Hey guys... sorry for such a long hiatus. It's been three weeks since the last chapter. Yeah I know... almost one month. I was almost one week never touch my pc because my sister's wedding. I needed to help preparations and stuff, and you know what, the wedding tradition in here is rather complicated and many things to do. So yeah...

And today... the seventeenth of August is the independence day of my country. After struggling for independence, we managed to maintain it for seventy-four years. And I hope so onwards, peace in the world that lasts forever... even though I know, maybe it is impossible in such a cruel world... but what's wrong with dreaming about it?

Before we begin, I want to thank torrisliao and CyberGuardian7 for another fav and/or follow...

Then, shall we? Happy reading...


"Want to commit double suicide with me?"

Nobody can express what I felt at the time or what kind of answer should be given to such a sentence and what kind of response should I show her... nothing...

Suicide? Seriously...!

Why did she come to think that way... to the path of despair that had nothing but darkness and void. What made her pushed to the path like that? All this time I saw her as a figure that sparkled in my eyes, but it seemed that the sparkle was starting to fade.

But it seems my face shows helplessness when it is under the control of my subconscious... the eyeballs are tightened, the eyelids are wide open, lungs are expanding making the breath feel heavy and tight... my inability to say a word...

"Just kidding..."

She apparently still continued her shocking sentence... while smiling softly at my stiff face, she chuckled softly in the silence of the night without moonlight and stars...

Although only two words, but they were able to relax all the muscles in my face that had been stiff. Breath that felt stuck in my chest is now able to exhale freely so that my body feels relaxed for a moment.

Even though she said it was a joke, her joke wasn't funny at all...

"I'm just trying to quote the words said by the main character in this book."

The book she mentioned was a novel of the 90s by Ofive. I remember reading it, it's just that it's been a long time...

Even so, I'm still speechless not knowing what to say in front of her in a situation like this...

"I'm so sorry..." she continued, smiling at me, "I made you remember something that you don't want to remember. You see, my current condition can be said to be not very healthy."

She paused, giving a pause between her words, maybe hoping I would respond or at least say something to her... but still... I couldn't...

"If I knew it would be like this in the end..." therefore, she continued her words... a statement that I didn't want to hear at all, "I guess we never should've met, huh?"

.

The next day...

At school during lunch break...

3rd person POV

.

An empty classroom with no noise except the noise of the students who were heard heard from a distance in the canteen. The quiet classroom where Blu was still sitting while resting his head on his desk, with his face facing down as if he didn't want anyone else to see his face. The autumn breeze rushed his feathers directly through the open window just beside his seat. Alone in such a peaceful classroom when there was only a whisper of the wind in his ear.

Until...

"Blu... let's go to the canteen..."

His childhood friend, Gracie, called out to him after stepping into his classroom which wasn't as quiet as it had been a while ago. She was not alone, Roberto also came with her. Even though they were in different classes, they always come to see each other and spent lunch breaks together because the three of them had been such good friends since childhood... like a trio of childhood friends...

"I'm sorry... I have no appetite right now. You go without me." Blu answered softly, but still buried his face on his desk.

"What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell? Do I need to take you to school clinic?" Roberto, who saw the condition of his friend, was rather worried for he was still hiding his face in his desk without even glancing at him or Gracie.

"There's no need to... I'm fine." Blu refused help from his friend without hesitation.

"Oh right... we're going to visit Jewel after school. Do you want to come with us?" Gracie smiled, thinking her friend would feel better when he met her.

However...

"No... I'll pass that..." Blu briefly answered, without even looking at her.

"Don't say like that... why won't you come with us?" Gracie asked him again, a little worried about his behavior lately.

"That's my business...!" Blu snapped, stopping her from continuing to ask for the reasons he kept for himself.

Gracie was somewhat flinched by an answer like that, she was unable to reply to his words. She feels that Blu isn't the Blu she knows... it's like Blu she knew three years ago. A gloomy-atmosphered bird, with no enthusiasm for life.

"Okay..."

Gracie was only able to give one word to him, slowly looked away from him, and stepped out of the classroom...

"I've no idea what happened between you and Jewel..." Roberto began to say something that stuck in his mind, after Gracie's footsteps disappeared in the school corridor, "But you'll have to meet her eventually."

Hearing the words of his good friend, Blu didn't lift his face at all, even if it's only to turn his head. Therefore, Roberto left Blu in his "peaceful" classroom, because he thought he needed time to be alone for now.

In the evening after school... at Mimi's residence...

Lisa's POV

"What are you doing, Glu?! Focus!"

It's not like the usual Glu... he seems to lack focus in writing lesson today. He has almost thirty minutes just stuck the tip of his pen onto a blank sheet, staring blankly at a sheet of white paper without scratching a single letter. As a result, the dark puddle of the black ink formed on the paper...

Luckily, his consciousness seemed to come back after Mimi slapped his back hard enough that I could hear the slap.

"Ah I'm sorry..." after Glu realized what he was doing for half an hour, he simply said sorry...?

"What's wrong with you today?" continued Mimi, verbally scolding him, "You're not focused enough on writing. Are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm fine." although Glu seemed to smile when answering, but I'm one hundred percent sure if his smile was impure. Because I've seen a smile like that in the mirror.

"Haaahh... maybe we should finish practicing for today. Go home and restore your condition, Glu." suggested Mimi, Glu only nodded obediently, took his school bag and stepped out of the room with a sad looking face and shoulder that held an unmeasurable weight.

This scene... this is the same as my hero who stepped away from me when his books didn't make it into a special book last year... a step of despair... I must do something about it...

Without thinking, I suddenly... "I... I'm sorry, Mimi... I have something important to do tonight. I have to go home soon." I stupidly gave a stupid excuse to be able to catch up with him soon.

Mimi smiled at me, as if she understood my true intentions making such a reason, "I'm counting on you..." she said.

"Yes...!" I said firmly, ran to the sofa and grabbed my backpack and immediately ran out of the room.

Then...

"Oh, Glu ...!"

After running for two hundred meters I was finally able to catch up with him who was walking slowly on the quiet sidewalk. He stopped his steps, turned around and saw me running toward him.

Panting, I couldn't immediately say a word to him, "What a coincidence, we met here." again I tried to find an excuse.

"Huh? Didn't you just run fro- "

Before he finished his words, I immediately yelled at him so that he wouldn't misunderstand the actions I just did.

"Don't get me wrong! I can catch up with you because you walk too slowly, your posture is also very bad...!"

Then...

"You know, Glu... my friend, Kicky, he mistakenly submitted the book he was supposed to give to his crush, to the publisher. Apparently, he made the book as a love letter to her. After he realized it, he immediately felt awkward when meet with her, and even skipped school for three days."

In the end, we both sat leisurely on the shores of this lake again, just like a few days ago. It's just that there is no orange sky... there is only starry sky and moonlight reflected by the surface of the lake which is rather frozen. Strangely, this grassy land isn't as cold as I thought... it just feels comfortable...

When I first came here, he was the one who caught up with me... now it's my turn to catch up with him...

"Haha... of course this Kicky would feel very awkward when he wanted to meet his crush. What's more, everyone knew about it."

Glu finally chuckled listening to my story. His gloomy aura started to run thinner than a while ago... I seem to have succeeded...

"Haaah..." I heaved a sigh of relief, until a thin mist came out of my mouth, "Finally, I got you smiled..."

He fell silent after knowing my true purpose to come after him. He looked awkward at the moment...

"Ahaha..." he chuckled, smiled at me, "Sorry for making you worry."

"D-don't get me wrong... I didn't do it for your sake. It's just that... uhmm... if you're still like that, you won't be able to teach me properly!"

I might be a "Tsundere" type of girl if in anime characters... can't be straightforward and always have a variety of reasons... Besides, it feel not satisfying to defeat an enemy who feel sorry for himself.

"But you know what, this Kicky... I'm sure he will become a great writer someday." Glu gave his opinion about Kicky I just told, "Writing for the sake of others is a gift and a very extraordinary thing. When every words you write can connect to each other... when every feeling you write successfully reach to the readers... in that moment, the books transcend any communication tools and it's untouchable. Just like you... you do write so your existence could be recognized by your hero, right?"

"Again you say something cliché." I replied, refuting his opinion, "We women are realistic creatures. We believe more in direct communication than quoting."

There was no further response from him... he just paused to hear my argument. Even though his gloomy aura had faded, his face still showed sadness and confusion...

The next day... the afternoon after school

Blu's POV

School hours are finally over, plus I have no teaching schedule for today. Maybe I should go home early, huh? The sky's still orange too.

That's what I planned before stepping out of this empty classroom, because right after my talons hit the corridor floor, Roberto stood up against the hallway wall and looked at me.

"We're on our way to visit Jewel. Come with us, Blu."

He apparently was still trying to get me back to the hospital, even so my answer was still the same.

"No... I'll pass that..." I replied rather coldly to him, then stepped up trying to get away from him.

But the stubborn Roberto kept following me...

"What's wrong with you? Don't hold back just because there are us." he said, continuing to walk behind me, "Blu, Listen... you haven't seen her in a while... aren't you the one who looks like a callous person now?!"

I ignored it, and hastened my pace...

"Hey, you hear me?! After all that Jewel did for you, you're just running away, huh?!" Roberto held my shoulder, causing me to stop my steps, even though I still ignored his words...

"If someone's talking to you, look at his face!"

Roberto finally pulled my shoulder, so he could see this sad face... right, a sad face...

My legs weakened and I slowly lay my body against the wall, bowing my face which I covered with my two wings, at least so he couldn't see my pathetic tears...

"Hey Roberto... what should I do...?" I burst into tears, and began to say everything that weighed on my heart to him... my only best friend.

("Want to commit double suicide with me?")

("I guess we never should've met, huh?")

"I don't know what to say when I see her... I don't know how I should act when I meet her..."

It's over, I finally can't hold back my sadness and indecision. Seeing me who looked so pathetic like this, no doubt Roberto-

"I don't really know what happened between you two, but as I thought... you do have to come see her." Roberto said to me quietly, "Sure, if she was okay with me, I'd do anything in the world... if it was for a girl I liked, I'd even drink muddy water, just slurp-slurp-slurp, you know? But... you know what... I think for Jewel, I'm not the one. When she wants her own way or needs to lean on somebody, whenever she wants somebody to do something for her... it's you she always turns to, Blu..."

("Please... help me when I don't know what else to do...")

("Please give me a review too for my second book...")

("I want to eat ice cram...")

("A book written by me... and you.")

("Let's write a book together.")

"But I just don't know what to say to her." I sobbed.

"Don't sweat it... you'll know once you are there. A man can only take action!"

"But for me... that's impossible..."

"Impossible or not... let the woman decide it..."

Then, thanks to Roberto's success in giving me a little courage to see her tonight at the hospital... alone. The room lights were turned on, this white light was able to illuminate the darkness between us so we could look at each other's faces more clearly.

As usual, I just stood in the doorway, staring at her who was still sitting on the same bed. The color of her feathers I noticed grew faded, her face paled and her smile was different yet still the same as a few days ago, as if she had given up on something.

"I didn't think you'd ever come again."

That was the first sentence she said to me this late, after a long absence. That expressionless smile was still the same as that night...

"I promised to bring you some coffee ice cream, you remember?" I showed her this pack of frozen food, but the reaction was strangely nonexistent but only a small smile. After all this time, she really wanted me to bring this to her, and after I managed to get one... her reaction was beyond my predictions.

"Do you still write your book?"

I just nodded...

"How's school?"

"The same as usual." I simply answered.

"How's everybody doing?"

"They're fine..."

This silence makes me awkward... as I thought, I don't know what to say or do when I come to see her...

"Why do you just stand there all the time? Come here..."

Even though she said that, but my steps still feel very heavy. The feeling of standing on this linoleum floor...

("Ah, Blu... Come in.")

"I'm sorry... it's just that I don't know what to say to you." I replied, still standing rigidly in the doorway, turning my face away from her hoping the illusion wouldn't return.

"Just go back to the way things were before." she just said like that with a smile,"You can just forget it all, like you've pressed the reset button... tap, tap, tap like that..."

'Huh? Why would you...?' I looked back at her face after hearing such a thing, 'How could she say that with a smiley face?'

("I won't forget.")

"And that will make your heart lighter. There's no point in remembering anyway... a writer who cannot hold her own pen... that's pointless."

Why...? Why would you say such a thing? After all that howling, slapping me around... forcing me to write against my will... after carving so many scenes into my mind that I don't want to forget...

It pisses me off...!

I then immediately grabbed the ice cream that was still in my wings, opened it and ate it all in an instant. Although it was very cold, and almost numbed my tongue for a moment, I managed to swallow it.

"Ah... that's my ice cream...!"

Jewel who saw me eating all this ice cream, jumped a little from the bed... surprised to see me suddenly doing something like this...

"Like I'd let such a cranky whiner have it?! I'd feel sorry for the ice cream!" I snapped at her.

"But I'm the one who asked for it!"

"I'm the one who bought it with my own money!"

"What the heck is that?!"

"The heck what?!"

"That's heck!"

"You are irresponsible writer! Whatever, I'd better go home!"

Those were my last words to her, after being offended by her words... I snapped and nagged her and immediately came out of her room and returned home soon.

I'm so pissed... so pissed... and also feeling sad...

'You gave me so many things. Isn't there anything I can do for you?'

("if it was for a girl I liked, I'd even drink muddy water, just slurp-slurp-slurp, you know?")

("I want him to realize my presence through the books I wrote.")

The next day... the afternoon at Mimi's residence...

"What did you just say?! You want to take part in the Christmas Performance at my school...?!"

As I thought, Lisa must have been very surprised by my sudden request...

"Again, you always do silly things... why do you want to be on such an event?"

Likewise with Sis Mi who didn't understand the sudden decision I made. But I'm sorry, Sis Mi... you can nag me to your heart's content later, the most important thing now is that I want Lisa to let me perform on her school event.

"Okay... you may perform along with me."

Lisa... her cute smiley face... she finally allowed me to perform with her.

"Huh? Are you serious, Lisa? That's a big moment for you, you know?!" even Sis Mi was as surprised as I was.

"Yeah, that's fine... I don't really know what's going on here, after all I'm still confused about what to perform. And I think it will be intriguing if there's someone who come up to the stage with me." she continued, smiling innocently to me.

"Thanks, Lisa." my thanks sounded so simple for I was still a little surprised... she allowed me to perform with her in her biggest moment.

"But why do you want to take part on this event?" of course she will ask about it eventually since I haven't told my reason for taking part on this event.

"I've got this horrible friend. And since she's feeling sorry for herself..." I explained,


Chapter 34 : Punch


.

.

.

.

.

"I want to punch her in the face, just once..."