As Kiyotaka and Kei began to walk along the road further away from the school area, Kiyotaka still hadn't released his grip on Kei's hand. It had been nearly ten minutes since they started walking and Kiyotaka still showed no sign of explaining where they were going.
Kei seemed to have given up and stopped protesting because she knew it was useless and he would ignore it. He was stubborn, refusing to let go of his grip no matter how hard she tried to get away. This guy is stronger than a rhino! She thought in annoyance.
It wasn't until after a while that Kei realized they had entered a shopping area.
"Where exactly are you taking me?"
"Somewhere."
Kei groaned in frustration. Kiyotaka's answer didn't explain anything. "Can we stop first?"
But Kiyotaka didn't seem to have any intention of stopping.
"Kiyotaka..." Kei's voice began to sound like a whimper. "I'm tired. Let's take a break."
"We've only been walking for ten minutes, Kei."
Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. It might be a little embarrassing, but it was the only way for Kiyotaka to stop. A street light ahead of them was her target.
Kiyotaka's footsteps stopped when suddenly he felt the resistance of her hand stronger than before. He turned around and saw that the girl was holding, or more accurately, clinging to the street light they had just passed. Her arms were wrapped around it, clinging as if it was her life's support.
"Kei..." Kiyotaka urged, tugging her hand even harder. Stubbornly, Kei stuck to the lamp. She said nothing, only her violet eyes staring at him as if to challenge him. "Don't be ridiculous."
"You're the one being ridiculous," Kei replied fiercely. "What the hell are you doing? Dragging me out of nowhere and forcing me to walk with you!"
"Not without a purpose---"
"Then where are we going?" Kei interrupted impatiently. "It's just too much! You've been ignoring me all day and now you're trying to pull a prank on me, right?" Her face turned red, and liquid seemed to start pooling on her eyelids.
Seeing her tears started to flow down her face, he panicked. He had wanted to make her angry but making her cry... He hadn't expected that at all! What's more, what she just said was...
A prank? Uh oh... Did their plan get busted?
"Kei---"
Kiyotaka was taken aback when Kei suddenly screamed and started crying. She even threw herself onto the road, drawing the attention of passersby. He hurriedly knelt beside her and tried to persuade her to calm. But she only cried louder, causing him to panic even more.
Meanwhile, a schoolgirl who happened to be passing by gave him a critical look.
Kiyotaka growled. Without thinking, he closed his hand over her mouth so that her sobs were muffled - which, unfortunately, drew more gazes. "Shh .... Don't cry, okay?"
***
Kei smiled proudly as she looked at Kiyotaka's distant figure. He was buying her a drink from a vending machine nearby while she sat casually on the park bench they had passed earlier.
Apparently, her acting skills were coming in handy, she thought happily. It was a little embarrassing but despite all the stares and whispers from people who had seen her act, she had finally gotten what she wanted. And there was no mistaking that Kiyotaka, like most boys, was vulnerable to girls' tears.
