Chapter Six

4 1 0
                                    

The iconic girl really finds herself on a drizzling morning as she walks into the student co-op shop; she saw some black and white portraits of herself with boxes of fruit candies. In the lower right corner was written "Black Rose" in very small carved letters. Almost invisible. Lilia choked on her own breath. Remembering the sad incident where she decided to leave the big house on the outskirts of the pine forest, was because of a video sent by an anonymous person with a black rose sign.

The photos in the frame were taken when she was seriously promoting her merchandise. Seeing her long hair in two braids, it showed that the photographer had followed her when she ran her business outside the school grounds. When an acquaintance invited her to come to the house of her parents who also run a business selling goods, Lilia would also seek information about her potential new partner before she came to visit. Teacher Ai was the first person she would meet for advice. After that she will ask a friend who she knows well and lives in a settlement close to her potential new partner. If everything was ok, then Lilia would take her candy box to her partner's place. But in the other dimension, she remembers reading Rumi's quote: If you want to know who that person is, then let him speak. From there you will find out who he is.

In business, those are the things Lilia does. But how did she find the mysterious photographer who secretly sent his pictures to her school? How did she get the stranger to talk so she knew what he was aiming for?

"Your photographer should be a rich person," whispered Kana who suddenly appeared beside her.

"It seems..." said Lilia after taking a deep breath. "This is really uncomfortable. Someone's stalking you but you don't know who."

"Maybe he just has a crush on you," Kana laughed a little. "You're a tough girl to deal with. The strategy is to make you curious first."

"You're bullshit again," Lilia took a few frames. "Help me carry the rest to the dorm."

"Ready, carry it out, Raden Ayu Lilia Parameswari Ningtiyas Sari Merah Delima Ali Babaaa!" Kana, who used to be nervous, now likes to joke with her boss.

"Hadeuhhh, just walk, Na!" Lilia slightly regretted having a 'new' influence on her friend.

While walking after her, Kana couldn't help but laugh. Since forming a close friendship with Lilia, she had seen and heard many things. Life is more colorful. Not flat like it used to be. If she was walking with Lilia, she knew she had never been glimpsed by boys. But she loved watching the boys fall in love with Lilia. Then she realized that she hoped to soon witness the sweetest romantic story between her beautiful friend and the mysterious prince.

"There's no such story in the real world," Lilia said one weekend when they first hung out at a cafe ordering a big box of fruit candy.

"Why do you like destroying my beautiful imagination of you and your future prince?" Kana protest.

"Why don't you imagine your own prince?" Lilia replied.

"Because princes are only for beautiful girls like you," said Kana with her stoic smile.

"Then why talk about an unfair reality?" Said Lilia who desperately wanted to fix her friend's 'evil' way of thinking on her own body. "You just have to love yourself more. Respect yourself. It doesn't matter whether people judge you beautiful or ugly, because the main thing is your obedience to God, your morals to others, and your mastery of knowledge so that your life is more meaningful and useful."

"Behind you, it's 4 o'clock, there's a really cute guy staring this way." Kana didn't seem to hear what Lilia said. So make the girl frown.

"If it's behind me, he's definitely not looking at me, but looking at you." Lilia replied nonchalantly.

"Bet," challenged Kana excitedly. "I get double the salary if I guess right, that he has a crush on you."

"You're crazy, aren't you? It's the first time you've seen him and you've been making accusations. But I agree, if your guess is wrong, you won't be paid this month."

"Agreed," Kana replied confidently.

Then they saw the handsome boy walking to their place. Lilia was really worried about having to pay double the salary. But Kana looks very happy.

"Oh God, please don't." Lilia almost looked like she was about to cry. "I don't want to lose this month."

Hearing Lilia's cries of prayer, Kana's side immediately wanted to cheer for her victory.

"God, this is ridiculous. Don't make Kana happy, please." Lilia was still muttering her prayers. And when she was almost desperate when the cute guy got closer, suddenly the guy took out a smart stick for the blind and casually walked past the table of the two girls.

Kana gawked like an idiot while Lilia laughed out loud until she was satisfied.

"This is a lesson for you," said Lilia after she was satisfied with laughing at Kana. "Don't judge people easily, especially those you've never met. Look, now you've lost a month's salary. Your four weeks of hard work was in vain. For what? Because of your own stupidity."

"Oh my, can you not say that your cruel words?" Regret is really useless, cursed Kana.

And Lilia just shrugged. "Let's go home. We have to go to the market first to buy teacher Ai's gift."

Unenthusiastically, Kana just followed behind Lilia.

Black Rose (Completed)Where stories live. Discover now