Episodes 154. Let It All Out

"Astra... Let it all out!"

The brief statement made by Hakam instantly left his two friends gaping, unable to believe what they had just heard.

"Hakam, what did you say?!" Moka scolded him.

"Sorry, I just slipped..."

"Slipped? You sounded more like someone trying to act cool." Gita smiled while squinting at the young man.

It seemed that Gita already knew about Hakam's hidden feelings. That's why he was teasing Hakam.

"E-enough..." Moka turned back to Astra. "Astra, do you want to see Dahlia for the last time?" A hand accompanied by a gentle voice tried to calm the student council president.

However, on the other hand, Moka's statement shocked her two friends. What Moka was attempting was a crazy idea.

"Mo-Moka, isn't it bad to let him see her? H-he might-" Hakam said hesitantly, not wanting to offend Moka, but he was cut off.

Moka immediately brought her face closer to Hakam's, closing the distance between them. Her face looked serious, not in the mood for jokes or wasting more time on trivial conversations.

"We don't know how Astra feels right now, NONE of us know... This is the only way that might ease his emotions."

Feeling pressured and not wanting to make Moka angrier at him, Hakam nodded slowly with a gloomy expression.

"So, this is what they call 'woman dominated the man'?" Gita whispered softly.

A few seconds earlier, while watching the two of them argue, Gita received a message from his superior.

The message read, [When you return to school, there will be a package for you. Pick it up at the guard post, don't let anyone see it! Use it when the time is right.]

End of message.

Back to the present, sensing that Moka and Hakam weren't finding a solution, Gita decided it was his turn to try and solve the problem.

"Gita?" Moka was surprised as Gita approached Astra.

This was followed by Hakam, who just glanced at him continuously, his black eyes following Gita's every move.

I don't know much about human hearts, but when it comes to experience, maybe I know how... This might not be a cure, but just a temporary fix.

With that principle, Gita looked positively at Astra.

Astra's eyes met Gita's, their eyes reflecting each other's faces like a major rival showdown, staring at each other without stopping.

"Gita... What are you doing?" Moka looked puzzled at the girl.

"This might be a bit harsh, but can you t-trust Gita a little? He usually clearly knows what he's doing." Hakam tried to convince her.

Hakam learned from the exam at the palace. He realized that Gita wasn't someone to be underestimated just because of his reckless behavior. His friend always emerged in critical moments and managed to solve problems, so Hakam was now trying to trust him.

Watched by his two friends, Gita began to speak.

"Astra, let's go back to school...! You might be able to be alone there." Gita said while offering his hand.

Even though Moka was a bit skeptical of Gita because his persuasion was quite absurd, she tried to stay silent and trust what Hakam trusted.

The sound instantly fell silent, the three of them waiting for Astra's answer. The sound of the wind was clear in their ears, the leaves and snowflakes dancing in the wind as they waited for the response.

*Ctak!

Astra grabbed the hand and stood up with him.

The three of them smiled but didn't dare to say more. Just one wrong word could lead to chaos. Many words were sensitive if heard by Astra right now. Therefore, the satisfied smiles were their only response.

"Hmm(nodding)..."

Astra released his grip on Gita's hand and began to change direction.

"Follow me!"

Gita walked ahead of them, trying to lead for the moment.

The three of them followed Gita, heading towards the car.

.......

When they arrived, they were all shocked beyond belief. Their eyes widened at the sight of the collapsed and injured body, their legs trembling with what had just happened. Everything they saw was like a birthday surprise.

"What happened?! Why is the Vice Mayor of Ningru City here?" Moka asked, approaching Mrs. Linda, who had mysteriously appeared.

When asked like that, Linda found herself in a cornered position, with a long-barreled gun pointed at her forehead at close range.

"Meeting you all is something I couldn't predict, (sigh). Alright, I'll tell you everything..."

With no choice, Linda was forced to reveal what had happened.

.......

They sat in the back of the car, gathered around a large, round object in the middle of them, a modern heater that could even replace a campfire for people outside of Nusantara during winter.

The weak body of Rizki, the Vice Mayor, was propped up next to the car, more precisely on the right rear wheel of the car. Meanwhile, the large body of Bahar was placed on the left rear wheel. Just by leaning on that large body, the car instantly tilted to the right.

Linda recounted what happened after they left earlier.

The story of the battle between Rasyid and his brother Rizki, the fight where Rasyid began to doubt who he really was. Until the end of the battle, about how Ryan stopped Rasyid, who was starting to question his own identity.

"What's with this story? It sounds unbelievable, but if you think about the facts, it did happen," Xander said, looking at Rizki's unconscious body.

"You mean how Rasyid didn't understand who he really was?" (Tasya)

"Yes, something like that." Xander turned back to the heater in the middle. "From the start, I suspected the man's behavior. His attitude changed as quickly as lightning; I thought at first it was just his adaptation to his environment, but it wasn't."

Xander frowned. "It's more than that; it's his acting ability as the killer, Cike Nuwang. He chooses which trait suits the current situation, and when the chosen trait fits, he's ready to use it forever."

"But, isn't that all wrong!" Hakam suddenly shouted.

Hakam was still struggling to face this reality. The reality was that his teacher was a terrifying villain. That's why he tried to defend his teacher even though he was a bit disappointed with the truth.

"Your name is Hakam, right? You are my little brother's servant, and you are also the one who received help-, sorry, I spoke too far." Xander tried to get back on track. "What makes you think like that? You know, everything he did was just manipulation, nothing genuine about him. Everything he did was just for his empty self, and if you still believe him, doesn't that mean he succeeded in manipulating you?"

Hakam's eyes instantly welled up, but he immediately held it back.

There is something definitely true about him, something genuinely real.

Hakam wracked his brain, sweat pouring down his face, his grip tightening, and the veins in his skin visible to the naked eye.

I know that, if not... There's no way I would defend him!

Suddenly, an image of a smiling beautiful girl appeared in his mind.

It wasn't just an ordinary image; it was an image of someone smiling happily, a happiness that had just truly emerged after being in the darkness for so long. Just like him, that smile was just like his when showing his sister that he had gotten a job for himself and a decent place for his sister.

The answer was found.