"We Are 30 Seconds to Math!"

Randy adjusted his breathing, then rose from his kneeling position. The third exercise for today. He and his best friend, Howard, are practicing for a school music concert, a step to climb and reach the peak of popularity that they both dream of.

"My spirit is fiery, baby!" Randy exclaimed excited, so excited he turned the red keytar he was carrying, spinning around his body yeah, with a gift in the form of a few plugs on his cheek, by the tip of the guitar with the piano keyboard.

Howard put a pair of drum sticks in his hands on the drum set (or whatever you call it) which stood sweetly behind him. He then also exclaimed loudly. "Finally we get the chance to carve our names on the Stall of Fame! Which they says is always filled in by my sister's name for this year there. People will adore us when they see our names posted there!"

Stall of Fame is not just any stall. Just imagine graffiti on a street wall containing the names of famous artists or people who are worshiped, then your name is posted there and people then assume that you are one of the great people, then that person meets you and then says "Hey, you are there in the graffiti section ", that's about the brief explanation.

Randy cheered with joy, right when the door was opened by someone who (as if) owned the room. The school janitor. In the palm of his right hand was a bucket, filled with a kind of rotting fish with a greenish liquid that smelled unpleasant. "Sorry kids, orange code. You guys should come out because I'm sure you don't like this smell."

Without being told twice, the two boy came out of the room whose contents were dominated by cleaning tools while carrying their musical instruments. The two of them stood in front of the janitor's room door which was still half open, then turned away. Watching janitors who throw away disgusting trash does not have any fun at all.

"Listen, Howard." Randy embraced his shorter best friend. "We will shine brightly tonight, on the stage, with the sound of our fans screaming our names, also the names of our bands." He swung his other hand forward. "We will be like bright stars! Be the center of attention."

"Yes, it will!" At first Howard exclaimed in an eager tone, but like a wet stain smothered in it, the eager tone suddenly faded, became an irritated, lackluster tone. "Unless you are doing NNS again." He moved away from Randy's arms, folded his arms and glared.

Randy frowned, not understanding the abbreviation spoken by Howard. Is that some kind of slang? He rubbed his keytar then asked. "NNS? What's that?"

"Ninja No Show!" Howard answered in a high voice. He continued. "You're always like that! Every time we do things together, you always disappear, leaving me alone."

Randy stroked his Tyrian's hair, smiling and laughing awkwardly. Did he really do that? "Ah, really? I've never done the NNS thing."

"Oh, are you sure, Cunningham?" Howard turned around and tapped his red sneakers on the floor. Try to remember, when sports lessons, friends in the back must catch their friends who dropped in front of him. All did it right, except Howard because his partner, Randy, disappeared suddenly, as if he had never stood behind him; or while they were rowing the canoe, in the middle of a trip to cross the river, Randy again disappeared, and left it in a state of the boat spinning because the paddles were out of balance; and most recently when the two of them were doing attractions in the circus together.

Randy rubbed his neck while grinning. "I might have been NNS a number of times." His expression turned serious, like someone who would swear a promise. "But for the sake of our band, I promise, ninja won't show today."

"Swear, Cunningham."

"I swear." Randy put his right hand on Howard's drum. The promise is very sacred, to the point of placing a hand on an object (considered) important or sacred. If so, the promise that has been uttered is absolutely not allowed to be broken.

Really can't be violated?

"Add our rest for ten minutes." Howard, who was about to leave, turned around, a big smile on his face. "I'm going to the Stall of Fame, and at the same time looking for food that I can sneak in the canteen." Randy raised his thumb, confirming, before the ginger left him. Standing there alone for ten minutes, he might be able to practice his keytar game to get better, except...

Randy turned outside the nearest window. There are about three robots shaped like gorillas—usually named "Robo-Ape"—each carrying one box. There was a bad feeling that appeared in the heart of the Tyrian man. As a ninja, seeing Robo-Ape wandering around and doing things that look suspicious, of course he shouldn't stay like that.

Randy's right fingers gently tapped on the keyboard, his right shoe tapped on the tiled floor. Discomfort that disturbs his heart is now even spread throughout his body. He grumbled. "I promised not to NNS." Randy turned toward Howard, running toward the canteen, apparently— before leaning his instrument against the wall, then smiled faintly. "A minute, hm? No problem." He grabbed a black-faced mask with a reddish line on the eye (remembering the scratches along the eye) from inside his jacket. "It's ninja o'clock!"

Howard had just returned from his ten minutes from the canteen, as the saying goes, a satisfied stomach was happy. A big smile full of happiness painted on his "chubby" face. Unfortunately that smile must fade. He stopped right in front of the gathering, looked blankly ahead. He then noticed that there was a red keytar leaning against the door.

Howard clenched his hand. Swear what he said? He reached for the drum set which he left not far from the guitar with the keyboard and then walked in by stomping into the janitor's room (which was empty a few minutes ago). He took then sighed. Howard reached for the unused paint bucket in the corner of the room then turned it into a bench.

"Stupid Cunningham! How dare he break his promise!"

Feeling disappointed, the scent is very liked by him. Far below the school, stay a creature named as "The Sorcerer". With his fingers he stirred the crater filled with green liquid, with a face like an uncertain wait, until the scent reached his nose, the look on his wrinkled face turned one hundred eighty degrees.

"Hm... The scent of sadness and disappointment. A good snack for this afternoon. And I'm also concocting potions to strengthen my power." The Sorcerer raised his forefinger which was immersed in the liquid in the crater. One or two drops of liquid carried on the finger fell, pulled the force of gravity. A mouse that appeared from behind, which usually accompanied the Witch, appeared with a small squeak. His head looked up at the crater that was twice his size.

"The ninja won't know what will attack him." The Sorcerer pour the last recipe. Green-colored smoke billowed out, he directed the smoke toward the ceiling, towards the surface, where an unexpected creature would appear shortly...

Howard tapped his little drum, leaning on his cheek with his other hand. Who is not upset when your oath or promise is broken, as easy as turning your palm, or throwing a stone into a river. Because he was busy daydreaming and muttering about his frustration with Randy, he did not realize that there was greenish smoke coming out of the air vents, right behind him. The smoke surrounded Howard's body, and before he could examine the situation, the smoke suddenly entered his half-open mouth.

Pain like being pricked by a needle suddenly attacked his entire body. He screamed, his body slammed to the floor. He tried to get up, ask for help, but could not. His legs were numb, immovable. He looked around, trying to find something that could help him, but suddenly everything he saw turned green. What is this unpleasant sensation? And why is there anger burning his heart? For a long time lying on the floor with pain all over his body, Howard rose slowly, the color of his eyes all green, turned back to normal. But it's not the disappointment that appears behind the brown bead, but the feeling of anger, like a grudge that is never reciprocated.

"CUNNINGHAM!"

Ah, how unlucky he is. Randy came out from behind a bush while sighing and put the ninja mask back in his jacket. It's good to think positive first. Robo-Ape, who he suspected of doing suspicious rights earlier, turned out to only bring catering for tonight's concert. Randy glared while covering his face. Luckily no one was watching, it would be very embarrassing if he acted for trivial reasons, really trivial.

"How long have I been gone? I'd better get back soon. I hope Howard hasn't returned from his ten-minute break." Randy was just about to run into the school, until a distinctive ringing sound, like a telephone ring, stopped him. He sighed harshly before jumping on the nearest bush. He reached for a black bound book with circular lines surrounding the front cover, also a symbol that resembled a ninja mask from his back, the book issued a reddish glow, as well as the sound that had been like calling out to him.

"Ah, come on, Nomicon! I'm in a hurry! I hope this is something important." Randy said, opening the cover of the book. Dizziness suddenly hit his head, his body suddenly lost consciousness. For a moment everything was white, until he saw patterns resembling brown flowers, and he then stood inside a temple. In front of him appeared a photograph containing a picture of a ninja embracing someone. The photo was then torn, split in two, then the part that contained a picture of the person the ninja had embraced was devoured by fire, before an article appeared from behind the fire.

"Sometimes a ninja has to give up what he cares about." Randy spelled the writing that appeared. The words "ninja" are highlighted, the words "give up" are underlined, and the words "cares" are circled, followed by an arrow pointing to the writing. Randy glared, then frowned. "This has nothing to do with Howard, right? Right?" If for example it's true, that's not good. The meaning of the sentence is so deep and too clear. But it could have something to do with something else, for example about fighting with stanked student, or something to do with McFist's creation. Who knows, Nomicon likes to make tricky puns like that.

Part of the ninja's photo in front of him was burning, creating a blinding light. Just as Randy regained his consciousness, he quickly stored the Nomicon then ran to where he had stood. He reached for the red keytar that was still leaning where he had left it. He entered the janitor's room, exclaimed panic. "Ah, sorry I took a while. A Robo-Ape appeared and..." The ravenette just realized that he was talking to the air. There was no one in the room. He closed his mouth then scratched his head that was not itchy. "Howard?"

He carried his instrument before closing the empty room's door. Howard certainly didn't go far. He ran through the hallway of the school which happened to be empty, shouting out his friend's name. If only Howard was a ghost that could be summoned, he wouldn't need to run around the school hallway shouting his name, like someone who was looking for his/her cat around the complex.

Long enough to walk around the hall, through the same hall repeatedly, finally he found the short boy, was in a position with his back to him. Randy stopped running. He walked toward Howard, talking with his breathless breath. "There you are, sorry I'm taking a little time. There is a Robo-Ape out there, I thought they were up to something, but it turns out they only bring catering." No replies. Even the sound of a sigh of breath, moving a millimeter even Howard did not do it. It made the awkward smile on Randy's face disappear, replaced by a rather anxious face. He was now standing right behind the shorter man. "Howard, are you... Okay?"

Randy was about to hold Howard's back, then suddenly saw him spin quickly, then something hard hit his head. Randy then took a few steps back while holding his head that feels pain, also feels a bit wet. He saw his hand touching his forehead, then glared in surprise. There is red liquid on his hand. He then shouted at Howard, who apparently held a baseball bat (wooden) in his right hand, which was used to hit his head earlier. "Howard, what the juice?!" Randy winced, holding his bleeding head back, with the same hand.

Looking down (seem a little mysterious), Howard said. "Can't you just respect me once," he raised his head. "Cunningham?"

The ravenette eyes rounded in surprise. His breath caught in his throat cavity. There is a strange sensation that irritates his stomach. He took a few steps back when he saw that his friend's left eye had turned green. No, no way, Randy shook his head. Howard can't be stanked! Plus, if that's the case, why hasn't his form changed?!

"What? Surprised by my new appearance?" He smiled slyly, making Randy stand up trembling in surprise.

"This can't be! I can't fight you, Howard!" Randy jumped backwards as the baseball bat swung back at him. Once again the stick was pointing at him, he turned backward (the ninja's instinct) then ran away. This is crazy, really! The goal to be a ninja is to fight against stanked person, or against McFist's creations of various shapes and numbers, not against his friend, his best friend.

"Isn't this your fault too, Cunningham? You swear not to NNS, but you violated it." Howard's voice resounded in the quiet school hallway. Oh shoob, that's right, who ordered him to break the promise, right? "You said we would shine on the stage like stars, you also said our names would be inscribed on the Stall of Fame, but it seems like it's just your nonsense!"

A half-open random locker, good enough for an opportunity like this. Randy ran into the locker, slamming it softly to close it. The narrow room, he was controlling his breath with a sweaty body, made the room feel like a sauna. It was so hot, he felt like he wanted to take off the jacket he was wearing.

He took and exhaled slowly as his ears caught the sound of wood rubbing against ceramics. The sound of his heart beating fast as it came from the ear. His face and forehead were wet, with sweat mixed with fresh blood that kept coming out of the wound that he had not yet blocked or treated.

"Oh, Cunningham." Randy pursed his lips. He was momentarily ignored by the pain in his forehead, as well as the red fluid that was still running down his head. "You might be able to run, but you can't hide!"

Howard turned into a kind of psychopath without a trace of love, it was because of him, he was also stanked, it was also because of him. He is the one to blame for all this, but he will fix everything.

"I'm sure he is behind this locker. I can even hear the sound of his scared breath..."

"Ninja's kick!" Shouted Randy—who had been transformed into a ninja—while kicking hard at the locker door in front of him. Then the door slipped off its hinges and flew two feet away, with Howard with him.

His head was dizzy, very dizzy. But whatever for the sake of his best friend who is affected, what's wrong with doing a little hard work?

"Ninja run away from here!" He exclaimed once more, before actually running away. The stank. It must be hiding in something, which must be something that Howard really loved. But what? Food? Can be. It might just be the baseball bat he was wearing earlier. But what about the drum set?

"The stank must be inside the drum. I'd better look for it." Ninja jumped over the wall (parkour style) in a turn, then stopped where he and his friend were training for the "Battle of the Band" earlier, the janitor's room.

He jumped in then saw the instrument right in the corner of the room, neatly lying. From inside the red scarf, he took the katana, the ninja's main weapon (I don't know how it could be stored in it), then took the horses. "Leave my greetings to The Sorcerer." Ninja shouted before swinging the katana on the drum so he split into two. If normally the item entered by the stank will emit greenish smoke, this time not. No smoke came out and looked for a way back to The Sorcerer.

This was a bad thought that he feared, not finding the smoke in the drum, which was thought to be an object loved by Howard.

"Ah, good effort, ninja." Randy frozen on the spot. He turned and then took a few steps back, seeing Howard standing on the lip of the door, with the same baseball bat in the grip of his right hand. Damn, he was trapped. "You can't find that smoke easily. Also did you just damage my instrument?!"

Who would have guessed that Howard still had time to scream? The short boy with the bright green left eye reached for the broom stick beside the door, which had broken and rusty edges (the broken tip left some sharp points, like bamboo spikes if you think about it). Then run towards him.

"Smoke bomb!" The ninja scream, before the reddish orange smoke surrounded it. Exactly when he did, the room now only left Howard who cut the orange smoke. His eyes looked wildly around him. Where did the ninja disappear?

Randy waved his hand to chase away the smoke that was disturbing his view, also made him cough. Still, he wasn't used to the smoke. He realized that he was standing at the canteen table which was fortunately empty. Just imagine if I was eating, then smoke smelled unpleasant, followed by the ninja afterwards. It's cool, yeah, but the problem is that the appetite disappears because of the smell of smoke.

Judging from up here, quite a number of people were in the canteen. Someone brought a musical instrument (but was in a state of discussing something). Someone was eating, there was also a table of five people, at his desk littered with various books and papers (is that discussing music notes or studying?). And all turned to the ninja who jumped down from the table after looking at it. There is a cry, there is approaching, there is also a wonder why the ninja suddenly appeared in the canteen? Or who turned into a monster like usual? And what is that wet on the left side of the ninja's head?

Randy didn't pay much attention or pay attention to a thousand and one expressions from the people in the canteen. The focus returned to the canteen door which was opened by kicking, revealing the form of Howard (this time his eyes turned green)

"Ninja! Come here so that I can finish your honkin' life!"

As Howard ran toward him, Randy ran away, still thinking about where the stank was hiding. Certainly not a baseball bat earlier. His head began to get dizzy. He completely forgot about his head which was still leaking, also still releasing the liquid which had now soaked the black mask (Luckily the color was black. If it wasn't white it wasn't funny at that time). I was so dizzy, his concentration also began to disappear. His feet tripped on the legs of a chair, so he fell down, his face slamming hard on the tiled floor.

Luckily his nose bone was not crushed, but instead it became a perfect momentum for Howard. He stood on top of the ninja, pulling a red scarf around his neck. The smile painted on the face was one hundred percent containing cunning, also victory. "I've finally found you! Eat this, Cunningham!"

The viewer did not dare to approach. Taking care of monsters or robots, or anything that has to do with ninja is not their expertise. They only watched from a distance—and thankfully they didn't hear Howard say the ninja's last name—were afraid, asking for a miracle.

The stick in Howard's hand swung towards the ninja, but with both hands he held it. That's quite difficult. The sharp tip of the stick was really right on his face, his hand slipped a little, his face was finished. What should he do? There was no way he was hurting Howard, plus his head was dizzy, his eyes also began to unfocused.

A writings floated above Howard's head. Colorful writing. The message from Nomicon! Randy repeated reading the hidden message given by Nomicon earlier. "Sometimes a ninja has to give up what he cares about."

The ninja's eyes are perfectly rounded. The sapphire blue eyes stared at the sentence in disbelief. Holy cheese! He had guessed that. Something about letting go of what he cares had something to do with Howard, his best friend. He shook his head with a look of horror still attached in a pair of his eyes. "No, no way! I can't possibly kill Howard to release the stank!" There are two reasons, one, however, Howard is his best friend, the only one. And two, he can't possibly kill someone, a living person, not a machine or robot. For whatever sake he still fourteen years old!

"Ninja swings his friend away!" He scream, with all his strength swinging the iron rod away from his face. It worked, even though the stick and holder were thrown not far away. Randy jumped, climbed on the table then reluctantly took the katana from inside the red scarf, again.

His hands were trembling, his head was dizzy, his vision was somewhat blurred because of lack of focus (either because of a headache, either because of the Riddle given by Nomicon earlier, or because he was ADHD, he didn't know) when he pointed his weapon at his opponent who had now risen later. run and shout at him.

Randy did a somersault, slowed down the de-stanked process of Howard, also gathered the courage to do that. What would the people who saw this say about him? He was afraid, he was afraid of being labeled a murderer of innocents, he was afraid of being labeled a criminal, and he was afraid when people cheered him with it when he acted in his next action. He does not want!

Randy wiped his wet eyes with his left arm, then exclaimed "Ninja dodge!" as Howard swung the stick again at him. For an instant he noticed the chubby boy's pupils. There was no longer the brown bead, which used to stare at him irritably. There's only anger, revenge, and other bad aura, also a little sadness behind there. What's with that sadness? Perhaps...

Randy has re-thought. Nobody likes being under the influence of The Sorcerer. He really had to give up. Letting Howard in a state as well as making him suffer. The sad side is like saying "I would rather die at the hands of my best friend, the ninja, than alive but under the influence of The Sorcerer".

The ginger ran toward him. Ninja closed his eyes, he took a breath, and his decision was made. Without opening his eyes, he reluctantly cried. "Ninja slice!"

Loud screams in pain could be heard filling the canteen, also screams of shock and fear from afar, followed by sounds like the whirring of the wind, getting farther and farther away. Ninja—with a deflating breath and a wet eyelid—open his eyes and then drop his sword. He knelt before Howard, who was lying on the ground, with a gaping incision in the abdomen. Blood soaked the canteen floor, shocked spectators each approaching, curious about what had happened to the victim who had just been saved—or maybe vice versa—by the ninja.

Randy took Howard's wrist. There are still beats there, though weakened. He then grabbed his best friend's cheek, one drop of tears fell, wet his friend's pale cheeks. "Howard hang on. Help is coming soon."

"Ninja!" A bystander exclaimed. "Are you OK? Your head..." Turns out they notice the patch on the black mask. He shook his head. He will take care of the wound on his head later, Howard's life is more important than anything in this world.

"Someone! Please call an ambulance!"