"Okay everyone, please finish the exercise on page 56 before the next class…"
As the final school bell rang to signal the end of the school session, everyone started packing to go back home. One figure in the class wasn't particularly happy about the situation. Keigo who was still seated was being surrounded by his circle of friends asking him about what happened with the confession.
"Seriously, what happened? I thought you said she's already your girlfriend when you entered the classroom?"
"She is—"
"And that you decided to keep it a secret so she wouldn't get interrogated by the other girls?"
"I—… Look, I need to visit sensei's office so I will head off now!"
Keigo dashed out of the classroom in a hurry. On the table at the other side of the classroom beside the window, Kei could be seen leaning his head on his hand while looking out the window looking idle. He was waiting for Keigo and most of the classmates to leave before he would go to the teacher's office to meet with Shiki-sensei to take responsibility.
Chihaya approached Kei with a worried look on her face. She had somehow figured that he was involved in the incident with Keigo. She may not look it, but Chihaya was actually very observant and good at reading people. This was how she managed to stay casually friendly with everyone in class.
"Umm… Kei… by any chance… did you get involved in the incident with Keigo?"
"Hmm… who knows…"
Kei did not want others, especially Chihaya, to get involved with his troubles. He was a very secretive person in general, but he was also secretly a very protective person to the people closest to him. When he saw that Chihaya looked like she wanted to get involved by helping him, he couldn't help but refuse it.
"Well, isn't it time for your part-time work? Better hurry if you don't want another strike."
"Fine… just let me know if you need anything okay? I'll slap you if I find out I could've helped but you didn't tell me. Hmph."
Chihaya decided not to pry any further before leaving. When she left, she seemed rather pouty however. Only two people were left in the classroom, Kei decided it was time to go to the office to meet Shiki-sensei, but not before another short stop. He walked to the front of the classroom, where a guilty looking Mai sat at the corner table.
"I'm going to meet Shiki-sensei now. I know what you're thinking, and no, don't get yourself involved with this one alright?"
"But… I caused this mess…"
"Doesn't matter. You won't speak your mind when Keigo is there anyway. There isn't any point in going if nothing will be said."
Mai couldn't say another word because everything that Kei said was true. If Keigo was there, she would be too afraid to say anything to Shiki-sensei. The conversation would be guided into any direction by Keigo if it she was there as she wouldn't dare to deny anything that Keigo would say.
"Okay… but at least let me know if you need anything…"
"Mmm…"
Kei proceeded to walk out of the classroom towards the teacher's office. When he entered the office, he could hear Shiki-sensei lecturing Keigo…
"Honestly… you do know that you can still get expelled even if you are the new ace of the baseball club or whatever, right? The school is strict when it comes to these things no matter what or who the person is."
"I know sensei, but it really wasn't my fault! I was confessing to Mai when Amane came out of nowhere and grabbed my wrist tight telling me to back off!"
Kei, who had just entered the office, was not at all surprised at all about what he was hearing. He already assumed beforehand that Keigo would lie his way out of that situation, but still found it slightly laughable that he would still maintain his stance that Mai had become his girlfriend.
"He was probably jealous or something!"
"Hmm… is that really what happened? Care to explain yourself, Amane-san?
It had seemed Shiki-sensei had already noticed that Amane had long entered the room. Amane approached them without even looking at Keigo. Before he said anything, Amane took out his smartphone.
"Sensei, as much as I would want to avoid any trouble with anyone, I don't think that I can let this slide."
Kei opened a video on his phone before passing it to Shiki-sensei for her to see. It had seemed that someone had recorded the exchange between the three people involved. In truth, it was actually Chihaya who had recorded the whole thing as she was the slim figure who could be seen when Keigo was fleeing the scene. She knew that Kei would not say anything but still sent it to him with the message 'I will save the slap for tomorrow.'.
The video started from the moment when Mai started yelling in pain because of Keigo tightening his grip on her wrist and played until Keigo fled the scene. Watching all this, Shiki-sensei was shocked before turning to Keigo with a serious, angry expression. Keigo was also shocked as he did not expect anyone else would be there to see, let alone record everything on video.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself, Takeshi-san?"
Takeshi was without words as he was too surprised to even say anything to refute the evidence presented before him and Shiki-sensei.
"I will have to report this to the disciplinary committee. It is now out of my hands. You may leave now."
"You set me up!" Keigo yelled at Kei before leaving the office.
Kei let out a small sigh before turning around to walk towards the exit, before being called out by Shiki-sensei. It seemed that she was not done with him yet.
"Amane-san, a word, please."
"Yes, sensei?"
"I understand that you do not want to mix in with anyone else, but this self-destructive way of living out your high school life has got to stop at some point."
"Understood, sensei." Kei gave her an expressionless as he answered with his normal, monotonous voice.
"Honestly, I don't know if you even listened to what I said. But I am rather worried about you. This approach you have also affect those around you, especially when you are the captain of the basketball team. Please take note of that."
"Yes, sensei."
Shiki-sensei watched as he walked out of the office with her arms crossed before giving an exasperated sigh. After he left the room, she took out a student file from her desk drawer. On the top of the file she held, was a picture of a cheerful looking boy posing for his school profile photo.
"Just what is with that boy?"