The Eternal Fragments of Moonlight
Chapter 28: Laras's Reason (Part I)

In the course of my fourth and last time, I felt completely destroyed. For six months of my full time there I just locked myself in my room. I didn't leave home except for school. It was only until my absence met the graduation threshold.

I don't know, after seeing Mira without any cause, just taking my life in my arms, I felt so small and helpless before fate. Everything I did in the course of time, it was all just a huge waste.

Mira, Dian and Ronny had time to reprimand me for not attending school very often. But I don't care about them. Honestly during my fourth trip, I don't remember interacting with anyone. Only to Ami did I speak once every day. To make sure that he had completely forgotten all of his memories in the previous timeline.

Two weeks before Wiwitan Day, Laras came home very often to give me advice and encouragement that I think even added to the complicated contents of my head. I never listened to him, and he knew it. But on the last day of visiting my house, Laras said something that made my heart move.

“Gue disappointed with you, Aji. I just give you a chance to repeat time. At the end of the day you're just a loser like gini!”

When I heard that, I immediately stopped my movement on the PS console that was in my hand. At that time Laras had been about to go out of the room but had stopped because he saw me in action for the first time to his words.

“Gue is indeed a loser.. All of this is free..” I said softly while staring at him who was near the door of the room.

I saw his face soften, then he walked up to me and sat down next to me and put his hand on my shoulder.

“All can still be changed, Ji. Nothing is free. All we need to do is re-repeat the time flow.”

“To see Mira suffer again? To see him re-live his tragic death?”

I saw Laras surprised to hear my words.

“All this is free Race, Elo himself always said! Since the start of time travel, you always forbid me to save Mira from her death because you say, it's free.”

Then I looked into his eyes deeply before continuing.

“So, if from the beginning you know it's all free, why do you bother taking me back to the past? What's your purpose for doing all this, huh?”

Hearing that, Laras became nervous and for the first time he turned first in a face-to-face fight that we both had done very often.

“Do you do all this just so I keep seeing Mira die?”

“Huh? I told you right, I don't want you to be near him when he faced kematia..”.

“Lo know I can't do that, Larasvati! From the beginning you must know if I can't possibly accept the death of Mira!”

Now I'm standing with my snorting breath.

“Gue tired, Race! With all this travel, with you always being like this, I'm tired. If you still want to repeat the timeline, do it yourself. I never want to see Mira again.”.

“Two days!” Just so he screamed. “Two days away, on Wiwitan Day, if you want to know the real reason I did all this, you have to promise to keep coming to the south door to repeat the timeline!”

He suddenly panicked and looked up at me who was standing right in front of him. I've never seen him this sweet before, it makes me feel like he's really expecting me.

I didn't answer him at all and just slipped into the blanket on my bed. After a long silence, he finally decided to leave my room. Before he closed the door, he said.

“Aji, you can promise, if you will still come to the temple to look for me?”

Because I knew if he wouldn't leave before I answered him, I agreed with a snoring voice.

“Alright, as always I wait lo at the south entrance.”

Not long after, I heard the sound of the door closing.

Wiwitan's day came two days later. There's not much I do but monitor Mira's condition from a distance. From the afternoon until sunset. Then when the time was right at 20:00, I began to carry out my plans for him.

As it should be, Mira and her marching band mates are gathering at one edge of the temple street which is now filled with various bazaar booths. I went up to him and gave him some freshly bought guava juice from one of the bazars. Mira seemed happy when I gave her, she did not know that actually the juice I had mixed with the scourge of sleeping pills that I obtained from the drawer of the Father's closet.

As far as I can remember since I was a kid, you used to stay up most nights. Gather with other fathers at the patrol station which is very close to home. Playing baseball, chess and gaple. This makes you currently suffer from insomnia which is quite severe. So that he sometimes needs the help of sleeping pills to be able to sleep at night. And every time you use the pill, you won't wake up until noon the next day. Yes, I know that sleeping pills have a very strong effect and now I have let Mira drink the guava juice that has been mixed with it.

Fifteen minutes after Mira finished her juice, she was seen rubbing her eyes and began to look sluggish. Like a shy princess plant, she dropped her head on Dian's shoulders, who was sitting next to her.

"Mira's? You why?"

"I... Sleepy..." He answered while trying to stay awake.

After seeing that, I immediately offered to send her home using my matic and I saw Mira nodding with her face already sinking on Dian's shoulder.

"Eh, what the hell are you doing? A sauce? Mir, hey Mira?"

Mira did not answer. I immediately advised Dian to carry her along with me to the south parking area where my matic was parked. But as I expected, he rejected my proposal. Some other students in the marching band group did not accept that Mira had to be escorted home by me. They said it was better for Dian to take Mira by taxi or if he needed to call his family to pick him up to the temple.

 But unfortunately I already know Mira very well. When the situation changes like this all I have to do is talk like this.

"Dian, you guys still have a show here. Not going to bother what if you nganterin Mira to his house keep coming back here again? If I were to go home." I deliberately spoke loudly so that Mira could still hear me.

Not long ago Mira also swept according to what I had expected. "Benere Di, you're the same other friends there's still an event here. Just let Aji know I'm coming home."

Hearing that, Dian could not argue anymore. Finally with one last push I gave, Dian agreed to help Mira walk towards the south parking area.

Arriving in front of my matic, I had Dian sit Mira behind me who had climbed up to the seat first. While I was busy fixing Mira's luggage to fit placed on the front. When Mira was up, she unexpectedly wrapped her hands around my stomach and hugged me tightly as if making me a comfortable cushion for where she slept.

Dian was strangled and tried to wake Mira up. "Hey, Mira. Mir?"

But it made him embrace more tightly.

"Yup, if that's what I pull first, Di." My word.

"Eh, wait! I was just thinking, but do you know where Mira's house is?"

"Yes, I know."

"lik! You've never been to Mira's house."

"Aji's been to my house. My birthday was yesterday, you two were going to play at home." Like delirious, suddenly Mira spoke.

"Huh?" Dian looked confused. Because of course what Mira said never happened. At least in this time. Because as I said, in this timeline, all I do is lock myself in my room all the time.

"What the hell are you talking about? Your birthday was yesterday, we hung out with Alan after school... Uh! Aji, whoa!"

I immediately gasp Dian's death there before she can ask any further. From the rearview mirror I could see him start running after me. Fortunately, at that time there was no queue of vehicles at the entrance of the temple. So that I could dart away leaving Dian who just kept calling out to me.