Pitoy’s morning routine every weekday is always a superbly effective one. The reason was exceptionally simple: he overslept. And this Wednesday on the 14th of February was no exception, though the cause might be a bit different.

He played a bit more often for the last three days, not just Zurefgar but also some RTS with Pras. His friend seemed a bit distressed for Christ knows what. Though, Pitoy could guess that it might have something to do with Mana.

However, this symptom was not a new one. For the last one and a half years he knew Pras, he did witness the tendencies of his friend having a hard time sleeping or waking up at weird hours at midnight. Then Pras would inevitably boot up his computer and start playing some games.

When Pitoy was also not sleeping, he would spot those behaviours because Pras would appear online.

Though on the surface it would seem that they were similar in terms of not sleeping, they were fundamentally different.

Before playing Zurefgar, Pitoy often slept early and woke up in the middle of the night to play a match or two before sleeping again. On other times, he chose to stay awake because he wants to, unlike Pras who was being insomniac when anxious. Further, Pitoy was not lacking in sleep because he in the end would wake up late.

He couldn’t say much about Pras anyway.

Back to his morning routine, Pitoy would take a very quick shower, get dressed and just take a few slices of toasted bread before heading out with his motorbike. He lived in a low rise apartment around the central area of Kota Seribu, near the governmental office complex. It was a privilege he got since his father was a somewhat middle to high level ranking official in the city.

He used to take a bicycle before, but after reaching the age of 17 last October, he opted for a motorbike because he was of legal age and it was scorching hot to ride a bicycle in the afternoon and he would be too sweaty in the morning.

Once in a while, he would fetch one of his siblings, a brother and two sisters, to their school or ride them home after school was over. It was one of his father’s requirements if he was to be given a bike. Pitoy did not protest though, he cared enough for his siblings to just take them whenever and wherever as long as it was outside school hours.

Pitoy reached the school and parked his bike minutes before the school bell was supposed to ring. Then, he just slowly walked up the stairs and met Pras mere moments before he reached the class.

“Toilet?” Pitoy asked, waving his index and middle finger towards the toilet at the end of the corridor.

Pras answered just with a simple nod and slowly closed his eyes. His head was a bit tilted and he shrugged for a tiny bit.

The reaction propelled another question to Pitoy’s mind. “Not exactly because you need to, right?”

“Well…”

Whatever happened in the class must have managed to drive away their ever reluctant incumbent class president. Pitoy can’t blame Pras for being lazy in this kind of stuff, class president is just a mere title that gives additional business without any clear advantage. He himself as a vice president was just as reluctant.

When Pitoy opened the classroom door and stepped in, he saw a really questionable view. The class was silent, the students were quiet. Though, the perfect word might be aghast as they stared confusedly at Mana who was standing alone in the front of class, bringing a sack of something. Pitoy was unsure if she went insane and turned into a terrorist or she was a very late santa claus.

Apparently, it seems that she was not the one bothering Pras. He just walked casually towards his desk while Mana started her speech.

“My good friends, today might be a grim reminder of what the past had left for us. For many of us, the lovey-dovey nature brought by this day had left us feeling empty and alone. Therefore…”

In the middle of her speech, Mana suddenly pulled out a rather sizable heart shaped chocolate and gave it to Pras. “... happy single awareness day, deskma… Pras,” she said without the smallest speck of remorse.

Pitoy was shocked, far worse than the last time he as Nubram got electrocuted by Lyra. It was so astonishing that he couldn’t even move nor make a noise. Even the class was shocked.

He wondered if what Pras had done lately had made Mana think that Pras was just playing hard to get and thus forcing her to make a move today. Did she just confess right at a supposedly Valentine’s day? However, despite taking the chocolate, Pras made a clearly annoyed face.

Mana didn’t seem to be aware of that and just swiftly made her move across the class to distribute similar looking chocolates to everyone before anyone managed to even react.

Pitoy also got his share of the chocolate.

Calmly she announced once more, “Enjoy the chocolates and happy single awareness day.”

“Are you mocking me?” Pras suddenly snapped. His hands were gripping on the recently given chocolate with a force seemingly enough to break it to pieces without the need to open the cover.

Mana tilted her head questioningly, she asked, “Alas, why would I?”

The answer seemed to trigger Pras. “Because you just started dating…” He stopped a bit, an effort of taking a heavy breath was clearly noticeable, ”... dating Aksa.”

“Whaaaat?!!!”

The class shook as their classmates just roared in furor due to the statement. Now Pitoy fully understood why Pras was overly distant to Mana lately as well as why his friend’s old insomnia had returned. He must be feeling crushed by the fact.

Panic stricken, Mana seemed to breathe heavily. Without even glancing at the class, she then proclaimed to Pras, “I rejected him, for y-….”

“For what?!!”

The whole class shook once more, they were even more shocked that Mana rejected such a popular guy. This time, the response startled her. Her calm demeanour disappeared as she rose up her hand and brandished the silver colored engagement ring on her finger. “F-for I am engaged.”

Wow. Really. Pitoy couldn’t see an even more blatant lie than that.

“Wooooowwwww!”

Pitoy’s heart sank as the whole class just roared in excitement, a clear sign that they just ate up the obvious lie wholeheartedly. This included Ega, Fathan, and - surprisingly - Eggi!

“Are these people really that shallow?” Pitoy mumbled to himself as he just strode towards his seat behind Eggi’s.

However, despite the uproar that happened in the class, he just realised how Pras had been silent since the deceitful proclamation. Their class president just stared at Mana in disbelief where the latter was looking at him awkwardly.

“I shouldn’t have trusted you,” said Pras defeatedly as he walked past Mana. His head hung low while his eyes were avoiding looking at her. “Liar.”

Pitoy just smacked his own face in disbelief. Even Pras believed the lie. Though, after he considered it for a while, it might be a little bit more sensible for Pras to be the one most susceptible to it. Someone who held feelings for Mana for years and also had huge trust issues would simply fall for that.

Sighing, Pitoy turned his head at Mana and cynically praised, “What a wondrous lie.”

“I…”

Pitoy waved his hand as a sign that he didn’t bother to wait for an explanation. Whatever Mana’s intention was, it could be saved for later. It’s more important to abide by the ringing school bell.

“Oh my God, it’s bitter!”

Just as Pitoy sat down, a shout came from Ega who was munching the chocolate from Mana. Luckily, she already went out after failing to explain her circumstances to Pitoy. There was murmuring in the class, every student now looked concerned with the chocolates on their hand.

“What kind of chocolate is this?” Ega protested.

Pras was munching on his chocolate with ease - probably with the sheer power of a broken heart - when he just smacked Ega’s head and explained, “99% dark chocolate, I bet she gave the sweet one for her betrothed.”

“Now, now, calm down, bro.” Ega didn’t retaliate, but gave an air pat to Pras. “Maybe she was just not meant for you.”

“Perhaps…”

Pitoy bid his time to not tell Pras right now. Since that would just further agitate the taller teenager. He thought that his chance came during the first break because Mana went out and this time he didn’t need to buy a snack. Though bitter, it was somehow tasty once Pitoy got used to the taste. The chocolate was definitely a high quality one as expected of Mana.

“You seem to enjoy that chocolate,” Pras commented as he continued playing a card game with Ega. This time, he seemed especially irked with all the counterplay that Ega did.

“Not a much as you,” Pitoy chuckled. “As bitter as your feelings, huh?”

After putting a card face down, Pras snorted, “She lied to me. She said….?”

“Are you sure about that?” Pitoy interrupted. He turned to Eggi who was busy with phone. “Won’t her childhood friend know something?”

“What?” Eggi fixed his glasses then looked at Pitoy, then Pras. “I swear that I don’t know at all! The news is also shocking to me.”

Pitoy smacked his own face regretfully. He extorted, “Really? Are you guys really that shallow, if anything Mana would definitely tell Eggi about something like this.”

“She didn’t tell me about the whole Zurefgar and Clashing Realms thing,” Eggi sighed. “I’m not trying to put oil to the burning flame, but she is capable of doing things that are beyond our expectations.”

“Like giving us this kind of inedible chocolate?” Alvin suddenly leaped into the conversation. He was holding the chocolate in his hand with contempt as if the chocolate would be able to cure his eccentricity but at the same time would make him lose his identity.

Somehow the gesture seemed to agitate Pras. He ignored the duel and stood up and snached the chocolate from Alvin. “If you don’t want this, you better let it go,” he said sinisterly.

“But hey…”

“Hey what?” Pras snorted. He waved the chocolate around, flaunting it to provoke Alvin further. As he spoke, his tone and volume got louder, “Hypocrites aren’t we? If the person this is aimed at doesn’t even want this thing. Who would want it? No one would want it!”

“Is that so?”

A swift hand quickly stole the chocolate from Pras’ hand. Without being noticed by the others, Mana was already present around them.

She stared blankly at Pras as her words question with the flattest tone Pitoy ever heard, “Is that what you really think about this chocolate that I gave?”

“Yes,” answered Pras very swiftly. He sat back to his chair and put his gaze away from Mana. “No one would happily want such a thing.”

There was no answer from Mana as she just stared blankly at Pras. Then, the taller teenager just looked away and concluded his diss in a clear fit of rage, “It’s just a chocolate.”

“Very well.”

There was a hint of defeat in Mana’s voice when she answered. The girl then opened up the chocolate and ate it while moving out from the class.

It was until Mana left the room that Pitoy turned at Pras. “Really?”

“Bro, you just went too far,” Ega chimed in.

Eggi also gave his comment, “To be honest, even I do feel that was too much.”

“Oh sure,” Pras growled in protest. “When she did all this mockery it wasn’t too much, but if I retaliate then I went too far. Such justice.”

The others just sighed at the response they got. Pitoy now started to worry about their progress to Clashing Realms and the cohesiveness of the group due to this little incident. He just hopes this won't get worse.

Yet, he was too lazy to try too hard to fix it anyway.