The cafeteria was nothing like the one at my old school.
Bright chandeliers hung from the ceiling, the smell of freshly baked bread mixed with expensive coffee, and hundreds of students filled the room with endless conversations.
It felt more like a luxury café than a school cafeteria.
I quietly followed Yuri and Emmi to a corner table, placing my sketchbook beside my lunch tray.
“This pasta is actually good!” Emmi said happily after taking a bite.
“Yuri, you should’ve ordered this instead of another salad.”
Yuri smiled faintly.
“I’d rather stay awake during afternoon classes.”
“You sound like a seventy-year-old professor.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Emmi laughed.
I couldn’t help smiling too.
Watching them tease each other made the unfamiliar school feel a little less frightening.
For a brief moment…
I almost forgot where I was.
“Hey…”
Emmi suddenly lowered her voice.
“They’re here.”
Almost half of the cafeteria looked toward the entrance.
Three boys had just walked inside.
One of them immediately caught everyone’s attention.
Takoru Ryuzaki.
His school blazer rested casually over one shoulder while a black bike helmet hung from his fingers.
Girls whispered excitedly as he walked past them, but he didn’t spare anyone a glance.
Behind him walked two completely different boys.
One wore a bright smile that looked impossible to erase.
The other had both hands inside his pockets, his expression calm and unreadable.
“Those are his friends,” Emmi whispered.
“The smiling one is Nesmin.”
“The quiet one is Stevan.”
“They’re always together.”
Before I could reply, the cheerful boy suddenly looked in our direction.
His eyes lit up.
“Oh!
The transfer students!”
Before anyone could stop him, he walked straight toward our table.
Stevan followed behind him without saying a word.
Takoru…
Didn’t.
He simply continued walking toward another empty table near the window.
Just as distant as ever.
“Hi!”
Nesmin flashed a huge grin.
“I’m Nesmin.”
He pointed his thumb toward the silent boy beside him.
“This serious-looking guy is Stevan.”
Stevan gave us a small nod.
“Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Yuri.”
My brother stood politely.
“And this is my sister, Rubi.”
Nesmin shook Yuri’s hand enthusiastically before looking at me.
“So you’re Rubi.”
“The girl sitting beside Sleeping Prince.”
I blinked.
“…Sleeping Prince?”
Nesmin burst into laughter.
“Takoru sleeps through half the classes.”
“Yet somehow still passes every exam.”
“No one understands how.”
Even Stevan sighed quietly.
“It happens every semester.”
I couldn’t help smiling.
Maybe…
They weren’t as intimidating as I had imagined.
“If you ever get lost,” Nesmin continued dramatically, “come find me.”
“I know every shortcut, every strict teacher, every hidden rooftop, and every vending machine in this school.”
Emmi laughed.
“I believe the vending machine part.”
“You wound me.”
Nesmin placed a hand over his heart.
“I was giving useful information.”
Our table filled with laughter.
For the first time since arriving at Mirae Academy…
I actually felt relaxed.
Then—
Someone slammed into my shoulder.
My lunch tray slipped.
Hot soup splashed across my school bag before crashing onto the floor.
Silence.
I froze.
Three senior boys stood behind me.
One of them looked down at my bag before letting out a mocking laugh.
“Oops.”
“My shoulder slipped.”
The other two laughed with him.
“Looks like the transfer student is pretty clumsy.”
I instinctively reached for my sketchbook.
Thankfully…
It hadn’t been stained.
My fingers trembled around its cover.
The laughter around us suddenly felt too loud.
Too familiar.
Too overwhelming.
Before I could take a step back—
A chair scraped loudly against the floor.
Yuri stood up.
His face remained calm.
Almost frighteningly calm.
He stepped between me and the seniors.
“Move away from my sister.”
His voice wasn’t loud.
But it was firm enough to silence our table.
The senior smirked.
“And if we don’t?”
Yuri looked directly into his eyes.
“I won’t repeat myself.”
The cafeteria became completely silent.
The senior took another step.
“You think you’re some kind of hero?”
“No.”
Yuri answered calmly.
“I just don’t like people who mistake kindness for weakness.”
For a second…
Nobody moved.
Then footsteps echoed across the cafeteria.
Slow.
Unhurried.
The seniors turned.
Takoru had stopped walking.
He wasn’t looking at me.
He wasn’t looking at Yuri.
His eyes rested on the boys blocking the aisle.
His expression never changed.
“…Move.”
Just one word.
Nothing more.
The seniors exchanged uneasy glances.
Without another argument…
They quietly stepped aside.
Takoru walked past them as though nothing had happened.
Not even sparing anyone a second glance.
Within seconds…
He disappeared into the crowd.
The cafeteria slowly returned to normal.
People started talking again.
As if nothing had happened.
Yuri turned toward me immediately.
“Are you alright?”
I nodded.
“…I’m okay.”
But my heartbeat still refused to slow down.
My eyes drifted toward the table near the window where Takoru now sat alone.
He wasn’t eating.
He wasn’t talking.
He simply stared outside.
Nobody challenged him.
Nobody questioned him.
Even the seniors had stepped aside without another word.
…..
Just who was Takoru Ryuzaki?
To be continued…
Thank you for reading Chapter 3.
Today, we finally met Takoru’s two closest friends—Nesmin and Steav.
Every member of the group has a different personality, and each of them will play an important role as the story moves forward.
You also got to see Yuri’s protective side.
No matter what happens, his sister will always come first.
And then…
there was Takoru.
He only said one word, yet everyone stepped aside.
But why?
What kind of person is he really?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
What do you think of Nesmin and Steav?
Did Yuri earn your respect?
And what is your first impression of Takoru now?
See you in Chapter 4