebisu as he navigates his first love, his growing friendships, and his desire to be seen for who he really is rather than for the perfect image he has always maintained. The manga concludes with the resolution of the love triangle and the characters' emotional growth during their first year of high school.