Episodes 108. Loud Meeting

HONK!

BEEP BEEP!

VROOM!

TELOLET! TELOLET!

The rumble of traffic from above disrupted the tranquility of our spot. The loud noises from passing vehicles overwhelmed my innocent ears.

Haran brought me here in her rather luxurious car.

Her two-door car is lift-up when opened was parked conspicuously, catching everyone's eye.

This was my second time riding in a car as a passenger, and driven by a woman.

"So, Haran... Why are we under the flyover?!" I shouted to my senior.

I knew it wasn't polite to yell at someone I asked for help, but it seemed necessary to do this if we were AT HERE. At a damn below of traffic where honk of the car was so loud and can make us deaf.

Haran just gave a devilish smile in response. "You asked for my help, yet you dare to yell at me?"

"I-I'm not yelling at you, it's just that if I don't shout, you won't hear what I'm saying!"

"Is that so? But why don't I feel that way?"

"Is Haran trying to play games with me?" I paused, questioning if she was intentionally trying to deceive me. "... Haran..." I put on a blank and foolish face. "You're not playing games with me, right?"

She rubbed her chin with her left hand, teasingly. "Ahahaha... So you can act dumb, huh?"

'Senior, I'm not acting right now!'

Ah, forget it, let it be...

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, resigning myself to this sadistic woman.

"Don't worry, my junior... Here, right under this flyover, you'll find your answer!" Haran said, leading me behind one of the flyover's support pillars.

Find something?

Just as I thought that, several convoys of cars appeared and parked in a circle.

"Who are they?"

"You'll find out..."

My eyes narrowed as I locked onto the hidden gathering.

Looking around under this flyover, I saw no one else except us and them.

One car door opened, revealing a face. Upon closer inspection, the person wore a black suit with a red tie like an official.

But as someone who was once a messenger for Nova, I would recognize every government official in the Nusantara, and from my knowledge, I didn't recognize him.

"You surely don't know who that is..."

Is this woman reading my mind?

How many times does she know what's on my mind?

"No, not at all." I shook my head.

I won't touch on the mind-reading issue. I'll just stay quiet about it; there are more pressing matters than that.

Haran's lips curled into a smirk. "Of course, you wouldn't know someone who's clearly not an important official..."

"Who is he, then?" I became curious, wondering how significant the official was to escape Nova's radar.

Instead of answering, a small laugh appeared on the woman's face. "He's not a great official though..."

Again?!

"...He's just a person in disguise..."

"In disguise?"

"Hmm..." She nodded. "...He's an impostor."

"Ah—"

So that's it?

I thought he was someone unique or interesting.

"But, you might be surprised by this one..."

The red sedan, looking eccentric with its rear wing modification, suddenly opened its door, revealing a face that could be described as sweet, graceful, and unassuming.

"..." Eh.

"Why you just silent? Where's your 'wow' expression?"

"..."

"Do you want to act again?"

"Actually... Who is she?"

I won't lie about this; I even forgot who that woman was.

"Geh—"

Suddenly, Haran's voice hardened, but luckily the loud traffic noise above us drowned out her scream.

"Why Sis Haran the one surprised?"

"Not..." Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Weird."

As she rubbed the area between her eyes, she said, "You're the one I should call strange... Do you forget who she is?"

"Who?"

From her pleading gaze directed at me, it seemed like she had realized. "You... have not been acting at all?"

Nods

"Ah (sigh)... I seem to have overestimated you. Let me remind you... You'll definitely be crushed by that fat guy (Bahar) if you don't remember."

"Why?"

"Why indeed, are you really that clueless? She's Putri Tyas Anjani! The one who once asked you to steal the goddamn rainbow agate stone, the special guest during that exam, and the one you had to protect when you were the head of the VIP guard."

"Is that so? But I don't feel that way..."

Although Haran said so, I still didn't remember her as Putri Tyas Anjani. Her demeanor was vastly different from what I felt at that time.

Haran turned to me with a puzzled expression. "Huh, what do you mean? Isn't she Putri Tyas?"

From her tone, I could ascertain one thing.

Slowly turning towards him, we locked eyes with foolish expressions.

"Don't tell me you don't know the true identity of the person disguised?"

"Eh..." Her gaze shifted away from mine.

That means...

"Can't you detect someone?"

If I recall, she could instantly sense my presence and immediately identify who I was with her sensor abilities.

"Magic can only be used to detect, not to identify opponents."

"Oh."

So, it was me misinterpreting it...

"Enough... " Her face turned red again out of embarrassment. "Let's forget about that, let's focus on what's in front of us." She redirected the conversation as easily as turning her palm.

"Anyway, she's an imposter, right?"

"Hmm (nod)..."

"So... all of this people here..."

Just as Haran said that, the other three car doors opened, revealing their owners' faces.

They all appeared to be important figures in the Nusantara. From those dressed in black suits with ties like officials to elegantly dressed ladies resembling princesses, and those in traditional attire like princes.

"Actually, what are they planning?" I asked this sadistic woman who remained silent.

Haran sweated, starting to doubt the information she had received. "I seem to have been misled..."

"Huh?"

When the woman mentioned 'information', my head instantly turned to look at her sweaty face.

"I bought information from the SANGKUNI company, I heard their information was very accurate, so I bought it... But it seems it was all fake reviews."

Grinding her teeth, Haran clenched her fists and slammed the pillar we were hiding behind.

I had guessed it, that name would surely come out of his mouth.

"You... Bought information from SANGKUNI?"

Now SANGKUNI dared to openly play? What was their purpose in doing so?

"I thought they were reliable informants..." She forced a smile, beginning to close her eyes slowly and take a deep breath.

This was strange, even someone like Haran didn't know what the SANGKUNI company really was.

"Sis Haran..." I put on a serious face towards her.

"What?"

I should just let her know.

With a piercing gaze aimed right at her eyeballs, I said: "The SANGKUNI company is not just a place for trading information, but also a place for trading safety schemes and lives..."

From her expression, I could conclude that she finally understood what I was saying.

Taking cover behind the pole, Haran quickly acknowledged his mistake. "So they're hiding something, huh?"

But not long after...

"YOUNG MAN! You said safety schemes, didn't you?" Haran suddenly shouted loudly at me.

I didn't know why she was so surprised to hear that.

"Yes, what about it?"

"It's a trap!"

"Huh?!"

As she said that, suddenly dozens, even hundreds of people hiding around the flyover emerged. They came out of their hiding spots and ended up surrounding us.

A man dressed in a suit with a red tie who had come out first from the car walked towards us with a smirk, clapping his hands as he approached us.

"Just as expected from the strongest mages class teacher, Madu Haran..."

Misinformation could end up putting even Haran in jeopardy.