Seeing the classroom with no students yet, Jetroharu realized that it had been the first time he went this early in school as soon as he entered the room together with Kazu.

“Wait a minute, is that Wei sleeping there!?” Kazu points out to the direction where Wei is seated. 

“What!? So he’s already here before us?”

Jetroharu checked the whole room, he seemed to be finding someone.

“She’s not here yet.” His mind was looking for Nikee.

Seeing Wei alone in the classroom, they got curious about the reason why he’s here too early so they went closer to him to ask about it.

“Oi Wei, what time did you get here? You seem to come earlier here than the rest of us.” Kazu finds it odd.

Wei moved his head out from both of his arms lying on the desk. 

“Oh it's you guys. I went early to talk to Nikee, but she’s still not here which is unusual.” He answered with his hoarse voice which slowly went back to normal.

“Huh? Why'd you have to come early? There's no need for that! You can always talk to her anytime during class.”

“No, I can't. You forgot that she’s the class rep. She has many duties with that role. She's a busy student.” 

“You're just gonna ask her that simple question though? It will not take long.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll try to find the right timing.” Wei reassured him.

As soon as Wei had mentioned it, a sound coming from the door was heard.

“Ah! She's here!” Kazu mumbled.

Nike had entered the class wearing her earphones, she never looked at them and was only minding her own business.

“Oi Wei! She's finally here! Now's the right timing!” Jetroharuu muttered.

Wei was about to stand up when he noticed that Nikee went to her seat to only place her bag and she went outside the room afterwards. 

“Huh? where did she go!?” Jetroharu was dumbfounded.

“I told you, class rep duties.” Wei replied. 

“Let’s just wait again once she got back” Kazu gave them his positive energy.

A few minutes later, the room had become noisier as the students were coming one after another every minute that passed by until they had finally noticed that NIkee had arrived.

“Ah! She's back!” Kazu told them excitingly.

“Now’s the chance Wei! Ah-” 

Jetroharu saw their teacher following Nikee on her back. 

“Everyone go back to your seats.” Nikee signaled.

“I guess later after class.” Jetroharu lost his enthusiasm.

—

An hour had passed, the whole class suddenly became lively.

“Okay class that’s all for it today, keep reviewing the lessons so you’ll not fail in the upcoming test next week. Class dismissed.” Their professor announces before she slowly steps out of the room.

Jetroharu had regained his zest. He looked at Wei and made a signal.

“Also, I forgot. Ms. Nikee, there's a class reps meeting today in a few minutes, would you be able to go? I have your excuse letter for the next subject.”

“Yes ma'am, I'll go.”

She came closer to their teacher and politely took the letter.

“She’s this hard to approach!?” 

Just when Jetroharu thought everything will go the way he wants to happen now.

“Just trust the process dude. Maybe it’s still not the right time to ask it to her”  Kazu whispered back to him.

“Hey Kazu! Are you going to the canteen today? You wanna go with us?” Chi suddenly appeared between them.

“Ha!? Me!? Ah,well…” He awkwardly switched his gaze to Jetroharu. “Hey Jetro do you wanna go with us-”

“Ah ! That’s a no? It's okay.” Chi smiled weirdly at Kazu.

“Huh!?” 

Chi and her friends leaves and walks out the classroom.

Kazu thought Chi’s been acting strange so he was curious to know the answer, he asked Jetroharu.

“Hey what happened to you two? Why is she ignoring you?”

“I don’t know about her.” He was also muddled by it.

Before Chi reached the door, she checks at Jetroharu’s reaction and caught him staring at her again. She immediately told what she had seen to her other two friends.

“Guys he looked back at me again! I think it's really working.” Chi got more earnest in doing it.

“We’re getting there.” Jana winked at her.

“Yes! Yes! Just a few more ignorings and we’ll finally make him notice you and change his mind!” Rain added to Chi’s excitement.

Kazu noticed that the three girls seemed like they’re looking in their direction.

“You think they’re talking about us?”

Jetroharu looked at them then looked away afterwards.

“They’re probably only talking about me.”

Kazu was distracted by the three girls.

“Huh? What? I didn’t hear you, say it again.”

“I said girls would never talk about you.”

“Ha?? Excuse you??” 

He was just being honest.

—

Jetroharu and Kazu had already gotten back to the classroom from eating at the canteen, even until after arriving at the classroom, there’s still no Nikee in sight. 

“It’s been so long, is she not coming back!?” Jetroharu is slowly losing his patience.

“You deaf, the teacher just said they have a class rep meeting. So she’s excused in the next class. Her bag isn’t there too.” Kazu pointed to her seat. 

“Tsk. Must be nice to get excused from attending the class. “

He shifted his gaze to Wei.

“What’s with Wei anyway? He's been sleeping every free time?”

“He said he had to work overtime yesterday, I mean all of them there.”

“Damn, that sucks.”

While looking at Wei, he looked back on his decision of making him ask her about it.

“Man I'm kinda feeling bad now that I had to request him for it” He contemplated whether he should have asked for it or not.

–

The next class came, every one had lost their energy again.

“Ok turn your page to ** and answer the given questions there. I'll give you 30 minutes, so use your time well.”

Jetroharu is getting tired of waiting.

“Ah. When will this end?” He immediately laid his head down to his desk and realized he had no paper to write on. He turned his head to Chi’s desk and noticed the amount of paper she has.

“Hey, ah Chi, can I have an extra paper? I don’t have any.”

Chi tried to ignore him as planned.

“Ah, Chi?”

She’s still not replying nor doing anything.

“If the reason you’re ignoring me is because I was just being honest, then I guess I would just have to ignore you too-”

Chi immediately tore a paper from her thick pad and lent it to him.

“Ah?”

“I'm sorry. Can we talk about this after class?”

“Huh? Ah, yea sure.”

“Okay.” The moment Jetroharu made that gaze, she knew she couldn’t stick to the plan any longer.

“That.. was fast.” He thought, making a baffled look.

—

Jetroharu and Kazu immediately went to Wei’s seat as soon as the class had finished.

During the whole class, Jetroharu was reflecting about the whole situation with Wei, and had considered his circumstances and thought he had to change his decision.

“Ah Wei, I've been thinking I guess I’ll just be the one to ask her again-”

“It's fine. I'll be the one to ask her like what we have agreed yesterday.”

“Man, your way too nice.” Kazu patted Wei’s shoulder.

Jetroharu was relieved. He knew he could always trust Wei.

“Thanks Wei! I have to talk with someone today too!”

“Huh? Who?” Kazu asked.

“Chi, she says she wants to talk to me, I guess to clarify stuff.”

“K. I'm going.” Kazu sounded bitter. He is the only one who’s leaving early because he has no business with a girl.

“Oi, wait!” Jetroharu wants to walk with him until they reach outside the classroom.

As the two leave the classroom with Wei left alone fixing his bag on the desk, he was curious about something.

“She’s busier than I thought.”

—

The students coming from the mini stadium from a different building are also leaving. These are the class representatives of each section.

As Nikee walks out together with the other students, she felt her stomach growling.

“Guess I have to eat first before I leave the school.” She looked at the bag she's holding carrying the lunchbox her sister prepared.

Without realizing, she’s headed to the secret spot when just yesterday, she told herself that it would be the last time she’ll go. She had only realized about it just when she’s already near the entrance.

“Ah. How did I got here? Wasn't yesterday the last time I’ll visit? Guess it became a habit.”

Nikee was just about to leave, when her instincts betrayed her and decides to take a short look.

“I'll just check if that idiot is here. Then I'll leave.”

Upon making her way to the entrance, she saw a silhouette. Her eyes become bigger as she slowly makes a step to take a closer look, the more she comes near the person, the more her eyes shine brighter. She wasn’t supposed to go here, but the person behind the silhouette was the sole reason she had been studying here every now and then. Without realizing herself making larger steps, she’s already inside the mini garden, in front of the person she had been waiting to come here all this time. 

“Ah finally you're here! I knew I’ll see you here!”

She sees him everyday in the class, but it just hits different when she sees him alone with her. It’s because it’s only here that they were able to talk,  free from judgment, free from the unnecessary noise, only the trace of his voice engulfs along the wind in this secret place.

“W..Wei?”