It's Not Easy Being Cute summary: College student Himesaki Nozomi was a girl who took her beauty into her own hands through plastic surgery. One day she was asked by the natural beauty Tenn?ji Ruka to teach her how to be "cute." At first, Nozomi was irked by her ignorance. How could she ask her for something like that when she had never even tasted the pain of being ugly? However, she soon learns that Ruka has her own struggles: she’s trapped by a "princely" image that prevents her from being the girl she truly wants to be. Together, they navigate the pressures of modern lookism to forge their own paths.