It's strange how fragile memories can be. One moment, they're clear as day—faces, voices, places. And the next… it's all just a blur. Like waking from a dream you thought you'd remember forever.
I lost mine—my memories. Who I was, what I felt, the bonds I had… all of it vanished. I was surrounded by people who knew me, smiled at me, called me their friend… but to me, they were strangers.
At least that's what I sometimes feel now. For them, from the outside, I'm a friend, but not to me. I have memories with them but different memories, memories that of course for some people are better forgotten.
"Back to business—how much of your memory have you lost?" he asked curiously.
"Well, the last thing I remember is the first time I stepped into Starlight Academy," I said with a sigh.
"Wow, that's almost a year ago, man. Hm... that explains a lot," he replied, looking thoughtful.
"Explains what?" I asked, intrigued.
"Well, your behavior yesterday. Maybe everyone else thinks you were just joking, but to me, you seemed seriously off," he said with certainty.
"How off?" I pressed further.
"Hm... it's like you're a different person."
"Well, you're the second person to say that."
"Huh? Who was the first? Oh wait, let me guess—I'm sure it was her," he said, glancing quickly at Betania.
"You're right."
"Wow, just as expected from her. Hm, okay—so why does this have to be a secret?" he asked, clearly puzzled.
"Well... sorry, I can't tell you everything. But trust me—this is for everyone's good," I answered, visibly worried.
He went silent and studied me for a moment. Then he sighed as if accepting my decision.
"Alright. If you say so, I'll respect that—considering our current situation."
"Thanks. When the time comes, I'll tell you everything," I said reassuringly.
"Yeah, make sure you remember that. Okay, so what can I help you with?" he asked, ready to assist.
"How about this—can you tell me about my relationships with the rest of the class?"
"Well, let's see. Generally speaking, you were really close with pretty much everyone in our class," he said, thinking aloud.
"How close?" I asked, curious.
"Close enough that they'd trust you with their secrets."
"Their secrets?"
"Yeah. And because you knew those secrets, you managed to bring all of us together. Long story short, you were the glue that held this class together. Even though you weren't the class president, this class wouldn't be united without you. You even got that arrogant rich kid to blend in with the rest of us," he explained calmly.
"Wow, I didn't expect that I could pull something like that off," I said in disbelief.
"Well, no one believed it at first either, but that's just how things turned out. You should've realized it from how we all reacted yesterday," he reminded me.
"You're right. Alright, let's say I was really close with everyone... but can you break it down more specifically?" I asked more seriously.
"Hm, that's a bit tricky, but I'll try my best to explain how I see it. Is that okay?"
"Yeah, please do."
"Well, I think there are three groups. The first are the people who are close to you and also have... a special interest in you. That group includes Betania, Rangga, Fitria, Natalia, Almira, and Kambali."
"..."
"..."
"What's wrong?" I asked, noticing Najam didn't continue.
"Uh, aren't you going to ask why?" he asked, surprised.
"Well, I want to... but it's fine for now," I replied with a sigh.
"Man, before you lost your memory, you used to get so excited hearing stuff like this," he said, disappointed.
"I know that's a lie, Ijam. Now let's keep going," I replied with a smirk.
"Hahaha, sorry. Yep, you're still the same Sahabi after all. Okay, the second group includes people who are close to you, but don't have any particular romantic or special interest. That'd be me, Laswi, Wirya, Harjasa, Darmaji, and Gilda."
"So why are you my best friend?" I asked, surprised.
"Well, you don't need a reason to be best friends. I don't really get it either, but somehow we just clicked and understood each other," he replied happily.
"Okay... that's kind of weird. Next."
"The third group is made up of people who are close to you—but hate you. That would be Cornelia, Diana, and Zalindra."
"Why do they hate me?"
"Well, Zalindra's case is simple. She's jealous because you get attention from Rangga. She sees you as her romantic rival."
"That sounds so wrong," I replied anxiously.
"Well, it's true. As for Diana, I think it's because you were the first person to beat her in gambling."
"Huh? You're joking, right?" I said, stunned.
"Nope, it's true—even though you lost to her ninety-nine times before that."
"So I won on my hundredth try?"
"Yep. And honestly, it should've been impossible. But for some reason, Lady Luck decided to side with you that day," he said, genuinely impressed.
"Hahaha... well, next."
"As for Cornelia, her case is a bit strange, and honestly, I don't really get it either. She said you're too normal, and that made her uncomfortable," he said, looking puzzled.
"Hm..."
"So, is that enough for now?" he asked, wanting to be sure.
"Have I ever told you about any important or unique experiences?" I replied with a question of my own.
"Yeah, you've shared quite a few, actually. I don't think one day would be enough to go through them all, haha," he answered, sounding a little overwhelmed.
"Okay then, can you tell me a story involving Rangga, Nabila, and Gilda?"
"Whoa," he said, clearly surprised and a little taken aback.
"What is it?" I asked, confused.
"Are you sure you don't want to include Betania in that list?" he asked, still looking a bit skeptical.
"Well, I'd love to... but I think it would be more meaningful if I heard that one directly from her," I said seriously.
"Good answer, buddy. Alright, let's start with that rich bastard," he said with mild irritation.
"Sounds like you don't really like him," I said, giving a small smile.
"True. Honestly, if it weren't for you, I'd probably still resent him," he replied, still sounding a little annoyed.
"Haha, let's save that story for later," I said, trying to calm him down.
"Okay. So about Rangga—if I remember correctly, you were once invited to his mansion. It was one of the most bizarre and shocking events for our class. But that moment also marked the beginning of him trying to blend in with us. Supposedly, he said he was interested in some ability you had that he didn't."
"An ability he didn't have?" I asked, confused.
"Yeah, and even you didn't know what he meant by that, haha," he said, laughing.
"Well, that's weird."
"As for Nabila... hmm. I think the most important moment between you and her was the fact that you were the first person—aside from Cornelia—to actually talk to her," he said, trying to recall.
"Um, was that really that special?" I asked curiously.
"Well, maybe you didn't realize it, but we were all terrified of her at first. You know her past. She's the only student here with actual experience in... killing someone. Of course, that was before we found out about Zalindra's other side. But then, one day during a group assignment, you just walked up to her, talked, and invited her into your group. I think that was the first time we all started to stop being afraid of her," he said honestly.
"Hm... I see."
"And for Gilda, hm..." he said, thinking hard.
"What is it?"
"I'm just confused why you brought her up," he replied, puzzled.
"Well, I have my own reasons," I said, reassuring him.
"Okay then. As far as I remember, you once said you made a promise to be the witness in a duel between her and her boyfriend—to determine who was the strongest between the two of them."
"Hm, do you know her boyfriend's name?"
"If I'm not mistaken, his name is Gada Rajasa. But aside from that, I don't know much about him."
Okay, honestly I wanted to get more information, but I have another thing I need to do—so I guess I'll have to put this nostalgia on hold for now.