That night, we had dinner like usual.
The small round wooden table in our dining room was filled with the scent of Mom's cooking — warm corn soup, sweet soy fried chicken, and steaming spinach vegetables.
The house felt calm, cozy — like a warm hug after a long day.
I sat stirring my spoon in the bowl, occasionally glancing toward the window.
The house across the street looked dark. Not a single light was on.
"Mom," I finally spoke up,
"Did you know? Someone's moved into that empty house across from us."
She nodded while blowing on her spoonful of soup.
"Yeah. A young man, I heard. Lives alone. His parents stay out of town."
I scooped up some rice slowly.
"I saw him earlier today… He was kind of weird. His stare was so cold. I said hi, but he just looked at me like… I was invisible."
Mom paused mid-motion.
"What? Seriously?"
I nodded.
"He just walked past me. Didn't say anything. Totally ignored me."
Mom's face changed. Her brows knit slightly — like something didn't add up.
"That's odd. I ran into him earlier too, when I was taking out the trash. He was super polite. Smiled, greeted me, even helped me carry the water gallon inside."
I stopped chewing.
"…What?"
"Yeah. Said his name was…" she squinted, trying to recall. "Levi, I think. He spoke gently, clearly. Not cold at all."
I stared at her for a long moment, a strange chill crawling down my spine.
Polite? Kind?
Were we talking about the same person?
My mind flashed back to this afternoon.
That frozen expression, the empty eyes, stiff footsteps — there was nothing gentle about it.
He looked like someone who refused to let anyone in.
Could he have just been in a bad mood?
Or… was I imagining things?
No. I remembered his face clearly.
That silence wasn't random.
It felt deliberate. Like he was hiding something.
"Weird," I muttered softly, staring out the window.
The house stayed dark. No sounds. Curtains closed tight.
But something in me whispered... there were eyes watching from behind the shadows.
Mom glanced at me with a mixed expression, but still smiled.
"Maybe he was just tired. Or not in the mood to talk. Moving's exhausting, you know."
I gave a small nod, though something still tugged at my gut.
As the night deepened and the sky turned fully black, I peeked outside from my bedroom window.
That house… was still dark.
No light. No sounds. No shadows moving behind the curtains.
As if nothing had ever happened that afternoon.
But I knew what I saw.
That stare had been too sharp.
Too real.
And somehow, I knew…
That wouldn't be the last time I'd see him.
---
The next morning wasn't anything special.
I went to school like always.
The usual cracked sidewalk covered in dry leaves blown by the wind, the soft sound of my shoes against the pavement, and a cloudy sky above — warning either of bad weather… or something bigger.
My thoughts drifted back to last night's conversation.
About the neighbor — the one I thought was cold and unreadable, but Mom thought was polite and friendly.
It was like we met two different people in the same body.
But I didn't dwell on it long.
Because, as usual, the moment I stepped into the classroom — the world exploded back into its usual chaos.
Our class was... not a learning space.
More like a live stage where the genre changed daily. Sometimes drama, sometimes comedy, sometimes borderline thriller.
Sasha came running in with toast in her mouth, breathless.
"Five minutes 'til the gate closes!" she cried.
Even though we all knew she'd still be late even if they pushed school back by an hour.
Eren was already making noise about something — either the teacher being unfair, the homework being excessive, or Jean stealing his "regular seat."
"I sit there every day, Jean!" he yelled.
Jean just leaned back and grinned.
"What, does it say Eren Yeager on the back now?"
"It should!"
Mikasa sat reading a book, glancing occasionally toward Eren like she was ready to intervene if he exploded.
And just like that — he calmed down… somewhat.
Connie picked up his chair like a game show host, announcing to the class,
"Today's poll — who's the bigger menace, Jean or Eren? Vote now!"
The room erupted.
Annie stared out the window like she wanted to teleport.
Armin was beside me, reading a novel. Pieck yawned, slouched across her desk as if all this was just background noise.
Reiner and Bertolt glanced up for a second, then went back to cramming the homework they'd put off all week.
Armin leaned toward me, smiling.
"They have endless energy, huh? And it's only 7 a.m."
"Maybe they had rocket fuel for breakfast," I said, flipping open my textbook — only because the teacher was about to arrive.
"You think we'll actually learn something today?"
"We'll learn that this class needs a stable government," Armin murmured.
"And Eren isn't the president?"
"Eren leads coups, not countries."
Suddenly, Floch burst through the door like he'd run a marathon.
"GUYS!" he shouted. "I brought a Bluetooth speaker and… the National Anthem remix!"
Without warning, EDM-style patriotic music filled the room.
Bertolt covered his ears. Reiner sighed.
"Why am I still in this class?"
Pieck, still half-asleep, whispered,
"If this is a dream… don't wake me."
Colt and Porco were already arguing about who was the better strategy gamer, and someone had drawn a score tally on the board: Team Colt vs. Team Porco.
Nicolo took out his lunch and started handing out cake — which immediately drew Sasha to his side like a magnet.
I just sat at my desk, watching everything with a strange warmth in my chest.
Our class was never quiet.
Never normal.
But I felt… safe here.
Seen, even if I was no one special.
"I love this kind of chaos," I told Armin, who chuckled.
"You love it because you don't join the madness."
"That's the art of being a background character. A calm observer… who still knows every plot twist."
The noise continued — laughs, music, arguments — until...
The classroom door opened. Quietly.
The room fell silent.
Not by order — but because something… shifted.
A pair of black shoes stepped in.
Steady. Precise.
A young man entered, standing at the front of the class with perfect posture and a face that didn't flinch.
His hair was jet-black, neat, a few strands falling near his eyes. His stare was sharp — cold as ice. His gaze didn't just see — it measured. As if deciding who was worth talking to and who wasn't.
No smile.
No warmth.
A quiet but overwhelming presence.
His shirt was black, neatly tucked. His trousers dark grey. His body wasn't large, but every movement felt… intentional. Like a soldier used to control, discipline, and silence.
And then — my eyes met his.
My breath caught.
Thump.
It was him.
Time stopped.
The neighbor across the street.
That icy stare from yesterday that pierced through me.
The man who looked at me like I didn't exist.
Who didn't say a single word.
And now... he stood in front of the class, holding a piece of chalk, his gaze powerful enough to shut Jean up without a single word.
"My name is Levi," he said, voice calm but firm.
"I'll be your new math teacher. Don't talk. Don't interrupt. And don't waste my time with stupid questions."
The room froze.
Sasha swallowed hard. Connie held his breath.
Even Eren, ever fearless, looked slightly tense.
Jean raised a hesitant hand.
Levi looked at him.
Cold. Piercing.
"If your question's not worth answering, lower your hand before I do it for you."
Jean dropped it instantly and sat upright like a statue.
Levi scanned the class.
His eyes moved across the room — slow, calculating —
Until they landed on me.
I froze.
He looked at me. Calm. Cold.
Like yesterday.
No recognition in his eyes. No smile. No nod.
Just that same chilling stare that made my heart pound.
"Dinah?" Armin whispered beside me. "You okay? You're pale."
I shook my head slightly.
How could I explain that our new math teacher — the one with the aura of a snowstorm —
was the same man who stared through me just the day before?
And now…
He stared at me again.
Like I was no one.
Had he forgotten?
Or was he pretending not to know?
Levi turned to the board, chalk scribbling numbers in fast, perfect precision.
His movements were sharp, clean, disciplined.
No hesitation. No wasted effort.
"Anyone who's late, get out. Anyone who doesn't understand, take notes. If you're silent and expecting good grades… you can leave too."
Someone at the back whispered,
"Is this a classroom or a military camp?"
And in the middle of it all,
I sat frozen.
My heart beat louder than ever.
Because somehow… I knew.
This wasn't a coincidence.
And this…
Was the day everything changed.
From just a regular student…
To the student of the cold, untouchable neighbor —
The new math teacher unlike any other.
His name was Levi.
And I still didn't know…
If this was the start of a disaster —
Or something far more dangerous.
---
A Cup of Matcha and Us