The exams are finally over. Yesterday's match ended in a tie: 5 wins and 5 losses. Luckily, I won against Christian. I still remember how exciting that match was, especially the one between Kotaro Fuuma and Zhou Yu. Halim even pulled out his gigantic shuriken to attack the kid named Zhou Yu (well, I don't know his real name), and Zhou Yu surrendered rather than get hit by that giant shuriken (even though it wasn't even thrown yet... and since when did he have a giant shuriken?! Where did he hide that thing?!). I finally went home, my body feeling like it had been slammed around by a WWE wrestler.
When I got home, I threw my bag on the bed, turned on the AC, and immediately fell asleep peacefully. I was hungry, but my desire to sleep was stronger than my hunger. Husky followed me into the room. Husky quietly played with my nose while I was still asleep. I slept for quite a while, but then my hair started to itch, my body itched, everything itched. AAAAAARGH!!! ITCHES EVERYWHERE!!!
I immediately went to the bathroom, bringing Husky with me. Just in case he had fleas again, and sure enough, he did! Husky had fleas again!! I doused Husky with cold water and soaped him up while pulling fleas from his fur. Finally, I finished bathing Husky, and now I was drenched. So, I figured I might as well take a shower myself. As I was shampooing my hair, the door suddenly opened, and Haruna walked in... wait... Haruna walked into the bathroom... And I'm in the bathroom too... WHAT'S SHE DOING IN THE BATHROOM!? I EVEN LOCKED THE DOOR!!
"Ha... Haruna!?" I froze. "Um... would you like me to scrub your back?" Haruna said shyly.
Huh? Why would Haruna say something like that? Why wasn't she embarrassed to see me bathing? But thankfully, I had my "stick" covered with a towel. I finally accepted Haruna's offer to scrub my back. I couldn't even turn around because I was so embarrassed, and I felt Haruna's hand scrubbing my back.
"You were amazing earlier." "Really?" "Yeah, you managed to defeat Christian in 45 minutes." "Oh, really... I'm getting shy now..." I blushed hearing Haruna's words.
Haruna rinsed my back until all the soap was gone. And then she finally left the bathroom after cleaning my back. My heart almost stopped; how could she just offer to clean my back like that? But well... it's fine. Sometimes I do have trouble cleaning my own back.
Finally, it was dinner time. Narika, Suba-nee, Haruna, and I ate dinner together. The menu this time was cold soba, my favorite food. I accidentally had five servings of cold soba, well, since Suba-nee made so much of it. On my seventh bowl of soba, Narika grabbed my sleeve.
"What is it, Narika?" "Ano... Frank-chan... let's play games after dinner!" "Um, sure, why not." "Franky, you have Shoyu (Japanese soy sauce) on your mouth," Suba-nee informed me. "Oh no... how embarrassing..." I wiped my mouth.
Finally, I finished eating with the others. And I played games with Narika. I do like playing games, but sometimes I get bored quickly if I play the same game all the time and never switch to another. But the game I really want to play is a Visual Novel. Many people say those games have too much talking and too little gameplay, some even call them porn games. I'm confused myself why so many people say things like that. Even though there are non-pornographic ones too.
I watched Narika playing the game; Narika and I are similar to how I am with my own younger sister. She's a bit childish, but sometimes she can act mature. She's cute and many people like her. I don't know what else to say about Narika.
"Hm? What's wrong, Oni-chan?" "Nothing, nothing at all." "You're probably thinking something perverted, aren't you?" "Sorry, no... oh... why are you calling me Oni-chan?" "Because... Oni-chan... Sugoi (amazing)...." Narika moved closer to me shyly. "You saw it, didn't you?"
Narika just nodded, her head resting against my body. I gently stroked Narika's head. It turned out my guess was right; Narika wanted to be treated like a little sister by me. This was also the first time I felt what it was like to have an older sister (Suba-nee) and a younger sister (Narika). As for Haruna... I guess I'll just consider her a cousin since we're the same age. Finally, I finished playing with Narika. This time, Narika and Suba-nee were going to pack up and return to Hokkaido tomorrow afternoon. So tomorrow, it would just be me, Haruna, and Husky.
This morning, school wasn't on holiday yet, so we were just waiting for attendance. Luckily, I brought my MP3 player to relieve my boredom. All I did was look at the field from the window; that's my habit after exam days are over. Many kids went to the canteen, played basketball, and some read books in the library. This time, David invited me to play StarCraft again.
"Frank, wanna play StarCraft again?" "Is the computer lab open?" "Yeah, it is. The guys are there." "Can we get online? I want to check my FS (Friendster)." "I think so...."
So, David and the StarCraft gang (too lazy to name them all) went to battle in the computer lab to play StarCraft. It turned out the computer lab was quite empty, more than usual. And eight spots were taken for playing StarCraft Gundam. I sometimes win if I'm lucky. Sometimes, I even get ganged up on by seven of my own friends. Those sneaky bastards!! I clearly lost to those devilish kids!!
Not long after, Haruna, Anna, and Cory also entered the computer lab. I was just engrossed in playing StarCraft with the guys. Haruna, Cory, and Anna were also on the computer, checking their FS. I even forgot my original intention of checking FS because the guys had me hooked on StarCraft. So, I opened a new window: one for StarCraft and another for FS. I looked at my FS; there were many messages from my friends in Hokkaido. They were even surprised and wanted to meet me.
Their language was Japanese, not Kanji, but text. I answered them using a mix of Japanese and English. Understandably, it's tainted with Indonesian, so my own language is a bit difficult for me. Suddenly, my ailment flared up again. My right eye started hurting. But the pain wasn't like usual; it was just a small pain that quickly subsided.
It felt like my eye was just tired. Maybe it was also because I was too close to the monitor. Or perhaps the computer lab, which was pretty cool, felt like living in the North Pole. Everyone had stopped playing because they were playing like crazy. Some even set up tons of traps, and their troops were already max level. That was actually me who did that. Hehehe... payback time!!
Everyone had stopped and left the computer lab; I finally left the lab too. This time, my destination was the fourth floor to practice my Battle song and my samurai training. Nobody bothered me because the fourth floor was empty, but the remnants of the arena were still there. Footprints and marks from missed strikes. The reaction I felt right now was my lingering victory after fighting Christian. I spontaneously raised my bokken with one hand.
"Still thinking about yesterday's fight, huh?"
Holy shit! Someone actually saw me?! How embarrassing! I quickly acted normal and didn't make a fool of myself like an idiot. AAAARGH!! SO EMBARRASSING, CRAZY!! SOMEONE SAW ME!! When I looked back, it was Haruna who saw me. Good thing, I thought it was someone else.
I was still spontaneously savoring my victory after defeating Xiahou Dun. I managed to disarm him and easily knock him down. I couldn't forget my second victory. I won when I was in 2nd and 3rd grade. When I was in 1st grade, I was still a noob. Hehehe...
This time, my phone rang again; it was Nina. She wanted to gather again in the music room. This time, I invited Haruna again to watch me practice. And still, Budi held a grudge against me. (Seriously, how long will that kid hold a grudge against me?). I just continued my singing practice; I almost forgot two words in the song I was going to sing. Suddenly, Budi faced me again.
"Bro, we need to talk."
Budi took me to his empty classroom. I just sat at the desk while Budi looked out the window. I then ate a lollipop I bought at the downstairs cooperative before I went to class. It felt like that kid was still holding a grudge against me.
"Omae (You)... are you still eyeing Haruna?" "I've made up my mind!" "Hm?" "Bro, I'm entrusting Haruna to you." "Ha? Omae majikayo (Are you serious?)... entrusting Haruna to me?" "Yeah, I'm serious. No, I'm double serious. It turns out someone actually likes me. And... I like her too... I also know... that she'll be going back to Hokkaido soon." "Ho... Very nice... so someone likes you, huh?" "Yeah, I'm letting Haruna go for you, Bro." "Ii janaki yo (That's good), no need to flatter me."
I walked out of the classroom. Then I called Budi while throwing the lollipop I bought. Budi caught it responsively. And I gave Budi some advice before I went back to practice.
"I'll give you a message... if you like her... never betray her... Women hate something called 'fake love'...." "Bro... you know a lot, huh...." "Hmph, just from the info I got, Jya-na (See ya)."
I left Budi alone in his classroom. I went back to the music room, and I started practicing again. It even crossed my mind if that kid understood the meaning of my advice. After finishing practice until my whole body was sweating, my throat was dry too. I also forgot to buy a drink, how stupid of me. Suddenly, a drink floated next to me. More precisely, Haruna gave me a drink.
"You're thirsty, aren't you? Here." "Eh, Shikashi (But)... Haruna-" "Daijobu (It's okay), I bought two." "Oh... Thank you..."
I drank it all in an instant. Lots of sweat dripped, my throat was wet after I drank. It was already 1:24 PM. This time, there was an attendance call to go home, and finally, all the kids went home. I didn't go home yet; I still wanted to stay longer at this last school... I also wanted to leave beautiful memories during my time and schooling in Indonesia... I also didn't want my friends to forget me; I just wanted to leave them with beautiful memories of my time in Indonesia. Finally, I went down to the parking lot. The kids were apparently still gathered in the parking lot and no one had gone home yet. Kevin, Ario, Regan, Anna, Cory, Wenny, and Haruna. They were all chatting in the parking lot.
"Hey, hey! The main character's here!" "Oi, you took so long!" "Where have you been, Frank?" "Everyone's been annoyed waiting for you!"
I could only laugh softly, seeing that some of my friends would never forget me when I was in Hokkaido. I finally joined their group. They said they would hold a farewell party the day after Battle Music, so I wouldn't be too tired after the battle music. Finally, everyone went home together to their respective houses. This time, it was just me, Haruna, and Husky at my house; Narika and Suba-nee had gone back to Hokkaido earlier. Two tickets were prepared for the second day after report cards, sent by Stjue. I also saw a small memo next to the tickets. And the language was slang.
"To Haruna and my naughty, flirty child."
"This house in Indonesia has been bought by Papa's friend." "Papa and Mama miss our old house in Hokkaido." "The house in Hokkaido is better than the one in Indonesia." "Oh yeah, Grandpa and Grandma miss seeing you." "They've had a baby boy, his name is Kira, 15 years old." "Now your Grandpa is truly a billionaire in Hokkaido." "Mama has also tidied up your room before you come home." "If you graduate, come home to Hokkaido with Haruna." "If not, well then, see-ya bye-bye. Hasta la vista baby!" "Please try your luck in Indonesia." "Hehehe! :p"
"Stjue to Haha"
I was speechless because my Stjue sent such a weird letter. Since when was I flirty, huh!? I've never been flirty!! Sorry about that!! Maybe Stjue and Haha think I've been doing inappropriate things with Haruna. Ugh, Stjue and Haha have been misunderstanding things all along!! They think I've been doing forbidden things with Haruna. Oh, great. My life is going to be shortened significantly.
I went to my room, threw my bag, and took Husky for a walk before dinner. Since it was already 3 PM, I trained Husky to catch the frisbee. Since he's still a puppy, I trained him slowly so he wouldn't get stressed.
It was already 4:30 PM. Finally, Husky and I went home. I immediately showered because I couldn't stand the sweat pouring off me. I just hosed Husky down with cold water, and he was refreshed after that. Before I knew it, dinner was ready. Haruna and I ate dinner as usual. I had given Husky a mountain of food and two bowls of water. For some reason, my heart pounded when I saw Haruna this time, but I hid my feelings by eating. Dinner was over, and I helped Haruna wash the dishes. It felt bad to leave her alone in the kitchen. It was late, and also a bit spooky.
I helped Haruna because I couldn't bear for her to be alone in the kitchen at night, which felt pretty eerie at night with strange noises. If Haruna started screaming, I'd have to run back and forth from my room to the kitchen until Haruna finished washing the dishes. This time, I looked around my room; it felt like there was little left. All my other belongings seemed to have been sent to Hokkaido already. So, does that mean my Stjue and Haha don't want to leave things from Indonesia behind? Or... are they just too lazy to spend money? Ah, who knows.
This time, I was practicing for Battle Music tomorrow, so I had to memorize the song I was singing so I wouldn't forget the lyrics. For tomorrow's battle music. The event starts at 5:00 PM and goes until midnight, with an imported guest star, "Akon." Imagine!! Akon in Indonesia!! That's crazy awesome!! This is the first time they've invited an imported Rapper. My group often gets second place rather than first. I guess second place is good enough rather than not winning at all. Today, I have to fight! For the good name of the Hip-hop Group!! Thank you very much (Elvis style).
The Big Night
Today, the Battle Music event began. Haruna and I had already arrived at the Battle Music venue. It turned out that all the members of the Samurai Club and the Wushu Club had come to watch my performance. And they were much friendlier with each other after the match between the wushu club and the samurai club. I felt incredibly nervous seeing my own friends in the audience. I wore my proud rapper-style hat and jacket before the event started.
"Chie~~ Franky, you look cool!" Ario said. "Thanks, hehehe...," I laughed dryly. "What number are you performing?" Felicia asked. "Group number 8, 3rd in line after Jimmy," I said, disappointed. "What number did you want?" Regan asked. "Fourth, actually... but it was already taken," I said, really disappointed.
I looked at the backstage area. Many participants were nervous in their respective rooms. I searched for my group's name, which was "Grove 4 Life." (A gangster group name from the game GTA San Andreas). I entered the room. I saw all the kids were nervous. Nina was memorizing her song by listening to it through headphones. Budi was practicing hip-hop dance for the song "Watch My Feet." Jimmy was singing softly. Andreas was pacing back and forth like an iron. I was nervous too; cold sweat was pouring down my back. My hands were also trembling.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. When I opened it, it turned out the kids wanted to see how everyone was doing before performing for this Battle Music event. Then the atmosphere became chaotic, meaning there was no heavy pressure disrupting the preparations for this long-awaited concert. My group's start time was 7:20 PM. I went out to see the event outside; it was already participant number seven, fifth in line. The time was already 11:30 PM. I just enjoyed the songs performed by other groups. It turned out there were also singers who used Hip-Hop and Gangster styles; what I heard was "O.G. Original Gangster - Ice-T." As I was outside, listening to another group's song, Haruna came out of her room carrying a food package.
"Anata wa kochira desu ne, Franky-kun. (You are here, Franky-kun.)" "Haruna? Everyone... what are they doing?" "Everyone's just chatting. I just needed some fresh air." "Hm... I see... this party looks like it's going to be really fun." "Sou-ne... Minna... looks like everyone's having fun, huh..." "Atarimaeda yo (Of course), the UAS is over. The battle between the samurai club and the wushu club is also over. Vacation is coming soon too. We also have nothing that will disrupt this long holiday." "Sou da ne (That's right).... we also won't be in Indonesia anymore soon. But someday we'll come back here for a vacation. Meet with others... chat together... and always be together like before." "Um!! Mochiron! (Of course!)"
Before we knew it, it was our group's turn to go on stage. Nina, Jimmy, Andreas, Budi, and I finally headed to the performance stage. Meanwhile, my friends had to go to the audience section because backstage was only for performers and staff. I saw many spectators cheering for Nina's group. This time, for some reason, I was incredibly nervous, as if it was my first time performing. The opening song this time was from Budi and Andreas. Budi also brought his friends to do Hip-hop dance for "Watch My Feet" by "Dude~n~nem." I watched their Hip-hop dance moves; they were truly amazing and cool. Even I was surprised that one of his chubby friends, like Ronny Dozer, could do Hip-hop dance quickly and without mistakes. That's crazy. Seriously, I was amazed by my own group members.
After Budi and Andreas's turn, it was Jimmy's turn to perform "Get Crunk" by "Lil Jon." He asked some of his friends to be West Side Boys. And what was even crazier, Andreas also threw Lil Jon's canned drink, "Crunk Energy Drink." (Even though they were all cans, did he want to kill someone with a can?) Crazy thing is, the audience was hysterical watching Andreas perform, and his cheers were quite loud for someone who likes Hip-Hop and gangster music like Lil Jon's. Almost a thousand spectators were enthusiastically listening.
After Jimmy's turn, it was my turn to go forward... huh? Why is it my turn? Isn't it Nina's turn!? After I investigated further, it turned out Nina was in the restroom, a.k.a. taking a dump. Well, fine, so I told the musicians to do the intro and the dancers to perform first for "Miss Independent – Ne-Yo," and then I would appear after the second bell rang. After the second bell rang, I appeared and started singing during the intro first, then went into the song. I suddenly found I could memorize the song easily and sing it without any problems. I sang flawlessly, some audience members sang along with me, and I also did some moonwalk moves. For the last song, I used a style where I covered my face with my hat to look cool. And finally, the audience cheered as loud as they could, thanks to my performance, which I thought was pretty cool.
After my turn, it was Andreas's turn to sing "Sean Paul – Shout (Street Respect)." Suddenly, a large Jamaican flag appeared behind Andreas, and many people joined in with Western Hip-Hop moves. Some breathed fire with lighters, some did their own unique moves, even breakdancing, and some had blinding bling-bling. Diamonds from head to toe. Seriously crazy~~~~ so dazzling, man!!
Finally, it was Nina's turn. She sang "Brandy - Wow" beautifully. When I listened to that song, something felt odd. The song is about a girl who admires a guy. The dancers performed a drama about a girl who likes a guy she's attracted to. Not just me, even my group members were confused. Isn't she a lesbian? Why is she singing that song? Even though she sings like Avril Lavigne, t.A.T.u., Lil' Kim, and Lil' Mama. Has she gotten tired of dating girls and decided to switch to dating guys now? If so, that's great.
After Nina's turn was over, it was Budi's turn to sing. He sang "Che'Nelle – Hurry Up." He also performed amazing dance moves with his friends, some breakdancing and capoeira. Finally, before Jimmy and I went on, Andreas, Jimmy, and I went to Nina to talk about the song she just sang. Something felt strange about Nina too.
"Nina, don't you feel strange?" "Strange? Why?" "Brandy's song 'Wow' is about a woman who likes a man. Don't you think that's strange?" "No, it's interesting anyway," Nina answered lightly. "HEEEEEEH!?" Andreas, Jimmy, and I couldn't believe it. "I like guys now more than girls... and I also fell in love with a guy 3 weeks ago... turns out guys are just as interesting as girls. And I already like someone," Nina said shyly. "Who?" Andreas said. "Who?" Jimmy said. "Dare? (Who?)" I said. "Budi~~," Nina replied shyly.
THUD!! CRASH!! BANG!! Everyone fell! Nina likes Budi!? The kid I called a little devil!? That's crazy!! No wonder he called me earlier and gave Haruna up to me and stopped chasing her!! So Nina is Budi's girlfriend, well, I guess this is what the Hip-hop and R&B proverb says... Music is Love, a new proverb.
After Budi's turn, it was finally Jimmy and my turn to perform "Snoop Dogg ft. Charlie Wilson – Can't Say Goodbye." This was our group's final performance. The first step was to turn off the stage lights before Jimmy and I were on stage. Then, as soon as the sound of a piano was heard, a spotlight shone on Jimmy for Charlie Wilson's part. Then a spotlight also shone on me for Snoop Dogg's part, and then all the lights came on after the words "To the Homies." I sang without any problems. Without realizing it, some of my friends were in the very front row to watch my performance. I also felt a little nervous now.
The show finally ended, and our group took second place. The prize was 50 million rupiah, plus a photo and autograph from Akon. Who would refuse a prize like that? Nobody! I was really happy to get such a prize. First place got 100 million. Second place got 50 million. And third place only got 30 million. Even if it wasn't first place, second place was pretty good, better than third or not winning at all.
The clock showed 12:15 AM, along with the night breeze. The kids also wanted to go home while waiting for me to arrive. But the situation became strange. HARUNA WASN'T THERE!! HARUNA WASN'T AROUND THE STAGE!! HARUNA DISAPPEARED!! PANIC!!!
Frankly, I panicked to death. The kids searched for Haruna everywhere. And the result was nothing, no trace of her whatsoever. The kids even wanted to call the police, when suddenly my phone rang. The number was Haruna's cell phone number. When I picked up the phone... it turned out to be that cursed and damned human again... Yanto, the vengeful kid.
"HAHAHAHAHA... You're looking for Haruna, huh? Too bad...." "DON'T MESS AROUND, YOU BASTARD!! WHERE'S HARUNA!?" "Hey, hey... relax... Haruna is with me... she's fast asleep now... and oh, the kids also want to do some dirty things to Haruna." "HEY, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!! GET YOUR DISGUSTING HANDS OFF HARUNA!!" "Ho~~ the prince is angry~~~ too bad~~~" "HEY, LISTEN, OKAMA (faggot)!! IF YOU'RE A REAL MAN, FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!! DON'T BE A COWARD!! YOU SELF-RIGHTEOUS COUNTRY BITCH!! CHICKEN!!" "Hoo~~ okay, then I'll wait at warehouse number 43-I at exactly one in the afternoon if you want to save your beloved Haruna..... don't worry... I'll give your Haruna nightmares while you're not here. Buahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!" "HOI YOU SCUM!! HOI!! SON OF A B***H!! F**K!!" I raged and slammed my head into the car.
It turns out Yanto still isn't satisfied haunting me. Okay then, I'll bring my friends to face you wherever you are!! Even in hell, I'll keep hunting you until I'm satisfied killing you until you turn to dust forever!! Wait, Haruna!! We'll all save you!!