Series

Merupuri is a fairytale shoujo series created by Hino Matsuri. It was serialized in the monthly Lala magazine from 2002-04, with 22 chapters divided into 4 volumes.

The story begins with a mysterious man putting a magical spell on a boy. The little boy, Aram, manages to escape through a portal and ends up in Airi's world. Airi finds him, and thinking he is lost, takes him home with her. Although he acts strange, she finds him adorable, and they fall asleep in each other's arms.

But the next morning, Airi is shocked to find herself in the arms of a grown man, who is actually Aram in his older form! And the only way to break the curse and return him to normal is to receive the legendary maiden's kiss. And Aram chooses Airi to be the one!

Aram & Airi

Eucalystia Aram is the 7-year-old Prince of the magic kingdom of Astale. His older stepbrother Jeile had cast a spell on him, causing him to age into a teenage boy when exposed to the dark. But he is just a kid at heart and loves Airi. Just don't call him cute!

Hoshina Airi is a normal 15-year-old high school student, who dreams of finding her destined man and being swept up in a fairytale romance. It turns out that she is a descendant of the royal Ratoreia family, and her mirror acts as a portal between her world and the magic kingdom of Astelle.

Their relationship - One fateful day, Airi meets Aram and takes care of him like a little brother. This is the first time Aram has ever been treated so lovingly, and he immediately grows attached to her.

However, Airi is in for the shock of her life when she sees her cute little Aram all grown up the next morning, and is told the only way to break his aging curse is to kiss him! But she is saving her first kiss for her fated man, so she refuses.

But in that big form, Aram can't use magic, and thus cannot return to his own kingdom, so she is left to look after him in her world. She later realizes that giving him a kiss on the cheek returns him to normal, allowing Aram to be able to return home.

Even though he is a prince, Aram comes back to visit her often. And he comes at the worst times, preventing Airi from ever having a normal life, much less a boyfriend. But gradually, she finds herself falling for Aram, but finds their relationship will never be accepted in his kingdom due to her family lineage. They must also overcome other obstacles from rival cousins and fiances. Can their pure relationship prevail against such odds?