Episodes 78. Offer

Still in the same place, I sat atop the ruins of the building with this woman.

Nearby, there was a man frozen solid, waiting for Nova's action.

The wind blew, tousling our hair and clothes.

The sun was now setting, feeling like staring at a wall clock stuck on the wall.

"Rasyid... Can you tell me... Everything?" Erika suddenly asked for an explanation.

Knowing this, it meant she was ready to die at any moment as she would become a target for any businessmen and politicians.

"That time, you told me, right... About your past, and why you ended up like this."

"But, you didn't tell me, how it happened?"

She bombarded me with many questions, I couldn't say anything, all I could do was shut my mouth without opening it.

"Are you afraid? Haven't I said? I will always be on your side even if you are a sinner!"

"So... Please, say it!"

"There's nothing left for you to hide!"

"The data at the hospital, did you also read it? It made me wonder even more, how could it happen?"

Maybe what she said was true, there was nothing I could hide from her.

She might be the only one who knows about this, but so far she has still kept it hidden, not to mention the data I saw in the chat group of the teachers made her suspicion of me even higher.

"Ahh (inhale)... uh (exhale)..."

"Alright, I'll answer your questions..."

.......

I recounted how I ended up after that terrifying incident, I also told this woman that I was the source of the Summer Fire Season disaster that occurred that year.

Her eyes widened in disbelief, but she quickly relaxed and gave me a sunny smile.

"Thank you... For trusting me with that(relieved smile)!"

"It's nothing, I also have conditions..."

If she violates those conditions, then I can only say goodbye to her, even though doing so is a heavy burden for me right now.

"So that's true, huh? You are The Queen of Assassin." Erika gazed at the cloudless sky.

I shuddered a bit as she immediately knew that, even though I didn't tell her at all.

"I don't know why, I just knew... Maybe when you were going to cosplay at the Teacher Test winning celebration party, you reflexively tied up your hair."

"At first, I thought it was nothing, but after hearing your explanation now, everything makes sense."

"You're broken, not even caring about your appearance anymore until you let your hair grow long, and that made your victims mistakenly think the killer was a woman."

"And about your magic, you're more than that old witch from Third-year magic class, you can use all of it, it's amazing! I wish I could fight you with your full power!" In that word, there was a hint of envy. I can feel it from her. It's like she is shouting at me.

Erika looked at the electric dome surrounding the building ruin, she looked at it with a mixture of awe and dread.

"You did all this alone, and no one knows... You even left school just to protect the school's reputation..." Erika visibly showed that she was biting her lip.

.......

I stood up from the ruins and walked towards the frozen man lying there.

"There are many things we shouldn't tell others, right?"

Erika also stood up and walked beside me. "Hmm (nodding)... There are things like that, but we shouldn't cover up everything! It will only add to your burden."

"Yes, if that happens, then we will be in trouble!" I said coldly while staring at the frozen man.

Turning around, I walked towards the other rubble.

This is like heaven to me, empty without anyone... A place where I can truly be alone without any disturbance.

A place like this is enough without having to fly to Africa just to enjoy its savanna.

As long as I can be alone to think...

"Well... this is my place to rest..." I said softly.

But before I finished, a thud sound startled me.

"Rasyid!" Erika called my name.

Instantly, I turned my head and looked at her behind me.

"What?"

"You said you not gonna teach for a while, right?"

"Hmm (nodding)..."

She suddenly asked something that was already clear, but she wanted to clarify it again.

"I want you... to help me... Find that person!"

When she said that, I immediately thought of one possibility.

"Please help me, find my mother..." She said it with a thin voice, looking embarrassed.

"Why is it so sudden?"

"I just thought... With your power... no, with our power together, I could find her!"

"When we meet, what will you do?"

This is an important question, she might just get emotional and end up killing her.

Clearly, that would make me feel like I'm just wasting my time.

I'm not only considering this based on my paranoia but also on her story back then.

Her mother sold Erika to protect herself, to me...

Seeing a mother like that, I felt annoyed...

And felt like someone like that didn't deserve to be a parent.

Regardless of her condition, I will just stay silent.

The one who determines fate is not me, but the woman in front of me, Erika Rahmana.

Erika lowered her head, she seemed to not know what to do.

She asked this based on her intuition alone.

So if that's the case.

"Sorry, I can't if you don't have a clear goal!" With that, I turned my head forward and walked away.

There's no point in following intuition without a definite goal.

"Wait!"

She stopped my steps again, and foolishly why did I stop my steps too?

"What?" I turned again.

Does she want to offend me by saying that I never had a goal too?

"I beg you, I just want to meet her... At least if she hates me, I can bid her a proper farewell!"

Hearing that, my heart beat rapidly, it wasn't because of something like love, but because I felt something like that should be done too.

I nodded in agreement with her, but it was not free.

"I want compensation for that..."

"Not money... But something else."

Hearing that, she blushed and covered her chest.

"Not something weird, right?!"

"You should already know I won't do that, right?!" I shouted embarrassedly at her.

"I just ask, you also accompany me... To meet someone I should bid a proper farewell to..." Saying that my head slightly bowed, not daring to say it.

But if this is the right answer, then I will do it. 

Wait for it...