Chapter 1
"Hoi... thinking of jumping, huh?"
The tall young man, standing with his eyes closed at the edge of the rooftop parapet, flinched and nearly lost his balance. "Damn, I almost fell!"
"What?! You should’ve fallen," the girl with almond eyes and messy hair muttered, shifting impatiently.
"I blocked the door with a chair! You shouldn’t have been able to get in!"
"Well, I’ve been here since this morning," she shrugged, not looking up. "You’re just disturbing my nap."
The young man, still steadying himself, sighed heavily.
He recognized her instantly—Arya Cempaka, his classmate.
She was known for skipping class to sleep in corners or hidden spots.
Strangely, no teacher ever scolded her. Maybe it was because she aced every exam, who knows?
"You're the new kid, right?" Arya asked lazily, leaning over the edge and peering down. "Damn, it’s packed down there."
The crowd had gathered, and firefighters were already setting up rescue mats.
"Shit, this is a mess," he muttered under his breath.
The tall young man crouched down, scratching his head.
“Well, here’s the thing. If I don’t jump, don’t you feel sorry for them? They’ve gone through all this trouble with the fire trucks and rescue mats. I might as well jump, so they don’t waste their effort.”
Arya let out a short laugh. “Really? So, are you going to jump or not?”
“Not at first. I just wanted to enjoy the spring breeze up here,” the young man said, his voice innocent. “But then they started making a scene, and I figured… why not? Maybe it’s a good idea to just jump.”
“Well, your suicide attempt is already a failure in my book,” Arya remarked dryly. “But hey, don’t worry, you can try again next time. Come with me!”
She grabbed Alwin’s arm, her fingers closing around it firmly.
“Wait a minute… your name’s Alwin, right? Yeah, that’s right! You’re joining my club from now on!”
Alwin froze, surprised by the way her hand tightened around his arm.
Something felt off. Despite her carefree attitude, Arya seemed a little too intent on keeping him from jumping. Her grip tightened as he tried to pull away, but she wouldn’t let go.
“A face like that would be such a waste if it dies,” Arya said, pulling him harder. “So come on, hurry up! It’s too late for you to be standing around here.”
Alwin’s tall frame was jerked forward as she dragged him toward the rooftop exit.
Just as they reached it, the door rattled, someone trying to break through from the other side.
“Ugh, what a mess,” Arya muttered, clearly annoyed. “If you really wanted to off yourself, do it at home. At least then it wouldn’t cause such a scene. Make a big fuss at your own place until you actually do it, for crying out loud!”
Alwin shrugged nonchalantly. "They're the ones overreacting. I wasn’t planning on doing anything," he protested.
"Well, don't go trying to kill yourself here next time," Arya said, her voice laced with a strange mix of annoyance and concern. "You’ll just end up causing trouble around the academy."
"Yeah, well, that's your problem, not mine!" Alwin shot back.
"This is a private academy, you know," Arya continued, her tone sharp. "If there's a suicide here, no one's going to want to send their kids. It won’t look good."
"Still your problem," Alwin replied, unfazed.
"Ugh, you’re really impossible!" Arya muttered, but there was a hint of emotion beneath her calm demeanor. "You know, my business will be lonely if you die, you bastard."
Alwin raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"You should join my club," Arya said with a big grin. "It’s guaranteed to be fun!"
"What club?"
"Azari Dating Club. Ever heard of it? Oh, wait, right, you’ve been asleep for two years. This club’s super famous around here! It’s exclusive—only the coolest, most beautiful people can join. You should be thankful I recruited you directly."
Alwin blinked, still confused. "What club is this, exactly?"
Arya leaned in with a sly smile. "In short... we run a hired partner business. My club provides people to chat with, watch movies with, or just hang out. We hire out girlfriends and boyfriends for all sorts of social reasons."
Alwin stared at her, trying to process what she just said. "Wait... you mean I’ll get paid to be a hired boyfriend?"
"Yup," Arya answered with a shrug.
Alwin glanced at Arya, his expression indifferent. "Does my face look like I need money?"
Arya paused for a moment, inspecting Alwin's face with a more serious gaze.
"No, not really. But you do need to connect with the outside world. This club could be the perfect escape from your routine and stress. Besides, being a host here might introduce you to new people and ideas that could change your perspective on life."
Alwin scoffed. "Bullshit," he muttered, clearly uninterested.
Before Arya could respond, the loud crash of the rooftop door being broken down echoed through the air.
The sound of heavy boots followed, and soon a group of firefighters rushed onto the rooftop.
Their expressions were serious, clearly prepared for a tense situation.
"Freeze!" one of the officers shouted, stepping forward with his hands up, ready for action.
Alwin sighed, raising his hands in mock surrender.
Arya looked at the scene in confusion, then panicked. "Wait, why am I getting arrested? I wasn’t the one standing on the edge! He was the one looking like he was about to jump!"
The officers ignored her protest and quickly moved to restrain both Alwin and Arya.
One of the firefighters turned to Arya with a stern expression. "We have to do this for security reasons."
With that, they escorted the pair down the emergency stairs, making sure to attract as much attention as possible.
The other students watched the scene unfold, some recording it, others whispering among themselves.
*
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