01

  September 3 Wednesday 1999

  Five

  My eyes snapped itself open.

  “Oh crap!” I grabbed my alarm clock. It’s 6:40. “Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!” Why didn’t this stupid alarm clock work? And why I didn’t my partner wake me up?

  As I was cursing against myself, I noticed a piece of paper lying down on the table. It’s from my roommate. I picked it up.

  “Hey there, Five.”

  “I know you asked me to wake you up early and all that but let me tell you that you were an absolute pain in the ass of wake up. I tried shaking you, playing music at max volume, and I even tried to rewind your alarm clock a bunch of times to no avail. So, it’s not my fault if you ended up getting your late for the third time in a row. Just try to sleep early for once.”

  “From, Martha.”

  …Ok. So, getting Martha’s help didn’t turn out well. I’m a far heavier sleeper than I thought. Maybe I should try something stronger to wake me up…wait a minute! I don’t have time to think about this! If I stay here any longer than I’m going to be late!

  02

  The cafeteria is not mass of people when I went inside and that’s mostly because the breakfast rush has already ended by the time I went inside. But… as expected, there’s still a line of students waiting for their food.

  What am I supposed to do? If I fall in line then I’ll certainly be late. Maybe I should just skip breakfast? Ah…but I don’t do well when I’m hungry.

  “Hey, Five!”

  There’s someone waving from one of the tables. It’s Four. He probably stayed behind to wait for me. “I already got your breakfast so come here!”

  “Huh…” I slowly approach the table where Four is sitting.

  “Is there something wrong? You have been awfully skittish.”

  “How do I know for certain you’re not Zero?” Three told us about the events of last night. And because of that, I decided to keep my eye on Two and Four for a little while. For all we know, that person might still be Zero and they’re continuing to pretend to be Four.

  “Because I’m not talking like I’m some know-it-all who can’t keep them mouth shut.”

  “Didn’t they managed to fool Three?”

  “Three…” Four looked away from me. “He was just out of it today, that’s all.”

  “Uh-huh.” Well, the way he’s talking is like Four so maybe it is him after all. I picked up the breakfast that Four gave me. It happens to be a pickle and cheese sandwich. For some reason, Four always seemed to know what other people want. Too bad things don’t go well whenever he does something for other people but at least the sandwich didn’t turn into a pancake.

  “So…” Four started. “How did things go between you and Six?”

  I winced. “…Not good, actually. Six ignored me the whole time.”

  “Well that was rude. He didn’t say anything the whole time you were bothering him?”

  “Yup, yup. Almost like he knew what was going to happen if he ever pays any attention to me.”

  “Six has always been a smart guy so I wouldn’t get past him to figure out what’s going on.

  “Yeah. Maybe I need to change my strategy a bit?”

  “Yeah. I think trying to strike up a conversation with him at every opportunity is not going to work. Got any ideas?”

  “Hm…” I pressed my body against the table. “Nope. I got nothing. My brain is not giving me anything at all.”

  “Really? Well, that’s too bad because I got nothing too.”

  “That’s fine. This is my job, after all.” I’m the one who raised my hand and accepted One’s mission. I’m not gonna let her down no matter what!”

  03

  Once math class ended, I slumped my body against the table. “Finally, it’s over.” Unfortunately, for an aspiring hero like myself, I always find math to be a subject I suck at the most. Even now, I still don’t understand why we need shapes in math. Since when did a circle get involved?!

  I almost slammed my head against the table but I stopped myself as I saw one of the teacher’s approaching Six. I tried to pay attention to what they’re talking about. Maybe there will be something

  “Mr. F,” the teacher spoke to him. “Do you mind staying here after class?”

  “…Why?” He asked.

  “We need to talk about your recent behavior.”

  “Tch! Yeah, I get it.” After saying those words, Six attempted to step out of the classroom.

  “And where are you going?” The teacher tried to stop him but Six brushed him aside.

  “I’m just getting something to drink.” Six left the classroom without another word.

  Oh, it wasn’t anything much. The teacher just wanted to talk to him. Which makes sense when you think about it.

  Six F has unfortunately developed a bit of a reputation around here. A violent reputation so to speak. There have been numerous reports from concerned citizens about a student of ours picking fights with numerous gangs in the city. That student turned out to be Six F himself. And while some might say that Six is doing some good by ‘cleaning up the city’ it doesn’t change the fact that he’s just a kid, and that other students might follow his example and jump into dangerous situations that would get them killed.

  If you ask me, I think what Six is doing is a great thing. As an aspiring hero, Six is someone I would see as an example…but he’s too aloof for his own good. If he doesn’t reach out of for help one of these days then he’ll find himself in serious trouble.

  I got up from my seat.

  “Are you going to try again?” Four asked next to me.

  “Yup!” I stepped out of the classroom. As I do, I found Six walking down the stairs, I followed him.

  When we reached the 1st floor, the place where the 1st year students get their education, I noticed that Six gets rather skittish when he’s on this floor. It’s almost like he doesn’t want to be seen by somebody. I wonder why. Maybe he pissed off a teacher and decided that it isn’t worth the hassle to confront them so he’s keeping his head low.

  We went down to the lobby and stepped out of the main school building. Our destination would be the cafeteria, as that is the only place that I know of that has a working vending machine. But Six didn’t take the path that leads to the cafeteria, instead he took the path that leads to the back of the school.

  The back of the main school building has nothing there, which would usually make it a breeding ground for students to loiter around there but since the back of main school building has a window connected to the faculty office, obviously no student would try any funny business over there.

  Six leaned his body against the very edge of the main school building’s back. If he moved a little bit to the right, he’ll be spotted by the teacher’s and get an earful again.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  He pulled something out of his pocket. It appears to be a small lollipop he placed it on his mouth and started sucking on it. There’s a look of content on his face, almost as if he has waited all day to indulge in such an act.

  So, I guess him saying that he wanted a drink was an excuse. He just wanted to suck his lollipop. But why couldn’t he just say that to the teacher? “You know, our teacher warned us of spilling lies like they are water.”

  “Wha?!” The lollipop that Six was happily sucking on jumped out of his mouth. Luckily, he was able to grab it before it could hit the ground.

  Six breathed a sigh of relief and then he glared at me like I’ve committed an unforgivable crime. “You! What are you doing here?!”

  “Hm?” I’ve just been following you.”

  “Since when?!”

  “Since we were at the classroom. You know, when the teacher asked you to stay after class.”

  “But…that’s impossible. I should have noticed you.” Six started waving his arms around, almost like he’s trying to find something to blame for his inability to notice me.

  “It was weird, wasn’t it? I wasn’t even trying to be sneaky.”

  Six sighed. It sounds like he gave up on thinking about it. “So? Why are you even following me?”

  “Well, it’s—”

  “If it’s anything involving you Numbers, you already know my answer at this point.”

  “Really? Not even a little bit?”

  “After what your boss did to me, there’s no way I’m going with you guys!”

  “Boss? You mean One?”

  “Yeah! She kicked my ass yesterday when I was just minding my own business!”

  “…!” Now that I took a good look at him, I noticed that Six has a bandage on his cheek. I guess he got that from One but if that’s the case then… “When did that happen?”

  “Didn’t I told you that it happened yesterday?”

  “Yes…but a fight between you and One would’ve been a much bigger deal. Which means that it would happen at a time when anyone wouldn’t notice you. Like midnight, for instance.”

  “Huh…” Six crossed his arms. “I thought you were an idiot but it turns out you actually have a decent head on your shoulders.”

  “Hehe. Of course! I got great seniors, after all.”

  Somehow, Six looked disappointed by my answer. “Anyway, One isn’t the type to person who pick a fight without a good reason, so what were you doing yesterday?”

  “Is it really that important? We both know that you will side with One no matter what I said.”

  “Well…you’re right about that.”

  “Then let’s put an end to this already,” Six said as he went back to sucking on his lollipop.

  Looking at him like this brings back memories. Specifically, the first time we met. It was a complete shock that we ran into somebody who was named after a number just like us that I…got a bit too excited with the introduction. What I mean by that is that…well…I ended up pushing him off the stairs.

  Not on purpose, of course! But I wasn’t able to control my legs on time and I shoulder-slammed him all the way to the 1st floor.

  Six was fine, don’t worry! He was able to safely land without any injuries. But after that incident, Six made sure to keep his distance from me throughout our 1st year together. And because of how awkward our first meeting was, we never really had the chance to patch things up.

  I can only sigh with how past me acted. It was unbecoming for a future hero.

  Our relationship only started getting better when we kept running into each other during our 2nd year.

  As I continue staring at Six, he turned his eyes towards me. “You’re still here?”

  “I’ve been wondering about something…”

  “…What is it?”

  “Didn’t you say that you’re going to get something to drink? What are you doing back here instead?”

  “Does it really matter to you at what I’m doing?”

  “I guess not…”

  “Then leave me alone already…” Six went back to sucking on his lollipop. He looked like he’s enjoying himself. Wait a minute… is that how it is?

  “You lied to the teacher, didn’t you? You’re not thirsty, you want to suck your lollipop. But you can’t tell him that you’re going on a lollipop break, that would ruin the image you built up here in this school. A tough guy that doesn’t listen to anyone.”

  He suddenly stopped sucking and looked at me with a horrified expression. His cheeks are turning red. “Wh-what kind of nonsense are you spouting?! And why are you laughing?!”

  It’s true. I have been laughing ever since I came to that conclusion. “I guess I’m happy that I got to know you a bit better. That Six is actually a self-conscious person who’s aware of what people think of him.”

  “…Are you trying to pick a fight, E?”

  04

  It’s lunchtime right now and Four and I are having lunch by our classroom. Normally, we would be having lunch with the rest of the Numbers but we’re busy with the Autumn Festival so we’re here with our classmates going through the script.

  Or to say, the draft of the script. The full script is not yet done and teacher expected it to be done by this Friday…but I’m drawing a blank here.

  For this year’s Autumn Festival, our class decided to make a play. It might not be as grand as the restaurant that One and the others did last year but a play is still a considerable effort. Of course, as members of this class, Four and I are part of this play, but we are not the main characters, the side characters, or the back crew.

  I’m in charge of script writing. The teacher suggests that our play should have an original story to make it special, so one of the students here will be making the script. I ended being chosen because of the short stories I made a month ago for literature class. Did the teacher used that assignment to decide who’ll be the best scriptwriter? Who knows.

  Four meanwhile, is something like a teacher. His acting skills is good and he’s very good with machinery so he can also work backstage…but his horrible luck makes everyone scared what would happen if he’s one of them so the role he got is someone who can teach those who are struggling. And he’s pulling it off quite well.

  “Phew…” Four took a deep breath as he sat next to me. “I think they’ll do just fine without me now,” he said with a satisfied smile.

  “…” I looked up on his head and I noticed an ice cream on his head. What is it doing there? And how come Four hasn’t noticed it?

  No, that’s not it. It’s not that Four doesn’t know there’s an ice cream on his head, it’s that he’s actively denying there’s an ice cream on his head. If he acknowledged the ice cream on his head then that’s the same as admitting defeat to the world that cursed him.

  That’s amazing, Four! It’s no wonder you’re the Numbers’ luck specialist. I should follow his example and not let unlucky happenings bring me down.

  I continue to work on the script. The script I’m making for is a heroic tale of love, friendship, and courage! A story that spans many years, starting from the hero’s childhood all the way to adulthood!

  An exhilarating tale that managed to get rave reviews during the drafting stage…but we can’t use this story because it would too long for the 30 minutes we are given. And since our play will be…played multiple times a day, it has to be something that simple so that my classmates would be able to pick up on it quickly. So, I had no choice but to make my story much shorter than I would like, which ended up being a bigger challenge.

  But! I’m not going to give up! A hero thrives on adversity and as an aspiring hero, I will overcome this literary wall in front of me.

  “Hm…” I scratched my head as I looked around the room, hoping that there would be something that would help me get out of my funk. But…the only thing that caught my attention was that Six isn’t in the classroom. Is he having lunch at the cafeteria? Or is he at the back of the school sucking on a lollipop?

  I sighed as I pressed my body against the table. As I do so, our teacher stepped inside the classroom. it’s the same teacher that told Six to come see him after class. He scanned around the room. “Is Mr. F here?”

  Everyone turned to his seat, we all have the same answer.

  “No.”

  I heard the teacher sigh. “Well, this is concerning.”

  “Is there something wrong?” Four asked.

  “Unfortunately, yes.” The teacher adjusted his tie. “As you might know, because Mr. F never truly attended any of our meetings, he’s the only one without a role in the play. I was hoping if anyone would know where he is, or better yet, bring him to me so that he’ll be given something to do. Since this play is a school activity, he is required to participate.” The teacher pointed pen towards the entire class. “Any volunteers?”

  I was about to raise my hand but I stopped myself. Am I really the best one for this? I thought about what I did before and I realized that I made a lot of mistakes and I ended up antagonizing him. If I go look for him again, won’t I just make things worse? If I go to him, I’ll ruin our chance of recruiting him to the Numbers. Maybe it would be better if someone else give it a sho—

  “We’ll do it.” Someone raised their hand. It was Four.

  “Mr. D and Ms. E?” The teacher stared at us for a moment, as if he’s studying us. “Well…people like you certainly are the best when it comes to deal with troublemakers.” He placed his pen on his pocket and went out of the door. “If you see him, please bring him to the faculty office. I’ll be waiting for him the whole day.”

  And with that, the teacher left the classroom. as soon as he does, I turn my attention to Four. “Why did you do that?” I asked him.

  “Hehe.” Four scratched his chin. “I know you’re feeling down after your failed attempt at recruiting Six, so I came up with a great idea.”

  “Which is…?”

  “I’ll be coming with you. If I’m with you then maybe you’ll have a proper conversation with him.”

  “Oh! That’s a great idea. You’re amazing, Four.”

  “Hehe. Stop it. You’re embarrassing me.” As Four laughed, the ice cream that was on his head started dripping to his face. “OOOGGGHHH! WHY IS THERE ICE CREAM ON MY HEAD?!”

  “YOU MEAN YOU DIDN’T NOTICE THE WHOLE TIME?!”