Chapter 20

“Nice date you went on there,” Carol said while pouting. I forced out a laugh.

Nadia had taken a picture of us and the rawon we made. She then sent the picture to Carol. I wouldn’t be surprised if Carol felt left out, especially after how much time we spent together these last few days.

The two of us worked together on our homework after school. Carol didn’t have any recording she had to do, but she did need some help with her homework. We tried inviting Nadia, but she said she had an urgent business she needed to attend to. Our class wouldn’t be used for any clubs, so we decided to hang around for a bit longer.

“What were you doing?”

“Cooking.”

“In her home?”

“Yeah?”

She didn't seem happy with the idea. I wonder why.

“... Are you angry?”

“Not really.”

“... But…”

“It's definitely not anger,” Carol said. “Jealousy, probably.”

I didn’t expect her to outright admit that. But, when I consider the reason, I guess it made sense. I had been close friends with her ever since middle school, but I never visited her home, and she never visited mine.

I had known Nadia for a few months, and I had already gone to her place. She must have felt really left out.

I thought about inviting her, but my apartment didn’t have anything interesting. Even for a boy, it was the bare minimum. I leased the room, so I couldn't do a lot with it. I didn't want to bother with a lot of stuff when I eventually needed to move out.

“Why does she want to cook anyway? Did something happen?”

“There’s someone she wants to talk to, I guess?”

Carol stared at me, confused. I didn't really get it myself.

“... Do you want to learn to cook as well? We can just use pre-made seasoning.”

“No. Not interested.”

“Okay?”

“... Do you like girls that can cook, then?”

“Not really. I don't care.” I wouldn't say I like cooking, but I have no problem doing it. If my partner couldn’t, then I would take that responsibility.

“... Do you prefer Nadia or me?”

“Why are you even asking?”

“No reason.”

It didn't seem like a ‘no reason’ kind of question.

“... I don't really prefer any of you.”

“...”

She let out a sigh. “Does that mean I never had a chance? I guess that's partly my fault.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing.”

She didn't seem interested in continuing the conversation, leaving me hanging.

“You're making me curious.”

“... I have my own concerns.”

“Can't I help with those concerns?”

“... You're always willing to help, huh? I mean, you can, but I doubt you actually want to.”

“Now you're making me even more curious.”

I could help her, but I wouldn't want to. Why?

“You're making me curious,” I repeated, hoping to get some kind of reaction.

“... I see… so talking about this really is scary…” she whispered, her voice barely audible. She has been talking in circles, and I'm struggling to keep up.

“Just tell me.”

“... Let's continue our study.” Carol brushed me aside, returning her attention to the book.

Her phone vibrated all of a sudden.

“... Now that I think of it, you rarely check your phone.”

“I turned off all the unimportant notifications.” She reached out for her phone.

I guess when you're as famous as Carol, you don't need the promotions various apps give you. To be fair, they're annoying and useless most of the time, but I kept them on for that one time when they promoted a good deal.

“...” Carol stared at the screen, her eyes going wide.

“What is it?”

“It's about Nadia.”

•••

Hundreds, if not thousands, of online posts, all talking about Nadia.

But not in a positive light.

Suspicions about her being involved in bullying in her old school rose up from nowhere and filled the internet. Photos of her slapping a girl spread like wildfire. Many people voiced their disappointment. Harsh comments had been popping up left and right, too many to count.

“This picture…”

It had a girl on the left side of the image, Nadia on the right. Nadia seemed to be leaning back slightly, her right hand and left hand slightly blurry. The girl on the left had been hit on the left cheek, based on the blur of her head.

“... It's Rizka.”

“She's the victim?”

“It certainly looks that way.”

“Is the image edited?”

“... With how AI is these days, I wouldn't be surprised if it did.”

Thanks to AI, even people who had never learned how to edit images could make believable pictures.

We looked through the comments on my phone, while Carol used hers to try calling Nadia. She hadn't picked up. After several failed attempts, I tried using mine, but I had the same result.

“Is this the business she's talking about?”

“I… don't know.”

Nadia said she hadn't taken any new jobs yet. At first, I thought she would be going to an audition.

“... You think this has anything to do with her transfer?”

The controversy appeared today, but Nadia had transferred schools since late August. Could it be related?

“... Let's not speculate,” Carol said.

“... You're right.”

We should hear Nadia's version of the story. Besides, Nadia didn't strike me as someone who likes to bully people. She treated everyone in class kindly, and she spent a lot of time with Carol and me. She couldn't be spending time bullying others in secret.

Like any controversy, this felt like something that wasn't completely true.

“Should we try visiting her home?”

Carol paused. I just went there yesterday. I still had her address.

“... No. We shouldn’t, not yet. We should calm down.”

“You’re right.”

A lot of controversies in the entertainment industry pass by quickly. Maybe this would be one such controversy.

“Let’s try calling her again later.”

“Right.”

I looked at my workbook. Concern for Nadia filled my mind. I couldn’t concentrate. No matter how hard I tried, the material refused to enter my brain. The same happened to Carol. She seemed to be struggling much more than usual.

I sighed. Maybe we should end it for today. Neither of us would be able to make any progress like this. I was about to voice my thoughts when the door creaked open. Nadia sighed and closed the door. She didn't notice us there.

“... Nadia!”

Nadia looked up at us, her eyes widening in horror.