Chapter 3: A New Life Begins
Genji had now moved to a new place and a new environment. He woke up and got ready to leave for his new school. Riding his custom classic Harley-style CUB motorcycle, Genji headed to school.
When he arrived at his new school, Genji stood silently, taking in the atmosphere. The place was full of troublemaking and felt completely different from his previous school. Then someone with a different kind of presence appeared—someone who would make Genji fall in love. Her name was Rika Mulyani, though people often called her Ika. They gazed at each other from a distance. Genji felt that her appearance calmed the anxiety he had been feeling as he adapted to his new surroundings. They walked past each other in opposite directions, then both turned around to look back.
A little while later, Genji attended the school orientation for new and transfer students. He went to the assembly hall and took a seat, only to discover that he was sitting next to Ika, who was also a transfer student in the same year as him. They finally introduced themselves.
“Excuse me, can we get to know each other?” Genji asked.
“Sure. What’s your name?” Ika replied.
“Name’s Genji Febrian. Just call me sweetheart,” Genji said.
“My name is Rika Mulyani, but you can call me Ika. If you call yourself ‘sweetheart,’ someone might get mad. From what I can tell, you look like a playboy,” Ika said.
“No one’s going to get mad. I’m single. But you already have someone, right, Ika?” Genji asked.
“No, I don’t have anyone. Are you trying to become my boyfriend?” Ika asked.
“Whoa, don’t rush things. You might not be ready for my personality,” Genji said.
“Yeah, yeah. All right then, the teacher’s here. We’ll talk later,” Ika said. The school orientation then began.
After the orientation ended, Genji was about to head home when he saw Ika standing there, looking confused. He approached her.
“Ika, why are you spacing out? Come on, go home with me,” Genji said.
“It’s nothing. My foot just has pins and needles. Is it okay if I ride with you?” Ika asked.
“Of course. Come on, get on my bike,” Genji said. They went home together.
When they reached Ika’s house, Genji was surprised to find that it was on the same route as his own home. That meant they could keep going to and from school together.
“Ika! Your house is on the same route as mine. That one’s my house,” Genji said, pointing at it. “See? It’s close.”
“Oh, that’s your house, Gen? So we really do live close by. You should come over often. Oh, do you want to stop by first, Gen? I’ll make you some coffee,” Ika said.
“Sure. I bet your coffee’s delicious,” Genji replied.
They went inside Ika’s house. Genji sat in the living room while waiting for Ika to make the coffee. Looking around, he realized that the house was extremely quiet. Ika served him the coffee, and Genji asked about her parents.
“Ika, why is your house so quiet? Where are your parents?” Genji asked.
“Well, the truth is, I live here alone now. My father left with his new wife, and my mother went out of town. I don’t know where she is, and I haven’t heard from her. I can still contact my father, though. He pays for my schooling, so I take care of this house by myself,” Ika said sadly.
“I’m sorry you’re going through that. Don’t lose heart. Believe me, you can get through this. If anything happens, tell me, okay? I’ll always be here for you,” Genji said.
“Yeah, Gen. Thanks for supporting me,” Ika replied.
After finishing his coffee, Genji gave Ika his phone number and headed home.
“Ika! Save my number, okay? If anything happens, let me know.”
The next day, Genji and Ika went to school together. When they arrived, they happened to see a student being bullied by a group of bullies. The victim was Andri Saputra, who had been cornered by them. Genji hated bullying, so he immediately stepped in.
“Hey, you losers! You’re only brave when you gang up on someone. You’re all cowards one-on-one. If you’re so tough, fight me!” Genji shouted.
A fight broke out between Genji and the six bullies—one against six. Thanks to his mastery of kickboxing, Genji easily defeated all six underlings. Bam, smack, wham—ka-boom! The bullies fled in terror, unable to beat Genji.
The bullying victim, Andri, thanked Genji, and they introduced themselves.
“You okay, bro? No one’s seriously hurt, right?” Genji asked.
“I-I’m fine, man. Just a small cut on my arm,” Andri said, showing him the injury.
“Bro, that’s a pretty big cut. Come here, let me treat it,” Genji said as he took a first-aid kit from his bag.
“Thanks for helping me, man. What’s your name?” Andri asked.
“No problem. Name’s Genji Febrian, and this is Rika Mulyani,” Genji said, introducing Ika.
“Oh, yeah. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you too, miss. I hope we can become closer,” Andri said.
“Nice to meet you too, bro. If you ever need anything, let me know. Here, save my number too,” Genji said.
“Okay, man. I’ll save your number,” Andri replied.
“Don’t call me man. Just call me Gen. All right, I’m heading inside, Ndree,” Genji said.
“Yeah, Gen. You’re the first person to call me ‘Ndree,’” Andri said.
“Then I’ll keep calling you ‘Ndree,’ because I’m going to turn you into someone brave who can defend himself. Don’t worry, you’re not alone, Ndree. You’ve got me,” Genji said.
“Yeah, Gen. Thanks again for helping me,” Andri said. From then on, they became friends.
The next day, Andri introduced Genji to his friends in the school cafeteria: Risman, Zulfa, and Andika. They had been Andri’s childhood friends.
“Gen! Let me introduce you to my friends. We’ve known each other since we were kids. This is Risman Maulana Hidayat, this is Zulfa, and this is Andika,” Andri said.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Genji Febrian. I hope we can become good friends,” Genji said.
“We’re happy to meet you too, Gen. We also want to thank you for helping Andri when those losers ganged up on him,” Zulfa said on behalf of the group.
“No problem, bro. I can’t stand seeing people being oppressed. We’re on the same page, right?” Genji asked.
“Same page, Gen. That’s what happens when they keep their hearts in their asses and their brains in their knees. They don’t have any empathy. But once you beat them up, Gen, they ran like pigs being herded. Hahahaha!” Risman said.
“More like they ran after getting caught by the cops—scattering like their mom was chasing them with a broomstick! Hahahaha!” Andika said.
“Hahahaha, agreed, Dika. They needed to be taught a lesson so they’d learn their place. No mercy, right?” Genji said.
“Agreed!!!!” Andri, Risman, Zulfa, and Dika shouted together.
They raised their coffee cups and toasted. Genji had finally adapted to his new environment and made new friends.