Raka Aditama's third day at Zenith Warriors began like any other. At least, from the outside.
The first bell had just rung when Raka walked through the second-floor corridor. Some students were joking around, while others hurried toward their classrooms. Everything looked normal. Too normal.
Raka stopped in front of the bulletin board.
Ever since the incident in the cafeteria, he had started paying attention to something.
There were students who always walked in groups. There were those who could come and go from classrooms without being reprimanded. And there were several students who lowered their heads every time they crossed paths with a certain group.
Raka remembered their faces. He still didn't know what was really going on. But he knew one thing.
Zenith Warriors had rules that were never written on any board.
During break, Raka heard a commotion from behind the gym. He didn't approach right away. He simply stood behind the corner of the corridor.
There were about five students there. In the middle of them stood an eleventh-grader named Arkan. His bag lay on the floor. His books were scattered everywhere.
"I told you, don't come through here."
One of the students shoved his shoulder. Arkan tried to pick up his bag.
"Sorry."
"Always with the apologies."
The student kicked Arkan's bag, sending it sliding several yards away. Several other students passing by only glanced over before walking away. No one helped.
Raka watched everything from a distance. His hand slipped into his pocket. He didn't move.
Not because he was afraid. He was observing.
Who dared to do this? Who was letting them? And most importantly... why wasn't anyone stopping them?
Suddenly, the mood changed. The five students stopped. Footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.
Alexander Gavin Wibawa appeared with two other students. He walked casually. Not in a hurry. He didn't look angry.
Yet the moment they saw Alexander, the five students fell silent.
Alexander stopped several yards away from them. His eyes shifted to Arkan, who was still down near the floor. Then to the students surrounding him.
"Done?"
No one answered. Alexander let out a short sigh.
"If you want to pressure someone, don't push the kid to the point of dying."
One of the students gave a quiet laugh.
"We were just messing around."
Alexander looked at him. That stare was enough to erase the smile from his face.
"I don't care whether you call it messing around or whatever."
He pointed toward Arkan.
"If he ends up in the hospital, this becomes a much bigger problem."
Alexander then picked up Arkan's bag from the floor and set it down beside its owner.
"Go."
Arkan picked up his bag. He lowered his head and left immediately.
The five students also began to leave. There was no teacher. No punishment. No questions.
Only one warning from Alexander.
Raka was still standing where he was. He watched Alexander.
The words continued echoing in his head.
"Don't push the kid to the point of dying."
Not: "Don't bully him." Not: "You're in the wrong."
But simply... don't take it too far.
As if their actions themselves were already considered something ordinary.
Alexander suddenly turned his head. Their eyes met. Raka didn't look away. Alexander didn't say anything either.
A few seconds later, he left.
That afternoon, Raka returned to class. He opened his textbook, but his mind wasn't there.
He began piecing together the things he'd seen since his first day.
Students who were afraid. Certain groups. Teachers who chose to stay silent. And Alexander.
Someone who could stop bullying with just a few words, but didn't really stop it.
Raka took a sheet of paper. He wrote down several names he'd happened to hear.
Arkan. Alexander Gavin Wibawa. The cafeteria group.
Then he added one sentence:
What was really happening at Zenith Warriors?
The classroom door opened. A student came in and sat beside him. His name was Farel.
"You're new, right?"
Raka nodded.
"Why?"
Farel glanced at the paper on Raka's desk.
"Are you trying to find out about this school?"
Raka closed the paper.
"Maybe."
Farel gave a quiet laugh.
"If I were you, I'd just leave it alone."
"Why?"
Farel fell silent. He looked toward the classroom door before speaking more quietly.
"There are a lot of things at this school that you're better off not knowing."
Raka looked at him.
"Like what?"
Farel didn't answer. He only said,
"If you still want to graduate in peace, don't ask too many questions."
Then he left.
Raka looked at the paper in front of him again.
Instead of stopping, he wrote one more sentence.
The more they tell me to stop digging, the more likely it is that something is being hidden.
Raka closed his book.
For the first time since transferring to Zenith Warriors, he began to realize that the school's biggest problem wasn't fights between students.
It was the system that made everyone grow accustomed to seeing them.
And Raka intended to find out who was really behind that system.
Unaware of it, someone was watching him from outside the classroom window.
Alexander Gavin Wibawa.
His gaze was fixed on Raka's desk. On the book Raka had just closed.
Alexander smiled faintly.
"So you've started digging."
He turned and walked away.
"Interesting."