The Divine Twins

Cafeteria

When she finally sat down, Stefin didn’t say a single word. The entire class was still staring at her, whispers threatening to break out at any moment.

With a sharp clearing of his throat, the teacher quickly pulled everyone’s attention back to the lesson. “Alright, that’s enough. Open your textbooks to page forty-two.”

An uneasy silence settled over the room. But Stefin was uncomfortable.

Anna, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. She sat calmly, eyes forward, as if nothing around her mattered, not the stares, not the whispers, not him.

Looking at her, Stefin knew that if he tried talking to her now, he would only be ignored. Since she clearly wasn’t ready to talk, he didn’t push any further and simply went along with the flow of the class.

After that, the classroom fell quiet, and the only sound that could be heard was the teacher explaining the lesson while writing on the board. Different teachers came and went, each taking their turn to teach until it was finally break time. The school bell rang, signaling the start of the break.

The moment the sound faded, several girls rushed toward the back seats where Anna was sitting, eager smiles on their faces.

“Hi! What school did you transfer from?”

“You’re really pretty—can we sit with you?”

“Do you want to eat together?”

The girls tried everything they could to get her attention or make her talk.

But Anna didn’t respond.

She didn’t even look at them.

Not long after, a few boys gathered as well, trying their luck with awkward grins and forced confidence. Some acted like rich kids, while others tried to appear tough and handsome.

But they were met with the same result—complete indifference.

Anna sat quietly, her gaze fixed forward as if none of them existed.

Eventually, the crowd began to thin as the students realized they weren’t going to get any response from her.

From across the room, Bob leaned closer to Stefin and whispered, “…Is she always like that?”

The students hovering nearby gradually fell silent, unsure of what to do or say, before awkwardly dispersing back to their seats or heading toward the cafeteria.

Stefin watched from his desk, his eyes narrowed. “She’s the same everywhere,” he thought. “Cold, focused, and untouchable.”

A few minutes later, Stefin got up from his seat and walked over to where his friends were sitting. “Hey, guys,” he said in a hurried tone.

Bob and Jerry both raised their heads in unison, immediately noticing the tense expression on Stefin’s face.

“What’s wrong, man?” Jerry asked curiously as he stood up.

“Yeah… what’s wrong?” Bob added, standing as well. “Why do you look like someone’s chasing you?”

“Meet me at the cafeteria,” Stefin replied almost immediately. “I’ll explain everything there.”

Then he left the classroom. Bob and Jerry hadn’t seen that look on their friend’s face in a long time, so they quickly followed after him. By the time they arrived, Stefin had already taken a seat. He pulled out his lunch—the neatly wrapped bag his grandmother had prepared for him before he left the house—and began eating.

Bob and Jerry caught up with him and sat across the table, their expressions worried.

“What’s so important that you wanted to talk about?” Bob asked as he and Jerry placed their own lunches on the table.

Stefin opened his mouth to speak. But just then, the cafeteria—filled with students from all classes at James High—suddenly burst into murmurs and whispers from every direction.

At first, they tried to ignore it, but the noise only grew louder and louder. Finally, they turned to see what was causing the commotion. That was when they noticed her.

Anna had just walked into the cafeteria.

The whispers spread like wildfire.

Stefin's eyes widened. “Speak of the devil…” he muttered quietly.

Jerry adjusted his glasses, staring in disbelief.

Anna walked to an empty table and chair, then reached into her bag and pulled out her lunch after setting her books aside. It was a small bundle wrapped in patterned cloth, tied neatly at the center with a simple knot. The fabric carried a mix of floral and abstract designs in shades of black, white, yellow, and muted red. Two slim metal sticks—likely stainless steel chopsticks—were tucked through the knot, crossing diagonally. She loosened the knot with precise movements, slid the chopsticks free, and began eating in a calm, unhurried manner. It was as if the noise around her didn’t exist—or simply didn’t matter.

“…That the girl I told you guys I helped yesterday?” Stefin whispered to them.

“What?!” Bob and Jerry yelled at the same time, their voices echoing through the cafeteria and drawing the attention of nearby students.

Stefin immediately placed a hand over each of their mouths. “Are you guys trying to get me killed?” he whispered.

Everyone in the cafeteria turned to stare at them, but when they saw it was just Stefin and his friends, they dismissed it as the usual awkward trio trying to get attention. After a moment, both friends finally calmed down, and Stefin slowly removed his hands.

Bob leaned in, his playful attitude completely gone, replaced with an intrigued expression. “What the hell did you just say?”

Jerry blinked twice, then adjusted his glasses. “You mean… that girl?”

Stefin nodded once.

“Then what is she doing here?” Jerry added quickly.

Stefin glanced in Anna’s direction. She was still eating her food calmly, as if the entire cafeteria didn’t exist. Then he looked back at his friends. “That,” he said quietly, “is exactly the question I don’t have an answer to.”

Bob leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “…Man,” he muttered, “your life just got a lot more complicated.”

Just as they were talking, the whispers and murmurs started again because someone else had entered the cafeteria. But unlike when Anna had walked in, this time it was different. The whispers were distant and shallow, as though the students were afraid to speak too loudly in case the person entering heard them.

The students who had once gathered around Anna began stepping aside. Not because they wanted to—but because they didn’t want to get themselves into trouble. As the door closed behind the three figures, everyone’s attention shifted toward them, including Stefin and his friends.

Standing at the entrance of the cafeteria were three girls, and among them was Sonia. A very beautiful, but the arrogance in her posture made it impossible to miss who she was. Sonia was known throughout the school for her pride and for causing trouble for anyone she believed she had power over.

Behind her stood Clara and Sara, her two equally arrogant friends. Sonia came from an extremely wealthy family that owned several companies and industries across the country. Unlike Sonia, Clara and Sara’s families weren’t as rich as hers, but they were still wealthy enough to move comfortably within the same social circle.

Bob leaned slightly toward Stefin and whispered under his breath. “…Great,” he muttered. “The queen of trouble just showed up.”

Jerry adjusted his glasses nervously. “Why do I feel like this break time just got dangerous?”

Meanwhile, Sonia’s sharp eyes swept across the cafeteria, scanning the room slowly—until they stopped. On Anna.

A faint smirk appeared on Sonia’s lips as she tilted her head slightly. “Well, well,” she said loud enough for people nearby to hear. “So that’s the new girl everyone’s whispering about.”

Clara crossed her arms with a small scoff. “She’s the one stealing all the attention already?”

Sara gave a short laugh. “Looks like someone forgot to learn the rules of this school.” Without waiting, the three of them began walking straight toward Anna’s table.

From across the cafeteria, Stefin felt a bad feeling settle in his chest. “…This isn’t going to end well,” he muttered. His eyes narrowed as he watched the three girls approach Anna’s table.

Bob noticed the look on his face. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking about getting involved,” he muttered.

Stefin didn’t answer.

Across the cafeteria, Sonia stopped directly in front of Anna’s table. Clara and Sara stood slightly behind her, arms crossed.

Anna didn’t look up. She simply continued eating.

Sonia’s smile faded a little. “So you’re the new girl,” she said, her voice carrying just enough for everyone nearby to hear. “Anna… right?”

No response. The cafeteria grew quieter.

Sonia’s eyebrow twitched. “Didn’t your parents teach you it’s rude to ignore people when they’re talking to you?”

Anna calmly picked up another bite with her chopsticks. Still no answer.