Leo stood in front of Raka's bedroom door.
The atmosphere inside the room felt different. Even though the bedroom hadn't been used in a long time, everything still looked as if someone had just left a few days ago.
The bookshelves were still neatly arranged.
The desk was still covered with several old notes.
Even Raka's jacket was still hanging on the back of the chair.
As if time had stopped in that place.
But Leo's attention was focused on only one thing.
A black book with a triangle symbol on its cover.
The book his father said was the reason Raka disappeared.
"Dad."
Leo looked at the man beside him.
"How could this book be the reason Kak Raka left?"
His father didn't answer.
He only stared at the book with deep concern.
"Because the book doesn't just contain notes."
"Then what?"
"A plan."
Leo furrowed his brow.
"What kind of plan?"
His father took a breath.
"Raka used to believe every problem could be solved with calculations. He always planned out his steps before doing anything."
Leo gave a faint smile.
"Like me?"
His father said nothing.
And his silence only made Leo more certain.
"Right?"
His father sat on the edge of the bed.
"You really are like him."
Leo looked at the book again.
"But why are you afraid of this book, Dad?"
His father didn't answer right away.
"Because every time Raka came up with a new strategy, he always sacrificed something."
Leo fell silent.
"Including himself."
Those words made the room feel even quieter.
Leo slowly picked up the book.
This time, his father didn't stop him.
Maybe because he knew Leo had already gone too far.
The cover felt cold in Leo's hands.
Leo opened to the first page.
There was no long passage.
Only one sentence.
Strategy isn't about winning. Strategy is about making your opponent believe they've won.
Leo read the sentence several times.
"This is Kak Raka's handwriting."
His father nodded.
Leo opened the next page.
There were a lot of names.
Bayu.
Dimas.
Farel.
Naya.
And several other names he had never heard before.
There was a short note beneath each name.
Leo stopped when he saw one particular name.
Damar.
Next to the name, there was only one sentence.
Never give him a second chance.
Leo stared at the writing.
"Dad."
"Hmm?"
"Who is Damar?"
His father immediately stood up.
"You've met him?"
Leo nodded.
"Last night."
His father's expression changed.
"What did he say?"
"He knows about Raka."
His father stepped closer.
"Leo, listen to me carefully."
His tone was different.
More serious.
"If Damar has shown up, that means the old problem is coming back."
Leo closed the book.
"What problem?"
His father was silent for a long time.
Then he said,
"Raka wasn't just fighting one person."
"Then what?"
"He was fighting a network."
Leo was shocked.
"A network?"
"Yes."
His father looked out the window.
"People who work in secret. They have their own ways of getting what they want."
"And Raka fought them?"
His father nodded.
"At first, he only wanted to stop them."
"Then what happened?"
"Then he found something that changed everything."
Leo opened the book again.
"What?"
His father stared at the last page.
"Someone's identity."
Leo flipped through several pages.
Many sections were blank.
"Some pages are missing."
His father looked over immediately.
"Where?"
Leo showed him the middle of the book.
Several pages had clearly been removed on purpose.
"Who took them?"
His father didn't answer.
But Leo already had a guess.
"Damar?"
"Maybe."
That answer only made Leo more curious.
Leo didn't sleep that night.
He took Raka's book to his room and started reading every page.
The more he read, the more questions came up.
Raka hadn't just been making strategies to fight other people.
He had also made notes about the people he trusted.
And the people who couldn't be trusted.
Around two in the morning, Leo found something.
A small note at the bottom of the page.
If Leo finds this book, it means I failed to finish everything.
Leo stopped immediately.
His heart began beating faster.
He kept reading.
Leo, don't try to become me. You aren't me. We may think alike, but our paths are different.
Leo fell silent.
Raka had written him a letter.
The first thing you need to do isn't look for the enemy. Find out why all of this is happening.
Leo turned the page.
There was a name.
Arman.
His father's name.
Beneath it was written:
The person closest to you isn't necessarily the most honest.
Leo closed the book.
His thoughts grew even more chaotic.
Was his father really hiding something?
Or had Raka simply misunderstood the situation?
The next morning, Leo arrived at school looking exhausted.
Rian noticed immediately.
"You didn't sleep again?"
Leo set down his bag.
"A little."
"How many hours is 'a little'?"
"I don't know."
Rian sighed.
"You're starting to worry me."
Leo gave a faint smile.
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not."
Rian's answer came quickly.
Leo looked at him.
"I've known you long enough. When you say you're fine, there's usually a huge problem."
Leo didn't respond.
Before they could continue the conversation, Farel arrived.
"We need to talk."
Leo turned toward him.
"Where?"
"The usual place."
Rian immediately looked back and forth between them.
"I'm coming."
Farel shook his head.
"This doesn't concern you."
Rian gave a small smile.
"If it involves Leo, then it could concern me."
Leo almost laughed.
But Farel remained serious.
"Something happened."
"What?"
"Damar is looking for the book."
Leo immediately fell silent.
"He knows I have it?"
Farel nodded.
"He's known since last night."
Leo clenched his fist.
"How?"
Farel looked toward the street.
"Because someone told him."
"Who?"
Farel looked at Leo.
"That's what we have to find out."
The three of them walked toward the back of the school.
Naya was already waiting there.
But her expression looked different.
"There's a problem."
Leo immediately asked,
"What?"
Naya handed him a photo.
Leo took it.
The photo showed someone entering his house last night.
The person's face wasn't very clear.
But Leo recognized the jacket they were wearing.
A black jacket.
Leo looked at Naya.
"They broke into my house?"
Naya nodded.
"And they took something."
"What?"
Naya looked at Leo.
"The last page of Raka's book."
Leo fell silent.
That meant someone really did know.
And that someone was very close to him.
Leo looked at the photo again.
This time, he wasn't afraid.
He was angry.
All this time, people had been playing games behind his back.
They thought Leo was just an ordinary kid who didn't know anything.
They were wrong.
Leo slipped the photo into his pocket.
"If they want to play strategy..."
Farel looked at him.
"Then what?"
Leo gave a faint smile.
"Then it's my turn to start planning my moves."