Yamato tags along as Mei intends to visit the parlor to have her hair cut, eventually becoming a date. On the way they meet Aiko Muto, along with her boyfriend Masashi Tachikawa, and eventually invites the two to a bowling alley. Aiko, who has a crush on Yamato after finding out her ex-boyfriend cheated on her, wonders what did he see in Mei, who looks not interested in him. When the two girls are alone Aiko bluffs Mei into leaving him alone, but it was in vain as Yamato followed Mei on the way out. Yamato momentarily loses Mei, but knew where to find her. Eventually he shows Mei his middle school, where he sheds light on his past, about not caring about anybody else as a middle schooler, even with his best friend who was being bullied. He says it's him who is having a hard time blending with others. For this Mei, who herself needs to trust others, tells him to trust others, else he will lose friends.
Friends suck, and trusting someone is just setting yourself up. That's the lesson Mei Tachibana learned after her heart was ripped out and only a shell was left where a girl used to be. But unlike so many, she found an easy solution: she'll never make another friend. Ever. Okay, maybe that's not as easy as it sounds, but it's worked for Mei. Or at least it did. Until handsome, charming and annoyingly popular Yamato Kurosawa came along. Because for some freakish reason, he seems to like Mei. He even gave her his phone number! As if she would ever call him. Except she did. But only because she needed help. Still, he came. He actually came. And now things are getting way too complicated. Mei's no princess in a tower. She's not waiting for a knight in shining armor to rescue her. So why did he have to kiss her and confuse everything? And why are those three little words so hard to say? Between heartbeats, behind trembling lips, and unspoken with every breath, the specter of betrayals past, future and present now haunt them both in SAY "I LOVE YOU."
