High School Soldier
Inner war: familiar voice

First day of a peaceful holiday.

**

A 155-centimeter-tall girl, who turned 21 last month, walked slowly. His face looked down at the smartphone screen, but with a tired and smileless expression. Even though he saw social media colleagues who had worked or married that should make him happy, he did not seem to feel that way.

He was wearing only sports pants and a black hoodie, with round glasses and shoulder-length hair. It does not look like a girl of her age who pays attention to looks to look attractive, but she prefers everyday clothes like that, especially when working.

But then again, he walked without feeling happy like a group of young girls walking ahead of him.

Unpaid for months, his home internet service was cut, requiring him to use mobile data. Since it had a time limit or the amount he bought was small, the amount of data quota remaining was only enough for two days.

Messages and calls kept coming in from water consumption service provider companies, demanding payment of water bills. Makes the situation worse.

Electricity tax and insurance? Yeah, it's been time since two days ago.

However, without electricity everything would be over, so the electricity tax bill would have to be paid immediately, so perhaps he ruled out purchasing a data quota that was almost over. Moreover, with the money left, he could only buy 3 packs of instant noodles.

He still has a 5-kilogram supply of rice at home for 55,000 rupiah, which he bought before bills came and spent his money. One pack of instant noodles onion chicken variant is charged 2,500 rupiah, for three pieces means 7,500 rupiah.

In addition, he could use instant noodles as an emergency side dish before the payday came in two weeks. Then, there were many papaya trees growing wild around the village, so he could utilize the leaves and young papaya as cheap side dishes.

She is very grateful to the neighbors who taught her to cultivate young papaya and papaya leaves as a side dish, Indonesia is a prosperous country. However, instant noodle creator services are no less big. Thanks to the creator of instant noodles, you have created a cheap ‘lauk emergency’ that saved many people.

Since yesterday, he had only eaten rice and stir-fried papaya leaves, like someone on a forced diet. However, if he keeps buying tempeh or knows, he will lose 4,000 rupiah that he plans to use as an emergency fund. So, no matter how much temptation there was to her stomach, this limitation she had to face.

“I have to last until payday. Stay spirit!”

A few hundred meters away, and she'll be home after work from daycare and part-time.

But, in fact, it takes a lot of spending to survive until payday arrives. Bills must be paid immediately, arrears must be repaid, and the life of his youth is spent dealing with all that. Vacationing and snacks are enough fun and filling by just looking at it.

“I can't do anything other than hold him for a while, but this will kill me if it continues. I can only eat well until I am full with Nio in a dream. 1,000 rupiah at the end of the month is much more valuable than 1,000,000 on payday, why I only realized it now.”.

At the girl's house, an empty fridge was removed for fear of adding to the electricity tax bill. All lights except for the patio and kitchen should be turned off. AC'S? Can I use it with a mediocre salary? If the weather is hot, I can lie on the floor in a relaxed manner.

After he opened the door, only sunlight and windows as lighting when morning to afternoon.

He stared flat at the quiet house, but that was what he went through after Surya's departure for all eternity. The torturous end of the month completes his grief.

“Can I borrow money Kak Arunika and Kak Tania?.”

He did have such thoughts, but he simply did not have the courage to do so. He knew that everyone had their own necessities of life, so it was impossible for him to borrow money from people at the end of the month. As a result, he racked his brain to think of how to survive until the beginning of the month.

After the war in Indonesia ended, the people of his master and Surya never even contacted him again, did not even say condolences for the death of Surya. He could not contact his relatives for help. It all happened as if the parents and all the brothers did not want to know him and Surya anymore.

Living and working alone is his choice. If the end of a month like this happens every day if he does not immediately find a steady job, he thinks about whether it is necessary to scavenge in the trash or sell himself.

When he thought about it, he saw a reflection of himself in the mirror reflection of the cupboard in his room.

At the thought of all that, he let out a long sigh that sounded apprehensive.

“What kind of men would pay and sleep with an ugly woman like me. Even Nio definitely prefers otherworldly girls who are much more perfect.”

The severe financial situation made him want to immediately find someone who ‘rela’ married him, or return to a peaceful High School period before the war broke out.

In those days, he had many kind friends, a cult who often broke school rules, and caring older brothers and parents.

At that moment, he realized having a special ability would save him in such a difficult time as now. However, the hobby of making illustrations can not make him able to buy grilled chicken that is said to be delicious. All ‘anime’-style illustrations only get ‘suka’ and ‘comment’ good on one of social media, without getting money even donations from good people from his work.

“Nio please lend me money. I'm starving to death,” the decision of whether to ask for help if Nio comes home at any time is like arguing about a nuclear weapons launch.

This day she only drank tap water and bread while working part-time at the minimarket and day care. His last decent meal was yesterday, the onion chicken instant noodles with the addition of rice that makes it able to survive to this day.

His head hurt thinking about tomorrow, and his eyelids were heavy for wanting to sleep. Even so, he still wanted to try to console himself, but what happened was a cry and a shout, “I want to die!”

The wall clock shows at 18:03, and just then someone opens the door. Even if the one who opened the door was a thief or a serial killer who would enjoy his body and life before staging the action, he would not fight back.

“Nike, I'm in. I'm worried about you because you scream like that. Why do you want to die? Ah, forget it, why don't you turn on the lights?”

The voice sounded very familiar, like a heart that had not met for many years.

“Nio?”

“Nio..!”

Nike ran out of his room, and called out Nio's name as if the man was his life saver when the spirit of life ceased to exist, or maybe the word is not suitable because it is Nio's duty to protect Indonesian citizens like himself.

Nio was carrying a transparent plastic bag containing various foodstuffs, of course Nike wanted it very much. But, Nio still has Arunika, so he does not want to ask her from Nio despite the circumstances forcing him.

Moments later, several people appeared from behind Nio even though one of them was known by him.

“Ni-Nio, you came home with many other women?”

Although Nio's face was covered in a black buff mask, but the man's voice was still known by Nike. However, she did not know the ‘perfect’ women that Nio brought into her house, and only Tania and Edera were known by her. The rest are completely foreign faces.

On a deeper and clearer examination after Nio turned on the living room lights, Nike realized that the women except Tania were otherworldly girls.

At the same time, Nike saw the right arm of Nio's hoodie fluttering, like the man was losing his right hand again.

**

Some illustrations of Nike, just choose which you like. Image source pinterest.