The Alraune Twins and the Rumors
When we arrived at the cafeteria run by the Alraune twins, Lily and Ruri, the spacious hall was already buzzing with students enjoying their lunch. There were angelkin offering solemn prayers before elegantly handling their utensils. Orc and hound students had piled their plates high with meat and were going all out on their mukbang. Right beside them, elf and fairy upperclassmen were delicately nibbling at their vegetarian meals. There were even lamia students who had pulled their chairs far back, coiled up neatly, and were eating that way! Everyone else had loaded their trays according to their tastes and were chatting happily with friends while savoring their lunch.
"Whoa, I heard they did some remodeling over break... Hana, look at that. There's a pond with flowing water right in the middle of the cafeteria."
"The company that handled the construction this time was probably 'Mermaid Atlantis.' I heard their chairman's daughter won the international vocal competition. So the chairman took on the school's facility upgrades as a gesture of gratitude."
"It definitely feels like something mermaids would design, using water like that. With a pond this size, I might even be able to swim in it?"
"Then I'll just bite my tongue and pretend I don't know you. Let's get in line. No matter which one we pick, it'll probably take more than five minutes."
Our school uses a buffet system, so you can take as much as you want. The menu offers a wide variety—Western, Japanese, and Korean dishes. The catch is you can't get seconds, so you have to calculate carefully in advance.
"What are you having today, Seha?"
"I filled up my Korean gauge with budae jjigae yesterday, so either Japanese or Western... The Western option today is cream pasta. That creamy texture isn't really my thing right now, so I'll go for the Japanese corner. What about you, Hana?"
"Me? I have to eat whatever my Seha is eating, of course~ Let's hurry to the Japanese line!"
Hana gave me a light push from behind, guiding me toward the Japanese food queue.
"Still, the Japanese line seems to be moving faster than the Western one, huh? How's that for my perfect calculation? By the way, why are you closing your eyes and concentrating so hard, Hana?"
"Just let me focus for a bit... Tsk, there are so many people here, but I can't really see anything."
"What can't you see? Are you looking for something?"
"I was scanning around to see if there was anyone with a soul similar to yours, but nothing stands out."
"Did you really think that would be solved in one go? I've already decided to play the long game."
"Ugh, I really didn't want to hold hands with that angel bastard~"
That was when it happened.
"Hey, Lily, the sister behind us—our kind's honey scent is really strong from her."
"You feel it too, Ruri? The oppa in front of us has a faint coffee aroma... Maybe he's a regular at our cafe?"
I could hear the two girls in front of me whispering. They kept glancing back at me and Hana, so maybe they were talking about us. Judging by their race, they looked like Alraune, just like the cafe owner we'd visited yesterday. Alraune have different flowers blooming on their heads. Even within the same family, the flowers are as unique as genetic information, so unless they're identical twins, each one has a completely distinctive shape. But the flowers on the Alraune in front of us were both the same white lilies. Identical twins, then?
I lowered my gaze to check their name tags. The background was blue. Our school uses name tag colors to indicate grade levels—blue for first-years, yellow for second-years, and green for third-years. I'd need to look a bit closer to read their actual names... but unfortunately, the tags were placed right on their chests. If I kept staring, I might get accused of sexual harassment.
"Hana, Hana, I need a favor."
I whispered into her ear.
"We're about to get our trays. What kind of favor is this?"
"Can you find out the names of the girls in front of me? It's a bit awkward for me to ask them myself."
"Is being loved by Jeong Harin not enough for you, my Seha? Tired of girls your own age already and trying to charm some underclassmen?"
Hana looked like she was about to spark into flames. Oh no... today really is landmine day!
"No, no, that's not what I mean. Those twins seem to know us. It looked like they were talking about us. I thought if I knew their names, something might click."
"I'm already on edge, so stop making me more nervous... And you can just ask for their names. Why hesitate? Hey, you little plant sprouts up front, can big sis see you for a second?"
Hana called out to the underclassmen like some delinquent shaking them down for money.
"Huh? Ruri, I think she called you. Hurry and go to big sis."
"No way, Lily. She called you. Hurry and go to big sis."
Even the way they spoke was similar. They really must be twins. And Lily and Ruri? Those names sound familiar somehow... but strangely not at all unfamiliar.
"I didn't call just one of you. I called both of you as a set, so come closer, both of you."
"Hana, if you call them like that, they're really going to misunderstand..."
"Whose fault is it that I'm taking the bullet here? You two, I only have one question. Do you know us? You've been looking at us and talking the whole time. If it's something fun, tell big sis too~"
Hana said with a bright, smiling eye-smile to the first-years.
"Hik... that's... no... that's..."
"If we answer wrong, she'll pull out our vines... she'll rip out every last root....."
The Alraune girls shook like leaves, their vines all tangled up. Soon they hugged each other tightly and collapsed right onto the floor. The Balrog's presence was incredibly effective!
"Hey kids, if you suddenly collapse like that, it makes me even more flustered..."
"That's the scariest eye-smile I've seen in my entire life. I really was just asking purely out of curiosity, kids. I'm so sorry. Want some jelly?"
I showed the twins the jelly I'd won at the arcade yesterday. Instantly, the girl with the name tag that read Lily snatched the jelly away.
Ah, it finally came back to me. Alraune twins with the names Lily and Ruri. They must be the daughters the cafe owner mentioned. Instead of greeting them nicely, I'd scared the living daylights out of them. They even gave us special service yesterday... I'm so sorry...
"Are you two the daughters of the owner of Alraune's Flower Garden?"
Hana must have remembered too. She helped Ruri up as she asked.
"Yes, that's right. Our mother and—"
"Our father are the cafe managers."
The twins spoke in perfect halves of the same sentence and nodded at the same time.
"Sorry for startling you. Yesterday at the cafe, your mother asked us to take good care of you two."
"Aha. We just enrolled this time."
"We're both in Class 2 of the first-year."
"Please take care of us, sunbaenim."
The underclassmen bowed to us again. After sharing several pieces of jelly, their vines were moving energetically. It was a relief they recovered so quickly. If they hadn't stopped and had started crying, Hana's image would've plummeted straight to rock bottom. And I really didn't want my childhood friend to fall that far.
After getting our food, Hana and I sat at the same table as the Alraune twins. We'd looked around for seats after getting our trays, but the twins had already claimed a spot and waved their vines at us first.
"I thought you'd stay scared and pretend not to know us, but it looks like you're feeling better, underclassmen?"
Hana sat down across from Lily and Ruri, looking surprised.
"If you smile with that expression—"
"Anyone would get scared."
"Even though I'm her childhood friend, I completely agree~"
"Want me to make all of you eat while crying in fear?"
They couldn't even speak properly from fear at first. But now it seemed we'd gained cheerful new companions brave enough to banter with Hana.
"As expected, the king of tempura is shrimp tempura. Don't you all agree? Just so you know, if you disagree, you have no taste."
Today's Japanese theme was tempura. It was also the specialty of the nutritionist, a humpback whale whose massive tail was her signature feature. Under her command, the cooks were efficiently frying up all kinds of tempura and plating them.
"I prefer things like karaage over shrimp tempura. It's great for dipping in sauce."
Hana dipped a piece of karaage in mayonnaise, popped it into her mouth, and spoke. This is exactly why she can't become a Balrog.
"We prefer fried vegetables like lotus root or sweet potato."
"They're light and crispy, so you just keep eating them."
"As expected of Alraune, you prefer fried vegetables. Seha, say 'ah~' Good boy, eating so well."
"Are you two sunbaenim dating, by any chance?"
"Are you soulmates who will be together until your next lives?"
Cough! Hana nearly spat out the karaage she'd been force-feeding me.
"You scared me. Drink some water. Just because you do that doesn't mean you can breathe fire like a dragon."
"Ugh... It's because they suddenly said something weird."
"Is oppa a tsundere?"
"Someone who can't be honest."
"From a girl's perspective, the most tiring type."
They weren't just attacking Hana—they were beating me up too. Are those vines or whips?
"Of course it's true that I made a soul contract with Hana, but..."
Hana, watching from the side, seemed to find it amusing and started laughing.
"Ah... hehe... This is fun, you guys. I laughed so hard I got a little teary."
"So this is your type..."
"Balrogs hate beating around the bush unless it's something special. With humans' short lifespans, there's barely enough time to enjoy luxury and pleasure as it is. If you waste time speaking indirectly, the time you have left to enjoy shrinks even more. So when juniors like you scratch that exact itch of frustration, it feels so refreshing~"
It seemed Hana had taken a liking to the twin underclassmen too. Her expression was brighter than before. The three of them then began chatting away, blooming with conversation. Thanks to that, I could focus on my food while occasionally chiming in. Shrimp tempura really is the best!
"Big sis is actually quite gentle, unlike the rumors."
Lily said as she secretly stole the last piece of sweet potato tempura from Ruri's tray using her vine. While Ruri had gone to get water, she pulled off such a bold move... and that was the piece she'd saved for a finishing touch, too.
"What kind of rumors are going around? It's only the first day of the semester."
"You don't know even though you're the one involved? The rumor has already spread to our grade that a Balrog and a succubus had an offline fight and burned down a classroom."
"It wasn't really an offline fight—Hana just one-sidedly beat him up. And the part about the classroom burning down is definitely exaggerated..."
"That's why we were so scared when you first talked to us, sunbaenim. But Lily, what's that thing you're chewing in your mouth? Where did the last sweet potato tempura from my tray go?"
"Sunbae said she couldn't hold back and ate it. Nom..."
"You ate it!! Give me back my sweet potato tempura! Give it back!"
Enraged, Ruri grabbed Lily by the collar.
"Sorry, want to eat what's still in my mouth? If you absorb it through your roots, the nutrients will be the same, so it'll be fine."
"How is that fine at all!!"
Lily even delivered a perfect finishing provocation. Hana and I each grabbed one of them and stopped the sisterly fight. By the way, the rumor had already spread that far? It looked like even more people would recognize us when we showed off. It felt like free publicity.