Red Threads

Continued Inquiry

Nothing has changed with today. The sun is still shining quite. Thick clouds began to show themselves little by little. The earth is still spinning on its axis. People are busy. And, the school is still rowdy with student traffic.

The change only happened in Mika's heart. Ever since the appearance of the assumption about Kai, there was an empty space forming in his heart. The room seemed to rob the voices around it. Makes it like being in the middle of a dark pantomime movie scene. There's no sound. Just movement. There is no light. Just black, white, and hollow.

The emptiness in his heart did not decrease at all, even though Raga was beside him. The guy didn't open any conversation. Just look at the three-handed painting with the red rope bracelet that Mika showed this morning, at school.

They are both immersed in their own thoughts. Mika with her heart. And, Raga with the painting in front of her.

“I have absolutely no idea about this painting. I didn't know Nagra before. So I can't guess who else has a bracelet like this other than Kai and Nagra." Raga finally made a sound, after a silence that felt very long for Mika.

Mika had expected that answer from the beginning. It wouldn't be easy for him to find the answer to that bracelet in such a quick time. One way he could do that was to ask Kai. Only, he refused to meet the guy. No. gabe. Not reluctantly. More precisely, he had not been able to meet that guy again.

“You have a plan, when do you want to give the evidence to the police?” raga's question made Mika sigh. I don't know, why suddenly his heart felt so heavy doing that. After seeing Kai in front of his house yesterday, the entire determination he had built, collapsed in disarray. Labil, that word was the right one to describe him at this moment. Although the evidence was enough to solve the case, he was still not convinced to do so.

“I have no plans, Ga,” replied Mika, followed by a long breath.

“You want to know when you have time? You want Nagra's killer to continue to enjoy free air?” insist Raga.

Mika shakes. He wants to solve the case immediately. However, he does not want to hand Kai over to the police. “I need more time.”

"Or, is it because of Kai? You don't want to surrender this case to the police, because you don't want Kai to go to jail?” Raga's voice sounded an octave higher. His eyes squinted suspiciously at Mika who was still staring blankly at the wooden bench in front of them.

Mika exhaled a heavy breath, once again. His eyes turned to Raga. Attempting to display a look of confidence in his pair of eyeballs. “Not because of Kai. I just need a minute, a minute.”

Raga grunting. Then, leaving Mika who is still confused with her own feelings. Raga is upset that Mika is stalling too much time. And even more upset, knowing the reason Mika did that was because of Kai.

“Ka, Raga sister why?” Raya who suddenly stood beside Mika's bench put on a curious look. He had just passed Raga by the doorway. The guy just passed it. Without caring for him who had put on a polite smile.

“PMS time,” sahut Mika, original. He was reluctant to respond to any questions, and from anyone. Then, he got up and walked out of the classroom.

Raya just looked at Mika's back which then disappeared behind the wall. Like other students, he did not follow the development of Nagra's death. He just felt he was not very familiar with Nagra, and it would be much better if he did not interfere.

♥

I don't know what made Mika step foot into Kai's class. The twelfth grade corridor was extremely rowdy. It was much more rowdy than the tenth grade corridor he was used to going through. Several times he heard teasing calls from guys sitting on the edge of the corridor. Not something foreign. They often do that, when there is a younger sister who walks in the corridor of their class—let alone a tenth class like her.

Mika stopped beside Kai's classroom door. He doesn't know what's in his head right now. It would be a problem, if Raga saw him in this place. What's more, Raga's class is only one classroom away with Kai's class. But he doesn't seem to care. He just wanted to see Kai. That'sallthatis.

Mika took a deep breath for a moment. Trying to ease the rumbling and nervousness in his chest. Just one more step, he could see the entire contents of the boy's class. Just one more step, he could see Kai. However, that one step was never completed. He chose to turn around, and walked away from the boy's class.

He walked in a hurry. His head bowed, peeking at the lines of the elongated tiles that he poked. Until accidentally, he hit the sturdy back of someone's.

Mika squealing. He took one step back, and raised his head. Samuel stood in front of him with an expression that was also shocked. The guy stared at him, for a few seconds. Then cleared up to melt the atmosphere.

“Lo again what is it here?” ask Samuel. His head was cuddling around Mika. Probably looking, with whom Mika came to this place.

“Eh, i..u...” Mika stuttered. His head was looking for the right reason, without mentioning Kai by name. It could be a problem if anyone finds out that he's looking for Kai. What else, if the guy complained to Raga. “I'm looking for a broom pinjeman,” said Mika in the end, which actually made Samuel's forehead wrinkle deeper.

“There is no broom in class?” samuel's question was answered with a clumsy trouser by Mika. “Keep, now where's the broom?”

Well, can this not most people ask? Mika cursed in heart. “It...the broom is again used all.”

Samuel still maintained his flat face, although inwardly he was laughing amusedly at Mika's behavior. Without even asking, he already knew the purpose of the girl coming to this place. Seeing Mika's reddened face with uncomfortable gestures, Samuel finally stopped his pretense. “Kai no longer logged in. She's still sick.”

“Sick?" Mika's eyes widened in shock. However, he was much more surprised to hear his own voice that had suddenly become high. Making a noise that originally occurred around him, instantly quiet. He even uttered that sentence just a split second after Samuel's words ended. Mika threw a glance at some of her upperclassmen who were in the corridor. He smiled awkwardly, as a sign of apology. Then, again said in a soft voice. “Yesterday to my house, he was fine aja.”

Mika was silent for a moment. A memory suddenly flashed through his head. “Two days ago, I saw Satya's sister Abi take Kai to UKS. She why?”

This time, it was Samuel's turn to be busy looking for excuses. It is impossible if he says that Kai has just become his sams. Mika would definitely blame him and pursue him with a variety of questions. He just didn't want the girl to know, if he had ever been friends with Nagra. No, as long as the case about the guy isn't over.

“He's out of fight?” Mika again pointed at Samuel, when she saw the man did not also give an answer.

“Ngak. He did not fight,” Samuel laughed small and tasteless. “He fell down the stairs. Not accidentally pinching his own shoelaces.”

Mika frowned. He just found out if falling from the stairs can cause bonyok in advance. Only, he did not want to ask further. Besides because the first hour was about to start, he also did not want Raga to see him in this place.

“Then I go back to class. Please let me know that he's in, brother." Mika said goodbye, while smiling a little.

“Be careful, Ka. Lots of eyes here."

♥

Throughout this day, Mika had not calmed down at all. There were many things that disturbed his mind. First, it was Raga who kept urging him to hand over the evidence to the police. Second, Kai's absence from school. Third, about Samuel's reason for the wounds on Kai's face. And fourth, about one more owner of a red rope bracelet that he hasn't found. Four things filled his head. Creating tangled threads that are difficult to break down.

“In my opinion, you do not be rash to give this case to the police. I don't know why. But I'm sure, there's not only one person involved in Nagra's sister's death. Even if it's just one person, my feelings say, it's not Kai." Anggita's words disperse Mika's daydreams and return them to the real world.

“Why is that?” tanya Raya's.

"Mika once said that the death of Nagra's sister is very neat. The perpetrator even put the medicine to sleep next to Kak Nagra's pillow, so it's as if Kak Nagra died by suicide.” Assume to give an argument.

“Most likely, Brother Nagra died less than twenty minutes after I left his apartment. Because, fitting I go back there—twenty minutes after home—Kak Nagra already died.” Mika added.

Raya thought for a moment. His fingers tapped on the concrete floor beside him. Since these few days, they no longer gathered in the cafeteria every hour of rest. They would go straight to the roof, bring snacks brought from home, and start opening discussion forums.

“According to me, the existence of sleeping pills there is only a cheat. Usually, sleeping pills will give a reaction for thirty minutes to an hour. It's too long to kill, right? What's more, if Nagra's sister still clean the apartment for less than twenty minutes." Raya tried to give the results of her analysis, after searching for information about the reaction of sleeping pills on the internet.

“That's what makes me suspicious. During this time, Nagra has never taken sleeping pills. But, that day I saw Nagra's sister was really messed up. It was the first time, I saw him completely screwed up. I don't know if it's a coincidence or if it's planned. That day I also saw Alana go the same guy to the nightclub. Until now I still think, did Nagra already know that Alana cheated on him and he became chaotic? Or, Brother Nagra screwed up for another reason.” Mika was trying to turn back the events of the day in her head.

“Alana cheating?” A pair of Anggita's eyelids widened. “Lo sure?”

“Why?” Mika and Raya asked simultaneously.

“Any aja, anyway. Alana has been chasing after Nagra for a long time. I know, she loves Nagra. I think, it is impossible if he cheated on the back of Nagra.” Anggita paused his sentence for a moment. He let out a long breath, as if he was throwing a heavy burden on his chest. “Lo also said that Brother Nagra messed up. I can't believe it's because Alana cheated on me. Nagra has never loved Alana. There must be something else that makes Nagra's sister like that.”

Aggita dropped a look at Mika. There was a full highlight of pleading in his pair of eyeballs. “Gue doesn't know why. But I think the only person who knows about it is Kai. So, I beg you, Ka. Explanation from Kai.”

Mika gasps. He did not expect, if Anggita would say that.

Explanation from Kai.

Then, what? Didn't the guy say he wouldn't bother her anymore, after giving an explanation? Does he now have to listen to Kai's explanation, and let the guy stay away from him?

Mika seemed to be thrown at concern for the umpteenth time. He may be able to get a bright spot on Nagra's death from Kai. But he didn't want the guy to stay away after that.

It seemed, Raya saw doubt in Mika's pair of eyeballs. He touched the back of Mika's hand. To make Mika jerk. “Why, Ka?” tanya Raya's.

Mika shakes. His eyes closed, for a while. He was trying to convince himself that this was the only way. He had to listen to Kai's explanation. Although he must push the ego to its lowest point, and prepare if the man decides to leave it.