"Buddy, are you sure about this?" Najam whispered to me, sounding worried.
"Um, I think so," I replied with a resigned smile.
"I feel like we're about to get caught up in something troublesome," he muttered.
"Yeah, you're not the only one who feels that way," I said, looking concerned.
"But you know, I'm really grateful you told Kambali to leave earlier. It would've been a nightmare trying to cover up one of our friends dying from our classmates," he added jokingly.
"Haha, absolutely," I replied with a sigh.
After agreeing to deliver the letter from Jamalia to Langgeng, we quickly set out to catch up with him. Before going too far, I told Kambali to head off and leave us because of his debt to the Kusumo family. He seemed incredibly relieved—he even hugged me and cried. I think if I hadn't asked him to go, he would've insisted on staying with us, even though he was clearly terrified. That's something I never would've expected from him, especially considering his personality in the future. It seems our lost memories from the future really have affected things this much—even someone like Kambali, normally a coward, was willing to risk his safety for a friend.
As we walked, Jamalia moved ahead of us, scanning left and right, making sure she wasn't missing any signs of Langgeng stopping somewhere along the way. Though her pace was a bit fast, we were able to keep up. After making our way through the school garden, entering the building, passing several classrooms and corridors, we finally spotted Langgeng standing near the stairs at the end of a hallway, talking to a girl with dark purple hair. The three of us stopped and peeked from behind a wall just around the corner from the staircase.
"Whoa, who's that? She's so beautiful and elegant," Najam said in awe.
"I think that's Uchita—Uchita Padmasari. She's one of Jamalia and Langgeng's classmates," I explained.
"Which means she's on our list too, right?" Najam added excitedly.
"Yup," I replied simply.
Uchita Padmasari—I want to find out more about her, but for now, I need to focus on helping Jamalia.
After a few moments, Uchita and Langgeng seemed to part ways. Langgeng went upstairs via the staircase, while Uchita walked toward where we were hiding. As she turned the corner and passed by us, she smiled warmly but suddenly stopped when she noticed Jamalia squeezed in between the two of us.
"Um, Lia?" she greeted with a curious tone.
Jamalia waved in response. Uchita then looked between the two of us with a questioning gaze.
"So, can I ask what you're doing here?" Uchita asked, sounding polite and curious.
"We just wanted to help Jamalia," I replied with a small smile.
After hearing my answer, she glanced at the staircase Langgeng had gone up, then looked back at Jamalia.
"Did you give it to him yet, Lia?" Uchita asked.
Jamalia responded with a shake of her head.
"I thought so," Uchita sighed.
She then looked at me, seeming to think for a moment.
"This isn't the first time we've met, is it?" Uchita asked kindly.
"Yeah, we crossed paths in the hallway yesterday," I answered.
"I knew it. No wonder I felt like I should've said something to you yesterday—fate works in funny ways," she said with a smile.
"Um, yeah, haha," I replied with a small chuckle.
"Alright then, let me join you. I think it'll be easier for you two if one of Lia's classmates is with you," Uchita offered.
"That would be a big help," I said gratefully, glancing at Najam, who gave a thumbs-up with an enthusiastic expression.
"My name's Uchita Padmasari, a classmate of Jamalia and Langgeng," she introduced herself warmly.
"I'm Sahabi Pratama, and this is Najam Firmansyah. We're both from Class 96," I responded, also introducing Najam.
"I know where Langgeng's heading, so I think we can enjoy this little journey without rushing," she said as she began walking.
The four of us made our way toward the stairs and started climbing to the upper floor.
"So, what exactly happened?" Uchita asked curiously.
"Um, we ran into Jamalia and noticed she was struggling to give a letter to Langgeng, so we offered to help," I explained kindly.
"Oh, I see. She said she'd give it to him herself, but in the end, she asked for help anyway, huh?" Uchita responded, glancing at Jamalia.
Jamalia looked embarrassed and avoided Uchita's gaze as she glanced at her from the front.
"What a shame, this was such a good opportunity for you," Uchita said with a sigh.
Hearing that, Jamalia gave a small, somewhat sad smile.
"Regardless of what's in that letter, is Jamalia really that quiet and shy?" I asked Uchita.
"In general, yes. Especially since Langgeng tends to be overly proactive in helping her communicate, her social skills have only gotten worse," Uchita replied, clearly concerned.
"Heh," I chuckled lightly.
"I get that they're childhood friends, but that doesn't mean he should keep coddling her. You've seen how she is without Langgeng—her mouth practically shuts like it's locked. You can't function in society like that," Uchita added, clearly worried and a little annoyed.
"Yeah, that makes sense," Najam and I replied, nodding as we glanced at Jamalia.
Uchita Padmasari. From what I know, having grown up in a formal and political environment, she has deeply ingrained social values. For someone used to nurturing and building communication between people, it must be difficult to see someone like Jamalia in this state.
The four of us continued walking down the corridor and eventually stopped in front of a room that, for some reason, felt familiar to me.
"The Art Room," I said, a little surprised.
"Yup. Langgeng mentioned earlier that he was stopping by here to grab something, so I think he's inside," Uchita replied, pointing at the room.
"Alright, I'll go in alone and give him the letter," I said as I reached for the doorknob.
Just before I could open it, I suddenly felt someone grab my shoulder.
"Wait," Jamalia said, holding my shoulder as a signal to stop me from opening the door.
"What is it, Jamalia?" I asked, confused.
"I'll do it," she said, releasing her hand and staring at the door in front of us.
Seeing this, Uchita smiled proudly and clenched her fists in front of her chest in excitement. I wasn't entirely sure what was happening, but it seemed like a good thing.
"Okay," I said, handing the cute letter to Jamalia.
After taking the letter from me, she seemed to calm herself by steadying her breathing while facing the door. A few moments later, her expression sharpened—and then she flung the door open with all her strength.
BAM
The sound of the door slamming open was loud enough to startle the three of us. Jamalia walked in quickly. The rest of us peeked through the open door and saw her heading toward the far side of the room. There, we saw Langgeng, who looked surprised and worried as Jamalia approached him with a serious aura. After facing each other for a moment, Jamalia just stood there in front of him without saying anything. Langgeng began to look nervous and uncomfortable.
"Um… will they be okay?" I asked nervously.
"Of course," Uchita replied calmly, clearly delighted.
"I have to give Langgeng credit for still standing there. If a girl came at me with that kind of aura and then just stood there silently glaring, I'd probably run," Najam said flatly.
"Um, haha," Uchita chuckled nervously, starting to feel uneasy herself.
Finally, after a few moments, Jamalia handed the letter to Langgeng. As soon as he took it and looked like he was about to open it, Jamalia instantly lunged with a lightning-fast thrust using her fencing sword—still sheathed—toward Langgeng's face. He instinctively dodged, rolling to the side and sitting up in a panic.
"Okay, that was terrifying," I said, clearly worried.
"Haha…" Uchita chuckled again, now also starting to panic.
"See? I knew running was the best option," Najam replied, still flat-toned and visibly shaken.
After a brief exchange of words, Langgeng seemed to decide against opening the letter and tucked it into the pocket of his vest. Jamalia then turned and walked away, leaving Langgeng still seated on the floor. She walked toward us at the doorway. Once she was outside the room, she slammed the door shut behind her.
BAM
As soon as the door closed, Jamalia collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Uchita quickly walked over and sat down beside her.
"Good job," Uchita said as she approached Jamalia, gently patting her on the head.
Jamalia then covered her face with her hands, clearly trying to hide her embarrassment.
"I'm sure he'll say yes to your confession," Uchita added, trying to comfort her while continuing to pat her head.
Jamalia lowered her hands and looked at Uchita, as if seeking confirmation that what Uchita said was true.
"Yes, trust me," Uchita replied with a cheerful smile.
Jamalia smiled at Uchita's reassurance. Najam and I exchanged glances and smiled, both of us letting out a sigh.
From everything that had happened, I could only guess that Jamalia was trying to change herself—trying to overcome her shyness and quiet nature. Judging by Uchita's reactions, her friends seemed to be aware of this and were supporting her. What a beautiful youth they had.
"Now that you've completed the first step, we can move on to the next—planning the perfect date!" Uchita said enthusiastically.
Hearing that, Jamalia looked flustered and extremely embarrassed, quickly covering her face again.
"Looks like that was a love letter," Najam whispered to me, grinning.
"Yeah, just as you predicted," I replied with a small smile.
"I think our job here is done. We should probably make our exit, buddy," Najam whispered again.
"Yeah, I agree," I replied, sighing.
A moment later, Jamalia slowly lowered her hands from her face.
"B-but I really have no idea what to do," she said shyly.
"Don't worry! The three of us will help you plan the greatest date ever!" Uchita responded, standing up and striking a confident pose between the two of us.
Hearing what Uchita said, Najam and I looked at each other. Sharing the same thought, we both responded in unison:
"Huh?"