I like you, will you go out with me?

Why is Spring considered to be the season of new beginnings?

Well, I've heard that it welcomes the change in nature emerging from hibernation. It is a season that brings new life to the flowering plants, trees, and other vegetation. A season that revives that natural world and reinvigorates after the long cold winter, giving the environment a fresh appearance.

If we connect it in our lives, what does Spring symbolize? Is it a fresh start? A bloom of youthfulness? Or an inflorescence of love?

If there's something that I learned throughout my experience this season, it would be that people are always up to something new. They're always striving for the better path, seeking that tiny speck of happiness to fulfill their youth lives.

One example of that is having a girlfriend or a boyfriend.

If a single person wants to try something new, they will enter a relationship with someone or try a new hobby. Some even hang out with their friends and some travel for adventure. There are lots of options.

As for me, I decided to try a relationship with someone.

"The rooftop is such a nice place, isn't it? You can see the whole campus from here..."

"Yes. That's actually one of the reasons why I always hang out here."

"Wait, you're always in here, Natsu?"

"Yup, during lunchtime and also after school. I love the atmosphere here and it's peaceful and quiet."

Her name is Autumn. She's a pure and lovely girl whom I respect so much. If I didn't meet her three years ago, I would've probably been stuck in the same cycle of turmoil. Unlike the other girls, Autumn struggled to be a top-notcher. She is always very diligent about her studies and has been working hard to maintain her grades.

What I love about her is that she's always proactive and enthusiastic. Despite the sacrifices she makes, Autumn always smiles and doesn't let her problems affect her. Hard work, determination, intelligence, she has everything that I kinda don't have.

"So umm, what's the important thing you wanted to say?"

That's why today... I'm going to confess. 

"Oh uh... okay, hold on..."

I won't allow this chance to escape from my grasp. If I keep on prolonging these stagnant feelings, there wouldn't be any progress between her and me.

"What's wrong? You seem to be pale, are you okay?"

I have to face it now or I will regret it later.

"A-Ah no, I'm fine..."

I calmed myself down. Why is it that a single utterance of love is more nerve-wracking than dealing with a criminal or doing the crime itself? Why can't I compose myself even after dealing with all of those things?

"Autumn..."

"Yes?"

Clenching my fist, I sharply bowed down in front of her, formally stretching my right arm as if I want to shake hands with her.

Three years' worth of romantic emotions is about to come out alongside these words.

That's why... I can't mess this up. Pour all of your love into one single question, Natsu!

I shut my eyes and then...

"I like you! Will you go out with me?"

"—!"

I blurted it out.

Time has stopped and silence enveloped the space around us. The fresh breeze of spring air passed through the rooftop, making both our hair and uniform flutter in unison. My senses are all focused on this enclosed silence. I thought I heard the door squeak for a second but I didn't mind it.

I gently opened my eyes and slowly pulled my body as I met Autumn's astonished expression. It was obvious from the way she stood that she was perplexed.

But then after that...

"Sorry."

My eyes widened ever so slightly. Autumn averted her gaze from me and she made an expression so complex that it made my heart ache for a second.

That regression from a cheer to a solemn look. It was then that I realized the answer to my confession.

"I can't really bring myself to love someone right now. Please don't misunderstand me, it's not like I hate you or something, I'm really grateful that you feel that way. It's just... I'm not really interested in going out with someone right now. That's why... I'm so sorry."

She made her answer clear and concise which I understood wholeheartedly. Autumn is a girl who has been preoccupied with her studies. Despite her good qualities, no one has ever really approached her. And I think the reason for that is clear now.

She wanted to prioritize her career and goal first before going out with someone.

Hah... that really sounds like her, isn't it?

 "Haha!" I chuckled.

"Eh? N-Natsu?"

"Hahahaha! Sorry, that just came out of the blue..."

"Y-You're not angry?" Autumn asked.

"Why would I be?"

"But I just hurt your feelings..."

It seems like she felt really bad and she thought I was going to be angry at her but... How could I even bring myself to dislike her when she's doing that innocent expression full of pureness? Autumn is just cute even when dealing with a confession.

"Not really. You didn't hurt my feelings or anything. In fact, I'm glad to hear your answer. If you don't want to go out with someone yet, then that's fine. I understand and I respect it wholeheartedly." I smiled.

"Is that so...? I'm glad then." she heaved a sigh of relief as she placed her hand on her chest.

"Sorry for confessing to you out of the blue. It's weird, right?"

"No, please don't call yourself weird, Natsu. I really appreciate your feelings and the courage that it took you."

"Can I still be friends with you?" I asked.

"Of course, you can!" Autumn stepped forward and grabbed both of my hands. "I really respect you as well, Natsu. You're one of my friends that I find special. That's why it would sadden me if you stay away after this..."

"I see... that makes me happy." I paused. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna hate you after this. Let's just pretend that nothing happened, okay?"

"Mhmm!" she nodded.

After talking for a few minutes, our break finally ended.

"Sorry, Natsu. Looks like they need me again in the room. I'm gonna go back now, what about you?"

"Oh, I'll stay here for a while to rest. They haven't given me orders yet."

"Okay! I'll see you later!"

"Sure."

After a wave, Autumn finally left the rooftop and I stood alone near the railings.

"..."

I thought I could suppress it even longer but... the wave of frustration finally entered my veins. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist. My whole body was shaking and I can't help but feel very, very... sad.

Of course. I should've expected this outcome. After all, we're talking about Autumn. She's not the kind of girl who would suddenly go out with you.

And it's not like I did have a chance. I never had any chance from the start. I devoted all of my time to helping out with the committee. Fixing Reyson's problem, dealing with Angelica's case, saving Yvette from a locked cage, and pushing Ayumi to go forward once again.

I just realized that...

"I never even spared any time to hang out with her so what the hell are you expecting, Nathan?!" I cursed myself.

I crouched down and leaned my back to the metal fence, I rested my head inside my arms and hid my face.

All this time I was just wasting my time in the council helping people...

But I don't regret it though. I saved all of them.

Would I really sacrifice and leave those people I met in the council just to increase my chance with Autumn?

"In the end... none of my hard work bore fruit," I muttered.

***

At the same time, while Nathan is reflecting on the confession that he made, Ayumi went back to the council looking dejected.

Her bleak expression is so obvious that even a child could tell that she's hurt.

When she came back, all of the members of the council were nowhere to be found. Apparently, all of them managed to finish their assigned tasks and they're now enjoying the rest of the day by looking around the campus.

Ayumi breathed out and took a seat. She was grateful that no one else is in the council office right now. She couldn't really deal with people asking her what was wrong.

Why is it that I feel like this?

Upon hearing Nathan's confession to Autumn, Ayumi immediately fled the scene with a sad face. A surge of complicated feelings rushed through her. There's a slight discomfort and pain swirling around her chest and she's struggling to comprehend the reason for it.

If he could make me feel like this then...

If Nathan could make Ayumi's feelings complicated then there's only one answer to that.

She loves him.

No, it would be better to say that she sees Nathan as a special person to her. Someone that she could rely on for help, someone that will take care of her, and someone that could melt her ice-cold mask. A person that is capable of walking beside her.

I wonder if his confession went well?

But after discovering that scene, Ayumi felt really bad for having feelings for him.

Now that she knows that Nathan likes someone, it would be rude of her to keep her advances on him from now on.

I mean, that's the only solution that I have, right? I can't let these feelings leak because that would be...

That would be unfair.

That's why she has decided that she will kill her feelings instead of cherishing them in order to avoid causing drama in the future.

Liking Nathan as a friend is the only thing I can do...

Or so that's what she thought—

The door opened and Ayumi immediately straightened her back to greet those who entered.

"—!" but the person who came... is the same person that she didn't, at the very least, expected.

"Oh, Fuyumi? What are you doing in here?" Nathan casually entered the room and asked her.

Huh? What happened? Why is he here?

"Fuyumi?" Nathan's second call woke Ayumi up. Her eyes widened in surprise when Nathan approached her.

"A-Ah! I'm taking a break right now. We just finished all of the paperwork..." she immediately made an excuse.

"Oh, I see..." Nathan smiled but it was clear that there was something wrong with him.

Ayumi kept sneaking glances at his face and Nathan didn't seem to notice it. He walked through the window and peered at the campus. She could tell that something was bugging him and that he doesn't have that usual ferocity in himself. His lips were trembling and there was a slight shake on his hands.

"Natsu, are you okay...?" Ayumi calmed herself down and asked him.

"Huh? Oh..." Nathan turned to her then he averted his eyes. "It's nothing... I'm fine." so he says but Ayumi could see through him.

"Did something happen?" she already knows what happened but she still played innocent.

In truth, Ayumi was really curious about the outcome of Nathan's confession. That's because it will serve as a turning point for her decision.

She was also nervous, of course. It feels like she was trying to dive into something dangerous.

"I..." Nathan spoke up and Ayumi firmed herself.

She was anticipating an answer that will help her push her feelings out of the way.

However...

"I got rejected." Nathan's smile was painful.

"R-Rejected...?"

"Yes. I actually confessed to someone a few moments ago but... it didn't turn out really well." he scratched his cheeks.

"Oh... That must've been really bad. I didn't expect you to tell me that though" Ayumi stood up.

"It's not like I want to keep it as a secret. People always go like this every day and it's very common." he sighed and sat down on the sofa.

"Do you know the reason why that girl rejected you?" Ayumi kept on inquiring.

"Well. she's... how do I put this? She said she didn't have time for romance and that she wasn't interested in going out with someone."

Ah... so that's how it is, huh?

Ayumi hung her head. Another surge of emotion entered her veins but this time it wasn't distress... it was a relief.

Ayumi sat beside Nathan on the sofa. With her right arm, she slowly circled them around Nathan, and then she pulled his head slowly to place it on her right shoulder.

"Huh? Fuyumi?"

Nathan didn't know what was up with her behavior but a single glance at her made him realize that she was... incredibly relieved and that her expression seemed to be full of love.

Her answer to her question earlier is... cherish these feelings.

She didn't kill them. She was given a chance.

Ayumi felt so relieved that all of her anxiety disappeared. The man she loves is currently leaning on her shoulder right now, reflecting on how discouraging his confession went. She thought that lending her this side and comforting him was the best cure for now.

And she didn't feel bad about it. It's not like she wished Nathan's confession to go down. His being rejected doesn't have anything to do with her.

Although it pained her a little bit to see Nathan gloomy right now, she's also happy because she gets to repay all of his kindness now.

"Hee hee, I know that you're confused right now but please let me do this for once..." Ayumi caressed his hair.

"But why...?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm trying to comfort you right now. If you want to talk then I'm here to listen..."

"I see..."

"How's it? Does it feel nice?"

"Mmm." Nathan smiled as he succumbed to Ayumi's comfortable shoulder.

Ayumi wondered what would happen if she planted a kiss but she disregarded it immediately. Her whole face was painted in scarlet red despite being assertive right now. Her advances are so fast that she thought she's really obsessed with him.

"C-Come to think of it, I still haven't asked you about something..." when she realized her act, she diverted the topic to the main question she had ever since the Arts Festival started.

"Yeah?"

"Natsu, tell me the truth. You did something to make this all work, right?"

"What do you mean?" Nathan played dumb.

"Don't play dumb, I know that you did something behind the scenes to make the Arts Festival successful. It's far too unlikely for the other members to switch back on track without my guidance..." she pouted.

"Oof, I sensed that you don't really trust your members..." Nathan laughed wryly.

"Don't misunderstand. I trust them but I don't believe they could instantly think of something like this. There has to be a third party out there who's helping them."

"And that's me? Why would you even think I did it?"

"That's because you're..." Ayumi abruptly paused.

That's because you're reliable...

Those should've come out but they didn't. When Nathan came to the council for the first time, Ayumi thought he was unreliable and lackadaisical but now that she realized it... Nathan has been working hard all by himself.

He solved Reyson's problem, he saved Angelica from a criminal, and he even sacrificed his reputation for the sake of helping Yvette.

All of those ended nicely because of his plan and hard work.

"Fuyumi?"

"N-Nothing! Anyway, please tell me... how did you able to save the Arts Festival?" she asked with a smooth tone.

Noticing her cute plead, Nathan smiled and told her everything that happened.

***

Before we continue, let's rewind back to the day when Nathan was in Reyson's house.

"I have some plan to get you back in early. But first, can I ask you for some favor...?" Nathan looked at Reyson.

"Sure, if that's going to reduce my sentence then let me hear it." Reyson nodded.

"Right. Although you're suspended for a long time, you can still continue to go to school even without attending the classes."

"What do you mean?"

"I've heard from the former senior principal that you could do community service or help the staff and the council members with their event and that will give you enough chance to appeal to them," Nathan explained.

In SASMNHS, since events are always important, there's a time when they're always looking for volunteers to help with setting up the venues and cleaning them. And the most common problem the council has is the lack of manpower.

"So you're saying that... I should help with the council?" Reyson asked dubiously.

"Not within the council. You know that there's an upcoming event next month, right?"

"Yeah, the Arts festival. What about it?'

"I want you and all of your connected teams to help us set up the venue for the Arts Festival. If the school or the council sees your efforts, there's a chance that you might get drafted even after a week. You don't have to wait anymore. You could still get into the tournament." Nathan smiled.

"Wait, really?! Oh my god, that sounds really great!" Reyson stood up with a jovial expression.

"Yes."

"Alright then! Count of me, bro. I'll try to talk with my teammates about this. Just contact me if you need help."

And so because of that condition, Nathan was able to gather lots of volunteers from all of the clubs to help with the manpower problem of the council during the Arts Festival.

Reyson and Danny's reputation boomed throughout the campus. All of the clubs and their members respected them so much.

That's why, with a single command of Nathan, all of them gathered at the place and helped them set up the venues for the Arts Festival.

***

Now, as for the Theatre arts performance, Nathan contacted a certain someone.

"Y-Y-You want me to be the lead artist for the theatre act?!" Angelica's voice echoed.

"Yes, you're the only one I could count on this one. The students really loved your performance and you have great talent. So please, can I ask you to host the play?" Nathan clapped his hand as he beg.

Angelica was known for her great talents. She can sing, she can act, she can dance, and she can even do a lot of impersonation. She also has a reputation for being an independent popular artist on social media.

Nathan's plan was to make the impossible, possible. So he contacted Angelica beforehand to make sure that the Theatre performance will happen at the Arts Festival.

"Hmm..." Angelica blushed as she narrowed her eyes on him. "I understand..."

"R-Really?!"

"Yes, but I have a condition!" Angelica pressed herself on him.

"Y-Yes?"

"I want you to watch me perform..." she asked him shyly.

"Oh... Of course! I'll come and watch." Nathan smiled.

"Alright, we have a deal!"

And so Nathan was able to fix the Theatre problem.

***

And now for the last one.

The budget problem that Ayumi and the council have the longest time fixing.

"Sure! I can do that!" Yvette cheerfully answered without any hesitation.

"E-Eh? That fast? Are you sure?" Nathan was perplexed about her sudden excitement.

"Yup! I've actually heard of the problem from our PTA officers and it's quite easy to fix it. The budget that they pooled was to make us re that the old building gets fixed before the Arts Festival arrives, right?"

"Yes. And because of that, we were lacking enough budget to implement all of the initial outlines."

"Then if we can't produce our own budget, we just have to find someone who can," Yvette answered.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about sponsors." when she said that, Nathan widened his eyes and realized her plan.

"Wait! So... You're planning on inviting companies to sustain it?"

"That's correct. Sponsors are basically an individual or organization that pays some or all of the costs involved in staging a sporting or artistic event in return for advertising. Since there are lots of people coming for the festival, it's only natural for them to advertise in exchange for lending us enough budget."

"I see, and you're going to handle it, right?"

"Obviously..." Yvette sighed. "I may be a student but I'm more than qualified to host an event like this so rest assured."

"I'm really sorry for pushing this on you..." Nathan apologized.

"No worries. You did a lot of things for me and I'm not gonna forget that."

"You still hid something from me though..."

"Haha! How does it feel like to date the soon-to-be owner of this school?"

"It feels stupid..."

Yvette slumped. "Y-You don't really sugarcoat your words, aren't you? Well anyway, I'll inform you when I get the contract next week. Bye, Natsu~"

And so Yvette handled the sponsorship and because of that, they were able to provide enough money to sustain the Arts Festival.

***

As Nathan explained all of it, Ayumi had her jaw dropped.

"The Arts Festival was saved not because of me, Fuyumi..." Nathan stood up and opened the windows. "It was saved because all of the students combined their efforts to make it work."

Reyson and Danny's teamwork, their clubs, Angelica's fans and friends, Yvette and her bodyguards, the council members, the committees...

All of them merged their work into one and that blooms to this result.

But the center of those connections... was none other than Nathan himself.

"Didn't I tell you before? As long as you're seeing them, you will eventually know that they're there to help you..." Nathan extended his arm and smiled. "And that includes me..."

"I see..." that was the last push for Ayumi to confirm her feelings.

There's no doubt about it, this man... is the only person that I can love.

"So all of that hard work was a setup to help me, huh...?" Ayumi whispered.

"Nathan, thank you so much for all of this. Because of you, I realized that I still have many flaws that I need to fix. I will never forget this." Ayumi placed her hand on her chest.

"You're overexaggerating. Anyway, you still haven't seen the festival yet, right?" Nathan asked.

"Eh? How did you know?"

"You're too easy to read. Come..." he grabbed Ayumi's arm and pulled her gently as he walked.

"E-Eh?! N-Natsu?!" Ayumi blushed, flattered by how Nathan wanted her to enjoy the day.

"I want you to experience the Arts Festival everyone worked hard to set. That's why I'll accompany you until the end..."

Ayumi couldn't even say anything about his words.

She just felt... extremely happy.

And so the remaining hours were spent by Nathan and Ayumi going out together.

Spring is a season that introduces us to a new beginning.

“If people did not love one another, I really don't see what use there would be in having any spring.”

― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables