chapter 3 - secret agent

Keyla's small lips were still perfectly round. In her head, the same question had been spinning since earlier. How did the boy in front of her know that she and Keenan were siblings? Keyla then squinted her eyes, trying to figure out what the boy in front of her was hiding from her.

The boy, busy eating, didn't care what Keyla thought of him. What mattered most at that moment was that he was very hungry and needed good nutrition to replenish his energy after exerting himself all morning because of Keenan.

Because of Keenan? How could that be?

A bright morning usually brought joy to anyone ready to face the day's challenges. But not for Alvian Dharmawan, often called Vian. The boy currently sitting and enjoying his lunch in front of Keyla.

Since that morning, his phone had probably shown hundreds of missed calls. And who else would it be but Keenan, Keyla's brother. Vian's head felt like it was about to explode from hearing his phone constantly ringing. Reluctantly, he grabbed his phone from his desk and answered the call, hoping the person on the other end would be satisfied after disturbing his morning peace.

"Why do you always have to bother me in the morning? Can't you just let me sleep in peace?" Vian grumbled.

"I need your help," the caller replied.

"Help with what?" Vian asked lazily.

"Take care of my sister," Keenan answered.

Vian, initially drowsy, woke up instantly upon hearing Keenan's request. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere, I'm just worried something might happen to her."

"What's wrong with your sister?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"Then why do you need me to look after her if nothing's wrong? Do you think I'm a babysitter to watch over your annoying little sister?" Vian replied.

"Please, I have no other choice. My sister seems to be hitting puberty and is becoming really hard to handle."

"Just let her be. Kids have their own joys. Let her experiment freely."

"You and your 'experiment freely.' She's my only sister. If something happens, who's going to be responsible?"

"The person who hurts her, of course. Who else?"

"Have you ever heard the saying, 'It's better to prevent than to cure?'"

"Okay, okay. So what do you want now?" Vian was too tired to argue and gave in to Keenan's request.

"Disguise yourself as her classmate."

Vian was a secret agent with an unrivaled reputation in the world of undercover operations. Known for his extraordinary ability to adapt to various roles, Vian was often relied upon by agencies for missions that no other agent could accomplish.

Though his handsome and youthful appearance was striking, there was more to him than meets the eye. Vian had undergone rigorous training and dangerous missions from a young age, molding him into a confident figure ready to face any situation. His skills in martial arts, languages, and technology made him an invaluable asset.

But this morning posed a different challenge. Instead of executing a dangerous mission or infiltrating enemy headquarters, Vian had to face the reality of disguising himself as a school student. Keenan, his childhood friend who often issued odd requests, was now asking Vian to protect his high school sister. And whether he liked it or not, Vian had to sacrifice his holiday to look after a little girl he often referred to as an "annoying little brat."

After enjoying their lunch, Vian relaxed at the dining table, chatting with Keyla and Ainun, two classmates who were becoming friendly with him. The food they had was delicious, and the cheerful atmosphere made them forget for a moment that they were still in school.

However, not long after finishing his meal, Vian accidentally let out a loud burp. Keyla and Ainun immediately stopped talking and stared at him with wide eyes.

Vian blushed, realizing he had just broken etiquette. "Sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head, trying to smile.

Keyla giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Wow, Vian, you must be really comfortable with us to burp like that."

Ainun, sitting beside him, also laughed. "Yeah, Vian, you're like a little kid. But it's okay, we do that too sometimes."

Vian smiled in relief, glad they didn't make a big deal out of it. "That slipped out."

Soon after, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break. The three of them stood up. Keyla and Ainun pulled out money from their pockets. Seeing this, Vian took out his thick wallet and handed a red bill to Keyla.

"Use this," said Vian.

Keyla and Ainun looked at each other. It turned out Vian was from a wealthy family. His wallet was as thick as people's hopes.

"Why are you stunned? Take it!"

With a smile, Keyla took the bill. When else would she get treated like this? Keyla and Ainun wouldn't waste such an opportunity. It wasn't likely to happen twice. But hopefully, it would happen every day so she wouldn't have to spend her pocket money on food. She could use it for other things, like buying new novels, makeup, accessories, and other stuff.

"Thank you," said Keyla, then ran to pay for their meals.

Seeing Keyla run like a child eager to buy candy at a shop, Vian couldn't help but blush.

"What a little brat, so happy when it's free," Vian muttered to himself.

After paying, Keyla still had some change. She intended to return it to Vian, but his response was unexpected.

"Just keep it, buy some milk cartons."

And guess what Keyla's response was? She was absolutely delighted. She loved milk cartons, especially chocolate and strawberry flavors. Keyla looked at the remaining change of 40,000. Like a real little kid, she used her fingers to count how many milk cartons she could get with that money.

Struggling with the math, Keyla whispered to Ainun, the math expert, to calculate how many milk cartons she could buy with 40,000.

"How many, Inun?"

"If it's 5,000 each, you can get eight, but if it's 4,000 each, you can get ten," Ainun whispered back.

Keyla's eyes sparkled brightly. "Where can I get ten?"

"Buy them at Alifmart, I'll go with you, but share half with me, okay?"

"Half is too much. How about I give you three?" Keyla offered.

"Deal, as long as I get some," Ainun replied with a small chuckle.

"What are you two whispering about?" Vian asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, we're just practicing addition and division," Keyla answered innocently.

Vian shook his head. These two girls were something else. They probably thought Vian hadn't heard their conversation. Even though they were whispering, Vian still heard because their voices weren't lowered enough. But Keyla wasn't lying either, she just didn't tell the whole story.

Back in class, Vian sat in the empty seat behind Keyla. Today's subject was Indonesian language, which was very boring for Vian. Throughout his life, Vian had always hated Indonesian lessons, not only because he wasn't a native Indonesian, but also because he felt there was nothing more to learn about the language. He already knew it, so what else was there to study?

Feeling lazy, he decided to lay his head on the desk, using his backpack, which contained only one book and a Snowgirl pen, as a pillow.

Unlike Vian, Keyla loved Indonesian lessons. For some reason, she just did. Indonesian was easier to learn than other subjects, which made Keyla very enthusiastic about it.

Keyla spontaneously turned around to see what the new student behind her was doing. She was shocked to see Vian already asleep. It was his first day at school, so why was he behaving like this?

"Vian? Vian? Are you sick?" Keyla asked, trying to wake him up with the tip of her pen.

Vian didn't respond. Instead of making a sound, he didn't even move, which made Keyla a bit worried.

"Vian?!"

Keyla flinched when Vian suddenly lifted his head. His red eyes scared her.

Vian sighed in frustration. "Typical little brat! You and your brother are just the same, always disturbing my peace."

***