CHAPTER 3 — The Message That Was Never Replied

That afternoon, after returning home from school and resting for a while, Ivon sat at her study desk with her phone in her hands.

She bit her lower lip, hesitating.

Curiosity tugged at her stronger than fear.

Since lunchtime—since Yogi casually mentioned Kenneth’s Instagram username—her thoughts had refused to settle. No matter what she did, her mind kept circling back to one thing.

Should I make an account too…?

Ivon had never owned an Instagram account before. She didn’t even know what people were supposed to post there. Her life had never felt interesting enough to be displayed on a screen. But earlier that day, watching Dewi and Ira eagerly discuss senior students’ photos, she felt a small pull—an unfamiliar desire to step into a space she had always observed from afar.

After sitting in silence for a long time, Ivon finally unlocked her phone and opened the Play Store.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she downloaded the app.

Creating a new account felt strangely nerve-wracking, as if she were stepping into a room where she didn’t quite belong yet. When the app asked for a username, she stared at the empty space for a while.

Then she typed:

TikusKecilManis

She smiled faintly—not because she thought she was sweet, but because she genuinely didn’t know what else to use. It felt harmless. Small. Easy to hide behind.

She didn’t dare use her real photo. After scrolling through images online, she chose a picture of a tiny mouse holding a piece of cheese, smiling innocently. It was cute. Too cute, perhaps. But that made it feel safer.

Once everything was set up, Ivon opened Kenneth’s account—the same one Yogi had shown them earlier.

The screen filled with images that immediately caught her attention.

Kenneth looked handsome in nearly every photo. There were pictures of him during karate practice, his movements sharp and controlled. Others showed him sitting casually, expression calm. There were group photos too—him standing among the other members of the so-called “Five Knights.”

The number of likes was overwhelming. Far more than the number of students in their school.

The comment section was even louder.

So handsome, Kak!

You really look like an idol!

That smile could give me sweet dreams for a week.

Ivon read the comments quietly, her lips pressing together.

She didn’t feel jealous.

It was more like admiration mixed with a quiet realization—someone like him probably received messages like these every day. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe.

There was no reason for him to notice one small message from an anonymous account.

Still, without fully understanding why, Ivon tapped the five-star rating on one of his story highlights.

Then she opened Direct Message.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard for a long time.

Finally, she typed a single word.

Handsome.

That was it.

Simple. Too simple.

Her heart started pounding the moment she pressed send.

She waited.

Ten minutes passed.

Then thirty.

An hour.

No notification appeared.

Two hours.

Still nothing.

By the third hour, curiosity slowly gave way to exhaustion. Ivon placed her phone on the desk, turned off the light, and fell asleep—telling herself it didn’t matter.

---

The Next Day

At lunchtime, the five of them ate together as usual.

Yogi joked nonstop. Dewi enthusiastically shared gossip from another class. Ira scolded Yogi for things he clearly wasn’t listening to. Everything felt normal.

Ivon, however, was quieter than usual.

No one seemed to notice.

The Five Knights entered the cafeteria again, just like the day before. The noise softened instantly, as if the room itself had learned to pause for them. Kenneth walked at the front, his presence pulling attention without effort.

Ivon lowered her head quickly, pretending to focus on her food.

After lunch, they returned to class. The hours passed until finally, the dismissal bell rang. As usual, the class monitor handed back the phones that had been collected during lessons.

Students immediately checked their screens, laughter and groans filling the room.

Ivon unlocked her phone with cautious hope.

Maybe—just maybe—there would be a reply.

But there was nothing.

Dani, sitting right beside her, leaned closer and caught a glimpse of her screen.

“Hey, let me see,” he said, tilting his head like a child asking for candy.

Ivon startled and instantly closed the app, pressing her phone against her chest.

“Don’t look!”

Dani laughed softly. “What? Do you like Kenneth?” His voice was low, teasing.

Ivon’s cheeks flushed. She didn’t answer. Instead, she hurriedly packed her books into her bag.

Dewi called her from the doorway, and Ivon quickly stood up and walked over, keeping her head down. She didn’t dare look back.

From his seat, Dani watched Ivon leave.

His gaze wasn’t angry.

Just confused—and strangely unsettled for reasons he couldn’t explain.

---

Night

After showering and having dinner, Ivon returned to her desk. A small lamp cast a warm glow over the room, and the quiet hum of the fan filled the silence.

She opened Instagram again.

Her heart beat a little faster, even though she already knew what she would see.

Nothing had changed.

No reply. No new stories. No posts.

Her message still sat there—marked sent, unanswered.

Ivon took a deep breath.

Two hours passed.

Then three.

She shifted positions repeatedly, opening her DMs only to close them again moments later. She scrolled through the explore page, stopping on pictures of other cute mice, trying to distract herself.

But her thoughts always returned to the same questions.

Did I send the wrong message?

Was I too direct?

Did he even see it?

Eventually, curiosity gave way to fatigue.

Ivon placed her phone back on the desk and lay down. She turned off the lamp slowly and stared at the ceiling, pulling the blanket up to her chin.

Her feelings were tangled—embarrassment, anticipation, a hint of disappointment. And beneath it all, a small, stubborn hope that refused to disappear.

She didn’t know whether Kenneth would ever reply.

But that night, Ivon fell asleep hugging her pillow, quietly wishing that tomorrow might bring a surprise she wasn’t expecting.

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