Jetroharu and Nikee weren’t able to break their eye contact due to Nikee being confused on what to reply. They were only frozen on the stairs they’re standing on while the students who were walking on the same place became bewildered. They are blocking half of the way. 

Nikee shoved her arm away after realizing it, and moved to the side to give space. 

“Even if you say so, I don't care cause you will still end up telling it to others so leave me alone.”

She finally walked upstairs to go to the library, while Jetroharu still tried to continue their conversation by replying.

“I know you’re thinking twice about it. It’s your favorite spot after all.” He was taunting her.

“Does she think it's easy to move on the moment she looks down on me because of my grades?  It’s unfortunate for her, because for me, I won’t let her slip away like this.” He will not let this issue slide easily.

Nikee is already at the front door of the library, but she stops taking another step, and stays outside. She is contemplating what Jetroharu had said. Those words are so distracting that she doesn’t like the thought of leaving him unanswered, making her decide to  go immediately back downstairs.

As she made her step, she saw him walking down and hurriedly chased him. She pulled his arm strongly and held on it tight.

“What’s the deal with you anyway? Why didn’t you tell anyone yet? Now you’re saying you want me to help you pass your subjects in exchange of not telling it to anyone!? What’s the problem with you!?” Nikee can’t help but show a visibly angered expression on her face.

“You still don’t know yet? You’re reducing my whole personality based solely on grades, remember? That’s why you don’t have any friends right? Our classmates do not like you.”

“Who the heck cares!? Aren’t you doing the same thing to me? You're also judging based on your impression of me studying there alone, and you’re making me look like a lonely-ass human just because of that?” She retracted.

“Don’t tell me you’re denying that?”

“I’m not lonely. Should I keep repeating this for you?”

“Then don’t judge me based on numbers as if you’re telling I’m a dumb f*** who knows nothing. If you want  me to improve my grades so bad, then why don’t you just go help me study and sh**?”

Nikee laughs off on that statement.

“Why me? Aren’t you supposed to be getting help from your seatmate?"

Jetroharu doesn't get her so he felt the need to say the reason why.

“That girl likes me. I am uncomfortable around pretty people.”

“What?” She got confused for a second.

“I prefer studying with plain ass nerds like you, since you’re not pretty at all and that would make me comfortable."

Nikee wants to raise her fist but she can’t deny those words.

“I will not argue with you on that, but it’s still a no. Even studying with me will do you no good. Just tell the others of that place. I don’t care. I’ll find a new one outside the school anyways.”

Nikee had said everything that she wanted him to hear. She started walking away, while Jetroharu was still pissed. 

“Is she still implying that I’m a stupid f***? You want me to keep bothering you so bad huh?” his angered eyes follow her as she heads out to the opposite direction where he will not be  going.

—

Nikee was walking on the hallway lost in her thoughts. She didn’t know where she’s headed.

“Now that I may not be able to go there again, where do I go to study now? …That place…”

She remembers a past memory.

“Are you crying?” , “huh? I’m-”

As soon as she was reminded by this moment, she blushed.

“Whatever, he doesn’t go there anymore anyways…”

She continues to walk around with no destination in mind.

—

Chi and her two other friends are standing in front of the mirror in the women’s bathroom. Chi was crying while she was being comforted by Jana and Rain.

“Not that we know who he really is, but he’s definitely not worth your time Chi.” Jana asserted.

“Yeah Chi, he’s an asshole. How could he reject someone pretty like you as his study partner!?” Rain adds.

“She’s right Chi. So stop crying. You shouldn’t be wasting tears on someone like him.”

Chi finally uncovered her face, she seemed like she’s almost finished crying. 

“But on another note, he was straight forward. You guys knew that’s the reason I like him right? He’s not like some typical pretentious kind of guy.”

The two other friends we’re shocked.

“Ha!? You still like him after what he told you!?” Jana exclaimed.

“He was just being honest, that’s no reason to dislike him.” Chi has confirmed that her feelings didn’t waver one bit.

“You’re so into him huh?” Rain looked a bit disappointed

Chi wiped her nose with the tissue she’s holding. “I wonder why he suddenly backed out? He did agree with me at first.” She folded the tissue and threw it in the trash.

“That’s what I was thinking too!” Jana concurred.

All of them started wondering what the reason could be.

—

In a room full of men shouting to each other, Kazu wasn't an exception. This room is what they consider as their safe haven, the internet cafe. This is the place where Jetroharu is headed.

Kazu’s eyes we’re only attached to the screen, he doesn’t make a single blink, even until Jetroharu arrives at the place and is already on the back of his chair calling him.

“Oi”

“Yes, go there!”

“Oi, Kazu.”

“Closer, closer!”

“Kazu.”

“Yessir! Keep that up!”

It is until this time that Jetroharu lost his patience. He removed the huge headphones cemented on Kazu’s ears and whispered onto it, but not in the ordinary whisper way.

“Kazu, you deaf!” He whispered that out loud.

Kazu really thought he was going to be deaf.

“Ouch! That was loud! What the heck are you doing here? I thought you were getting all lovey dovey with your study partner? Who’s she again? Ah, right, Chi!”

“No I didn’t.”

“Then why the heck are you here!?”

“I want to go where Wei is working. I don’t know how to get there so I need you to accompany me.”

“HA!?” Kazu was taken aback. He would never leave a game where his team is almost winning.

“I’m not finished with the game yet!”

Jetroharu didn’t want to waste anymore time, so he pulled Kazu’s chair and took him out of it.

“Ah! I'm almost close to ranking up!” He wasn’t able to do anything but grumble.

They got out of the cafe with Kazu getting confused as to why Jetroharu is on a rush of something.

“What’s up with you!? If there’s something you wanna talk about with Wei then you can just talk about it with him tomorrow?”

“I want to talk about this with him today, and only this day.”

“What is it about anyway?”

“Something which I need his help. I also want to let you know of this too.”

Kazu was bamboozled.

“Tsk. You’re a hopeless man.” Knowing this side of Jetroharu,  he can’t do anything but go with him to Wei’s workplace.

—-

Wei is working part-time at a fast food chain. He is currently cleaning the tables with leftovers.

“Oi Wei, someone had also just left, you should also clean that table after you’re done with that, someone’s waiting.”

“Yeah sure, just a second!” He suddenly wipes the table quickly to proceed to the other table.

He took out the trays with leftover foods and the people who are waiting started sitting on the chairs. As he sprayed water on it and wipes the dirt afterwards, when he took a look at the people who were around that table, he was dumbfounded.

“Jetro!? Kazu!? What are you doing here!?”

Jetroharu pulled Wei’s arm.

“Can you tell your manager we need a bit of your time? There’s something important that we need to talk about.”

“Ha!? I can’t do that, our manager’s gonna get mad.”

“Just tell him that it’s emergency, I’m sure they’ll understand.”

“What!?”

“Just do it, this man is impossible to deal with.” Kazu gave Wei some advice.

Wei stared at the both of them trying to scan the situation. 

“Tsk. Okay. I’ll try.” Wei also had given up.

“I already told Kazu to not tell Jetro about where I work cause I know he’s gonna pull up something problematic like this. Man, it really can't be helped.” He sighed as he went straight to his manager.

Jetroharu and Kazu patiently wait for Wei, but Kazu was impatient about what Jetroharu wants to talk about.

“Can you just tell it to me already? Just… you know, a little hint?”

“I’m not gonna say it until Wei is here.”

“Is it about what happened at the gig last time?”

“Huh? No. I’ve already moved on from that.”

“Then wha-”

“What happened?” Wei had finally appeared in front of them.

“So you got the permission?” Jetro asked just to make sure.

“Yeah, only for a few minutes. So what brings you two here? You do know that you just can’t interrupt me here while working.”

“You should only be saying that to Jetro, he just dragged me into going here.”

Jetroharu finally started the conversation on the topic.

“I just wanna ask something to you Wei.”

“What is it?”

“You know Mickey right?”

Wei and Kazu found themselves making a jumbled expression.

“Mickey?” Wei was clueless.

“You know…Our class rep?”

“You mean Nikee?” Kazu picked out what he meant.

“Nikee? Yeah, ofcourse I know her. She’s our classmate man.”

“I mean do you know her in a personal level?”

“Well…I guess? I can casually talk to her if that’s what you are curious about.”

Jetroharu received the answer he wanted.

“Can you ask her to be my study partner?”

This is the core question of the topic that made the other two make a baffled look.

“What!?” they shouted in chorus.

“Jetro…Don’t tell me-”

“It’s not what you’re thinking. We just had an unsettled deal, but since I can’t communicate with her about it well, I want Wei to do it for me.” He clarified to Kazu.

Wei finds it peculiar as he stares at him.

“So Wei, what about it? Can you do it?”

—

Nikee is still in the campus ground, wandering while lost in her own thoughts.

“There’s really nowhere to go for me except that place…Should I go there for the last time?” Another thought was mixed on her already jumbled line of thinking.

She goes there again, at the back of the building, to the narrow way, until she reached the entrance to the mini garden. 

“I hope that idiot isn’t here. Instead, I hope…”

A past memory flashed into her mind, she hears a tingling voice of someone. 

“Ah, Nikee!”

She can still clearly remember the tone of his voice when he called her name.

“At least, to see you here again. It’s been a few months since we’ve last talked here…casually…without the noise of other people…just the two of us…”

She slowly walks closer to the huge tree standing at the center of the garden and sits alongside it.

“When are you coming back here?”