After studying until I lost track of time, I decided to take a bath and soak for a while to clear my head. I turned on the water to fill the bathtub and washed myself first with soap and shampoo. Then I picked out a rose-scented candle that I loved and lit it. The scent of roses immediately spread through the room, incredibly soothing.
The bathtub was full. I got in. The water was perfect—warm. I leaned back and chose to think about the days ahead instead of the past. My schedule would be pretty packed with tutoring tomorrow, so I was sure I’d be exhausted. I didn’t soak for long because I was afraid I’d fall asleep in the bathroom.
When I got out because I was already sleepy, I decided to just go to bed.
The next day, I woke up and quickly ate breakfast, then asked Raka to drive me to my tutoring center. When I arrived, I saw someone I knew. It was Lana—a member of the Yunaz group. She was with a woman who I assumed was her mother. I had no idea what she was doing at this tutoring center.
I was wearing a hoodie, so I pulled the hood over my head to hide myself as I approached and listened to their conversation with the receptionist.
“Come on, my daughter’s grades have improved so much. I want to help her maintain them.”
“I’m sorry, but all our classes are full. We can only enroll your daughter if another student recommends her.”
Oh, so her mother wanted to enroll her here. This tutoring center really was the most famous—and the most expensive—one around. It was so difficult to get in that many parents registered their children from birth so they could secure a spot here once they started school.
They kept trying to register, but they still couldn’t get in. Eventually, they left with disappointed looks on their faces. After making sure they were really gone, I approached the receptionist.
“Oh, Rara, you’re here. Go up to the third floor. Your classroom is the one in the far-right corner for today’s class.”
The receptionist’s name was Indah. She had known me for a long time because I’d been taking tutoring here since I was five. The classrooms here changed with every different schedule, so students had to check with the receptionist to find out where their class was. They did this to prevent intruders from sneaking in, as well as former students who were no longer active from suddenly trying to come back in.
There were private classes and classes with lots of students. I had always chosen private classes so the teacher could focus only on me. That was why I always came in first place.
“All right, thank you, Indah. Oh, by the way, who were those people earlier?”
“You’re welcome. They’re always like that. They’ve probably come here about ten times already.” Indah raised her hands and showed me all ten fingers.
“I’ve told them over and over that they can’t get in because there aren’t any open classes, and they don’t know anyone who can recommend them. Ugh, I’m so tired because they just refuse to understand what I’m telling them,” she continued.
“Hang in there. It’s almost time for my class, so I’ll head upstairs now,” I said to Indah, waving as I walked away.
“All right, bye!” Indah waved back.
I went upstairs in the elevator. Inside, I pressed the button for the third floor, and the elevator carried me up. When I arrived, I immediately turned right and walked to the classroom at the very end, where my class was scheduled for today. I peeked inside and saw that my teacher wasn’t there yet, so I went in and waited by myself.