Talking to Harloz

Harlock laughed feeling embarrassed.

"Now, now, Zio. That was an old story in my high school days. I already get over Renata, now I have had my beautiful wife waiting for at home." Harlock said. Then he looked at Alfizar, a strange look flash in his eyes as he kept eyeing Alfizar. "You looks like a reincarnation of Samuel, if you are older by a few more years, you will look exactly like Samuel."

Harlock was right, even Alfizar think he looks like his father whenever he looked at their last family picture, even Aurina looks more and more like their mother. But Alfizar can't appreciate Harlock's words for now. He had a feeling that Harlock just moved the topic away from him and their mother, Renata.

"Now, why did you ask me to bring Harloz with me, Zio? We are not parents bringing their children to a play date." Harlock said while laughing, but his laughter was stopped abruptly by a loud sound of a dull hit under the table. Harlock show a weird smile while Harloz at his side have his eyebrows twitching.

'Who is the father and who is the son here?' Alfizar thought as their interaction left Alfizar wondering and almost forgot the reason they came here.

"That's right, I almost forgot. Har," Alfizar turned to look at Harloz. Harloz look surprised at the nickname. "I need to talk about Vi."

"You remember? I thought you have forgotten." Vianzo said with an understanding look.

"I just remember recently. But," Alfizar look at the two adults in the VIP room. "Can we talk somewhere, Harloz?" Alfizar was not exactly comfortable talking with Harlock in the room.

"Alright," Harloz said as he stood from his seat, Alfizar did the same. They left the room and Alfizar could hear Harlock's sad voice saying something about boys having secret and not telling their old man.

Harloz leads him to a balcony with a great night scenery of the busy city.

"Sorry, my father has a weird sense of a joke, and he is a bit too overprotective." Harloz looked embarrassed with his own father antic. But if fate still willing to let Alfizar have his parents alive with him, Alfizar won't feel embarrassed even if they are overprotective or have a weird sense of jokes.

"Sorry, I can't relate," Alfizar said without really thinking. Harloz looks guilty when he remembered that Alfizar is an orphan. "I want to ask you about Vianzo."

Harloz nodded to tell him to continue.

"Why did you let him frame you?" Alfizar asked directly to the point. Harloz was silent as if he tried to organize his thought before he answers that question.

"How do I explain this to you," Harloz scratched his head looking hesitant. "Vianzo is actually a good friend you know. But his father changes him, and I can't save him from his father."

"What do you mean by that?" Alfizar asked him.

"Al, you know with your family status, everyone wants to get close if they know. Vianzo's father is no different." Harloz leaned to the wall, Alfizar followed his example as he keeps his question unasked for the time being and let Harloz talk.

"Years ago, when Vi was still kind to me, he told me that his father hit him because he can't befriend you." Alfizar snapped his head at Harloz in surprised. "Vi was an awkward child back then, his actions seem harsh and unkind, but I think he was like that because of the way his father treats him, you know."

Harloz spends quite a lot of time talking about Vianzo while Alfizar just listens to him. From what Alfizar heard from Harloz, Vianzo's mother died soon after he was born. His father probably blamed him for that then distract himself to gain more power at work, who knows what he tried to gain by forcing his only child to befriend his boss' son. When he asked Harloz who Vianzo's father is, Harloz shook his head saying he doesn't know.

Harloz said that Vianzo can't take his father's abused anymore and decided to run away from home, Harloz let him stay at his home but Vianzo said he wanted to move farther. In the end, they somehow ended up here. Vianzo does odd jobs and worked hard to get accepted at GIPEC, he doesn't know that he could get accept to GIPEC with such a lacking documentation about his family was all because of Harloz.

"But, seems like Vi doesn't want me to be here with him. He had been trying to do everything he could to make me stay away, including framing me." Harloz said with a wry smile. Alfizar's head starting to ache, why the story seems to be going in circles? And he didn't get anything important out of it.

"Why did you stick with Vianzo in the first place, Har?" Was Harloz really such a kind man, to let his one side friend relationship to frame him, and still stick to him like that?

"I was bullied by my own big brother at a kindergarten back then. Vi stood up for me." Harloz smiled at the nostalgic memory. "My brother was a big bully."

"Was?" Alfizar asked curiously.

"He was dead in a tournament accident three years ago, in GIPEC," Harloz said in an emotionless tone. Alfizar wasn't sure if he was trying to keep his voice void of any sad emotion, or he just didn't feel anything about his brother's death.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Alfizar shook his head and then move the conversation forward. "Tell, why did Vianzo have a threat message with your handwriting?"

"What was written in there?" He asked but he didn't look that curious.

"Stay away."

"It was really from me, but for Vianzo. I remember giving him that note saying 'Stay away from that Joshua' because that boy was Vianzo's target back then." Harloz explained with a sighed. "Sadly, he didn't listen to me as always, and now that boy and his family move to another city."

"Then, how did everyone just assumed that you are the one who did it?"