31/10/2025
𝑺𝑰𝑳𝑨𝑲𝑩𝑶𝑶𝑲 | " 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐓𝐄 "
𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙁𝙄𝙑𝙀
One.. two..
Two years. It’s been almost two years, yet how come it feels like everything just happened yesterday? I seriously don’t get it. Is this some kind of emotional postpartum trauma? The one that you go through after a person who used to mean a lot to you suddenly becomes irrelevant?
Irrelevant? That’s not even enough to coin everything. But what exactly makes something irrelevant? Like playing house with dolls before and now finding it childish? Watching Gacha Life videos and now finding it cringe? Is that how irrelevance feels like?
“Give me money. I’m hungry.”
𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴? Oh! Something like that? I just heard something really irrelevant right now.
“Hey, give me money.”
𝘜𝘨𝘩.. 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵. I’m starting to understand what makes something irrelevant now. Just like what I’m hearing right now. Where is it even coming from?
“Hey!”
𝘚𝘰 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘭—AH! I flinched when I felt a tug on my shirt.
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦?
When I finally turned to where the voice had been coming from, I almost screamed in surprise when I realized that 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵 was a small boy in ragged, stained clothes all along! W-what the? Where did this kid come from? How did my thoughts suddenly manifest into a person?!
“I said give me money,” the kid demanded, holding out a hand. I noticed that his other hand was behind his back, seeming as though he was hiding something.
Is irrelevance supposed to be like this—begging? Could it be a metaphor? Is irrelevance begging for a meaning from me in the guise of asking “money”?
“Hurry up,” the kid slightly turned to the other side, allowing me to catch a glimpse of a splintered wood that had been hammered with nails out unevenly by someone with trembling hands.
Oh my gosh! Is that… a weapon? Why would a kid bring something like that?
Wait… am I being holdup right now?
The kid continued to glare at me menacingly, motioning the hand he held out to give him what he’s asking for. Am I dreaming? Please tell me I am dreaming! It wasn’t that long ago when I met someone weird in this place too! Could it be that this waiting shed is cursed? Does it have some magnetic field where beggars and robbers are pulled in?
AGH! Crap, what do I do?! Do I really have no other choice but to give him money?
“Come on already!” the kid yelled, and before I knew it, my hands immediately began to search for my wallet in my bag.
How much does he even want? Should I ask? But what if I lose my mouth for it? Goodness! Did he mention an amount? Think Lorna, think! Maybe he only wants a coin?
“Huh?” The kid scorned the coin I gave. “Are you playing with me?”
Shouldn’t ten pesos be enough for a kid like you?!
“Give more. Hurry!”
Ugh.. who does this kid think he is? Does he feel that powerful just because he has a weapon with him? Well he should know that a weapon is nothing to our age gap! Does he not see that I’m clearly a lot older than him? Should I try and assert my dominance here? This kid should know his p—
“Hurry up, woman!”
“Yes!”
This sucks! If only there’s a way to get that weapon from him somehow! This really hurts my pride. I feel like I’m gonna cry!
I forced a lump down my throat and was about to fish more money out of my wallet when I suddenly saw a light. It felt like the world slowed down for a moment, making way for what seemed like the sun coming towards me. I heard the birds sing in celebration as my soul danced to the tune. Behold, my knight in shining armor! The light of my darkness! The hero of my life!
The jeep!
𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥! I hurriedly closed my wallet and spared the kid one last glance before climbing up the vehicle.
He glared at me with the same tenacity before mouthing, “I will see you later,” before leaving in the opposite direction.
What makes him think we are gonna see each other next time? There will be no next time for any more beggars and robbers!
“That’s why if the heart is full, the brain is empty—Is there anybody in class who likes to write?” The teacher asked in the middle of her discussion.
Everyone just stared blankly in confusion, and some who had been dozing off the entire time perked up from the dramatic silence.
“Nobody? I don’t buy that,” the teacher tiptoes to allow more view in her sight, searching the classroom thoroughly for potential students she is looking for. “Seriously? I will give points to those who—“
Everybody but me immediately shot their hands into the air before the teacher could even finish. The loud silence was instantly replaced with desperate yells and frantic pleas, each voice trying to out-scream the other just to get noticed, persuading the teacher to choose them. Do they even know what she is talking about?
“Choose me, teacher! I know calligraphy!”
What?
“Me, teacher! I’m quite skilled in writing numbers!”
Huh?
“What? You definitely suck. It’s me teacher! I’m really good at writing my name.”
What are all these answers?
“That doesn’t count!”
Oh finally! Someone who’s gonna knock some sense into their heads appears!
“Writing names is obviously nothing to writing a journal entry! It’s me, miss! I’m the one you are looking for!”
I take it back! What the hell are they even saying at this point?!
“Hmm…” the teacher hummed. “But those are not what I’m looking for guys,” she says nervously.
Miss Whimsy was not your typical stern major subject teacher that almost everyone has—or has had—the misfortune of encountering in their school years. Despite her many years of teaching, her sheepish personality and soft, high-pitched voice seemed completely untouched by time. She’s the kind of teacher you’d think would easily get bullied by her students, yet somehow, she’s never experienced that even once in her entire career. I must say, if omega were a person, it would definitely be this teacher right here.
“It’s the type of writing where your mind goes boom boom! You know? Like ka-sploosh! Bam bam bam!”
Yep.. right there.
“Oh! Like, writing notes!”
“Or writing a promissory note?”
“Oh a bionote!”
… Or perhaps this entire class after all. I’m curious why they think that those answers they gave actually go bang bang bang and ka-sploosh. Maybe it’s actually me who doesn’t get it? Is the teacher actually referring to those kinds of writings they are blurting?
But if I don’t understand then wouldn’t that mean it’s a good thing? I’m not an omega after all. Maybe that’s why I don’t get them.
“I made it to regionals last year in Sci-Tech writing,” the crowd immediately fell quiet when a deep, loud voice penetrated through the noise.
What an entrance!
“Ohh!” the teacher cheered in excitement. “Who might you be?”
Everyone—and including me this time, turned to where the voice came from. Over there was a guy—standing with that quietly striking look, the kind that doesn’t shout for attention but somehow draws your eyes in anyway. His hair dark and slightly tousled, with soft curls that fall naturally, giving him an easy, unpolished charm. Pale skin, and sharp, clean lines to his face—a defined jaw, straight nose, and lips that rest in a calm, almost serious expression.
There’s something… mischievous about him, yet mature in the way he carries himself — like someone who’s grown used to being deep in thought. His eyes, though not overly expressive, have a quiet intensity, as if he’s observing the world without needing to say much. He looks pretty simple yet effortlessly aesthetic, like the kind of person who looks naturally good even when he’s not trying to.
“I’m Vale Lucien,” he introduced.
His unexpected entrance made everyone start whispering among each other. Normally, one would expect that his name is being sung praises after what he said but—
“Hey!” I flinched when my seatmate suddenly whispered to me. I didn’t have anybody to whisper to so I was whispering to you guys but hey, finally! “Isn’t his uniform the wrong way?”
And this what I’m talking about—Instead of praises, he was being criticized instead.
“I’ve never seen anyone wear a uniform that way.”
“Hahaha! He’s funny!”
“Why are the buttons on the back?”
Whispers sunk and loud hollers of giggles and laughter filled the classroom, relieving the heavy silence that lounged under the ceiling just a few seconds ago. Who could’ve expected something like that from someone who just said something cool?
“Pipe down guys,” Miss Whimsy tried to calm the noise down but everyone was busy asking Vale questions that he was surprisingly taking well. He’s pretty laid back than I thought. “Is there anyone besides Vale who likes to write here guys?”
“Are you single? You’re piping hot!” a guy playfully asked.
“Yes,” was all Vale replied.
“Do you like your uniform worn that way or you just didn’t notice until now?” some girl asked.
“My horoscope said that today is a lucky day if I do something wrong,” the guy shrugged.
“What kind of horoscope is that?”
Everyone continued to throw questions that Vale answered sincerely, while Miss Whimsy was starting to tear up from being ignored. For some reason, I couldn’t just ignore how sad the teacher looked even though I didn’t want to be involved—but it was all too late—my legs perked up, and my hand raised on its own amidst the commotion.
Oh my gosh no no no! Don’t do this Lorna! Don’t you dare do this to yourse—
“I’m… a sportswriter!” I yelled, eyes shut, and my entire face flushed.
My voice had to echo throughout the entire place as though the news was urgent, repeating it a few times in case some had not heard it before the crowd just let out a surprised, awkward ‘𝘖𝘩’ and the classroom fell into another— but more petrifying, and burning, uneasy silence that had each of my toes grip on the floor—begging for it to open.
Oh. My. Gosh.
AAAAAHH! I-I’ve done it! Screw you, Lorna! What the heck is wrong with you?! Oh my goodness! Please… please let me go home!
“W-wow! Holy smokes! Your works are incredibly incredible!”
I was now in the faculty office with Vale, who still had his uniform in the wrong place, after Miss Whimsy called us for a short discussion. She had just finished reading the portfolio we handed after what felt like an hour, but aside from how long she took to read the articles that were just under a thousand words, her vocabulary couldn’t be any more tight than a cave.
“You guys are amazing!” she complimented.
I don’t know if she hasn’t realized it but she’s talking really loudly for an office that is filled with posters blaring “𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.”
“Will it be okay for you guys to join the division meet next month? You guys will rock!” she asks, but the puppy eyes she was giving did not leave space for disagreement.
“I don’t mind,” the guy beside me replied.
“Me too,” I said.
“Great! You guys will have to train together every after class until the day of the competition. Does that sound okay to you?”
“Ye—AAAAUUUP.”
Miss Whimsy almost got up from her chair in surprise when Vale suddenly burped out of the blue, catching the attention of everyone in the office.
“My bad. My horoscope also said that drinking milk will make me lucky today but I forgot I’m lactose intolerant,” he explained flatly, while Miss Whimsy had to fan herself to calm down.
Will I even be okay working with this guy? Someone who actually follows his horoscope and would do anything ridiculous—no matter how humiliating—just to make himself “lucky”? What if his horoscope tells him to do something insane next? Something like robbing someone who already embarrasses themselves on a daily basis—like, I don’t know, yelling “I’m a sportswriter!” in public and traumatizing everyone who heard it because it was already too late to stop them. It’s got to be something that specific, right?
“Oh, right. The horoscope told me that I should steal an umbrella because it might rain later,” Vale blurted. “Do you guys have an umbrella? Let me steal it.”
Miss Whimsy and I just stared at each other in silence, our souls quietly exiting our bodies from how bizarre this person was.
… I’m just gonna live, right?
Time passed and it was time to go home. We were released early so there were barely any students outside, leaving only me under the shed, waiting for the jeep.
The sun still has a lot of time before it sets, the street is not busy, and the sky is quiet yet the trees still dance to its silence. Slowly, I took a deep breath, closing my eyes, and sniffing the smell of peace almost too greedily and felt my spirit float on the surface of a calm current.
This is nice… I haven’t had peace in my life for a long time. It’s too bad there’s no shooting star right now. I could really use a wish for peace to come to life and chat with me with a cup of coffee.
“Hey.”
Oh. Is that 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦? That’s quick. But there’s no shooting star right now.
“Hmm?” I hummed, my smile widening in happiness.
I can’t believe it only took a few seconds for peace to come chat with me—even though we don’t have any coffee.
“Give me money.”
Oh. That’s kind of unexpected coming from peace, isn’t it? But hey, a little payment for a great feeling is worth it.
“How much?” I asked, my smile not leaving my face and my eyes still shut closed.
“Everything.”
𝘖𝘩.
I… I didn’t know 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 was like this. This is really unexpected. But this is starting to feel not so peaceful, isn’t it?
“But—“
“Hurry up, woman!”
My eyes flew open, wide enough to nearly pop from their sockets, as that strange sense of déjà vu crawled down my spine. When I finally turned toward the voice that had been calling all along, that’s when I heard it—a sharp, splintering crack.
It wasn’t just a sound; it was the kind that makes your teeth ache—a brittle, snapping noise like an eggshell splitting under pressure, or glass giving way. It didn’t come from me, nor from the boy—It was my bubble breaking, my peace, shattering—before a thunder roared, and the sky opened up in a downpour.
Ha. Ha. Ha.
Does the world hate me?
“Hurry and give me the money, you ugly hag.”
Can the world please let me do something with this vulgar mouth?!
“Come on! I already gave you money earlier!”
I could no longer find what everybody finds when they are at the highest peak of mounted vexation called ‘𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥’, even with my life barely hanging onto hope with this boy who could simply snip it if he wanted to.
You know what? Whatever! I’m tired of living! Constantly begging for a peaceful life even if it’s only a minute but I don’t deserve it apparently because the world loves to see me suffer because it’s the only way I fail in life!
“Screw you! Screw the world!”
AAAAH! Whatever! I’m not scared of this kid! I’m never going to beg for anything again! Ever! Does this boy think he can make me beg for my life! Hah! Screw it! Take it! Whatever!
“Are you not ashamed that you have such a big mouth with how little you are? Hah! You really think you have me by the tip of your finger just because you have that stupid useless weapon that—AAAAAHHHHH!”
My entire organs jumped inside my body when the boy suddenly tried to swing the weapon at me.
OH MY GOSH! I-is this kid really serious?! Did he just try to attempt what I have been scared of?!
“The hell? Why did I trip like—“
“I take it back! Please! I didn’t mean a word I said! I actually don’t want to go yet please! I still have so many dreams waiting ahead of me and all of my hard work will just go to vain if you suddenly take me like this so please! I beg you! L-let’s just talk it over! I’ll give you my wallet and I’ll even give you my kidney! Please spare me! Please!”
“Huh? I just tripped.”
I couldn’t hear anything but the wails of my cry that matched the loudness of the rain. My tears poured down uncontrollably as my lungs gasped for air. My sight was blurry with all the water swelling up so I could barely see anything but a plain figure with no features. I have no idea what the boy will do, and I will not know what action he will make because at this moment, I’m basically blind.
Maybe the weapon is right in front of me right now. Maybe in the next couple of sentences I speak, the weapon will land on my face, or my head, or anywhere.
“…wee, woo..”
This sucks. I wanted to do more in life. Even with all that achievements I achieved, I never once felt they were enough. I wanted more… way more beyond just medals and certificates. I’m sorry mom…
“…woo, wee, woo, wee…”
I gave everything I had. I wanted to make you the proudest mom in the world, but I hope you already are. Still… this isn’t enough yet. I really, really… want to live more.
“wee…”
Ugh… why is the mosquito so loud? Is it really necessary for a mosquito to be the one to send me off? Does the world really hate me that much?
“woo, wee..!”
Ugh..! Can this—
“Police have come to the rescue!” was the last thing I heard before the world suddenly flipped up and down.
What the? Did the weapon land already? Is this me falling?
Wait, no—
In a blur of motion, I was flung over some stranger’s shoulder like a misplaced grocery bag.
“Don’t worry. You’re saved now.”
Who the hell is this?!
My hair fell over my face, and I started kicking at the air in resistance. My hands flailed for balance as the person’s grip tightened around my knees.
“Hey! Put me d—HUP.”
My stomach collided with my lungs and punched the rest of my words out of me when the stranger bolted forward, the impact of each stride jarring through my ribs. My stomach lurched with every step as cold rain splattered against my back, soaking through the fabric of my uniform, the cold air slicing sharp against my skin. I watch as the puddles explode beneath the stranger’s feet, spraying my face with flecks of dirty water while the person charges through the downpour with a strong determination.
After a while, I no longer felt the rain on my back, and the puddles had finally stopped spraying my face. The ground was now dry, the weather was still harsh but for some reason I felt warm. The stranger gently lifted me down, making sure I had regained my balance before completely withdrawing their hands to their sides. I fixed my hair and ignored something weird that I felt, settling them down beside my ears, before my eyes widened at the surprise.
“Vale?” I mumbled.
W-woah. I wasn’t expecting to see this face.
“I noticed you were in trouble so I just did what I felt.” he explained.
Oh, right! I suddenly looked behind when I remembered the boy from earlier, only for my eyes to narrow at the unexpected sight. There was nobody else, and the street was now filled with vehicles, driving under the heavy downpour. When I finally turned my head to Vale, I realized that he had taken me to another waiting shed—which is a bit far from the previous one that I usually use.
He’s way more considerate than I thought.
“Thank you,” I said, growing a genuine smile from relief.
I honestly thought that earlier was the end of me. Who knows what could’ve happened had this strange guy not intervened.
I guess being strange doesn’t always mean a bad thing, huh.
“It’s nothing, really,” he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “There were no police around so I became one.”
Oh… he was the one who did the 𝘸𝘦𝘦-𝘸𝘰𝘰 earlier?
“Pfft!” I laughed, astonished by how creative his unusualness is. I can’t believe there are actually people like this who exist.
“Oh,” I suddenly realized something. “You took off your uniform? Haha! Did you have enough of the teasing?” I just noticed that he only has his sando on right now.
“No, it’s on your head,” he replied, pointing above my head.
“Huh?”
“I took it off to cover you since I didn’t have any umbrella. My horoscope was right but there were no umbrellas for me to steal.”
“Oh.” I gently tapped my head before my fingers brushed against the damp fabric.
So that’s what felt weird when I was fixing my hair earlier. I pulled the polo off my head, its heavy, rain-soaked cloth clinging to my fingers. Water streamed down my arms as I wrung it tightly between my hands, the wet fabric twisting with a faint squelch before droplets splattered onto the ground.
“I’ll wash this at home and return it to you tomorrow,” I said.
“You don’t really have to but sure.”
“Is there anything you want by the way? I’ll treat you with something as my token of gratitude.”
“Uhh…” he looked up, as though he was searching something in his head. “Oh! I have to report that kid,” he suddenly blurted, stamping his fist onto his palm.
“Do you know where he is?” I asked.
“Nope. But I’ll find him soon.”
“How?”
“By finding him.”
“I know, but how are you gonna do that?”
He suddenly froze, staring at me blankly for a good few seconds before his brows slowly knit together. Then, without warning, he started darting his head left and right, eyes narrowed in ridiculous seriousness—like some kind of human radar scanning the air for signals.
What… is he doing?
“Like this?” he asked, eyes still flicking side to side as if he was actually tracking something invisible.
“What are you doing?”
“Didn’t you ask for a demonstration? I’m going to find him like this.”
“What?”
Oh goodness. What did I even expect? How many more of his weird antics am I going to encounter before I finally grow immune to them? Actually, scratch that! I am getting used to it. Who in their right mind suddenly demonstrates something so stupid?
Also—he still hasn’t answered my question!
“Hey, you haven’t answered my question! What do you want?” I asked again, my earlier smile now replaced by a full-on frown.
“Uhh…” He stopped turning his head, glanced up as if searching his brain for the answer, and then stamped his fist onto his palm.
“Oh—”
“Answer me this time!” I cut him off before he could escape again.
“The bus is here,” he blurted.
UGH! How is it possible for someone to dodge a question twice in a row?
I sighed in defeat and rolled my eyes in frustration, glaring at the guy. “You better tell me what you want tomorrow, got that?” I pointed at him threateningly as I made my way toward the jeep.
“I’ll tell you what my horoscope wants,” he replied.
“Scram your horoscope! I’m asking for yours.”
“Usually, it wants something socially wrong—”
“Oh, come on! I don’t want to hear about it!”
“—Like un******ng in front of a stray dog, or making me heart a post with my toes—”
“AHHH! You! I don’t want to hear it!” I covered my ears tightly, completely baffled by whatever came out of his mouth.
Is this guy sure he’s reading the right horoscope? I’d bet my life he isn’t!
“I’ll get the words out of your mouth tomorrow!” I warned before climbing onto the bus, throwing him one last glare before looking for a seat.
The bus was full, so I decided to stand—until my eyes spotted a vacant seat by the aisle. My heart instantly lit up in victory, and made my way to the seat. The bus engine rumbled under my feet, the air heavy with the smell of rain and metal. I rubbed the damp fabric of Vale’s polo between my fingers, before I recalled how bizarre this day had been.
I was forcefully robbed—twice. If it weren’t for Vale, I would be walking home under the rain by now. I sighed, leaning against the bus railing, feeling the rain still dripping from my hair. My heart hadn’t quite caught up with everything yet, but at least the world feels at peace for now.
My eyes started to feel heavy, and that’s when I realized exhaustion had finally caught up to me. Well… it wouldn’t hurt to let my guard down for a bit, right?
Just like that, my shoulders slumped, and my eyes surrendered. It almost felt like I was lying on my bed with how comfortable this moment felt—
“Ow!”
But of course, the world won’t let me savor heaven for even a minute.
I felt Vale’s soaked uniform slip away from my hand, landing onto the lap of the person next to me. I immediately perked up when I heard them react, picking up the polo from their lap to place it on the side of my seat.
“I’m so sorry!” I apologized frantically.
The person’s lap was now drenched, and I was about to ask if they have a towel they could use to wipe the water off them until I looked up—and I never felt so envious of those who couldn’t see clearly, because right now—I wish I never had eyes at all.
The same porcelain skin that contrasts with the dark, short hair—and that same expressive eyes that turns into crescents when smiling.
Why…
Why is 𝘕𝘺𝘯𝘦 here?!
Art | Ian Nil Rondina
Writer | Arnie Jane Pinagawa
