Oshare Kozou wa Hanamaru(1988)

(from shoujo-manga.com)

14 year old Kotobuki-chan, a junior high school girl one day sees a cool fashion store while out shopping with some friends. What captures Kotobuki’s attention is the guy she sees in the window of the store. His name is Hodaka-san, and he is the owner of the store and designs all the clothes sold there. Kotobuki has a serious crush on Hodaka-san, and spends a lot of her time at the cafe across the street just watching him work through the store window.

Things change one day when Hodaka and 2 of his friends actually got to the cafe too, and ask to sit at Kotobuki’s table because the other seats are all taken. Kotobuki lies to the guys about her age, claiming to be 20 years old and in college. Hodaka-san is 26 years old, and Kotobuki is worried that because she is only 14, he will not like her. Kotobuki is thrilled when Hodaka’s friends start teasing her and ask her which of them she would like as a boyfriend, she immediately chooses Hodaka-san. The guys laugh and dub Kotobuki as Hodaka’s girlfriend. After that, Kotobuki hangs around the shop more often, and even works there sometimes, all the while pretending to be older than she is. Eventually though, things are discovered, and the relationship between Kotobuki and Hodaka becomes very strained. Kotobuki is so much younger than Hodaka, will it ever work out? She’s sill only in school. Can Hodaka really care for a girl so young?