Monday, June 16th, 2025
South Jakarta in the morning.
The sun slowly rose from the eastern horizon, piercing through the mist formed by the cool air, veiling the view. One by one, those who had been asleep began to awaken as the light slipped past windowpanes, softened by the curtains that stood in its way.
The rulers of the house, the mother's already awake earlier than the rest, began rousing their families to prepare for the day ahead. The world, which had briefly come to a halt, started moving once more.
Streets that were once silent gradually filled with the traces of life, while public transportation resumed its duty, carrying people toward their destinations.
Dew clung to the tips of grass like tiny crystals as the fog faded away. The faint chirping of birds echoed in the air, accompanied by the subtle sounds of other small creatures that completed the symphony of morning.
Truly, it was a tranquil atmosph—
"Rahasvian Astrealis!"
Bang— A loud crash followed, the sound of something heavy slamming against the floor. The thunderous shout shattered the once peaceful silence into pieces.
The roar came from a villa located at the far corner of a residential complex. Fortunately, the villa stood relatively isolated from the others residents—otherwise, the surrounding residents, still deep in slumber, would have been jolted awake instantly.
Inside the villa, a handsome young man with ash-brown hair and fair skin stood firmly by the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. His white shirt clung tightly, subtly accentuating the lines of muscles hidden underneath.
His appearance could easily be considered above average in society, wiith sharp facial features and a well-defined jawline, any young girl who laid eyes on him would likely squeal in excitement.
However, that sharp impression would instantly crumble the moment one noticed the fluffy slippers he was wearing—orange-and-white, shaped like a cat's head.
The young man's greenish-brown eyes narrowed sharply at the figure sprawled across the floor. His lips parted, calling out in a low tone.
"Rahas,"
"...."
There was no response. The figure on the floor seemed far too comfortable to bother answering. Instead, he rolled over, turning his back on the other, and finally spoke without any intention of getting up.
"Three more hours,"
A twitch appeared on the other's temple. He lifted a hand to massage the growing headache brought on by his younger brother's antics. "Could you at least be reasonable? Other people usually ask for five to ten minutes. But you? You're pushing it," he said, stepping forward and crouching in front of the blanket-wrapped figure.
With a long sigh that spoke of years built up patience, he extended his arm—but he didn't pull the blanket away. Oh no, he had a far more effective method for dealing with his brother's laziness—he wrapped him into a burrito and without giving him time to react, he rolled Rahasvian tightly inside the blanket.
Rahasvian's eyes snapped open the moment he realized what was happening. He blinked rapidly, to remove the tears that blurring his vision, he struggling to see clearly as protest left his lips.
"???" He squirmed, trying to break free, but considering his physical strength—arguably worse than that of a sheep—freedom remained nothing but a distant dream.
"Nii! Let me go—!" Rahasvian writhed inside the blanket.
"Renniiiii!" he whined, wriggling like an overheated worm as his older brother—Renandra—lifted him up as if he were nothing more than a rolled-up carpet.
"Stop squirming or I'll throw you into the pool," Renandra threatened as he carried him into the bathroom.
"But we don't even have a pool!?" Rahasvian exclaimed in confusion.
"Exactly," Renandra replied before casually dropping him into the bathtub.
"That's why we have this."
Water splashed everywhere from the sudden impact. Rahasvian sat in the tub like a drenched cat, the cold water instantly jolting him awake. Renandra stepped back to avoid getting his favorite slippers wet.
"We have half an hour before school starts. Hurry up, shower and get dressed—we'll just have breakfast at the cafeteria," Renandra said as he turned and walked out, leaving his brother to deal with the situation alone.
"Oh, right." He suddenly paused at the doorway, gripping the handle. "Try not to clog the faucet again while you're at it," he added, his expression turning complicated for a brief moment, a trace of resignation crossing his face.
"I know, I know, jeez—it's not like I—" Rahasvian cut himself off as memories of the same incident over the past two weeks resurfaced. He scratched the back of his neck and smiled awkwardly.
"Alright, alright, I'll remember…" he conceded, recalling how his antics had resulted in the bathroom faucet needing replacement—once because he broke it, and the second time because he clogged it so badly it had to be replaced again.
Renandra shook his head before closing the door and heading to the living room. Sitting down on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, he pulled out his phone to check the time. His fingers hovered briefly before tapping on his messaging app, scrolling through recent notifications.
His brows lifted as he noticed their class group chat—without teachers—buzzing with rapid messages piling one after another. Curious, he opened the chat and was immediately met with the topic of discussion.
: Eh, korang ada dengar tak berita terbaru dari kelas sebelah?
: Kelas sabeulah aya naon?
: …Guys, didn't we already agree to communicate using English only?
: Aiya, sorry gurl, I heard from a senior yesterday that a student from the next class went missing.
: Huh? I heard about that too—so it's actually real? Didn't expect that.
: If you think about it, this is already the third time our school has missing student.
: When you say it like that, I seems to remember that yesterday I saw parents coming to the school demanding explanations and accountability. But how can the school explain anything if even the police investigation hasn't yielded results?
: Hiss, let just be careful guys. Go straight to home after school. I heard before they disappeared, they were still hanging around school because of club activities.
: Seriously? My club got schedule late evening… might just skip it.
: Nah, that's just you being lazy—you only show up once a month anyway.
: No need to call me out, damn girl.
Renandra frowned after reading through the conversation. Another student had gone missing. "It's been going on for two weeks, and the case still hasn't been resolved," he muttered, his expression darkened with displeasure.
"What's with that gloomy look? I didn't take that long to shower, did I?"
A familiar voice that sounded managed to snapped him out of his thoughts. Renandra lifted his head and looked at Rahasvian who was now fully dressed, standing before him.
"I'll tell you later. Let's just go for now," Renandra replied, slipping his phone into his pocket as he stood up.
He grabbed his bag and helmet from the table, slinging the bag over his shoulder before handing the spare helmet to his younger brother. Rahasvian accepted it.
As Renandra walked out of the villa,
Rahasvian's gaze suddenly caught something peculiar about his twin brother appearance. His eyebrow raised in wonder, a mischievious expression etched on his face.
He opened his mouth and called out, voice calm and steady.
"Hey, bro,"
Renandra stopped and turned his head slightly. "What?"
"Are you going to wear that fluffy slippers to school?"
"...."
"...."
The two stared at each other in silence. Slowly, Renandra lowered his gaze—toward the orange-and-white cat-shaped slippers on his feet. Without a word, he turned around and walked back inside.
Rahasvian looked away, his lips twitching as he struggled to hold back his laugh. His shoulders trembled. It was truly a difficult challenge—but he definitely didn't want to get hit by a flying slipper first thing in the morning.