Naura: Three Loves, One Heart

The Misteryof Raka

The lunch bell rang, and students rushed out of their classrooms, flooding the hallways on their way to the cafeteria. Fera and I joined them, walking at a leisurely pace toward the canteen downstairs.

Just as I expected—the place was packed. Every seat was taken, and the food lines stretched long. The air buzzed with chatter and laughter, blending with the clatter of plates and trays. Some students were deep in conversation, while others stood impatiently, waiting for their orders. It made sense—after hours of brain work, our stomachs were demanding their share.

"Ugh, I should’ve brought my own lunch," Fera groaned, clutching her stomach.

"Yeah, I wasn’t expecting the canteen to be this crazy on the first day either," I muttered, equally frustrated.

Amidst the crowd, I spotted a familiar figure. How could I not? I had spent the last few hours staring at his back in class. Just as I was about to point it out to Fera, she beat me to it.

"YUGA!" she called out loudly.

Yuga Pratama—the guy in question—turned around, looking completely puzzled. A few students glanced our way, making me feel a little self-conscious. But Fera? She was unfazed.

"Can you get us something too?" she asked without hesitation.

Yuga blinked, still confused. "Uh… what do you want?"

"Two portions of cilok and two iced teas. We’ll wait over there! Thanks, YUGAAA!" Fera even held up two fingers to emphasize her order. I barely caught Yuga’s nod before he turned back to his spot in line.

We moved toward the canteen entrance to wait for our food. I still couldn’t wrap my head around Fera’s confidence.

"How do you have the guts to just ask Yuga for a favor like that?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"What’s the problem?" Fera shot back.

"Just imagine if he had said no. We basically just yelled our order in the middle of the cafeteria. That’d be embarrassing, Fer."

Fera let out a small laugh, flipping her hair dramatically. "Listen, Nau. I may not be a genius, but I can still analyze situations, okay?"

I frowned. "Analyze what?"

"Yuga borrowed my correction tape earlier, right? He hasn’t returned it yet. So obviously, he wouldn’t say no if I asked him for a favor in return."

I paused, considering her logic. "I mean… that makes sense, but—"

"Ssh! He’s coming," Fera whispered, nudging my arm.

I quickly shut my mouth and turned to look. But what shocked me wasn’t Yuga—it was Raka, walking right behind him.

And more importantly, it was Raka carrying two iced teas and two portions of cilok.

My eyes widened. "Fer, are you seeing this?"

"I am, Nau…" she whispered back, sounding just as bewildered.

Yuga was only holding a packet of rice and a bottle of water, while Raka had our exact order in his hands.

Fera and I exchanged glances. What was going on? Why was Raka the one carrying our food?

"How come you’re the one bringing our food?" Fera asked, voicing exactly what I was thinking.

Instead of answering, Raka casually handed me one of the drinks. "I mean, how was Yuga supposed to carry everything? The guy only has two hands. What did you expect—magic powers?"

"Yeah, but… I swear you weren’t there earlier," Fera pressed on, still confused.

"You yelled across the cafeteria like that, and you think I didn’t hear?" Raka shot back, smirking.

"But still, why would you—"

"Jeez, why are you so nosy? Anyway, I bought this for Naura, not for you," Raka cut her off, his tone playful.

I froze for a second. His words sounded like a joke, but… his gaze lingered on me a moment longer than necessary.

I told myself not to overthink it. Raka was naturally playful. This was probably just another one of his antics.

"Ew, Nau, he’s flirting with you," Fera teased, making a disgusted face. I heard Yuga chuckle quietly beside us. The back-and-forth between Fera and Raka was never-ending.

"For the record, I’m the Paskib leader, not a cafeteria delivery guy," Raka quipped, grinning.

Then, as if he had more important things to do, he clapped Yuga on the shoulder and walked off. Right before disappearing into the crowd, he waved at me—just me.

I watched his back as he left, an odd feeling stirring inside me.

"Thanks, Ga. Sorry for making you run errands for us. How much do we owe you?" Fera finally asked, turning to Yuga.

"You don’t have to pay me back. Raka was the one who actually bought it," Yuga replied simply.

I went quiet. My eyes unconsciously searched for Raka, but he was already gone, lost in the sea of students.

Why? Why did he go out of his way to do this?

Was it just part of his naturally friendly personality? Or… was there another reason?

Without realizing it, I bit my straw, my heart beating a little faster than usual. And for the first time… I found myself wanting to know more about Raka.