Richie went to school as usual that day. The preliminary round was being held, with the top three students from each grade advancing.
As always, Richie neither stood out nor did particularly badly. He always scraped past the passing mark, leaving little impression on the teachers judging him.
It was as though Richie lucked his way through every round. Almost no one paid attention to this nobody.
Aside from Si Ang and the classmates who knew Richie, who were happy and pleasantly surprised every time he advanced,
there was also a little boy hidden in a corner, watching his prey like a venomous snake. He flicked his forked tongue, dripping with poison, ready to finish off his prey at any moment.
Right up until the final round, Richie kept barely scraping through.
When it came time for the finals, only three contestants remained: Richie Forger, Ann Grandelle, and a girl from the highest grade.
The finals were scheduled for a week later. The three finalists had to compose a piece within that time and perform it live, with all the school's teachers and students scoring them.
Having the finals a week later gave Richie plenty of time to prepare.
After arriving at school, Richie wanted to tell Si Ang in person what had happened the day before and thank him for caring so much about him.
But Richie did not see Si Ang.
Si Ang seemed to have taken leave, and a long leave at that.
Richie was a little worried. Si Ang had taken such a long leave and even missed the Eden's Good Voice competition. What had happened to make him rush home so urgently that he could not even wait until the weekend?
Was he sick? Or had something happened at home?
A faint worry lingered in