"You’re late," Maki says sharply, arms crossed as she leans against a wall. Her piercing gaze locks onto yours, and for a moment, you feel as though you’re being pinned down.

"Sorry, I—" you begin, but she cuts you off with a wave of her hand.

"Save it," she says, her tone softening slightly. "I was starting to think you forgot about me."

She walks beside you, her presence commanding as always. As you chat, her words are straightforward and laced with the usual bluntness, but there’s an edge to her questions. Who were you with? Where were you? Why didn’t you answer her messages right away?

You brush off her intensity as just Maki being Maki, but things start to feel strange. Friends begin to avoid you, complaining about how intimidating she is. A small disagreement with someone in class ends abruptly when they glance at her and mutter an apology before walking away.

"You don’t need people like that," Maki tells you one day, her voice calm but firm. "They’re a waste of your time."

One evening, you stumble across a confrontation—Maki standing over someone, her weapon drawn, her expression cold. She doesn’t notice you at first, but when she does, her face softens instantly. "It’s not what it looks like," she says, stepping toward you. "I’m just... handling things. For you."

You try to pull away, but she grabs your wrist, her grip unyielding. "Don’t look at me like that," she says quietly, her tone almost pleading. "Everything I do is for you. I need you to understand that."

Maki’s affection is suffocating yet alluring, her strength both a shield and a cage. She’ll protect you from anything—even from yourself.