---

  Monday morning, 06:00 AM at Ontreight Public Middle School...

  Inside class 7-8, all students seemed busy. They weren't busy with lessons, but rather busy cheating on homework they hadn't done the night before. But not the two students in the corner of the room; they were busy chatting and relaxing as if they didn't care about their grades.

  "Drik, have you heard anything about Vins? It's unusual for him not to be seen by this time..." Doval asked Edrik.

  "Not yet, Val... I haven't seen him either! Usually, he's in the canteen, eating Mpok Rika's nasi uduk!" Edrik replied, referring to the traditional steamed coconut rice.

  "Jafar's still hospitalized too; it's really unusual for the class to be this quiet! It feels like something's missing..." Doval said.

  Doval, who was resting his head on the classroom desk, was suddenly slammed awake by someone.

  THUD!!!

  "OH MY GOD!!!" Doval exclaimed in surprise, reacting to the slamming sound.

  "Where's the money, where's the money?" asked the man with his signature cap.

  All the students, who had previously been focused on cheating, were immediately distracted by the sound of a man trying to extort Doval. However, Doval's response just left the entire class confused and surprised, as he seemed completely relaxed dealing with his delinquent senior.

  "Broke as hell, huh? Begging for loose change every morning! What are you, a walking charity box?" Doval said to Dani.

  "Hahaha... It's actually The Junior Class Funds Management and Collection Agency, Val!" Dani replied, playing along with Doval's teasing.

  "Ugh! So it's The Junior Collection Agency if you abbreviate it, huh?" Doval said.

  "Correct! More like a State-Owned Enterprise! Hahaha..." Dani replied with his distinctive Jakarta accent.

  Dani looked around class 7-8, as if searching for someone.

  "Where's Vins, Val? Is he not coming to school?" Dani asked.

  "Haven't seen him since earlier, man..." Doval replied.

  "There's actually something I need to talk to him about!" Dani said, explaining his reason for looking for Vins.

  "Oh, this must be important! He doesn't have a phone, so it's hard to reach him..." Doval told Dani.

  "Tell him later, okay? After school, I'll wait at the shop near the field!" Dani instructed.

  Doval responded only with a nod and a thumbs-up. Mid-conversation, Edrik suddenly interrupted, staring at something in Dani's mouth.

  "Hey! What are you eating, man? Looks delicious, share some!" Edrik cut in, seeing Dani sucking on a chocolate paste stick.

  "Coki-Coki, Drik! Want some? Do you want this Coki-Coki, or do you want to Choke-y Choke-y?" Dani replied, offering the popular chocolate snack with the bitten end of the wrapper while throwing in a crude masturbation pun.

  "I want some, man! Just a little bit, okay?" Edrik asked Dani.

  THUD!!!

  "Ouch! What the heck, you ugly mug? Just hitting me!" Edrik exclaimed in annoyance at Doval.

  "Ah, you! Can't see someone holding food! You're so greedy, pig!" Doval said, seeing Edrik about to grab the chocolate paste from Dani's hand.

  Karina, who had been resting her head on the desk while chatting with her deskmate, got annoyed hearing the three of them talk.

  "You guys are so noisy! Be quiet! Don't you know someone's feeling down?" Karina snapped from her desk.

  "C'mon now... Why are you upset, miss? Did your shop in Glodok go bankrupt? Hahaha..." Doval retorted, teasing Karina about Jakarta's Chinatown district.

  Suddenly...

  Whoosh...

  Thwack!

  A correction pen landed squarely on Doval's head.

  "Ow! Dammit, Kar! That hurts like hell!" Doval exclaimed, rubbing his head.

  "Say one more word and I'll throw a chair at you, seriously!" Karina shot back, pointing at Doval.

  Dani watched them, laughing, as he began to walk away from there.

  "Hahaha... I'm going back to class now! Rather than getting caught in the crossfire!" Dani said, sucking on his chocolate paste stick.

  Dani then left the classroom.

  As he was heading back to his class, descending the stairs, he met Vins, who was climbing the school stairs towards the third floor.

  "Hey Vins! Just got here? Wow! Did you get a haircut?" Dani asked Vins, who had just come up the stairs.

  "Yeah, man!" Vins replied with a half-smile.

  "Vins! Later, after school, come with me to the stall near the field! I need to talk to you about something!" Dani asked him.

  Vins just kept walking, raising only his right hand without turning towards Dani. Dani only saw his back with that gesture. Dani narrowed his eyes, muttering to himself.

  "What's up with that kid? Why does he seem so quiet? Is it because of yesterday's incident at the hospital?" Dani mumbled, wondering to himself.

  Vins then entered class 7-8, which was now somewhat more conducive as the students had finished copying their homework from the smartest kid in class. He walked into the classroom, passing his classmates with his new haircut. That made him look fresher and even more handsome; some of the female students in his class whispered to each other, seeing Vins's captivating appearance.

  "Hey, hey! Look at Vins, why does he seem a little different? He looks even more charming after his haircut!" These whispers from some girls were overheard by Doval.

  Danisa, Karina's deskmate, fell silent as she watched Vins. She then whispered to her deskmate, the girl who really liked Vins.

  "Kar, Kar! Vins is here! Look, he's so handsome, seriously! He just got a haircut, I swear!" Danisa said to her friend, who had put her face back on her classroom desk.

  "Huh? Where?" Karina replied, lifting her head.

  Karina, seeing her crush, immediately forgot her sadness from the incident at the hospital last Friday.

  "VINS!!!" Karina shrieked, jumping up from her seat and about to rush over to Vins's desk.

  Vins had just put down his bag and settled into his seat, remaining silent and unresponsive.

  "Vins! Vins got a haircut, didn't you? Ugh, you're even more handsome now!" Karina said, praising Vins's new hairstyle.

  Vins just stayed quiet, not responding at all to Karina, who seemed thrilled to see her crush.

  "Why are you so quiet, honey? Say something, don't be like a mute!" Karina continued, pressing Vins to reply as he usually would.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Doval and Edrik, seeing their friend's cold demeanor, looked confused. They assumed it might be because of the incident last Friday night at the hospital.

  "Can you just be quiet, Kar?" Vins said.

  Vins's words made the entire class stare at him as if they couldn't believe what they'd heard. Karina, hearing him, instantly fell silent, her eyes welling up. With sadness and tears streaming down her face, Karina ran out of the classroom. Her cheerful face immediately turned gloomy, followed by a cynical glance from Danisa, who was annoyed by Vins's words.

  Vins showed no remorse on his face after making Karina cry. He continued his activity by taking out his notebook and stationery. Edrik and Doval just stared at him from the desk next to where Vins was sitting, offering no response or words.

  ---

  DING!!! DING!!! DING!!!

  The break bell rang. Vins, who was heading to the school canteen alone without his two rowdy friends, accidentally ran into Ivana and her friends. Unbeknownst to Vins, his two friends were actually trailing him, hiding not far from where he stood.

  "Drik! Drik! Look at your friend there..." Doval whispered, peeking from behind a wall with Edrik.

  "Only with Ivana he's willing to talk! What a horny bastard!" Edrik retorted, accidentally speaking too loudly.

  "SSSHHH... LOWER YOUR VOICE, IDIOT!!! We'll get caught!" Doval warned his friend.

  They then eavesdropped on what Vins and Ivana were talking about.

  "Hey, where have you been lately? Why didn't you come last Saturday?" Ivana asked Vins, who was walking down the first-floor hallway.

  Vins just apologized, saying he wasn't feeling well at the time.

  "Sorry, Sis... I wasn't feeling well yesterday..." He told the popular girl.

  As Vins was talking, staring at Ivana's face, which looked more mature than his peers, Belina's face suddenly appeared superimposed on his senior's features.

  "Belina?" Vins blurted out spontaneously, making Ivana a little confused.

  "HAHAHA HAHAHA, BELINA???" Ivana's friends chimed in.

  "Huh? Belina? I'm Ivana, not Belina! Belina transferred schools a month ago, remember?" Ivana said, amused by Vins's strange behavior.

  His two friends, who were trailing Vins, immediately came out of hiding, ready to save Vins from the embarrassment his words had caused.

  "Hello, Sis Ivana... I apologize for my friend's strange behavior... He just got out of the hospital yesterday, so you know how it is!" Doval said, immediately putting his arm around Vins, who was still silently staring at Ivana.

  "Yeah, pretty Sis Ivana! He tripped and fell yesterday... And well, his brain's a little off!" Edrik continued to explain.

  "Eh? Oh, it's okay! Hehehe... Alright, I'm heading back to class now! See you around!" Ivana said, seemingly understanding Vins's behavior because of his friends' explanations.

  They watched Ivana walk away from them with her friends. Vins seemed confused by himself because of the incident.

  "Hey! Wake up! This is school, not your bed, Vins! You're rambling!" Doval said, holding his friend's shoulder.

  Vins just stayed silent and walked away towards the school canteen, not giving any response to his two friends.

  "Truly a poor soul! Tsk... Tsk... Tsk..." Edrik said, watching Vins just leave them.

  Vins, as he walked away, suddenly crossed paths with three 9th-grade students who had been watching Vins and Ivana talk in the school hallway. They were all bigger and taller than Vins, though one of them was only 2 cm taller than him. Even if he looked shorter than the others, he appeared more dominant than both of them, as if making it clear he was the Boss.

  That student's name was Junior, or commonly called King J by the 8th and 9th graders. His two friends were King J's cronies, named Harris and Darick. Harris seemed calmer with the bookish glasses he wore, yet he was the head of the Taekwondo extracurricular club at that school. Darick, on the other hand, was the son of a fairly famous Boxing gym owner in Sector C, making him a bit arrogant due to his father's wealth and business fame.

  They were a trio considered dangerous in their time. Being in 9th grade now meant they rarely caused trouble. They were busy with all the test training in preparation for the National Exam, which would be held in about 8 months.

  Junior gained such respect because he was the only Ontreight Middle School student who had ever managed to win once in a one-on-one fight against Elgor, the ruler of Tripsix school. Even Darick and Harris, who had talent in martial arts, were rendered helpless by Elgor at that time.

  Even though Ivana was a popular girl, most boys at Ontreight didn't dare approach her. King J was the reason why students didn't dare to do so. It was rumored that King J once stopped causing trouble because he was dating the child of the Guidance Counselor, but their relationship had to end due to Junior's overprotective nature.

  Junior then deliberately bumped his shoulder into Vins.

  THUD!!!

  "Hey! Watch where you're going!" one of Junior's friends exclaimed, grabbing Vins's collar.

  Vins only returned a blank stare, making Darick even more annoyed with Vins.

  "ARRRGGHHH... I'M GONNA BEAT YOU UP!!!" Darick continued, clenching his fist towards Vins's face.

  However, his action was stopped by Junior.

  "Rick! No need for violence! Remember! We can't cause trouble anymore!" Junior said, holding Darick's arm.

  Darick then released his grip from Vins's collar. Vins simply stood still, looking at them, then quickly turned around without paying any further attention. Junior, watching Vins leave, became curious about this underclassman.

  "HAHAHA!!! INTERESTING!!! INTERESTING!!!" Junior said, looking at Vins's back from a distance.

  ---

  Elsewhere during break time...

  Karina was seen brooding alone on the second-floor school balcony when she was approached by a student from another class. The guy was tall and quite athletic, as he was a member of the same extracurricular club as Harris.

  That guy's name was Indra, a 7th-grade student from class 7-9. He was also the son of the Sports Teacher at that school. From his class, Indra approached Karina.

  "Hey, Karina! What are you doing here all alone? How can a girl as pretty as you stand here by herself?" Indra said, teasing Karina, who looked sulky.

  "Nothing, just enjoying the breeze, Ndra!" Karina replied dismissively.

  "Why the frown? Your beauty might fade if you keep frowning..." the tall guy teased, placing his hand on the railing.

  "It's nothing, Ndra... I just want to be alone right now..." Karina replied to Indra.

  "If you're sad, just talk to me, Kar, it's okay! Maybe I can give you some input or advice?" Indra said, looking at Karina's beautiful face from the side.

  "It's nothing, Ndra!"

  Karina then left Indra with an annoyed expression. Karina's dismissive attitude only made Indra even more curious about the girl from class 7-8.

  Indra had admired Karina from the class next door for quite some time. He'd liked her since he first saw her during the new student orientation at Ontreight Public Middle School.

  "Kar, wait!" Indra called out to Karina, catching up to her and gently taking her hand as she walked toward her classroom.

  This was seen by Danisa, Karina's best friend and deskmate.

  "Ooh-la-la... Look at you two! One love withers, a thousand bloom, eh?" Danisa teased, seeing Indra holding Karina's hand.

  "What are you talking about, Nis! Let go of me, Ndra!" Karina exclaimed, trying to pull her wrist free from Indra's grip.

  "If you have some free time this Saturday, wanna go out with me?" Indra asked Karina.

  Karina just looked at him, confused, because she didn't want to hurt someone else's feelings the way her own felt right now. She deeply understood how much it hurt to be rejected by someone you loved, making her remember what Vins had done to her earlier that morning.

  With Danisa's support, she finally nodded, accepting the teacher's son's invitation. Danisa supported this because she was annoyed with Vins's treatment of Karina that morning. Usually, she wasn't like that. She was Karina's friend who always supported Karina in building a relationship with Vins. To see her best friend happy, she had no other choice but to support her.

  "Can I get your BBM PIN, Kar?" Indra asked Karina.

  Karina then gave her BBM PIN to Indra, making Indra ecstatic.

  "I'll chat you when I get home, okay, Kar!" Indra said, walking towards his class.

  Danisa teased Karina, who still looked sulky.

  "Don't frown all the time, pretty! You just got asked out on a date! Hahaha..." Danisa teased Karina.

  ---

  Before the class end...

  "Any questions? If not, we'll end this class now!" said Mr. Bambang, who taught Economics, at the end of class.

  DANG!!! DING!!! DONG!!!

  The bell rang, and the clock showed three in the afternoon, signaling that it was time for the students to get ready to go home.

  "Vins, wanna head back together? Bro Dani was looking for you earlier, too! He told you to go to the stall near the field yesterday! That's our way home, mine and Edrik's..." Doval said, holding his friend's shoulder.

  "Sorry, Val... I gotta go!" Vins replied, refusing his best friend's offer to walk home together.

  "Aw, man... Alright then, be careful, buddy!" Doval said to his friend.

  Vins just nodded with a flat expression, not responding with a single word as he picked up his backpack. He walked out of the classroom, leaving his two best friends behind.

  "So, buddy? Should we follow him?" Edrik asked Doval.

  "Let's go! I'm curious about Dani's invitation too!" Doval replied, answering Edrik's question.

  Vins walked down the stairs from the third floor, and all the female students in 7th grade immediately wondered about the handsome guy they saw. The same thing happened when he reached the second floor; almost every senior girl glanced at him, captivated. Vins didn't care in the slightest; he focused on the steps he was treading until he reached the first floor.

  His two friends were still doing the same thing they did during break time: trailing Vins.

  "Why do unclear people like Vins always get lucky with girls?" Edrik said, tiptoeing behind Doval.

  "Yeah, seriously, when can I be like Vins? He can just be quiet and still look handsome!" Doval replied, clearly showing his jealousy towards Vins.

  "If it's you, you'd have to get plastic surgery on your lips first, Val! Hahaha..."

  Edrik said, responding to Doval's jealousy.

  "Ugh... Look in the mirror, pig!" Doval retorted, annoyed.

  Because of their squabble, Vins, who was almost at the gate, had to be chased by them.

  After exiting the school gate, Dani and his friends were seen waiting for him, smoking.

  FWOOSH~

  "Hey, Vins! You coming or not? Let's go with me!" Dani invited.

  "I can't, Bro Dani! I'm just going home..." Vins firmly refused Dani's invitation.

  Vins started to leave them, but Dani chased after him and held his shoulder.

  "Come on, Vins, this is really important! Someone wants to meet you!" Dani pleaded for him to come along.

  "Sorry, Bro Dani... Not now!" Vins replied.

  He turned away, intending to walk off again. But once more, Dani stopped him by holding his shoulder.

  "Are you sure? Even if this is about Belina's story and the case involving Brando and Elgor?" Dani said, explaining his purpose to Vins.

  Upon hearing those words, Vins immediately looked annoyed; his empty eyes suddenly blazed because of Dani's remark. Dani smiled, seeing Vins's burning gaze, making him sure that Vins still wanted to resolve all his problems completely.

  "So, Vins?" Dani asked Vins, who was clenching his fists.

  "TAKE ME THERE, BRO DANI!"

  ---

  -To be Continued