Caraka Gunawan—he's loud, strong, and full of passion. Even under the pressure of the Purification Program, he maintained a positive attitude, which, paradoxically, made him appear intimidating. Though he often comes across as harsh and abrasive, deep down he's not dangerous—he has a good heart. He's the type who would risk his own safety to protect his friends and wouldn't hesitate to use force if it meant ensuring the well-being of his group.
Despite having above-average physical capabilities, his true strength isn't as an athlete—but as a coach. His sharp intuition and keen assessment of others are the reasons he excels in both training and managerial roles. In the future, this very ability would become a nightmare for the Matahari Organization—not only did he push the "most dangerous people" to their peak potential, he also helped elevate their followers to terrifying, anarchic levels of power.
"Magnificent!!!" Caraka shouted at the top of his lungs.
Startled by the sheer volume, Betania reflexively moved behind me.
"Uh, who's that?" Betania whispered.
"That's Caraka—Caraka Gunawan. The one we came to meet," I whispered back.
"He's scary…" she replied uneasily.
"Yeah, he really is," I answered with a small smile.
Najam walked up and gave Caraka a high five—which he returned with such force that it sounded like a slap.
Plak!
The sound was so loud, I thought someone got hit. If that had been me, I'm sure my hand would've broken. Najam looked at his reddened palm and chuckled.
"You're still strong, old man," he said, shaking his hand out.
"Of course I am! Who do you think I am? Hahaha!" Caraka boomed with laughter.
"Hey PT, did you see me win earlier? Didn't you promise me something?" Tami said, walking up to him playfully.
"Yeah, I saw it all from start to finish. Honestly, I'm impressed you beat that kid. But…"
"But?" Tami asked curiously.
"You fought the wrong opponent. The one I arranged for your training match isn't him. So, unfortunately, I can't give you the reward I promised." Caraka shrugged, disappointed.
Tami looked stunned and slowly slumped to the ground.
"You guys! Why didn't you say anything?!" she shouted in frustration.
"We did tell you from the beginning, but you refused to listen," Najam said with a sigh.
"Ugh… I thought you were my opponent. You looked strong, so I assumed you were the one," Tami replied, disappointed.
She suddenly jumped back to her feet.
"But it's okay! I really enjoyed the match," she said, smiling brightly.
"You still up for another match? Your real opponent is on their way now. I was late because I forgot to tell them yesterday, so I had to go myself," Caraka said.
"Of course I'm ready! Today seems like my lucky day!" Tami replied energetically.
"But before that…" Caraka said, turning to Najam.
He walked up to Najam and began to inspect him carefully. His eyes scanned with a trainer's precision—checking posture, muscle tone, and balance. Each touch was deliberate, as if solving a puzzle with every small movement.
After a moment, he sighed.
"Kid, kid… You haven't been training, have you?" Caraka said with disappointment.
"Uh… haha. I've been busy," Najam replied defensively.
"Busy?! Do you know how hard people work to get a physique like yours? You're squandering a gift from the world!" Caraka shouted.
"Yeah yeah, 'a gift from the world' that not everyone has. I really am busy—no time for training," Najam said, clearly annoyed.
Caraka paused, seemingly thinking something over.
"Huh… Maybe you're right. Maybe this is your limit. Sorry for expecting too much. Even with regular training, I guess you'd still lose," he said coolly, almost insultingly.
"What?" Najam growled.
"Tami, you shouldn't be proud of that win. Your opponent was a retired athlete. Beating someone weaker isn't something to brag about," Caraka said, now facing Tami.
"Eh? But he felt really strong," she replied innocently.
"Nope. He used to be. Now he's just a has-been. There's no pride in defeating someone who's already washed up," Caraka said, infuriatingly smug.
Najam looked furious—he had clearly reached his limit.
"Hey, old man, you better take that back," Najam said, gritting his teeth.
"Oh, did I offend you? I'm so sorry. I've heard weak people get offended easily. My bad," Caraka said mockingly.
"Alright, old man. Let's rematch. I'll prove I can beat her," Najam barked, pointing at Tami.
"Are you sure? What if you lose again in front of your friends? That would be embarrassing," Caraka teased, glancing at us.
"I won't lose!" Najam shouted.
"Okay then. One week from now—same time, same events. You better be ready," Caraka said firmly.
"I'll show you. Just a little training is all I need to win," Najam growled.
"Hah! Then you'd better train hard. Don't use that as an excuse when you lose again!" Caraka laughed loudly.
"I don't know what's going on, but if we're rematching, I'm even more excited!" Tami added, full of energy.
As the three of them clashed, Betania stepped beside me.
"Huh… I didn't expect to see Najam getting serious about training again," she said, impressed.
"Yeah, that's Caraka for you. As a coach and manager, he knows exactly how to adjust his approach to bring out someone's full potential."
"A powerful skill."
"Definitely."
"So, did you get the information you needed?" she asked.
"Yeah, today went way beyond my expectations. Not only did I see Tami and Caraka's skills firsthand, I also gained new insight into Najam—and he's on the path to improvement."
"That's great to hear," she said, smiling.
A moment later, I noticed two familiar figures approaching from across the field—Gilda and Almira. So they were the training opponents Caraka mentioned.
Almira noticed us and hurried over.
"Hey Sahabi, Betania! What are you guys doing here?" she asked.
"We came to meet Caraka and ended up running into Tami. So Najam ended up facing her," I replied.
"Really? So did Najam win?" she asked eagerly.
"Nope. He lost," Betania said with a small smile.
"What?! Najam, seriously?! You're embarrassing our class!" Almira yelled at him.
"Huh?! What's your problem?" Najam snapped, walking toward us.
"Alright, alright… You guys are about to train, right? I guess we'll be heading out then," I said.
"Eh, you're leaving already? I thought you'd stay and watch us practice," Almira said, clearly disappointed.
"We've got other things to do. Sorry," I apologized.
"Okay," she replied, still smiling.
I then walked over to Caraka and Tami.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure. What is it?" Caraka replied.
"Do you know where I can find Kawaya Wahyudin?"
"Oh, him? He's probably in the lab inside the school building."
"Thanks. Well then, we'll be heading out. See you later," I said, waving.
Just as I turned to leave, Caraka called out—
"Wait!"
I stopped and turned back. He walked up to me and, just like he did with Najam, began inspecting me closely. Once finished, he looked deep in thought.
Najam and Betania, now packed and ready, came over.
"What's going on?" Betania asked.
"No idea," I replied.
"I think he's into your body," Najam joked.
"Hey!" I snapped, uneasy.
"Not in that way, buddy!" Najam laughed.
Caraka finally looked at me and asked—
"How old are you?"
"Sixteen," I answered.
"Hm… Strange. Maybe I'm mistaken," he murmured.
"What is it, old man?" Najam asked.
"Your friend here… Even though there's nothing wrong physically, something feels off," Caraka said, curious.
"Oh, you feel that too? I always thought he was weird, but couldn't figure out why," Tami added, pointing at me.
"What's your name?" Caraka asked.
"Sahabi. Sahabi Pratama."
"Alright. I'll remember that. See you around," Caraka said, then walked off with Tami toward Gilda and Almira.
The three of us also turned and began leaving the track field.