Episodes 81. Sorrowful Queen of Fighter Pt.3

In a place where the table is in the middle of chairs and sofas.

I sit next to Erika to look at the data she's been searching for all this time.

If the information she's seeking is from SANGKUNI, then I can ensure it's valid.

CLICK!

Erika presses the power button on her laptop.

"Are you sure?"

While waiting for the slow laptop to boot up, I try to lighten the awkward atmosphere.

"Of course, why else would I bother asking SANGKUNI to do it?" She retorts at me.

"Uh..." Her sharp reply leaves me speechless.

DELED DELING!

The laptop finishes booting up, revealing a cat picture set as wallpaper.

"Nice taste..." I smirk to tease her.

"Shu-shut up!" She averts her gaze from me, blushing.

"Alright, let's forget about that... I should start searching now!" (Erika)

CLICK!

The flash drive is inserted successfully on the first try.

Upon inspection, there are about 2 files, one document, and one video.

"Which one do you want to see first?" I ask her.

This reminds me of my own search for that matter.

Perhaps after dealing with her, I'll continue with those files.

"I'll just check the document, besides, if I watch the video, and there's something strange in it, I might be in danger!"

"Why would you think I'd do that?"

"..."

"What a dense man..." She touches her forehead with a disappointed face.

Once again, she makes the atmosphere even more awkward.

.......

CLICK!

By opening the document file, we see the personal data of someone I don't know.

Maybe it's Erika's mother that she's been looking for?

I glance at Erika, her gaze on the laptop screen seems disbelief.

"Why?" I ask, puzzled.

"This... It's my mother, but there's something odd..."

Odd? What about it? To me, this looks like normal personal data with no mistakes at all.

"What's odd?"

"Here it says, my mother has remarried..." She says it with a hollow tone.

Isn't that normal? Her husband has passed away, and her children are gone, so she must've lost her way.

"She walks on an empty savanna..." I murmur.

Hearing that, Erika stares at me oddly. "What do you mean, walking on an empty savanna?"

It's a bit complicated, but maybe I can explain a little.

"It means, she doesn't have a purpose in life anymore."

"Perhaps, when she ran away, she met someone who loved her before she got married, and that man pampered her and made her dependent on him..."

"In short, your mother doesn't care about life anymore, as long as she can survive and put on a smile like the sun..."

"That's enough for her to feel alive!"

"And from this data..." I point to the part containing the number of children.

"In this section, it says she has 2 children, which means she has created a new family and forgot her past..."

"And here..." I point to the part with her husband's name.

"Although my job as a street fighter is a lie, I know for sure this man's name is him(her new husband)..."

Hearing that, Erika inspects the laptop screen carefully.

"That man...? Tesi Alamsyah, do you know that name?" (Erika)

"Hmm (nodding)... More or less, he's a famous street fighter in this Ningru City, he's commonly referred to as the Fire Lion..."

"Fire element combined with wind, he's like a terrifying disaster when faced by amateurs..."

"The fire lion that burns anyone that stands in his way." Erika follows what I said earlier.

"Do you want to meet him?" I ask, looking at her gloomy face.

Her head turns to the laptop keyboard, unable to look at the screen or my face.

"Would you like me to take you there?"

Erika suddenly perks up and lifts her head to face me, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"Are you sure, and can?" She asks hopefully.

"Of course..."

To me, knowing names like that is ordinary. People like Tesi Alamsyah are a treasure for businessmen to pull off their dirty tricks.

.......

In a few minutes, we promptly left the house and headed to the place I informed her about without checking what was in the video file.

I hope nothing is forgotten...

The tension returns, and Erika stares at the road with her hands gripping the steering wheel like a restless machine.

"Erika..." I try to calm her down.

"What?" she replies.

"How is... my students?"

This is an important question, even though I'm not on duty right now, as a teacher, I'll still monitor their growth.

Upon hearing my question, Erika, who was tense, now calms down, but her calmness isn't relaxed but rather calm with sadness.

"They... seem a bit depressed..."

"But... When they approached us, they still tried to be polite and smile..."

"They seem to fake their identities to get something."

"Indeed, being polite is commendable, but if they act to mask their pain..."

"... For some reason, it feels painful to me!" Erika shouts at the car window.

Hearing her shout, I can only silently watch the empty and uninhabited road.

It seems like my students misunderstood the meaning of my words at that time, and instead did something strange like that.

"..."

"If you ask how they fought in the duel exam back then, they're still normal... Weak as usual, even Sophia, who is strong, lost in a fight against other physical classes..."

Erika grips the steering wheel tightly, her face like a storm about to pour down heavy rain.

"Is that incident..."

"... Weakened them again?"

"Back then, they showed signs of growth from their usual selves."

"Moreover, after your victory in a fight at the Teacher Test, they seemed more enthusiastic as if there were no strong opponents who could stop them..."

"But now, all of that is gone, they're desperate and lose their will to fight..."

"They seem scared..."

"Scared to die..."

I continue to listen to Erika's incessant rambling.

But all of this happened because of my mistake, I can't just stay silent.

Even outside, there must be something I can do right now.

.......

The car stops right below the flyover, where a crowd of people gathers to watch a street fight.

Besides watching, they also want to make money with their bets.

If their guesses are correct, they'll make big profits, but if they lose...

There's no need to ask.

This is what I mean about businessman's dirty trick, or more like their dirty life. Tesi is one of the champions here. Most of them will bet on him.

"Let's get out..." (Erika)

I nod and follow her out.

On the street, I see a shop that catches my attention.

The shop filled with green colors seems to draw my feet towards it.

"Do you want to have coffee first?" Erika notices my movements.

I turn to her, looking sleepy.

"Yes..."

"Ha (sigh)... What can I say, you've been working since morning and immediately got involved in my problem..."

With that, the two of us head towards the shop near the crowd.

There are many massive men sitting there, enjoying their coffee.

"Excuse me... I'll have 2 black coffees!" I order by tapping the table softly.

Upon hearing my order, the waiter turns around, revealing his face.

My and Erika's sleepy eyes widen as a natural coffee awakening upon seeing that face.

"Moka?"

"Mr. Rasyid... And... Ms. Erika." She smiles bitterly at both of us.

Stupidly, we stare at each other suspiciously, even though both of us are doing something wrong right now.