Time passed in the blink of an eye, and before anyone realized it, half of September had already gone by.

Last weekend, a light drizzle had helped cool down the scorching tropical heat of Harmony town, making the air refreshingly crisp and pleasant. Now this felt like a real autumn!

Not to mention, the sea breeze carried golden leaves off the ancient Indian almond trees lining the small streets. At times, it created a breathtaking sight—a cascade of golden foliage fluttering through the air, a scene that seemed poetic and dreamlike to the romantic at heart.

But for sanitation workers, this so-called “romantic” scenery was nothing short of a nightmare, as they imagined the daunting task of cleaning up endless piles of fallen leaves.

Autumn had always been regarded as the most beautiful season in Vietnam. Countless poets and musicians, from past to present, had composed timeless masterpieces celebrating every fleeting moment of autumn’s charm.

Even someone as logically driven and math-oriented as Ethan found himself momentarily awestruck by the clear, vividly blue sky of an autumn morning as he stepped out of his rented room today.

And it wasn’t just him. It seemed that many others were also caught up in this dreamy autumn daze.

Halfway through his walk to school, a sudden scream rang out from afar.

“A A A A A A!”

A girl with shoulder-length wavy hair was riding a bicycle that seemed far too big for her small frame.

She was shouting frantically—or possibly even crying out of fear—as she barreled downhill at full speed, hurtling like a lightning bolt from the slope behind Ethan.

It looked like she had just learned how to ride a bike and hadn’t quite figured out how to control her speed, let alone use the brakes properly on a steep slope like this.

Luckily, since it was still early in the morning, the streets were mostly empty, sparing her from the risk of crashing into other people.

She somehow managed to keep her bike on a straight path as she zoomed past where Ethan was standing.

But by the time she reached the bottom of the hill, her bike suddenly wobbled in a zigzag pattern, completely losing balance—sending both her and the bike hurtling straight into a nearby brick wall.

BANG!

The impact looked painful.

Without thinking, Ethan immediately ran over to check on her. The girl lay motionless on the ground after her rather spectacular crash landing.

(Oh… She’s wearing my school’s uniform.)

As he approached the scene, he saw her face down on the pavement, with the oversized bicycle pinning her down. Her scattered schoolbooks had been flung from her backpack, littering the ground around her.

Her face was bright red as he drew closer. Flustered, she waved her hands frantically, as if desperately trying to shoo him away.

It was clear that, for some people, embarrassment over their clumsiness in public outweighed their concern for potential injuries.

Ethan suppressed a chuckle at her childish reaction. He quickly lifted the bike off of her, set it upright with its kickstand down, and leaned it against the wall. Then, he crouched down to check on her.

Despite the nasty collision, she didn’t seem seriously injured—at least, not on the surface.

For a split second, his heart skipped a beat.

He froze.

He was completely taken aback by her large, shimmering hazel eyes, which gleamed with a radiant clarity, as pure and deep as an autumn lake.

Her mesmerizing gaze was further framed by long, thick lashes, giving her an almost enchanting appearance.

It took every ounce of mental effort for Ethan to snap himself out of the trance.

“Are you okay? Can you stand up?”

“J…Just fine.”

The girl clumsily scrambled to her feet. Without so much as a glance at Ethan, she hurriedly gathered her scattered books and stuffed them into her backpack.

(How rude.)

Ethan thought to himself upon hearing her informal, almost dismissive response to her upperclassman. The emblem on her school uniform indicated that she was a 10th grader at Harmony High School.

Without her uniform, one might have mistaken her for a middle school student. Even standing upright, she still looked tiny, barely 1m53 at most. Her round, cherubic face retained adorable, childlike features, complemented by smooth, rosy-white skin.

She hurried over to her bike. The way she effortlessly hopped onto the seat made it clear that she really wasn’t injured.

“…Thank you!”

She turned back awkwardly to thank him. But before Ethan could respond, she hastily pedaled away, even though there was still plenty of time before school started.

Yet, just moments later, her handlebars wobbled again.

This time, she stepped off the bike properly—not jumped down like before. It was obvious that she had actually hurt herself somewhere but had just been putting on a brave front.

Ethan walked over, gently took hold of the handlebars, and then casually sat down on the bike seat.

The girl blinked in surprise.

“I’ll give you a ride to school. Hop on the back seat.”

Hearing his offer, her cheeks flushed pink again. Her soft pink lips curled slightly as if about to form a smile, and her bright, expressive eyes gleamed with playful mischief.

She didn’t say a word, but she obediently climbed onto the back seat, letting Ethan give her a ride to school.

Her tiny hands lightly grasped the hem of his shirt, using it for balance as she sat behind him.

From behind, a faint floral scent drifted toward Ethan—a fragrance so light and delicate, yet it evoked a strangely familiar sense of peace.

It smelled just like the lilies from the hospital room where he had once fallen into a feverish sleep.

Ethan let out a deep sigh.

“What’s wrong?”

Her voice broke the silence. Now that she was no longer stuttering nervously, her real voice was revealed—a voice that, though slightly childish, was so clear and angelic that it sounded just like the one from his dreams.

“…Nothing.”

He murmured softly.

Then neither of them spoke another word.

Together, they rode through a golden autumn morning, beneath the falling leaves, as the crisp wind whispered through the trees.

That was the first surprise of the day.

The second came when Ethan stepped into the classroom.

To his astonishment, Royce was actually seated in his assigned seat right from the first period—for once, not sneaking off to sit elsewhere.

Even though he was still sandwiched between two actual, living girls—not 2D drawings or 3D-rendered models—Royce looked surprisingly cheerful for once. He even winked and gave Ethan a thumbs-up in greeting.

Following Royce’s gesture, Ethan’s gaze shifted to his own desk—and there she was.

His long-absent deskmate had finally returned to class.

At least from now on, Royce’s ridiculously long left arm would no longer accidentally bump into Ethan’s, causing him to mess up his handwriting.

And more importantly, Ethan could now fully concentrate on lessons without being distracted by Royce’s constant monologues—his own personal, one-man comedy show that played nonstop next to his ear.

But the third surprise—the final and most shocking one—was this:

Autumn Nguyen…

was none other than the girl with those clear, mesmerizing brown eyes—the one who had looked no older than a middle schooler—whom Ethan had unknowingly given a ride to school just this morning.