Beautiful Monster
Continuously Bright

"There's someone who likes me. He is someone who sends messages frequently. I thought we'd just be close like friends, but apparently she wanted more. She expressed her feelings for me after I cleaned up the class. And I received it five days ago."

"I don't think he's as bad as my ex. He treated me better and was not disappointed with my behavior. I've tried to look different, be like no one's type, but apparently it doesn't have much effect."

"This man is tall, his eyebrows thick like father's. He is also smarter than me in mathematics. I've only known him for the past month, but I think everything we've done is too soon. I was confused, but wanted to try again. Who knows, I will succeed with someone who likes me first. I'm just curious."

Ignacia could only stare at the vegetables she was cutting while being frank with her mother. This woman knew that the first child had just been decided by her first lover a year ago. When I first found out if there was a man who often contacted Ignacia, his mother knew.

But who would have thought if the man who was only known by his son a month after entering the second year class apparently saw a side that no one could see. The news that he was patient with the careless attitude of his daughter also made his mother a little pity.

That cuckoo must have been Ignacia used to protect her heart.

The woman who was stirring the seasoning to make a balado egg beside Ignacia stared, smiling little.

"Mama likes this Rajendra," mother Ignacia said, "from what you know from your story, she looks sincere. But do you really like this guy? You have feelings for her? More than just curiosity."

"I could have liked him after knowing him. Do I have to have feelings first to accept someone? If so, I could have been hurt again."

Ignacia finished with her vegetables, putting them near the sink for washing. From the back, there is his mother who will take eggs to put in the seasoning.

"It's up to you, Ignacia. But don't be so cruel to her just because you wonder if she can survive. Rajendra doesn't look bad. Mama's great at judging people, you know?"

"Yes, yes I know."

"Mommy used to date tall men like Rajendra, too" she told him, mixing the eggs into her bum, "you know what it's like to date. Don't be too active in the relationship. Because of the fact that women receive."

"I'm trying it now."

"Yes, great. Because if you take too much control, the guy might get bored. They are creatures who like to take over. They like to be active." Mama Ignacia knows a lot.

Near the sink, Ignacia paused for a bit. He looked at his mother with a look for help. "Mama wouldn't tell dad, would she?" Ignacia asked timidly. That was the question Ignacia wanted to ask. He wanted to find someone he could trust.

"of course. It will be both of our secrets. If your father finds out, maybe he'll get angry. I don't know if my mom used to have an ex. Dad is jealous, so be careful if you want to date Rajendra."

So this means that Ignacia has got her mother's blessing?

Ignacia smiled slightly. "What does a jealous father have to do with me dating?"

"Usually those fathers would find it hard to allow their daughters to date. The man is possessive of what he has. Fathers have an instinct to protect their daughters."

Ignacia was hesitant about that, but there was a point. During this time his father had always hated the male friend who approached Ignacia. This girl was always warned not to approach any man let alone date. Ignacia still did not know what was good and bad.

"I'm not going out on a date with Rajendra" Ignacia said. Without her father, she felt free to discuss Rajendra. The new sentence said by the girl took the attention of her mother.

"I'm not going out on a date like people."

"You mean you're not going out together for a date? Go for a walk or something?" His mother tried to translate the child's sentence.

Ignacia nodded, she planned to never leave with Rajendra. "I'm still Junior High, anyway. I don't intend to leave like people do."

"Indeed, you better not" his mother chimed, "better when you're grown up. Don't break up easily if you're dating, Ignacia. Breaking up is not the best way. Learn to mature to deal with problems with real humans. Not just with your fictional friends."

...*****...

"Sister dating? With who? Didn't you break up with your ex-sister?" Athira was eye-catching confused. "I thought you'd given up on the human world and then returned to the fictional world. Why would you accept a man without anyone's knowledge?"

Ignacia fixed her sitting position on the bed. His back hurts so much that he continues in the prone position. "Without knowledge? You and Mama know that I exchange messages with Rajendra a lot."

"But why immediately dating after knowing less than 1 month? Less than 4 days a month. Well I don't know if Rajendra's sister is a fast and confident person. Did Kak Rajendra's friends ever give a sign that Kak Rajendra likes brother?"

"Eitherway. Brother just doesn't want to be the subject of ridicule in class." Ignacia took down the novel she was reading from in front of her face, staring at the ceiling of the well-lit room. "If you remember, I could meet Rajendra because I made it to the top class."

"When people only get a sense of pride in entering the superior class, you even get a soul mate there, too" taunted Athira with an up-and-down tone. "Sister apparently did not give up on human life. Next time you give up if you don't succeed with Rajendra."

"Hey I just started."

"With my ex-sister I was just starting out."

...*****...

Ignacia was uncomfortable on umpteenth day in her second year's new class. Feeling that something is going to happen. His feelings say so.

That day her homeroom teacher will enter the class for the third time. Though it has been more than a month this class was formed, but only the third time the students met the homeroom in the class.

So busy this mother as a leader at school. Carrying many books, the red-spectacled teacher stepped in confidently.

"Good day, children," said the woman, who put some of her books on the table. Instead of staring at his students who were answering in the same voice. He noticed one by one the faces as if looking for something that had been calculated.

"I've heard the news" began the homeroom teacher, making everyone guess what he meant, "I've heard from the teachers in the teachers' room that there are a lot of people dating classmates."

"Why don't you just tell me? Or you hide it first so that no one outside the classroom knows about your business. I should have been the first to know about you guys."

Hah, lead here. Ignacia should know. Directly he directed her a tired look at Rajendra who happened to not look at her as usual. If she was in trouble for dating this time, Ignacia would completely forget about her youth.

"If I may know, how many couples are there? Try you boys, raise your hands." The homeroom teacher smiled again when he saw the three men raising their hands without hesitation. Even the three of them seemed confident.

Ignacia glanced at Rajendra whose seat was in front. It felt strange because the man looked fine. Raising hands without hesitation or awkwardness. Like he planned it.

"Oh, apparently so. Smart kids can fall in love. His name is also young, still a teenager."

The three men lowered their hands, nodded slowly and looked at each other. They seemed too calm even though they realized that the three must be the talk of others.

"Now I want to know why someone from another class can know about your relationship in the classroom?"

The class atmosphere became quite crowded. Everyone already knew how someone from another class would know about the class's secrets. Someone went in under the pretext of borrowing a treat, staring around and found many dating. Then someone peeked out of the back window.

"Rananta, am I gonna get in trouble?" Ignacia's scales were as slow as possible in order not to be heard by the others.

Maybe the class feels crowded, but someone can still accidentally listen. Rananta nodded, assuring that Ignacia was not making any trouble.

"You can't do anything near Rajendra, where can you get in trouble."

Rananta looked at him with a strangely contrived look and ended up getting a reprimand from Ignacia of a pat on his shoulder. Rananta is being nosy. But yeah how else? Ignacia is not in good emotions.

Ignacia who started dating first was immediately decided without any explanation. Of course he would feel nervous and hold his heart back from doing things that could make him decided again. This time Ignacia plans to be more careless to see Rajendra's reaction. And the guy looks just as nervous.

"Ignacia," suddenly his name was mentioned by the homeroom teacher. All eyes are on him now.

Inwardly, Ignacia cursed herself who instead spoke to Rananta to the point of not hearing the words delivered by the bespectacled woman ahead. Mana happened to be Ignacia sitting at the back, so she could feel everyone's gaze.

"Ignacia, you're from class 7B?" Strange because suddenly the homeroom asked. Ignacia simply nodded, restraining her heart that wanted to rush out of place.

"Bu Zahra once told me about you in the teacher's room. He knew before me."

Ignacia wants to just disappear. Why should we discuss it here? He also realizes Rajendra's gaze at her. There was a small smile from that thick-browed man. It seems he was no longer nervous. But it didn't take long for people's attention to come back to the front.

"Ignacia, I'll find you a flight to Mars later. Don't worry," whispered Rananta in his joking tone.

"Please order the fastest flight."

...*****...

Ignacia still did not understand herself. He had once had a love for meksipun in just a short time, then why was he so nervous when he was with Rajendra?

Want to talk but his voice can not be issued, want to stare but it feels too heavy, then when approached it feels very dangerous.

"Maybe it's because you're new to the world" Rananta guessed as he ate his lick.

While beside him was Ignacia who was eating ice cubes from her iced tea glass. In front was the Maharani who also listened to the conversation of his two friends calmly.

"Rajendra seems to be taking a lot of roles in your relationship."

Beside Maharani there is Utari who half-eat the brown banana, chimed in Ignacia's remarks about her nervous feeling when there was Rajendra.

"He approached you first, sat down next to you and chased Rananta away with just the look in his eyes." Utari is right. He had already seen Rajendra staring at Rananta with the intention of sitting next to Ignacia.

"New couples are always like that," Maharani said, "I often see those who are just dating sit together and chat as if there are only those who are there. But Rajendra most often comes to Ignacia from both partners."

Ignacia chewed her ice cubes quietly. That was all he could do to feel calm again. All day he found Rajendra staring at him several times for no reason. While talking to Rananta alone the man also looked at him a few times. Ignacia doesn't know. Rananta caught Rajendra's behavior.

"But only Ignacia pretended not to see her lover while sitting together. I mean other friends still have interactions, while Ignacia has very little interaction. His frightened face was very visible." Rananta tried to hold back the laughter from remembering Ignacia's face.

"Huh, I don't like this situation," irritated Ignacia.

He put down the empty glass of iced tea and covered his face with his hands. He was very nervous and embarrassed to be in front of Rajendra. The thick-browed man's gaze was warmer than his ex's.

"I'm afraid of being left out again. He may show all his warm sides before going away. Ah, what a bitch this human world is!"

Let it go if Ignacia looks dramatic. He doesn't care what people think. Ignacia was already known for her relationship with Rajendra. If the relationship this time is also broken, it feels like looking at the past only.

"Well, I don't think long enough" he regretted.

"Who told you to play in the human world. It's good you're in a fictional world. Just like I was in the anime world, you should have stayed with all of your novel books, Ignacia. That way no one can hurt you." Utari looked very proud as she spoke. But what he said was true as well.

"Except the author," added Rananta.