Indra's Arrival in Jakarta and a Mysterious Encounter
August 2023, Gambir Station, Jakarta. Indra stepped down from the train, stretching his body due to stiffness.
"Finally here, man, my body's so stiff from sitting. Now where should I go? Maybe find a boarding house first," Indra muttered.
"Hello, big brother," a girl behind Indra greeted him.
He immediately turned and saw a beautiful girl whose hair, skin, and eyebrows were all white. This was Amanda. But what surprised Indra was seeing something like a man wearing a general's battle robe and armor from the land of the rising sun, complete with a helmet and a large samurai sword. However, his body was shrouded in mist, and his face wore a mask, only his red eyes visible.
Naturally, Indra immediately became wary upon seeing the man next to the girl, but he realized that he was the only one who could see the man. Several train passengers, both boarding and disembarking, passed right through the masked man in front of him. The girl smiled, seeing Indra looking at the man next to her.
"I expected you could see Shin," Amanda said.
"Shin? That person?" Indra asked, pointing at the translucent man.
"Yes, he is Takeda Shinjou. My name is Amanda, what's your name, big brother?" Amanda asked.
"I'm Indra," Indra replied.
Suddenly, Amanda seemed to talk to Shin, and Shin's head also moved closer to Amanda's ear, puzzling Indra. Suddenly, Amanda turned to look at Indra and approached him.
"You're not an ordinary person, are you, big brother?" Amanda asked.
Indra was immediately surprised to hear Amanda's question. He started to feel annoyed dealing with Amanda, who had suddenly intercepted him in front of the train.
"So what !" Indra asked curtly.
"Nothing... come with me, I live alone in the northern area," Amanda said.
"Huh? We just met? Are you sure you want to invite me? I'm a stranger," Indra said.
"Shin says you're okay," Amanda replied.
"Look, look... there's a coffee shop over there. Let's talk first," Indra said, pointing to a cafe inside the station.
"Okay, big brother... will you pay?" Amanda asked.
"What? We just met, and you're asking me to pay? You're quite confident, aren't you?" Indra replied.
"Hehe of course. Come on, big brother, I was just kidding," Amanda replied.
Finally, they both entered the cafe. They ordered coffee at the counter and waited briefly for their order to come out. Then they sat in an empty non-smoking seat. Indra saw Shin sitting next to Amanda like her bodyguard.
"Okay, now explain who you are. Why did you suddenly greet me? We don't even know each other, do we?" Indra asked.
"This is the reason, big brother,"
Amanda took a book from her bag and opened its last page. She showed him a drawing that she seemed to have drawn herself. Indra looked at it. He saw a drawing of himself having just gotten off the train and stretching. In the drawing, Indra was wearing a pair of gloves, and the drawing appeared detailed, from his bag to the two sickles he carried crisscrossed on his back.
"How can it be so exact? I was indeed stretching just now... how could you draw all my belongings in such detail?" Indra asked curiously.
"Because I saw you coming beforehand, just flip it over," Amanda said.
Indra flipped the paper and saw a drawing of himself in his skull form, holding two sickles, wearing gloves, and a hoodie from his jacket.
"Huh? How do you know?" Indra asked.
"I'm an indigo child, big brother, and Shin has been my friend since childhood. We're always together," Amanda replied.
"Oh... an indigo child, huh... you seem to be of mixed descent, right?" Indra asked.
"Yes, my mom is Indonesian, and my dad is Russian. You too, right, big brother?" Amanda asked.
"Hmmm, yeah, my mom is Javanese, my dad is English," Indra replied.
"No wonder you're handsome, hehe... Can you transform like this since you were little?" Amanda asked.
"No... there was an incident a few months ago... As for you, how long have you known Shin?" Indra asked.
"Since I was five. I'll tell you the story," Amanda said.
After that, Amanda told her story, from moving to Bandung to finally being in Jakarta and in front of Indra at that moment. Indra, listening, was slightly affected because Amanda's story was quite heavy and difficult for his mind to process.
"Wow, your story is quite heavy..." Indra said.
"That's why I'm glad you came, big brother. What do you say, want to keep me company? You also want to go to the same university as me and don't have a place yet, do you?" Amanda asked.
"Waiiiiiit... why me? There are many others who just arrived, aren't there?" Indra asked.
"Because you're similar to Shin," Amanda replied.
"Geez, is it because I'm a skeleton?" Indra asked.
"Hehehe, half the reason is indeed because of that, but the other half isn't," Amanda replied.
"Huh, what do you mean?" Indra asked.
Suddenly, Shin seemed to whisper to Amanda, who nodded her head. Then Amanda also seemed to talk to Shin. Indra, seeing this, tried to look around. It turned out that Amanda had become the center of attention because she was talking to the air next to her, making people, both inside the cafe and just passing by, turn with questioning faces as if asking, "Is that girl sane?"
"Hey, Manda, a lot of people are staring at you," Indra said.
"Oh, right, hehe," Amanda replied.
"What did he say?" Indra asked.
"Just pull him, or do I need to pull him? That's what he said," Amanda replied.
"Whoa, easy there, you tin-can ghost!" Indra retorted.
Shin seemed to whisper again to Amanda, and Amanda conveyed it to Indra, "Who's a tin-can ghost? You want to die?" That was Shin's message. Amanda immediately calmed Shin down and continued to persuade Indra. As Amanda became more and more the center of attention, Shin finally agreed to leave the station quickly. They walked out of the station and continued their journey near Monas, then Amanda took out her smartphone to open a ride-hailing application.
Indra, standing next to Amanda, noticed Amanda wasn't as tall as him.
"How old are you, Man?" Indra asked.
"Me? 18. Why, big brother?" Amanda asked.
"Huh... same age as me, turns out," Indra replied.
"Oh, you're only 18, huh?" Amanda replied.
"Yeah, still young, hahaha," Indra replied.
"So we're the same age, can I call you by your name?" Amanda asked.
"Sure. By the way, where are we going?" Indra asked.
"Northern area, I live near there," Amanda replied.
"College?" Indra asked.
"Yep, at University T, Campus F. The boarding house is close by. You're going to the same one, right?" Amanda asked.
"Man, you even know my campus," Indra replied.
"Hohoho, of course. You're the only one who came to mind," Amanda replied.
Hearing Amanda's words, Indra's head swelled a bit, feeling flattered. After the taxi arrived, they got in. Indra sat in the front next to the driver because Amanda sat with Shin in the back. The driver was surprised because when Shin got in, the car swayed slightly after Amanda shifted into the back seat. Indra, sitting in the front, turned to look back.
"Slow down, don't wreck this car," he said.
"Who are you talking to, sir?" the driver asked.
"Oh, no one, sorry, sorry..." Indra replied.
"Sorry, sir, he's not careful when he sits down," Amanda said, pointing to the empty space next to her.
Seeing Amanda pointing to the empty space next to her, he glanced at Indra, who was smiling sweetly at him.
"Don't worry about it, sir, just relax," Indra said.
"Y-yes, sir. Is this location correct on the map? Please buckle up, sir, there might be police," the driver replied.
"Oh, right, right... sorry, I forgot," Indra said.
"It's correct, sir," Amanda replied.
The car departed, traversing the congested and large city of Jakarta. Indra, who had never set foot in the capital before, looked around enthusiastically, passing tall buildings and wide, albeit crowded, roads. Finally, they reached the coastal area and entered the highway.