The Original Three - Zeed, Jordan, and Wiwin

⌊ This might have come as a big surprise. I hate working in groups. I always do.

but...

"DON'T BE LIKE THAT! Why are you so... so... mean to each other?"

She involved herself in Jordan's and my problem. She was fifteen at the time. Jordan and I were seventeen.

"Shut up, Cooties!" Jordan roasted her.
"Hey!" She slapped Jordan so insanely hard that Jordan's neck sounded like it was snapping. "THAT WAS RUDE!"

Jordan collapsed on the ground and said, "She... is barbaric! We need to go."
She insisted and followed us, "I won't go until you two say sorry to each other!"

We tried to run, but we weren't athletes, so she caught up with us.

"Can't you just apologize? You two don't need to run!"

We both hated her guts. It has been like that since we met.

...

"Oh, your name's Zeed, and he is Jordan?"
"Yes..."
"Your name's weird."
"Yeah, thank you. Whatever."

We weren't that close at the time. In fact, Wiwin forced us to be close. She made me realize that Jordan was important to me. She was the one who convinced Jordan and me to do this operation.

Although we have currently lost him, I already thought of us as... friends.

...

Three years passed, and we finally decided to do it. Well, it wasn't the official group, but it was still a functional one.

"World Raider Zero!"

She shouted, and I asked.

"World... what?"
"World Raider Zero! We will ride them down, right? Stop them! Make them inoperable."
"Well, yeah... but isn't that too... cringe?"

She smiled and looked at us.

Jordan said, "I agree with Zeed. We should just stick with a nameless group. It's safer that way."

Wiwin insisted; she wanted us to be this group to have a cringe-worthy name. I was personally okay with it, but to think we have a cringe name for a group that denies hero was... I don't know, just think about it.

Then he asked, "Zeed... Can we talk?"

That was the first time I got weirded out.

"What do you think about the Hero at first and currently?"

We had known each other for three years, and he asked that now?

"... At first sight, I hated them. Currently? I don't know... Knowing they got stabbed in the back made me think... Maybe there are more sinister things under our noses. We just never figure it out."

But we knew what he was actually after... To kill all heroes. It was devastating to discover that in the apartment... He even went for me first... His own best... close... acquaintance. I didn't even recognise him.

Before that happened, though, we were struggling to get the operation going— before we met Harold.

"Jordan, we burned all our money again."
"Asked Zeed what to do. I'm not the money guy."

"Zeed!"
"Yeah, I heard... But don't have any suggestions on what to do."

We didn't think much of it. I mean... we were technically becoming adults. Without guidance, we were clueless...

Well...

"May I... have a suggestion?"
Jordan and I said in unison, "What is it?"
"I... think I can help... with the money."

I was skeptical. "Have you thought about..."
But not Jordan. "Sure! Do it! We need any kind of money anyway."

A week before this day, Wiwin just turned eighteen. I could feel the bad idea she had.

When I was alone with her, I asked, "HEY! What are you planning?" While holding her hand.
She looked like she was trying to avoid the question. She said, "It... was just a job, Zeed."

Sweat. Eyes not focused. Her hand was shaking.

She definitely was keeping a secret.

"Win. Tell me honestly! What... is... the job?!"

We looked at each other...
But then...

"I'm sorry."

She turned away from me and forced open my hand. She dashed as she covered her face.

"Oh boy... I was wrong about her." Jordan was behind me.
"..."
He walked beside me and continued, "I thought she was just being an idiot. But I didn't know she was really an idiot."

I looked at him and said, "You know this?" I wanted his confirmation.
But he answered with reason, "We need the money... no?"

I should've known. It was like this a lot between us. When we met Wiwin, we were also arguing. Our ideologies always clashed. It only occurred to me these days. That was why I kept thinking about whether we were friends. My daydream was filled with so many questions about this relationship.

...

"Zeed! ZEED!"

That one night.

"What? WHAT?"

That fateful night.

"Wiwin... Wiwin's pregnant."
"The fuck...???"

That changed our dynamic forever.

"What should we do?"
"I DON'T FUCKING KNOW! You're the one making her do this!"
"We're not arguing now!"
"Oh, now you won't take responsibility?"
"... Are you serious? Wiwin is suffering."
"And what? We couldn't afford a hospital, Yord... Jordan."

We kept arguing...

"Guys... guys!"

While Wiwin suffered.

"Guys! Stop! STOP ARGUING!"

We stopped. She still had energy to shout? She couldn't even sit up properly.

"... What... should we do now?" I asked.

And that very moment...
She demanded something unthinkable of us.

"Pineapple."

Jordan and I were confused.

"Papaya, Jamu, lemonade, or a soda-based drink. Just bring me anything that will make this not a problem for all of us."

... She wanted to...

Jordan screamed, "YOU WHAT?"

I held him in place.

"I... I promised... I won't let this group down again in the future."

She cried. Jordan cried. Naturally, I cried.

"I'm... I'm sorry, but it has to be done."

We did what she asked... and a month later, the baby... couldn't make it. She was devastated... Jordan and I argued again.

"We... We just turned into..."
"Zeed. The one who gives birth is not just an ordinary..."
"BUT THAT'S STILL A BABY!"

We couldn't just have a moment to regroup and think about plans. We argued for hours on end, until Wiwin told us again to stop.

Then...

"We... need a place to stay", Jordan suggested. "We aren't safe on the street anymore."
"Where? Jakarta is the last place to find a cheap place to stay."
"... You want Wiwin to suffer on the street?"

We packed, and we walked together. One year later... We met someone. Not just someone, though. It was a hero. ⌉