Mornings at Nusantara High School always began with a kind of organized noise. The roar of motor vehicles from the main road in front of the gate, the laughter of students who had just gotten off public transit, and the hurried footsteps of those who were nearly late because the gate would close at exactly 7:00 a.m. Western Indonesia Time. In the middle of that commotion stood a teenage boy dressed in a perfectly pressed gray-and-white school uniform, complete with a flawlessly tied tie and a gleaming Student Council President badge on the left side of his chest.
His name was Reyhan Arkananta. To everyone at Nusantara High School, Reyhan was perfection in human form. He was disciplined, cold, and almost never smiled in the school hallways. His sternness made anyone think twice before daring to break even the smallest rule. In his hand, he always gripped a small black notebook, ready to record the name of anyone bold enough to disrupt the beauty of the school code of conduct.
Reyhan walked slowly toward the school radio room on the second floor, right beside the teachers' lounge. Today was the first day of the School Environment Orientation, an annual tradition that always forced Reyhan to work twice as hard to ensure none of the new students caused trouble. But this morning, something else had been disturbing his peace since he opened his eyes before dawn: a forecast warning of bad weather and a report from the custodial staff about a leaking water faucet in the east hallway.
"Rey, have you checked the group list for this afternoon's school tour?" Dimas asked. Reyhan's best friend and the Student Council Vice President had suddenly appeared from behind the radio room door, breathing slightly heavily.
Reyhan did not answer right away. He set his backpack on the long wooden table, then straightened several sheets of the event schedule in front of him. His long fingers moved deftly, aligning the edges until the papers formed perfectly precise angles. Only then did he look up and fix Dimas with a flat stare behind his thin-framed glasses.
"Yes. I divided them according to registration numbers to ensure fairness and prevent any suspicion of discrimination between groups. The list was posted on the main bulletin board at six this morning," Reyhan replied in a calm, firm voice, almost entirely devoid of emotion.
Dimas let out a long sigh and slowly shook his head. "Sometimes I really don't get your brain, Yan. You live like a robot that's already been programmed. There's not even a little room to relax. It's the first day of school orientation. The new kids still need time to adjust, not to be thrown straight onto a military-style battlefield of discipline."
"Discipline is established from the first day, Dimas. If we tolerate tardiness or incomplete uniforms today, they will take the school rules lightly for the next three years," Reyhan countered without the slightest hesitation. He picked up the main microphone from the table, preparing to address all the new students through the school loudspeakers.
Just as Reyhan was about to press the on-air button, the radio room door suddenly flew open with considerable force—not opened, but shoved from the outside, producing a heavy bang that made Dimas jump.
"Oh, my God! You scared the life out of me!" Dimas cried, rubbing his chest.
The person standing in the doorway was neither a teacher nor a late Student Council member. The girl wore a gray-and-white school uniform that differed slightly from the standard regulations: her gray skirt had been altered to keep it from hanging too long, her long black hair was carelessly twisted into a high bun with a wooden pencil, and a small earbud was tucked into her left ear, its cord trailing into her shirt pocket. Her face was clean of any makeup, yet it radiated an unmistakable sharpness.
Kirana Paramitha. Her name instantly flashed through Reyhan's mind, because hers was the name that had appeared most often on the middle school's guidance counselor's desk. Now she had managed to get into Nusantara High School through an achievement-based admission track for visual arts.
"Hey, you guys in there! Could you turn off that lullaby music you've been playing all morning? It's giving me a headache, you know? It sounds more like funeral music than a welcome for new students," Kirana said without the slightest hint of remorse. She walked in without knocking and casually leaned against the edge of the table.
Reyhan immediately rose from his chair. At six feet tall, he towered over Kirana. With a sharp, icy stare, he looked straight into the eyes of the girl standing before him.
"First, this door has a handle, which means it should be opened by pulling or pushing it politely, not by slamming it. Second, the music played over the school radio is classical instrumental music selected by the student affairs department to create a calm and conducive atmosphere for the new students. Third, who are you, and how did you enter the Student Council's restricted broadcasting room without permission?" Reyhan asked in rapid succession, his voice growing louder as he made his displeasure at the interruption clear.
Kirana gave a soft snort and lazily rolled her eyes. She removed one earbud and wound its cord around her index finger. "Give me a break, Mr. Honorable Student Council President. I've only been at this school for half an hour, and my ears are already being tortured by sleepy slow violin music. If you want to get the new kids excited, you should play alternative rock or at least some upbeat pop—not music from the dinosaur age like that."
She approached the table, then deliberately pointed at the volume control on the audio mixer. "Besides, I didn't ask permission to come in because the door wasn't locked. And as for who I am? Nice to meet you. I'm Kirana Paramitha, a new student who's guaranteed to make your peaceful days at this school a little more... colorful."
The atmosphere in the room suddenly grew much hotter. Dimas, standing in the corner, could only swallow hard as he watched a new student openly challenge Reyhan Arkananta's authority—the one person at school feared and respected by every student in his year.
Reyhan did not respond with an explosive outburst. Instead, his jaw tightened, and his hand clenched at his side against his black slacks. In his two years as a core Student Council officer, not a single student had ever dared act this insolent and antagonistic in front of him.
"Kirana Paramitha," Reyhan called, his low voice carrying a dangerous edge. He stepped closer until only a few inches separated them. "At this school, there are rules everyone must obey, without exception. What you just did violated three rules at once: entering a restricted room without permission, damaging public property by slamming the door, and behaving disrespectfully toward a school officer carrying out official duties."
Kirana did not retreat or show the slightest fear. Instead, she lifted her chin and stared sharply into Reyhan's eyes behind his glasses without blinking. A thin smile curved across her lips, openly challenging him.
"Rules are made to be broken, or at least... reviewed when they've become outdated and boring," Kirana replied casually, deliberately provoking the Student Council President. "If you want to write my name in that little black book of yours, go ahead. Use as many pages as you want, and write it in the thickest ink you have. I'm not scared at all."
Before Reyhan could open his mouth to issue a firm punishment, such as suspending her for the morning or making her clean the assembly grounds, the bell signaling the start of the morning assembly rang loudly throughout the school. The electronic chime shattered the tension that had frozen between them.
Reyhan drew a deep breath, trying to suppress the surge of emotion that nearly brought down the walls of his professionalism. He gave Kirana one last sharp look before reaching for the microphone.
"The morning assembly is about to begin. This matter between us isn't over, Kirana Paramitha. After the event, make sure you're in the guidance counseling office to answer for your actions," Reyhan said coldly. He then pressed the microphone button and began speaking in a deep, authoritative voice over every speaker in the school. "All tenth-grade new students, please line up on the assembly grounds immediately."
Kirana snorted softly as she straightened her collar. "Go ahead and show off your power, Mr. President. We'll see who makes it to the end of the school year."
Without a trace of guilt and with an easy stride, Kirana turned and walked out of the radio room, leaving Reyhan standing frozen, his fingers gripping the broadcast table. That first meeting, crackling with sparks of hostility, was the first sign that the new school year would not be peaceful for Reyhan Arkananta—and that Kirana's life at Nusantara High School would be anything but as smooth as she had imagined.
Outside the room, the morning sky stretched clear above the school building's roof. But in the second-floor hallway, a new chapter in the fierce feud between the rigid Student Council President and the rebellious new student had officially begun.