---

  Sometime in 2007...

  Inside a classroom at a school in Jakarta named Ontreight State Junior High (pronounced On-trait).

  The atmosphere was buzzing with the warm, chaotic energy of youth. Added to the mix was the fact that the teacher was late, making the classroom feel completely lawless. The noise was deafening—screams of children joking and playing blended into one cacophony within the room.

  ---

  Vins, who was still in 7th grade (the first year of Junior High), was seen standing on top of a desk.

  He was messing around with some classmates, engaging in a paper-ball war and chasing each other around.

  "Take this! RASENGAN!!!" Vins shouted, throwing a paper ball while mimicking the signature move of the main character from his favorite anime, Naruto.

  The paper ball smacked one of his friends named Hendriko, usually called Edrik, right in the face.

  This resulted in Edrik having to accept a punishment: a challenge of 'Truth or Dare'.

  "Eat that, Drik! Hahaha... Come on, guys! Let's give him a penalty!" Vins said, standing tall among his friends.

  Then, one of his friends named Doval tried to offer a suggestion to Vins, whispering slyly.

  "Hey, Vins... You're the one giving the punishment... I've got an idea! If he picks 'Dare', how about we make him sniff the neck of one of the guys in our class?" Doval whispered.

  Hearing Doval's suggestion, Vins nodded. He grinned wickedly at his friend, signaling his agreement.

  "Truth or Dare, Drik?" Vins asked Edrik.

  Edrik appeared to think, holding his chin. Then, loudly and confidently, he answered.

  "Dare! Obviously, I'd pick Dare... I'm a real man." Edrik replied, smiling arrogantly with his tall, chubby frame and tanned skin.

  Hearing Edrik's choice, Doval smiled while glancing at Vins, trying hard to hold back his laughter so Edrik wouldn't catch on to their plan.

  "Okay! Don't you regret it... Since you were brave enough to pick Dare! I want you to..."

  They all stared at each other, waiting for Vins's decision on Edrik's punishment.

  "KISS DOVAL'S NECK!!!" Vins shouted at the top of his lungs.

  Edrik's face showed sheer disbelief at Vins's choice of punishment. Doval, who heard the shout, was equally horrified.

  "Gross! Blech! Ack!" Both of them reacted simultaneously.

  However, Vins's shout had successfully attracted the attention of the other students in the class. Half of them cheered, while the other half laughed.

  "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

  Vins, who was used to seeing Doval's funny face, now saw an expression of annoyance mixed with embarrassment. This made Vins laugh even harder. In Vins's mind, Doval's face always resembled a goldfish.

  "Bwahahaha... Come on, Drik! Fulfill your challenge! As a self-proclaimed 'Real Man'... you gotta keep your promise!" Vins said, pointing at Edrik.

  Edrik, unable to hold back his own laughter, joined in and started approaching Doval. Doval followed suit, annoyed and grumbling at Vins.

  "Ugh... Damn you, Vins... Your requests are so obscure!" Doval grumbled.

  Vins, still laughing, replied to Doval.

  "As you wish, Val! Hahaha..."

  Edrik stood behind Doval and gripped his shoulders tightly. It made the hair on Doval's neck stand up all at once.

  Edrik's chubby physique made him pant heavily, having just run around playing paper toss earlier. The air exhaled from his nose hit the nape of Doval's neck directly. It gave him goosebumps like crazy.

  "Brrrr... Ugh... Damn it... Don't take too long, you idiot Edrik!"

  Edrik leaned down, since Doval was shorter than him, and prepared to pucker his lips. This made some of the girls scream with feelings of disgust.

  "Aaaa... Ewh... Gross, you guys are so gross!" The girls in the class shouted.

  However, not long after, Edrik paused, shocked by the state of Doval's neck. He even caught a whiff of sweat that pierced his nostrils.

  "Val, did you even shower before school? Your neck is pitch black, you bastard! My virgin lips have never touched a girl, and now they have to be sacrificed to kiss a goat's neck that fell into a septic tank?" Edrik exclaimed, waving his hand in front of his nose.

  Vins and his classmates burst into laughter, mixed with an overwhelming feeling of disgust at Edrik's description.

  Vins truly showed a face of pure satisfaction at the event. He glanced at Edrik, his eyes signaling a code for him to pay his debt immediately.

  Edrik glanced annoyedly at Vins and restarted his action.

  Before Edrik's lips could touch Doval's neck, suddenly, the sound of a door handle turning was heard.

  Click...

  The roar of the classroom vanished instantly, replaced by panic at the arrival of the teacher.

  A teacher of Economics named Mr. Bambang, who also happened to be their homeroom teacher, appeared in the doorway. Walking gallantly, he entered the class he supervised. His heavy footsteps created the sound of loafers stomping, echoing loudly with every step.

  He also appeared to be carrying his trusty metal ruler, making the students in the class scramble back to their respective seats.

  However, luck was not on the side of Vins's two friends. Caught in a slightly unnatural position, they didn't have time to react to Mr. Bambang's arrival.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Edrik and Doval were caught red-handed by Mr. Bambang, looking like a pair of newlyweds.

  "HEY!!! YOU TWO!!! EDRIK!!! DOVAL!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THAT POSITION??? COME HERE, NOW!!!"

  Mr. Bambang called them to the front of the class. The two boys approached their teacher, heads hung low.

  BANG!!!

  The sound of Mr. Bambang's metal ruler slamming against his desk filled the room, making the silence feel even more gripping.

  "Explain to me what you were doing?!"

  BANG!!!

  "Are you mute? ANSWER ME!"

  BANG!!!

  Sweat the size of corn kernels drenched the faces and bodies of the two students.

  "Hurry up! Stand over there next to the whiteboard!"

  Both of them moved toward the side of the whiteboard, heads still bowed. Occasionally, they glanced at Vins sitting at his desk, staring with cynical gazes. As if innocent, Vins just showed a face trying to hold back laughter.

  "Children, listen up! I am like this only because I care about you very much!"

  Silence. The students looked very serious, staring at their homeroom teacher who seemed to be giving advice.

  "Do you want all the male students here to have smooth bowel movements? Just because of these two?" Mr. Bambang said, trying to be funny.

  Startled, they let out small laughs hearing the last sentence uttered by Mr. Bambang.

  "Do you want a meteor to suddenly fall here? Shoooo... Boom... Aaaaa..." Mr. Bambang continued.

  The way Mr. Bambang demonstrated a meteor falling and acted like a dying person completely shattered the tension and fear in the class. Everyone burst into laughter, even Edrik and Doval, who were standing as examples, joined in.

  BANG!!!

  Once again, Mr. Bambang slammed his ruler onto the desk. That startled them and stopped the laughter.

  "Shocked, huh? Hehehe... Alright, let's start the lesson! Open page 73 in the Eco book..."

  Dong! Dong! Dong!

  The bell rang, signaling the change of subject by another teacher.

  "Sigh... Because Edrik and Doval were being intimate! I lost my time! You two, sit down! Vins, please don't let your friends sit next to each other, okay... If one of them gets pregnant later, I might get a headache... Alright then! I'll take my leave..." Mr. Bambang said, stepping toward the classroom door.

  SLAM!!

  The sound of their classroom door being closed hard by Mr. Bambang.

  Silence.

  "Aha..."

  "Aha... Haaaa...."

  "Ahahahahahahahaha... 'If one of them gets pregnant later, I might get a headache' ahahahahaha... Pregnant? Hahahaha... Oy Drik! Val! Which one of you wants to be the Father? Ahahahaha..."

  Vins's words and laughter successfully triggered their warmth again, which had previously been muted. Creating a lively atmosphere once more.

  "Let Doval be the father! So Doval dies crushed by Edrik on the wedding night! Ahahaha..." Another student shouted.

  "Damn it! Is that a wedding night or a wrestling match? Ahahaha..." Vins chimed in.

  ---

  The time showed 3:00 PM...

  The school bell rang, signaling time for students to go home.

  Dang! Ding! Dong!

  Doval and Edrik immediately rushed to grab their bags; both seemed in such a hurry to leave the class. Followed by several students behind them.

  Doval and Edrik, seeing Vins walking so casually in the hallway, immediately warned him about the impending danger.

  "Vins, go home quick! I suggest you just go home right now! I'm leaving first, Vins! Come on, Drik!" Doval said, inviting his chubby friend to leave school immediately.

  "What's wrong with you guys? So weird!" Vins said, confused.

  "Better listen to us now, Vins! Too dangerous to wander around school at this hour... Let's go, Val! I'm heading out first, bro!" Edrik joined in warning him, leaving him with Doval.

  At the end of the hallway, a senior was seen looking around, walking like a school delinquent.

  Vins, who had just come out of his class, looked confused seeing the 7th-grade students anxious around him. Instantly, the condition in front of his class turned tense and gripping.

  Some 7th-graders passing by in the corridor looked terrified. Like a storm was coming, they seemed to rush leaving that school hallway.

  "Hurry, hurry! For the past few days, that guy has been going back and forth on the 3rd-floor hallway! Hurry!" Several panicked students said.

  Vins, confused by the situation around him, was instantly shocked to feel a hand circle his neck tightly.

  "Hey, Boy! Give me some money! For me to get drunk later!" The student said, extorting him.

  Vins turned toward the source of the voice. The student wore a blue school hat, part of his uniform set. His name was Dani, a quite famous delinquent from 8th grade.

  Rumor had it, for the last few days, Dani had been circling around the 3rd floor, which was inhabited by the 7th graders. He was looking for targets to extort; several students had already fallen victim. Unfortunately for Vins, he was Dani's target that afternoon.

  "Just search for it, bro! If there is any... just take it for yourself!" He said, glancing annoyedly at the school delinquent.

  But Dani didn't believe Vins's words. He even searched Vins's entire body. Like a police officer frisking a criminal he just caught.

  "Hah... You liar! Listen here, you bastard! Don't you dare lie to me, you piece of shit! If I find out you're lying... Don't expect you and your friends to have a peaceful school life here!" Dani threatened, wrapping his arm around Vins again.

  Vins's eyes, initially weary, turned sharp. He stared at his senior's face. Annoyed to hear that he would involve his friends.

  Dani, seeing Vins's eyes, shuddered slightly. Filled with emotion, he shouted at Vins.

  "OY BASTARD!!! YOU WANT TO DIE, HUH??? WHY ARE YOU STARING LIKE THAT??? HUH!!!" Dani shouted in front of Vins's face.

  Vins gripped his senior's hand, forcing him to release his hold. He remembered his self-defense teacher's words about a weak point that doesn't connect naturally.

  Thanks to his teacher's teachings, he managed to break free from his senior's tight grip. He dropped his backpack and immediately grabbed the collar of his senior's uniform.

  "HEY SHITHEAD!!! WHAT DO YOU WANT, BASTARD??? IF YOU WANT TO EXTORT, JUST EXTORT ME, DAMN IT!!! DON'T BRING MY FRIENDS INTO THIS!!!" Vins said, annoyed.

  Dani looked panicked. Feeling the strong grip of the 7th grader in front of him. He fell silent, not replying. Even beads of sweat the size of corn kernels poured down.

  This happened because it was the first time for Dani. Now in front of him, there was a junior who was so strong and brave to fight him. Throughout his school life, he had gone through all kinds of delinquency. Even student brawls were like lunch to him.

  But this time, not once had he felt fear so threatening to himself.

  Vins dragged Dani down to the 2nd floor. Dani, feeling pain because his uniform collar was pulled, could only follow Vins while babbling along the way.

  "Oy, let me go, bastard! Just watch out outside later!" Dani said annoyedly, occasionally pulling back his neck.

  Along the way, people watched them. Some were stunned by Vins's bravery, others couldn't believe what they were seeing.

  Dani was still trying to release Vins's grip from his collar. However, his efforts were in vain, because his emotions had triggered an increase in adrenaline within Vins. Dani's attempt only made the back of his neck even more chafed due to the friction between his collar and his neck.

  Vins stopped in front of a room labeled "Guidance Counseling Room". Vins stared annoyedly at the delinquent's face.

  "HEY!!! IDIOT!!! NO NEED TO WAIT OUTSIDE, DAMN IT!!! RIGHT NOW IF YOU WANT TO FIGHT, BASTARD!!! IF YOU'RE GONNA BE BAD, DON'T DO IT HALF-HEARTEDLY!!! LET'S FIGHT HERE!!! SO YOU GET EXPELLED, AND I GET EXPELLED TOO, DAMN IT!!!" Vins shouted, challenging Dani.

  The situation on the 2nd floor was very tense and crowded. Besides the Guidance Counseling Room, it was also where all 8th graders did their learning activities, resulting in a crowd filling the area.

  Dani started to get scared and worried, afraid of the guidance counselor coming out of the room.

  Not long after, a girl came from the end of that floor's hallway, a girl so incredibly beautiful and popular.

  Her legs looked clean and beautiful, radiating elegance in every step. The wind blowing calmly in the hallway tossed every strand of her hair. As if the wind was supporting her beautiful face so it could be seen by those around her.

  The girl's charm made all students turn their gaze. Several female students started whispering, talking about that very beautiful girl.

  "Eh! That... That's the Guidance Counselor's daughter, right? I'm so jealous, swear! She's seriously that beautiful! Oh God... She must be here to meet her father..." The female students said.

  Vins, who accidentally heard the whispers of the female students, spontaneously turned his gaze away from Dani. Even Dani's eyes shifted toward that girl.

  Vins's eyes sparkled seeing the girl's charm; time around him seemed to stop moving. His emotions began to subside, like a raging fire extinguished by rain pouring over the earth.

  Vins felt something strange within himself, for the first time. He finally realized that he had fallen in love at first sight.

  ---

  -To be Continued