In Romance, the Tool is SNS (Photo is for illustration purposes). ・Same day: 14.3% of males, 17.7% of females ・Within one week: 9.6% of males, 4.4% of females ・Within one to two weeks: 8.5% of males, 5.8% of females ・Within one to two months: 11.2% of males, 13% of females Looking at these figures, it’s clear that the same day we met stands out significantly. Why does this phenomenon occur among young people who often struggle with real-life relationships? Here’s a direct quote from a teacher interviewed for the book: “When we asked, it became clear that high school students meet their partners online, confess their feelings online, and start their relationships online. They spend months building their relationship in the online world. However, to become romantically involved, they must meet in person. Thus, when they finally decide to meet in real life, they often go straight to a hotel or similar place to engage in sexual activity. This is why the response ‘the same day we met’ appears frequently in the survey. According to them, while it’s their first time seeing each other’s faces in person, they have already been in an online relationship up to that point.” In other words, they handle everything from meeting and confessing to dating online, and since further intimacy requires an in-person meeting, they end up engaging in those activities on the same day they meet. As this survey was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic, the teacher mentioned that it is clear this trend has likely increased since then. “Feeling Betrayed” Of course, if the person met in this way is trustworthy, there wouldn’t be any issues. However, high school students often lack the ability to judge character deeply, leading to countless troubles arising from such interactions. A high school teacher in Hyogo Prefecture says: “Our students often say things like ‘I felt deceived when I actually met in person.’ Since they’ve only interacted with the other person online before, they discover things that differ from their expectations when they meet face-to-face. They describe this as being ‘deceived’ or ‘betrayed.’ From a logical standpoint, it’s not that they were deceived but rather that they were imprudent. While discovering that the other person’s appearance or personality differs from what they imagined might not be a major issue, in more severe cases, it can lead to situations where they are asked for money or subjected to violence. Particularly for female students, who are more likely to be lured by older individuals, the risks and potential for serious harm are higher.” The teacher mentioned that there have been cases where female students at their school became victims of crimes through online interactions. In reality, troubles involving online interactions have been increasing year by year. According to the National Police Agency’s “Crime Situation for 2023,” there were at least 1,663 minors who were victims of crimes related to social media. Clearly, this number represents only the tip of the iceberg. So, where do these misunderstandings among young people arise? We will continue to explore this in detail in the next part: “Exploring High School Relationships and the Meaning Behind Sofure and Birifures” Part 2: “Exploring High School Relationships and the Meaning Behind Sofure and Birifures”