Lupus became the target of mockery from the motorcycle taxi drivers who hang out at the end of the complex road when they saw Lupus still wearing the ondel-onde costume! How could they not laugh. Lupus – wearing those baggy pants, stood out with his mismatched knee-high striped socks. Not to mention his left hand carrying a broom and a cardboard number.
Of course, those motorcycle taxi drivers didn’t want to give Lupus a ride, even though Lupus bargained for a hundred bucks to get home.
“Come on, man,” Lupus persuaded one of the motorcycle taxi drivers.
“Well, it’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just that I don’t want to deal with people on the road. It’s not cool if I get talked about,” the driver dodged. “You look like an ondel-ondel, man.”
Lupus felt sad. He really wanted to get home quickly. Because Lupus was tired. He had been pushed around all day. Made to do silly things.
Made to run around the campus shouting, “I love the campus, I love the campus!”
Then made to stand under the scorching sun. Made to kiss the ground. Made to sing. Made to line up. And tonight, Lupus also had to finish his assignment of writing a report for the magazine about Night Children.
Since the motorcycle taxi drivers refused to take Lupus home, Lupus had to walk to his house. If you looked closely, he looked like a member of the S.O.5 – the night patrol officers. Lupus’s brain was really spinning. Besides having to show up with the same getup on campus tomorrow, he was also assigned to find a frog. And not just any frog, but a frog with a body length of 5 cm. Not more or less. Lupus was also told to collect three durian-flavored lighters, a dozen of them. Wow, it’s really crazy work!
Of course, those weird items had to be obtained tonight. Meanwhile, Lupus also planned to go to the disco to find potential respondents for his written report.
That’s why when Lupus arrived home, he immediately shouted for Lulu. He wanted to ask for help. He was out of breath. Lupus forgot that Lulu was actually mad at him because he hadn’t been teased or flirted with for a long time. Yeah, ever since that incident a while ago, Lulu intentionally didn’t scold Lupus. Because when she scolded him, Lupus acted all nonchalant. And strangely, when Lulu scolded the duck, it was so Lupus. Hehehe.
“LULUUUU…!” Lupus shouted again.
Lulu, who was busy watching Perfect Strangers, got startled.
“What’s up with all the shouting! You want me to find the broom again?” Lulu grumbled.
“Not the broom, Lu. But a frog!”
“A frog? For taking pictures?”
“That’s Kodak, you idiot! How can you not know what a frog is?”
“Oh, a frog ball game?”
“That’s dodgeball! Come on, Lu. I’m serious, you know! I’m asking for your help to find a frog. Tonight!”
“A real frog?”
“Yes!”
“Eeek…,” Lulu shivered. “I wouldn’t even dare to touch a flower!”
“Oh, please, Lu. Just this once, be brave. Because if I don’t bring a frog tomorrow, I’ll be asked to bring a crocodile!”
“B-but…”
“Come on, Lu.”
“But promise me first, okay? Tonight, you have to tease me. You know, Pus, it’s been so long since you teased me.”
“Well, that’s easy, then.”
“Yeah, tease me now, please.”
“Tease you with what?”
What’s up, dude? So, I’m working on this art project, right? How about you hide this paintbrush for me? Don’t hide it too far, just under the carpet here, Pus. Come on, hide it!
Lupus then hid Lulu’s paintbrush under the carpet.
“Alright, Lu.”
Suddenly, Lulu gave Lupus an annoyed look. Her eyes were fierce. She was mad.
“Lupuuus…! Did you hide my paintbrush?” Lulu scolded while pulling Lupus’s hair, still with the colorful ribbon.
“Uh, Lu…” Lupus stammered.
“Oh come on, just admit it. You’re the one who hid it, right? Come on, where is it?” Lulu continued pulling Lupus’s hair.
“I-it’s under the carpet, Lu,” Lupus said, trying to endure the pain.
Lulu then lifted the carpet, and indeed the paintbrush was there. “Watch out, if you ever hide my paintbrush again!”
“Lu, why did you really have to pull my hair?”
“Well, what if I forced you to admit that I didn’t really pull it? Honestly, this is what Lulu has missed for a long time, Pus. Because you’ve been too busy with your school activities. So, when I pulled your hair just like that, you got surprised. Usually, I have to use a broomstick on you. Okay, now let’s get back to talking about the frog.”
“It’s not a frog, it’s a toad, Lu. I need a toad right now. There’s a pond behind the house, you can just grab one there. Because tonight, I have to go to Musro.”
“Musro, Unyil’s friend?”
“It’s Usro, you dummy! I’m going to Musro Disco to find respondents for my writing material. Please, Lu.”
“To the disco? Yaaay, I’m in!”
“Oh, Lulu. I’m going to the disco, not for fun. It’s not a party. It’s an assignment, Lu. An assignment from HAI magazine.”
“But you have to help me too, Pus.”
“Help with what? Weren’t you just teasing me earlier?”
“Not that.”
“What then?”
“Here’s the thing. I have a crush on Rudi.”
“Which Rudi?”
“The one next door.”
“So, how can I help?”
“I need you to write a letter for me to give to Rudi. I don’t want to talk to him directly, it’s awkward, Pus. I’m afraid he’ll accept it right away. Hehehe.”
“That’s easy, dude. But first, let’s focus on getting the toad, Lu!”
“But are you sure, Pus? About the toad earlier, how many do you need?”
“Five!”
“What?!”
Before Lulu could react, Lupus quickly went into his room to change clothes. He didn’t care about Lulu who fainted instantly. Inside the room, he carefully arranged his orientation camp attributes. From the hat, striped socks, to the oversized pants, he stored them in the safe. Can’t risk damaging them. Because he had to wear them for three days straight.
Yo, what’s up, dude? Rockin’ the gray blazer that used to belong to Papi and the shiny loafers that Mami just polished, Lupus was ready to hit up Musro. But when he got to the living room, he saw Lulu still passed out. Kinda delayed his departure. But luckily, the disco event was gonna be late-night. It was still cool around midnight. It’s only a little past eight now.
“Lu, wake up, Lu! Don’t stay passed out for too long. We gotta find those toads, you know?”
Honestly, Lupus felt bad making Lulu look for toads. But who else could he ask for help? Hey, why not ask Gusur for help?
Yeah, word on the street is that Gusur is tight with toads. ‘Cause his place is surrounded by ponds. Hihihi.
Running around, Lupus headed to Gusur’s house. Luckily, Gusur’s place wasn’t too far. And luckily, Gusur was home, working on a self-portrait in his room. Heard he’s tryna compete with Affandi.
But while Affandi paints by squirting paint from a tube and smearing it with his hands, Gusur does it differently. He smears it with his nose. Says it’s more expressive. More accurate. And more dope. The result is pretty sick. The painting looks just like a bison! Hihihi.
And when Lupus sneaked into Gusur’s room, his nose was still covered in paint.
“Hey, Lupus! How’s it going, my man? What do you think of my self-portrait? I’m sure my talent is not far off from maestro Affandi, right? I’m planning to showcase it at the Christie auction house in London. It’s gonna rival those million-dollar Van Gogh paintings.”
“Sur, I need your help, man.”
“Oh, so you wanna be painted too? Seems like you’re all ready with that costume. Come closer, let me get a good look at your nose.”
“Not that, Sur. I need your help finding some toads for orientation camp tomorrow. There are plenty of ’em around here. I’ll give you a cut, man. One toad, one piece of gum. Deal?”
“But I’m in the painting mood, Pus. How about tomorrow?”
“I need it now, Sur. Come on, man. If you need to borrow money, I got you. Or how about I promote your self-portrait in my magazine?”
“Wow, that’s a great idea!”
“But remember, Sur, the toads gotta be 5 cm in size. Not less, not more. And they gotta be female toads.”
“Ah, that’s easy.”
“Plus, you’ll be accompanied by Lulu. So, now you gotta come to my house. You figure out the plan. ‘Cause I gotta leave for Musro soon. I’m gonna write about the Night Owls.”
At Lulu’s house, she was starting to wake up. Lulu actually finds those kinds of animals super gross. But secretly, she wants to help her brother. Lulu feels bad for Lupus if he gets punished just because he didn’t bring any toads.
“Lu, you awake yet?” Lupus shouted as he arrived at the house, out of breath. “If you are, guess what? I brought a sample toad, oh, and I brought someone to help you find the toads!”
Soon enough, Gusur and Lulu were strategizing to catch the toads Lupus ordered. Lupus himself started packing up his stuff to interview the night-loving youngsters.
But at that moment, Lupus was dead tired. But for the sake of his career, what can he do? Pen and notebook were his weapons of choice. But something was missing. A little tip.
“Lu, have you seen my little tip?”
“I saw it. But I borrowed it to find the toads.”
“Wait, why are you bringing a tip to look for toads?”
“It’s for interviewing the toads. We won’t know if they’re male or female unless we ask, right? Right, Sur?”
No doubt, Pus! Gusur secretly enjoys hanging out with the sweet Lulu. Thank goodness Boim isn’t around!
“How are we gonna interview them?” Lupus asked.
“Just use a tape-deck!”
