Another day, another unspoken tension between Yeonica and Edem that is always left untouched. Zeumro, on the other hand, tried not to do so much around them, as they do not know yet if his identity is already exposed as Yeonica's.
Yeonica, time after time, glanced at Edem. As always, she always has the urge to ask Edem directly; her identity is exposed to her anyway. What's stopping her is the fact that Edem is not on her level. She's just a kid who probably witnessed so much that a teen like her should not see.
"Hey, hello! You look sad. I wonder why."
Everyone in the room turned their heads as Mezily talked. Most took a sigh, tired of their bully classmate.
Mezily sat on top of Edem's table. Her arms wrapped around Edem's shoulder. She squeezed it hard, making Edem flinch a bit. Zeumro looked at Mezily intently.
"Why are you sad? Ah, I know. Did you two fight?" she referred to Zeumro. Mezily laughed after she saw how Zeumro was killing her with his eyes.
Mezily gently patted Edem's head, as if taming her prey for blood later. "Chill, I'm just joking. You're not her boyfriend. Whatever, just be good to her, hmm? I don't want her to be hurt that much," Mezily sarcastically told him.
She then took a glance at Edem. "Because I'm the one to do that to her. Don't take my happiness away," she said and walked away. Her minions laughed at a distance before they walked with her.
Edem turned her head down as soon as Mezily went away. Her hands gripped her skirt tight as her whole body shook in fear and disgust. A drop of sweat from her forehead spread on her notebook. She swallowed her saliva a lot, trying hard to stop herself from crying out loud.
Yeonica and Zeumro looked at each other. They witnessed it all.
—
After the class, Yeonica and Zeumro went to the school's field. Yeonica sat on the bench beside the tree, holding a sandwich she bought from the convenience store before going to school. While Zeumro sat later on the other bench beside where Yeonica is sitting. He sat in the middle part, making a fair distance from her to avoid sudden suspicions. He got a book inside his bag, pretending to read.
Yeonica stared at the students running as fast as they could just to go home. She chewed her sandwich thoroughly; every bite made her remember when Zaranaia was still around. It was the same sandwich they bought when they first went to Zaranaia's favorite third space.
On the other side of the field, Yeonica saw Edem, together with Mrs. Estiva. Her curiosity rose up.
"Zarco, eyes straight," she told him quietly, but enough to be heard. They agreed before to use each other's undercover names in school, especially if they are surrounded by students or teachers and not in a safe, exposure-free space.
Zeumro caught up. He turned a page of his book, subtly taking a look at what Yeonica was referring to.
"They seem close," Zeumro commented.
"She knows what's happening inside the room. She must be consoling her student. I actually have a thought of befriending our adviser for this case," Yeonica said as she continued to bite the sandwich she's holding.
"You should not, Yumi," Zeumro immediately disagreed.
"The file you gave. Among those interviewees, her answer was the only one different. That alone can be suspicious enough. Estiva expressed suspicions about Margareth's death, which means she probably knows something. Let's not forget that Edem knows something, too," Zeumro explained. That was something he wanted to say to her when they talked through the phone. He glanced at Yeonica, then turned his eyes to Mrs. Estiva and Edem.
Yeonica remembered. He's right. Maybe she was too keen on knowing Mr. Yamar's real intention that she overlooked other information. She swallowed her food. "And they are together."
The students around the field have lessened, indicating the start of the afternoon's classes. Mrs. Estiva patted Edem's back and went away.
Edem was about to leave when Yeonica noticed two shadows not too far behind her.
"Do you see that?" she alerted Zeumro. Zeumro immediately looked as he heard urgency in Yeonica's voice but soon relaxed as he saw.
"They're from the police station. Our chief sent them to monitor Edem. They might find something that we could not," Zeumro calmly explained. But Yeonica's ear rang.
She turned at him, irritated. "What? Mister, she's a kid. What if she noticed them? Do you want to give her another possible trauma? We are solving a case. Frightening a kid is not part of our job," she said, annoyed.
Zeumro closed his book and looked at her. "They weren't asked to scare or threaten Edem to tell everything she knows. Their task is to monitor her, madam. To help me—to help us solve this case. They are not naive to not know how to do their job accordingly and appropriately," he told her.
She sighed, frustrated. "But Zarco, her father is the principal of this school. If your workmates are noticed, depending on how powerful he is—which we do not know—your undercover, including mine, could possibly blow up. Her psychological well-being is another thing. That could just push the truth away from us."
Zeumro exhaled deeply. He understood her. "I see where you are coming from, Yumi. But everything is a risk, even what we are doing. No one can be trusted. We two are not exempt from that fact. But trust me on this one, they weren't threw on the ring by our chief to ruin our fight with whoever is behind this all. They are also an additional shield for Edem. You know she's important in this case."
After they argued a bit, Yeonica calmed down. She understood him. The harsh truth is, no one is ever exempted when this kind of thing exists. No one knows if Edem is threatened or an accomplice, or how and why she seems to know everything they don't. Transgression chooses no age; crime can be committed by anyone, regardless of how young or old. Even she saw a young person—specifically Mezily—easily stomp on others' lives.
"Apologies. I hope you understand my point," Yeonica said, offering peace.
Zeumro nodded. "No problem. I know we both want the best for this."
Yeonica is not sure if Zeumro is really not a bait. Especially when she realized that Felmor and Leana are not being true to her. And now, Zeumro's side is making a move. To her, if he's ever a bait, he would want to remove a crucial part of this investigation that would prevent her from knowing the truth. Like a vision being blocked. A bridge being burnt just so the people cannot cross.
And one of the crucial parts of everything is none other than Edem.
That thought made her start something she would not let him know. Just to make sure. Just so she can prepare on how to face everything ahead.
"You're being played!"
Once again, Edem's words echoed through her mind.
"Anyway, Yumi, what is it that you want to tell me? Is it connected to Attorney Secre?" Zeumro's voice brought her back to reality.
"She's a part of it. But let's talk about it later, or tomorrow. I have something to do. Got a little busy," Yeonica told Zeumro. Zeumro was a little surprised by the sudden change of her mind, but he let her.