"How about we go out? We would make such a great couple!"
In the back of the school, a rough and loud voice could be heard. Just half an hour ago, a girl was rejected at this very spot and now it was receiving its very next customer a short while later. One would look at it as a confession, but in truth, it was more of a demand than a request. The boy was attempting to overwhelm her into accepting his confession to become a couple. The person being confessed to was none other than Chihiro Mai.
Mai was a shy and awkward girl. One would call her a typical wallflower when they looked at her behaviour. However, Mai was deemed to be the most beautiful girl in school and had been confessed to countless times. Everyone often wondered how she had managed to reject every single confession that had been asked to her since she was so timid and looked to be pushed into anything anyone wanted.
"Takeshi-san, I—"
"Please, call me Keigo. We will be a couple from today onwards so we should address each other by our first names."
"I am sorry, but I cannot go out with you!"
As she spoke those words out loud, Keigo's demeanour can be visibly observed to have changed. His charismatic aura turned into an angry one as his expression changed completely.
"I am not looking to be in a relationship at—"
"I'm sorry, but what did you say? You can't go out with me? That was not a question I said back then, it was a declaration. Whether you like it or not, we are going out. No questions asked!" Keigo shouted at her.
"Please leave me alone!" Mai yelled as she started walking away feeling frightened.
"I did not give you permission to walk away! Listen to your boyfriend when he speaks!" Keigo yelled as he grabbed Mai's wrist.
"Let me go!"
As Mai continued to struggle to break free from his grip, Keigo started gripping more tightly, hurting her in the process.
"Stop, please! You're hurting my hand!"
"I am not letting go until you say we are going to be a couple! I already declared to the other members that I was going to make you my girlfriend. What kind of fool would I look like if I came back empty handed?"
As Mai's eyes started to water, a large hand gripped Keigo's wrist out of a sudden and lifted it off Mai's wrist. Mai took this opportunity to pull her hand back to break away from Keigo and ran behind the person who saved her.
"What the hell—… Agh! Stop! It hurts damn it!" Keigo yelled as he looked up at the figure who was grabbing his wrist tightly. It was none other than Kei who had appeared.
Mai ran behind Kei with teary eyes as she was holding the wrist that was grabbed. It had turned red and slightly swollen, it seemed that Keigo had gripped her really hard. When Kei looked at her wrist, he then turned back to Keigo.
"Seriously, what is wrong with you Takeshi? What sick joke are you trying to pull?"
"None of your damn business. Now let go of my wrist before you regr—"
Before Keigo could finish his sentence, Kei started tightening his grip. This time, Keigo's knees suddenly dropped to the ground before he started yelling…
"Agh! Stop it! Are you trying to break my wrist?! Stop it!"
"Isn't this what you did to Mai? Tell me, how does it feel? Describe this pain you are feeling?" Kei said with a slightly angry tone as he gripped even tighter.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please… stop!"
"I am not the one you should be apologising to." Kei said as he did not look to let go of his wrist just yet.
"I am sorry Chihiro-san! Please forgive me!"
As Keigo finally apologize to Mai for his earlier actions, Kei finally let go of the wrist. It was already swollen purple at this point. Kei and Mai watched as the vice-captain of the school baseball team ran away from them. When Keigo turned a corner, a slim shadow could be seen standing there.
As Kei turned to Mai, she could only look down on the ground with an apologetic look on her face.
"I'm sorry…"
This was the truth behind the mystery of how Mai had managed to reject all the boys who confessed to her. It was not because she was strong-willed, or had managed to reject all the boys with her words alone. Many had tried more forceful methods like Keigo had done, but all of them were rejected in the end. Because Amane Kei had stepped in to help her each time.