Panic

The meal is finished, the coffee is gone, my watch says 8:34 PM, and we are still in the same place, which is the cafe.

"So, what about your current leader? What made it change?" For the time being, it's better, I look for information about that person rather than tell them that I am the leader. Don't be too hasty, that's what I did. I am very careful in choosing something, even though many people say that I am stupid, Rifai and my imouto often say that.

"He's different from before, even I hardly know him at all. We've been with him for 9 years, but…"

"We?"

"Oh. More precisely, my friends and me. We became his students, even though it was only Bagas, he also pursued us. So, I and my friends are his students."

"Is that so. So?"

"But he's changed lately. Even worse, he was emotional, grumpy was not classified. Even though he was often present when the members had meetings, but somehow in our opinion, it didn't make us comfortable with his presence. In every meeting, he always made his own decisions, even though some of the members disagreed, but he just concluded. My job as a temporary leader when he travels, he now fully takes...

He and Bagas often argue because of differences of opinion. For the first time I saw, Bagas hated the figure of his sensei himself. Feeling a difference of opinion, Bagas decided to separate from him and leave the guild he had built himself. Our guild fell apart, split into two, even Joko and Elvina decided to temporarily stop playing the game. We… we're done."

I listened very well, even though I had a chance to talk into a glass, "Hey, glass. Can you refill? I want to make more copies at this rate! Tiara once spoke, it must be very long. Ho-ah… Sleepiness!" like that.

When Tiara finished speaking, for some reason suddenly saw a gap in the butt of a large man behind her. I was for fun, throwing my cigarette butt into the gap, his butt. And in terms of results, goals.

"Did you hear?" asked Tiara.

"Ah, I heard." I turned to Tiara and made our eyes meet each other. "So, that's the changed nature of your leader? You don't like him?"

"No, that's not what I meant. I mean… I like him, but… his old nature."

"Hm?"

"Even though he looks cool, he isn't."

"What do you mean?"

"You said, eat that comes down from heaven, right? Although I don't know what you mean, it reminds me of my past."

"Hm, it seems." I nodded.

"At that time, he helped us choose difficult choices. I trouble my friends and make them choose two options." Tiara smiled, "but easily, he took the choice for us, and he took the first choice alone. I was grateful to him at that time. If he's not around, maybe my friends will abandon me. Really… I like it."

"Hm... is that so." I looked away in embarrassment and smiled a little, then said in a low voice, "This is bad. Ah, really bad."

"But this is a little strange. Why could he be with another player I didn't know? Who is that player?" Tiara said, speaking to herself.

After Tiara said that to herself, I turned towards her and said:

"Ah, that's Rifai. He's wearing my robe."

"Rifai?"

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

Oh no, I blurted out.

"What do you mean?" Tiara asked, surprised, and I panicked racking my brains. "Is that person Rifai? What do you mean?" Tiara was getting shocked. "I don't understand at all."

Oh shit, how about this? How about this? Damn it! Damn mouth! Damn Rifai!

"That, that. Hmm... ah. I mean, Rifai often appears on television. Hmm… Rifai Pamuna, the news anchor. He, he appeared after Vivi brought the weather forecast. Yes, that's right, Rifai Pamuna, the news anchor. Ha ha ha." I turned my face down and said quietly, "huff. Luckily I memorized the name."

"Is that so. I think that Rifai that one, but it turned out to be Rifai Pamuna. Hehehe. No, wait!" Tiara seemed to be remembering something and it made me panic again.

"W-What's wrong?"

"You were with Rifai, right? At the police station."

How shocked I was, even I was already dizzy thinking about how to escape this conversation. This is bad.

"W-Which? I-I don't know."

"Don't pretend you don't know. This afternoon Mr. Anom told me that two people were fighting in the park. And when I investigated it, when I arrived at the police station, it turned out that it was you and Rifai."

Damn security guard! So, all this time, you pretended to smile when welcoming me, huh. How sneaky you are.

During my five years working at the Tiara company, I was always greeted with a smile from Mr. Anom, the company security guard, when I entered the entrance. But as it turned out, come to think of it, he just had that fake smile on her face. I thought, our relationship has been fine, but it turns out… ah, forget it!

I looked at my watch. "Well, it's nine o'clock." I am standing, "I have to go home to feed my lion and watch National Geographic."

After I said that, Tiara stood up as well and pressed my shoulders hard so that I sat back down.

"Don't go anywhere, we're not done talking yet."

Ah, this is bad. Really bad. My mouth did it… my mouth did it again. Ah, this is bad.

"Actually, who are you?" asked Tiara. "I checked your bio yesterday, and it turns out that you've been serving my company for the past five years..."

Ah, shit. Tiara did it… Tiara did it again. Ah, this is bad.

I turned away from her, avoided making eye contact with her, and kept on talking again and again with my thoughts. Honestly, I can't do anything anymore right now, my brain has shrunk. And this is all because of that damn Rifai. Rifai from the past until now, it's always been bothersome. No, wait. For him, I was the one who gave him trouble. So, who's bothersome?

Of course Rifai.

***

Meanwhile, a man was turning his television to its original location as a result of his actions, slamming the television down in annoyance with unclear programs.

"Ha-chim." Rifai sneezed then rubbed his nose. "Damn, who's talking about me?! How dare you talk about me. If it's a man, don't talk about someone from behind. God damn it!" Rifai tapped the television, "oy, television! Awake! Get well soon! How troublesome for you, just like Daylon! Wake up, oy!"

Without realizing it, Rifai realized, when he slammed the television off, the television cable that was connected to the socket had been disconnected.

"Oy, wake up! This television is broken, isn't it?! Oy, wake up!"