Lupus was busy organizing college registration brochures in his room when Lulu suddenly hit him with a wad of paper. It’s Lulu’s habit to throw letters for Lupus from the mailman.
“Hey, next time don’t use rocks to hide it!” Lupus yelled while rubbing his swollen forehead because of Lulu’s prank.
Lulu hasn’t been teasing Lupus lately, ever since Lupus got busy with college preparations. Lulu felt lonely. There’s no one to hide his erasers or mix his sweet tea with vinegar anymore. So, that throw was Lulu’s way of trying to bring back Lupus’s playful spirit. Unfortunately, Lupus would rather have a bump on his head than chase after Lulu.
And Lulu won’t give up that easily. Now Lulu is preparing his aim with a bigger bait. A pillow with a basketball shoe stuffed in one end is ready to land on Lupus’s forehead.
Boom! Direct hit. Lupus now has two bumps. But Lulu is not satisfied yet because Lupus is still engrossed in reading those brochures. Lupus is a determined kid. He can withstand challenges. Even though the bumps are starting to hurt, he still pays attention to the brochures. Of course, Lulu is annoyed.
Lulu secretly dragged Mom’s vanity table. What’s the plan? Well, Lulu wants to smash it on Lupus’s forehead. Will there be a reaction, Lulu wonders.
The vanity table is not that heavy. But it will definitely hurt when it hits the forehead! And when Lulu was busy dragging it, Mom caught sight of it. She immediately scolded Lulu and told him to put the table back. Well, that plan is canceled.
Lulu is getting more frustrated and cursing in his mind. He secretly observes Lupus, who would rather endure the pain than entertain his antics.
Turns out, Lupus is still happily reading those damn brochures. Wow, he really can withstand challenges!
If Lupus can withstand challenges, Lulu can withstand pranks. It means he won’t stop there, even though his opponent seems uninterested.
Lulu starts strategizing again. How can he get Lupus to join in the fun? Throwing rocks and pillows didn’t get any reaction. Hey, why not try riddles?
“Hey, Pus, busy huh?” Lulu casually asks.
No response yet. Because Lupus is still engrossed in the brochures.
“Need any help, Pus? Like moving this or that wardrobe, or…” Lulu runs out of small talk.
“Or maybe I should get you a drink? Do you need one? Wait a minute, okay?”
But Lupus remains focused on the brochures. Even though this time Lulu went out of his way to make chocolate-flavored lemon tea!
“Aren’t you tired, Pus?”
Or maybe Lulu should just go straight to the riddles?
“Oh yeah, Pus, do you know what kind of person doesn’t look when called?” Lulu nervously waits for Lupus’s reaction. Because if there’s no reaction, Lulu doesn’t know what else to do. “Do you know, Pus?” Lulu asks again while slowly hiding some of the brochures scattered on the bed near his feet.
“Let me repeat, Pus,” Lulu says after kicking the papers under the bed. “What kind of person doesn’t look when called? Can you guess? Or before you answer, should I put some hot cream on your bumps?”
Lupus got these bumps on his forehead, and they don’t really hurt anymore. But that doesn’t mean Lupus can just forget about those college brochures he’s been going through.
“No way, dude,” Lulu started to wonder. “Back when you were in high school, you were the king of riddles. And now that you’re about to go to college, you can’t even solve one. Do all college-bound people turn dumb, man?”
“Wh-what?”
Whoa, Lulu’s bait worked this time.
“Um, dude, do college-bound people forget how to play riddles?”
“Who said that?”
“Proof is that you didn’t answer my question, man.”
“What question?”
“People who don’t look when called, man,” Lulu started to get excited because Lupus was finally up for some jokes.
“Is there really someone who doesn’t look when called?”
“There is!”
“What kind of person?”
“Hey, Lulu is asking you.”
“What kind of person, then?”
“Think, dude.”
“A deaf person!”
“Wrong.”
“Then what, man?”
“A person without a head! Hahaha,” Lulu was so happy. He felt like Lupus was back to his old self.
“I’ve got a riddle too,” Lupus said.
“What riddle, dude?” Lulu was super excited. He missed this kind of atmosphere.
“There’s a rooster. It has wings in England, its tail in Arabia, its neck in Germany, its legs in Uganda, and its stomach in Iran. So, where are its eggs, Lu?”
Lulu was a bit surprised to hear that riddle. Not because he couldn’t answer it. But honestly, this riddle was not up to Lupus’s level. Even little kids know the answer. Ah, Lupus has changed. He’s not as smart as he used to be. Not as genius and funny as before. Roosters don’t lay eggs, man. Ah, Lupus, Lupus, your riddle is so easy, Lulu thought sadly. But to keep this fun going, Lulu pretended not to know.
“What was the question, man?”
“Where are its eggs?”
“In the frying pan!”
“Wrong.”
“In the coop!”
“Wrong.”
“Then where, man?”
“You’re dumb, Lu! Roosters don’t lay eggs. Hahaha, turns out a high school kid is dumber than a college-bound kid. Hahaha!”
“Yeah, I’m dumb, man,” Lulu thought sadly. Lulu didn’t really need to be sad. It’s just normal. Lupus is going through a lot right now.
Transitioning from high school to college requires adaptation. Because his world is changing. So, he can’t just chill anymore. That’s something Lupus realized when he started applying to college. It seemed serious. And this seriousness started from the application process. Because Lupus didn’t expect that the cost of being enrolled as a student would be so high. Almost a million! Mom’s savings that were supposed to be for the family’s emergency fund had to be used forcefully. This made Lupus sigh. Education is still so expensive here. So don’t be surprised that Lupus has been locking himself in his room lately. He intentionally reduced his pranks on Lulu!
And if Lupus’s riddle wasn’t that great, don’t blame Lupus. Especially after this application, Lupus was threatened to attend a 100-hour P-4 training. And if Lupus knew that the letter Lulu threw earlier was a bill from HAI magazine for his promise to write about “Night Owls,” Lupus would be even more confused. Ah, poor Lupus.
Lulu looked at his brother’s face sadly. Even though his attempt to get Lupus to play worked, the result wasn’t satisfying for him.
“That’s why you need to study more, Lu,” Lupus suddenly advised. “Don’t just stand there like that. You’re still dumb. Like, do roosters even lay eggs, man?”
Lulu left Lupus, who was still searching for the brochures that Lulu hid earlier. Inside were various “ceremonial” events for entering college. Lulu felt sorry. He slowly stuck his foot under the bed, pulling out the brochures. “Look, dude, the brochures are scattered on the floor.”
Lupus looked and picked them up.
Then he read.
“Wow, the training starts next week,” Lupus said softly. Meaning, Lulu will have to wait a long time for Lupus to be a genius again in riddles.
