The Great Love Philosopher

Ayane looked at Akihiro. He ignored her as he stood up and walked onto the shore. He noticed Natsume look at him too, but ignored him as well and continued walking back towards the villa. Natsume followed him, leaving Mizouchi and Ayane together.

“Thank you so much Mizouchi-kun. I’m very grateful to you. I nearly drowned. If you didn’t save me, I wouldn’t be alive right now. I don’t know what to say. How do I make it up to you?”, Ayane said.

“Ah, you don’t need to thank me! It’s okay. Haha, even I don’t know what to say...”, Mizouchi laughed awkwardly.

“Ahh! I don’t even know what I can do to pay you back, in return for saving my life. Please let me do something at least. Maybe that way I wouldn’t feel too guilty.”, Ayane insisted.

“Ah...uhh...Okay, how about this? There is an amusement park nearby. You will help me convince both Akihiro and Natsume to come with us to the amusement park. And of course, you would have to come too!”, Mizouchi explained.

“An amusement park?! I love roller coasters so much. Even if you didn’t save my life, I would have definitely agreed. Let’s go to the amusement park!”, Ayane said excitedly.

Mizouchi’s cheeks turned red. “Ah...y-yea let’s go!”

“If you both are done flirting, I’ll go back to my post.”, the lifeguard interrupted.

Both of them turned red. “A-ah yes sir!”. They got out of the boat and stood together, bowing down in front of the lifeguard.

“THANK YOU SO MUCH!”, they said together.

“Haha no worries, have fun at the amusement park!”, the lifeguard said and drove away in the boat. Mizouchi got even more flustered.

“S-shall we go?”, Mizouchi asked.

“Yea.”

---

Meanwhile, Natsume and Akihiro had almost reached the summer villa. Akihiro kept walking towards the door while Natsume followed behind.

“Why did you give Mizouchi the credit for your actions?”

Akihiro ignored him and opened the door.

“Aki-kun, I’m talking to you. Answer me!” Natsume shouted.

“Now this way, she wouldn’t be indebted to me again, right?”, Akihiro looked back. His eyes were like the window to his soul, and all that Natsume could see was sadness.

Natsume stopped walking. He stood there and shouted, “Oh that might have been a smart move, but what about you? What do you feel about this?”

“What my body feels doesn’t matter here. I took the most rational decision. That is all.”, Akihiro said and walked into his room. Natsume didn’t follow or push forward.

He just stood there and thought to himself,

‘Ahh, this rationality of yours will end up hurting everyone and saving none.’

---

Mizouchi and Ayane had reached the summer villa too. They seemed to be very excited and happy. It felt very odd for them to be this lively just after a near-death incident.

“What happened? You just drowned, but you seem so happy. Did you meet the hot devil and come back or something?”, Natsume asked.

“I’m talking to the hot devil right now.”, Ayane said.

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa! You can’t flirt with me like that. That’s completely out of your character!”, Natsume said as they started laughing together.

“Ahaha, we’ve decided to go to the amusement park nearby and you both are coming too.”, Ayane ordered.

“I hate amusement parks.”, Natsume said.

“Why?”, Mizouchi asked.

“There are just so many small kids everywhere. Almost all the older women there are mothers of two or three kids. The amusement park is not the home to single older women in their thirties, so it’s absolutely no fun.”, Natsume explained passionately.

“Geh, you are coming. You don’t have a choice. Unless you want the punishment for wearing my swimsuit the other day...”

“I’ll come, I’ll come. I’ll come right away!”, Natsume said. Then he had a smug smile on his face and muttered, “That’s wha-”

“Natsume, do you want to meet the hot devil too?”, Ayane said. She was annoyed now.

Natsume bowed down and scrambled away, searching for his luggage. Akihiro agreed to go to the amusement park too. They only had half a day to spend at the amusement park.

----

While walking to the amusement park, Natsume moved closer to Mizouchi and whispered, “Why did you choose the amusement park? And why do we all have to come?”

“I would feel guilty otherwise. I didn’t save her. And I don’t want to take her out by lying to her.”, Mizouchi replied.

“Aha, good sense of morality huh...why amusement park though?”, Natsume asked.

“I plan on proposing to her when I take her on the Ferris wheel in the evening. Don’t try to interfere with my plans.”, Mizouchi said earnestly. He seemed determined to accomplish it, no matter what.

“Ahaha, sure sure.” Natsume said and moved away. The cool breeze blew his hair off his forehead.

‘Ah Mizouchi-kun, if Aki-kun could understand his feelings like you, do you think none of us would be hurt?’

---

They had arrived at the amusement park. It was filled with people of various ages, from toddlers to old grandparents. There were quite a lot of hours remaining until sunset, so Mizouchi had enough time to try out the other rides before taking Ayane on the Ferris wheel.

Ayane was super excited to go on the roller coaster, so they started with one of the biggest roller coasters in the park. Mizouchi and Ayane sat together while Natsume and Akihiro sat behind the two.

“Hehe, Aki-kun, are you jealous? Look! They look like lovers now.” Natsume said with a smirk, pushing against Akihiro’s shoulders.

“I’m not jealous.”

“Aww, that’s so cute. Don’t worry, the hottest male in the world is sitting next to YOUUUUU-”

Natsume was interrupted by the roller coaster’s sudden fall. The roller coaster dropped from the steepest incline and zipped through the sharp curves at full speed. Ayane and Mizouchi were screaming excitedly. Natsume was struggling to talk as the force of the wind kept pulling his cheeks apart while Akihiro sat through the whole ride with a straight face.

The four of them went on multiple rides. Ayane and Mizouchi seemed to have the most fun, while Akihiro finished all the rides with a straight face, as if they were all a cakewalk.

“Ah, it’s already late. The amusement park will close in some time.”, Natsume said. He looked at Mizouchi and nodded, conveying information by their body language. “Aki-kun, I’m hungry. Buy me some popcorn.”
“Why shou-”

“C’mon c’mon, we are best friends after all. Not everyone gets a chance to give a treat to the future hottest model in Japan. Oh right, I’ll give you an autograph if you want. Special service since we are best friends.”, Natsume said as he placed his arm around Akihiro and dragged him away.

“Haha, they are indeed very close.”, Ayane said, watching the two of them walk away.

“Umm...Ayane...We still haven’t ridden the Ferris wheel.”
“Ah yeah, it’s almost closing time. Do you want to go?”

“Y-yea...Let’s go.”, Mizouchi replied.

Mizouchi and Ayane entered the Ferris wheel. They were told that this ride was the last ride for the day.

The Ferris wheel slowly rotated, moving Ayane and Mizouchi higher and higher into the sky. The countryside’s night view was extremely beautiful. There wasn’t much light radiating from the village, making the stars shine brighter. Ayane was amazed by the stunning scenery.

“Wow, it’s so beautiful.”, Ayane said as she looked around in awe.

“Umm...Ayane...I have something to tell you...”

“Yeah? Tell me.”

Mizouchi took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down. The night sky, filled with sparkling stars all across, felt extremely dreamy. The familiar cold blue breeze, had a completely different scent tonight as Mizouchi looked Ayane in the eye.

“Ayane, I’ve liked you for a very long time now. Please go out with me!”

It was indeed a straightforward and sincere confession. Ayane was taken aback. She wasn’t expecting it at all. But Ayane didn’t seem to be reciprocating the same sincere feelings in good faith. She leaned back on her seat and looked out of the window.

“I’m sorry, Mizouchi-kun. I’ve always seen you as a friend.”

“Ohhh...I see.”, Mizouchi mumbled as his tone mellowed down. He didn’t expect things to turn out like this. After all those times when she laughed with him and talked to him, he felt like she enjoyed his company too. But now he realised that it was all only in his head, and that he had been misunderstanding things from the very beginning.

He leaned back on his seat and both of them remained silent, looking at the night sky as the Ferris wheel slowly descended.

Natsume and Akihiro were standing in front of the Ferris wheel, waiting for them. Natsume knew this would happen, so he didn’t go out to greet them in a joyous manner like usual. This time he remained quiet and observed them as they stepped out of the giant wheel and came up to them.

“Ahh, I actually have to wake up early tomorrow morning, so I’ll leave now.”, Mizouchi said as he grabbed his bag and left. It was blatantly obvious that he was lying but no one mentioned it. After all, everyone could feel the sadness in his tone.

Natsume observed Mizouchi carefully as he walked away from the amusement park as fast as he could, trying to hide his tears from his friends.

‘Ah looks like even Mizouchi-kun couldn’t hold it in till the end huh...’

----

The rest of them grabbed their belongings and began to walk towards the station.

“Do you feel bad about rejecting him?”, Natsume asked after a while of silence as the three of them continued to walk together.

“How did you know he confessed?”, Ayane asked surprised.

“I’m the Great Love Philosopher. I know it all. Now answer my question. Do you feel bad?”

Ayane averted her eyes as she nodded, “Yea...”

“Honestly, I don’t think you need to feel that bad about it. It is what it is. He just needs to learn to move on.”
“But he saved my life. If he was not there, I would have died. I can’t even repay him back. And now look at what I’ve done. I’ve hurt him again. I don’t even know what to do.”, Ayane said as her eyes went downcast.

“Every human, even the most charitable ones, do things for their own benefit. Selfishness and Greed is just human nature. You cannot deny your true nature. Subconsciously or consciously, we all create or break bonds, do actions, purely for our own benefit. Only when it’s a conscious decision, society calls it greed. But in the end, we all are selfish. It’s not a bad thing. It just gives you more freedom. You no longer are fundamentally required to be obliged to do something for someone. You, me, we all are free. We do whatever we want, for our own benefit. That’s just how it is.”, Natsume said.

“Even if what you say makes sense, I just cannot implement it like that. I still feel extremely bad about it. He saved me and I rejected him. ”, Ayane said.

“Then deal with it.”, Natsume said as he slightly got annoyed.

Ayane remained silent as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

---

The three of them reached the station and took the train back home. They reached Tokyo in a couple of hours. No one uttered even a single word, the whole time on their way back home. Natsume and Akihiro dropped Ayane at her house, and the both of them began walking home.

“Although the trip didn’t end really well, it probably did reduce the awkwardness between the two of you, right?”, Natsume asked.

“I don’t know.”

“She lost her angel. No more support system. Now she will be alone in that toxic school atmosphere. But it’s okay. She should be able to handle it. Anyways, we are close to Shibuya, so do you want to go buy something?”, Natsume asked.

“What do you want to buy?”

“Ah, my mother’s birthday is coming up. So I thought, I’d buy her a cake with the money Mizouchi paid me to not interfere with his plans. Ahaha.”, Natsume laughed. “C’mon, c’mon stick around. Eating sweets makes people happy. I hope someone makes a quote out of this at least. Haha.”

“Write it all, when you begin writing your book.”

“Oh yea, I’ve started writing the storyboard for the story. It would be even better since it’s based on real events.”

“Do you want to buy the cake or not?”, Akihiro asked.

“Yes yes, let’s go.”

---

They both walked down the lane. The street shops were crowded with people. Neon signs flashed everywhere. The difference between the calm and serene countryside and the bustling and lively atmosphere of the city couldn’t have been more extreme. Yet Natsume liked both the countryside and the city.

It was a bright, lively night. But since it was also really cold, it passed on a frosty Christmas night vibe. Such nights had always made Natsume feel lonely and emotional. He had just gotten out of the store with the cake in hand.

“Yup got it!”, Natsume exclaimed.

That’s when he looked to the right.

A couple he knew, stood there, holding hands and wearing huge sweaters.

“Yui and Ryuga...”, Natsume muttered.

He froze. The cold night had already been making him feel lonely and emotional. And now, he had bumped into these two, out of all the people he knew. God must have been a sadistic person if he was watching from above.

Akihiro grabbed the cake from Natsume’s hands, signalling him to start walking.

But Natsume remained frozen. He turned towards the couple and looked at them. Yui was trembling, while Ryuga stepped in front to cover his girlfriend.

It was painfully obvious to Natsume that even after three years, Yui was still afraid of him. He could see her trembling, cowering in fear, just by witnessing the sight of Natsume. The past events must have traumatized her deeply.

She grabbed onto Ryuga’s arm and ushered him to turn around and walk.

Natsume lifted his hand and tried to call out to them, but words wouldn’t come out of his mouth as his throat felt like it was closing up.

Yui wrapped her arm around Ryuga’s arm tightly as they both turned around and began walking.

Natsume tried taking a step forward, but his legs wouldn’t move. He was frozen in his spot. He started getting flashbacks of the past. His eyes moistened as he tried to control his emotions.

“I’M NO LONGER THE VILLAIN ANYMORE!”, Natsume shouted. The people passing by slowed down and looked at him. Yui and Ryuga stopped walking, their backs still facing Natsume.
“I’VE CHANGED. I’VE MATURED. I’M NOT THE VILLAIN OF THIS STORY ANYMORE!”, Natsume shouted. A teardrop rolled down his cheeks, reflecting the light around as it landed on the stone pavement. “I’M NOT THE NATSUME YOU KNOW. I’M NO LONGER THE VILLAIN. I WON’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES EVER AGAIN. I’VE CHANGED!”

Natsume panted. He couldn’t shout any further as his throat hurt and he was out of breath. He lifted his face and looked at them.

Yui looked back at him. He could still see the fear in her eyes but her expression seemed gentle. She still looked very beautiful, glowing amongst the neon lights. It was a bittersweet moment.

Her lips formed a smile, “I hope you find happiness one day...”

She held onto Ryuga’s arm even more tightly and walked away, disappearing amidst the crowd.

He watched as the couple slowly vanished from his sight. The encounter had reignited his memories from the past. Many memories, which he didn’t want to remember, now flashed before his eyes.

Tears continued to flow down his cheek, but his lips formed a smile,

“Isn’t that obvious? After all, I am the Great Love Philosopher.”