A group of people approached Aswa, Arca, and Mondy who were eating.
"Ahem..." one of them said.
Aswa, Arca, and Mondy only glanced briefly, then continued eating.
"Oh yeah, what about the district leaders? Is there anyone higher than them?" Aswa suddenly asked.
"For West Jakarta itself, there are Kalideres, Cengkareng, Kebon Jeruk, Palmerah, Grogol Petamburan, Tambora, Taman Sari, and the place we're at now—Kembangan. They are all strong leaders, but above them, there is still one person: the leader of West Jakarta itself. But... I guess it's impossible for us to reach him, because he is in a different territory—the original domain of criminals, gangsters!"
Arca immediately felt excited.
"This is getting interesting!" he said, clenching his fist.
"So, do we have to defeat other high schools in each district again like before?" Aswa asked.
Mondy shook his head.
"No need, Aswa. Whenever there's a big event or a new leader appears, they usually gather by themselves. And you know what happens? They immediately attack the new leader as a welcome. There is a rule in this world: if a new district leader manages to defeat a leader from another district, then that rival's territory becomes theirs!"
"Huh?! Isn't that too easy? Why was the story suddenly made this simple?" Arca protested.
"Actually, because of that rule, it becomes difficult!" Mondy explained.
"Until now, no new leader has ever managed to defeat the old leaders. It takes at least a year to even compete with their power!"
"Wait... how do you know all this, Mondy?" Arca looked suspicious.
"I like to gather information. Rather than fight, I prefer to play it safe," Mondy replied casually.
"Haha! I guessed it!" Aswa chuckled.
"Ahem..." the voice was heard again. Aswa glanced briefly.
But this time, neither Aswa nor Arca reacted.
"AHEMM!!" They shouted louder.
Finally, Aswa and Arca turned. They saw a group of people standing upright, clearly not ordinary. They were subordinates of the previous Meruya leader. With serious faces, they stared sharply at Arca.
However, surprisingly, they all bowed.
"Respect to our new Chairman!"
All the students in the cafeteria fell silent watching the scene. Like a tradition in the delinquent high school world, a new leader is always welcomed.
"Chairman!! We heard you defeated Joglo and Srengseng High Schools without bringing any troops!!"
The students who heard this immediately went crazy.
"W-what? They defeated Srengseng and Joglo?"
"We've already started fighting?! Why was there no news?!"
"Yesterday I met a Joglo student... they pretended not to know us!"
"Is this a sign...?"
The calm cafeteria turned into tense whispers.
"We want to serve the Chairman. This is an old tradition," they continued.
Arca looked at them puzzled.
"Why do you have to serve?"
"Because we feel unworthy. The Chairman defeated them without our help. That means we are weak. So, we want to make sure our position is under the Chairman. Use us however you want!"
Arca sighed.
"Are you sure? We're in a war against all the delinquents in Jakarta. Are you ready for that? Or will you just be a burden?"
Everyone was silent. The word "war" struck like lightning in broad daylight.
"War...?"
"We will take over Jakarta...?"
Other students who had just been eating now stood up and joined in.
"We are willing to die with the Chairman!"
Arca glanced at Aswa, as if to hand over the leadership, but Aswa signaled to just let it be.
"Sorry, but I am not your leader," said Arca.
"The real leader is As—"
But Aswa immediately raised a hand, signaling to continue.
Arca continued speaking,
"You know our school is the weakest. Don't set your expectations too high, or you'll be disappointed."
"Eh... so what does that mean?" one of them asked, confused.
"Do whatever you want. We will just be on the front lines." Arca then sat back down.
They all cheered happily.
"In that case, let's drink, Chairman!!"
Arca stared sharply.
"Forget it. If you drink, I don't need followers who don't know their limits. Better leave here, you're noisy."
"O-okay, Chairman!" They quickly dispersed.
The rumor of the fight spread throughout Meruya Selatan High School. From students to outsiders wanting to enter the school, everyone was talking about the event.
But for other schools, the information was just passing air. They still considered Meruya Selatan too weak to be a district leader.
—TO BE CONTINUED—