He had died along with the blood that stained the water in that bath. The blood he had drawn himself, erasing the traces of the suffering of a boy named Navarro Samudrawijaya. Now, he was just an observer. Someone who would keep his distance from the chaos of this story.
"Goodbye, old Navarro," he thought as he lay down on the bed. The world could continue, but he would not involve himself in its plot. No more shattered hopes. No more tragic endings.
***
Night had fallen, enveloping the elite residential complex in silence, occasionally interrupted only by the sound of the wind or the rustling of leaves. On his balcony, Navarro sat casually with an open book in his hands. The warm yellow light from inside the room illuminated part of his face, casting shadows that shifted slowly each time the breeze played with the curtains.
Every so often, he glanced at his phone, which buzzed incessantly with notifications. Class groups, grade groups, and school forums were flooded with messages. Yet Navarro had no interest in engaging. He simply observed, following the endless stream of discussions.
Most of the messages discussed the events of that morning—the mass possession that had shaken Citra Samudra High School. There were reports about injured students and compensation being provided by the school. Of course, this wasn't ordinary compensation. Citra Samudra was an elite school, where children of the wealthy and influential gathered. With such a reputation, any loss experienced by the students became a major issue for the school's image.
Navarro exhaled deeply, ignoring another notification chime. He read through the messages not because he cared, but simply to see how far the incident had developed.
He watched as the news about the possession gradually faded away. Articles that had briefly surfaced on social media were somehow buried under lighter, less attention-grabbing stories. Clearly, there was an effort to bury the event, to keep it hidden from the public eye.
The notifications from the class group continued to ping, filled with wild speculation about when school would reopen. Some guessed a week, others speculated a month, and there were even jokes that the school might be closed for an entire year. The last comment was met with virtual cheers from his classmates.
But Navarro's attention was diverted when a private message popped up. The sender was Aiden, one of his cheerful classmates who often called him by the nickname "Nero."
Aiden: "Nero! You're okay, right? Sorry we didn't get to meet earlier, my brother dragged me home."
Navarro: "I'm fine. Same here, I was picked up as soon as the school told us to go home."
The conversation continued, with Aiden enthusiastically recounting the events at school that morning.
Aiden: "It was so creepy! I saw my friends possessed, like zombies. And when I tried to help Raka who had fallen, I almost got scratched! I'm so lucky I managed to run away, yikes."
Navarro: "Yeah, that must've been really terrifying. Glad you made it out okay."
Aiden: "But seriously, did you see it? Any idea why they got possessed? Some people are saying there's a cursed object at school. Do you know anything about it, Nero?"
Navarro glanced at his phone screen for a moment before typing a short reply.
Navarro: "No idea, maybe our school is just having some bad luck."
Aiden: "Hmm, yeah, you might be right. Let's just hope nothing worse happens. By the way, I really hope the school stays closed longer, I could use an extended vacation, hahaha!"
The conversation continued, with Aiden getting more caught up in speculating about when school would reopen.
Aiden: "I think the break will definitely last more than a week, Nero. You saw how chaotic it was, right? Plus, I heard from my uncle that the number of injured students is huge. The school will need a long time to sort everything out."
Navarro stared at the message for a moment, then typed a short response.
Nero: "School will resume the day after tomorrow."
It took a few seconds before Aiden's reply appeared, filled with exclamation marks and question marks.
Aiden: "!!!??? Are you serious?? No way, Nero! Two days is way too soon! How can the school fix all these problems in just two days? I'm about to book a ticket to Jeju, haha!"
Navarro smirked while reading Aiden's message. He casually typed his reply.
Nero: "Wanna bet?"
It didn't take long for Aiden's enthusiastic response to arrive.
Aiden: "DEAL!!!"
Navarro placed his phone on the table beside his chair on the balcony and leaned back, letting the cool night breeze hit his face. Every so often, he glanced at his phone as it continued to buzz, seeing Aiden continuing the conversation with laughter and strange theories. But this time, Navarro simply stared at the screen without replying, too absorbed in enjoying the night and his own thoughts.
That morning, Navarro was awoken by the persistent ringing of his phone, pulling him out of his dreams. His body, still wrapped in the blanket like sushi, slowly stirred, with only one hand reaching out to grab the phone from the table beside his bed.
His sleepy eyes stared at the screen, filled with notifications from various class forums and groups. The messages were much more active than the night before, and it didn't take long for Navarro to figure out why.
Among the notifications, an official announcement from the school appeared:
[Official Forum of Citra Samudra High School]:
"Attention to all students of Citra Samudra High School. Classes will resume TOMORROW and will proceed as usual without any changes. We assure you that the situation has been fully brought under control. Students need not worry and may continue their studies safely. Thank you."
Navarro read the message without showing much reaction. There was no shock or anger. Instead, the corner of his lips curled into a wry smile. "Of course," he thought. "This is going exactly as it did in the book I read."
As he set his phone down again, a new message from Aiden popped up:
Aiden: "Nero! You lucky bastard!"
Navarro snorted quietly, holding back the laugh that almost escaped. His fingers moved quickly across the screen, typing a short reply that perfectly reflected his mood.
Nero: (đź‘Ž)
With that, Navarro tossed his phone to the side of the bed, pulled the blanket back over his head, and tried to enjoy the calm morning before the busy day ahead.
Nero spent the previous day fully immersed in his laziness. He rolled around on the wide, soft bed, casually lounging while the television played in the background, barely holding his attention. Books were scattered everywhere, from the bed to the floor. In between moments, his hands were always busy reaching for sweet or savory snacks. If it weren't for Aunt Ira's constant knocks on his door to remind him about lunch or dinner, Nero might have survived the day solely on snacks.
However, this morning was different. His car cruised smoothly toward Citra Samudra High School. Nero sat in the back seat, his expression calm even as the view outside began to reveal the grand gates of the school. The parking lot was already crowded with luxury cars, and students stood on the sidewalks, chatting with friends or engrossed in their phones.
In the distance, Nero spotted Aiden standing by the road near the main building. With his slim frame and perpetually tousled hair, Aiden appeared to be scanning the area, seemingly searching for someone.
As the car stopped, Nero stepped out with a casual stride. He returned Om Bagas' greeting with a small nod before turning his attention to Aiden. But before he could say anything, Aiden was already running toward him.
The hug came fast and tight, causing Nero to stumble slightly. Aiden embraced him with both arms, his face filled with relief and a bit of excitement.
"Nero! I thought you weren't coming today!" Aiden's voice was so cheerful that a few nearby students turned to look at them.
Nero sighed lightly, his eyes scanning the surroundings to make sure no one was paying too much attention to them. With one hand, he gently patted Aiden's back.
"Aiden, let go for a second." His voice was flat, though a slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Aiden slowly released his embrace, though his face still radiated clear excitement.
With his usual cheerfulness, Aiden immediately pulled Nero into the school building without any small talk. His lively voice filled the hallway as he eagerly recounted everything that had happened over the past two days. From rumors about the possession incident to his thoughts on the teachers being too strict, Aiden seemed to have an endless stream of topics.
Meanwhile, Nero simply listened. Occasionally, he nodded or muttered brief responses, just enough to make Aiden feel heard. But inside, Nero found himself feeling a bit puzzled. When did he and Aiden become this close?
From Navarro's memories, he had never had a close relationship with Aiden. In fact, there was no recollection of Aiden even being part of his life before now. Their connection had only truly begun about three weeks ago, in a History class they happened to share.
Nero still remembered that day quite clearly. Aiden had appeared flustered outside the classroom, rummaging through his bag while muttering in frustration because he had forgotten to bring the schedule for his classes. Normally, Nero wouldn't have cared, but for some reason, he felt compelled to help. He approached Aiden and, without saying much, led him to the academic office to print out the schedule for the classes he was enrolled in.
After that, Aiden had immediately become the type to stick to him. Perhaps it was his way of showing gratitude, or maybe Aiden was simply the kind of person who easily bonded with others.
For a moment, Nero glanced at Aiden, who was still talking as he walked ahead. Inside, he let out a small sigh. Looks like I can't really avoid him now.
A little bit of information that Nero had gathered from Aiden during their conversation was about the unique learning system at SMA Citra Samudra. Unlike other schools, there was no fixed class schedule set by the school here.
Instead, students at this school were given the freedom to choose the subjects they were interested in. After consulting with their homeroom teacher or a supervising instructor, they created their own list of subjects. The school would then organize the schedule based on these choices.
With this system, students didn't have a fixed classroom, but instead had to move from one room to another according to their schedules. Aiden, known for his clumsiness, clearly struggled with this system, but Nero himself had never really minded.
The teaching and learning activities at SMA Citra Samudra appeared to be proceeding as usual, exactly as reported on the school's official forum. Items that had been damaged in the earlier chaos had been replaced with new ones. The hallways were spotless, with no traces of the incident, as if nothing had ever happened.
Some of the students who had been affected by the possession had returned to school, though not all of them. Aiden, as usual, was Nero's source of the latest news.
"They say anyone who wasn't ready can take leave," Aiden said, walking beside Nero. His voice was a little hushed, even though no teachers were near them. "I heard some had to be hospitalized because of shock. Crazy, right?"
Nero glanced at him briefly as he put his hands in his pockets. "Where did you hear that?" he asked, his voice as flat as usual.
Aiden smiled proudly, as if he held crucial information. "Family forum! My parents are in that group, and they were talking about leave for the victims. Pretty intense, huh? But it's impressive how the school handled everything so quickly."
"Impressive?" Nero raised an eyebrow. "Or covering it up?"
Aiden blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"The damaged items got replaced, the problem is said to be solved, the victims get leave," Nero said lightly. "Everything looks normal again, but who knows what really happened?"
Aiden fell silent for a moment before chuckling. "Why do you sound like a detective, Nero? Just relax. The important thing is we didn't get possessed, right?"
Nero simply shook his head and continued walking. However, his ears caught the whispers of a group of students nearby, seemingly discussing the same topic.
"Have you heard the latest gossip?" one student asked eagerly.
"Which one? The one about the 12th grader who supposedly saw 'something' during yesterday's incident?" another replied.
Aiden immediately turned his attention to the group. "Hey, Nero, did you hear that? They're talking about yesterday's event!" he whispered, pulling on Nero's sleeve.
"Let it go," Nero answered nonchalantly. "They're just looking for attention."
But Aiden seemed too curious to ignore it. While continuing to walk, he glanced over at the group of students, trying to catch snippets of their conversation. Nero, on the other hand, let out a long sigh.
Nero and Aiden stepped into the elevator heading to the third floor. Aiden, as usual, was busy talking about various things, whether important or not. Occasionally, Nero just nodded, letting Aiden continue his story.
When the elevator reached the third floor, the doors opened, and they both stepped out toward their classroom. The classroom resembled more of a lounge than a typical classroom. Soft chairs, comfortable sofas, and a large LCD screen decorated the spacious room. On one side of the room, there were rows of lockers for each student.
"Seriously, this room is like a hotel lounge," Aiden remarked, glancing around.
"And you're still amazed after almost a year here?" Nero replied as he walked toward his locker.
Aiden shrugged. "What's wrong with enjoying it?"
Nero didn't respond further. He opened his locker, placed his bag inside, and started pulling out a few items for the next class. An economics notebook, a tablet, a pen, and some papers were enough. Today, he didn't feel like carrying too much to class.
"You're not bringing that thick book from last time?" Aiden asked, glancing at Nero's locker.
"No. It's too heavy," Nero replied briefly. "Besides, I don't need it."
Aiden chuckled. "You're so practical. If I brought all my books, who knows, there might be a surprise test."
"Dream on, Aiden. There's no test this week," Nero said, closing his locker.
Navarro glanced at the time on his phone. There were still about 35 minutes before class started. Calmly, he opened his locker again, rummaged through his bag, and pulled out a carton of milk. Without waiting for Aiden, he walked over to one of the soft sofas in the corner, sat down, opened the milk carton, and began drinking while scrolling through his phone.
Soon after, Aiden arrived and sat down next to him, dropping his bag beside him. The room was relatively quiet, with most of the students already in class, leaving only a few still in the recreation area, including the two of them.
Suddenly, Aiden nudged him lightly. "Nero, do you know about the new girl in our class?" he asked, staring at him.
Navarro paused for a moment, trying to control his expression. Casually, he shook his head, pretending not to know.
Aiden didn't seem to care about Navarro's expression and continued with his story. "She's new, a girl. Her name's Julia. You probably didn't read the message in the group last night, huh? We were all busy talking about her in the class group."
Navarro just shrugged, still looking at his phone. "Oh, really? So what?"
"She's from a village. She got in here because she passed a really tough test and got a scholarship," Aiden continued, growing more animated. "I bet you're not interested, but everyone's talking about her."
Navarro tilted his head, looking at Aiden with curiosity. "Why is everyone talking about her?" he asked, his voice rising slightly, trying to sound indifferent, though a sense of unease was already beginning to stir in him.
Aiden shrugged, signaling that he didn't know much. "They say she's cute, but super naĂŻve. She always ends up getting lost and wandering into other classrooms, doesn't know her way around." Aiden continued casually. "But, I don't really know her either. We've never had a class together or met in person."
Hearing this, Navarro fell silent. He tried not to show any emotion, though inside, he felt a sense of discomfort.
From the description Aiden gave, Navarro knew exactly who they were talking about. It had to be Julia, the main character.
***