The cafeteria was buzzing at noon. The clatter of trays and the chatter of students blended together, making it feel like a bustling marketplace.
Shangguan Che picked at the free vegetable set meal in his bowl, but his eyes kept drifting toward Sakura across from him.
She was more withdrawn than usual today. Her hand trembled slightly around her chopsticks, and she picked at her food with great care. Clearly, she still hadn't recovered from the shadow cast by the letter.
I need to pull myself together. I can't let her see how worried I am. Shangguan Che tried to encourage himself. He was just about to think of a lighthearted topic to cheer Sakura up when a rough voice suddenly exploded beside him.
"Hey, you! Do you know this is my seat? Get out of here, now!!"
Shangguan Che still had a mouthful of greens when he jerked his head up at the voice. A boy with a buzz cut and a bandage on his arm glared at him, radiating the unmistakable aura of a delinquent who looked like trouble.
Shangguan Che reflexively pointed at himself, eyes wide, his expression clearly asking, "You mean me?"
The table had obviously been empty. When he sat down, there hadn't even been a bag left to save the seat. So how was it "his seat"?
"I'm talking to you! Move, or I'll beat you up!!" the boy shouted, his neck craning forward. His voice was loud enough to make the students around them turn and look. Even Sakura stopped eating, her eyes full of worry.
Shangguan Che quickly glanced over the table and the surrounding area. Seeing no sign that anyone had saved the seat, he figured it out: the guy was looking for trouble.
Shangguan Che was about to explain when he spotted the corner behind the boy. His eyes shifted, and he pointed behind him.
Ishizaki Daichi's heart clenched. Thinking someone was trying to sneak up on him like his boss, Ryuen Kakeru, would, he whipped around—but there was nothing there.
When he turned back, his face was red with anger. "You messing with me?! There's nobody behind me!"
Watching him flustered and furious, Shangguan Che sighed helplessly. This guy was really bad at understanding people.
"I meant the security camera. There's a camera behind you, classmate." He pointed to the blinking red light in the corner. "If you get into a fight here and it gets recorded, they'll deduct your personal points."
Ishizaki didn't listen at all. He was still thinking about the task Ryuen had given him.
He was supposed to pick on students from Class D, preferably provoking them into throwing the first punch. Then he could take the opportunity to squeeze some points out of them.
He'd seen Shangguan Che sitting with Sakura and assumed they were a couple. He figured the boy would want to show off in front of the girl, which would make him an easy target for extortion.
But before he could say anything, Shangguan Che pointed at the fancy meal on Ishizaki's table.
It had fried pork cutlet and rolled omelet—clearly a meal that had cost a lot of points. Then he pointed at the plain vegetables in Shangguan Che's bowl, which didn't have a single piece of meat.
Ishizaki suddenly understood. So this guy was broke! There was no money to be made by extorting him, and he might even lose his own points for getting into a fight. What a bad deal!
He curled his lip, tossed out a "loser," and turned to leave, as if staying another second would make him look bad.
Shangguan Che stared after him, completely baffled. So the guy had misunderstood him again?
What he'd meant was, My meal is free, while yours cost points. If we get caught fighting, you won't gain anything, and you'll lose your fancy lunch too. Is it worth it?
Instead, the guy had just branded him a "loser."
Well, people are all different, Shangguan Che consoled himself. He turned to Sakura and saw that she'd already set down her chopsticks. Her hands were clutching the hem of her clothes, and she was still trembling a little. The scene had clearly frightened her.
"Sakura, are you still going to eat?" Shangguan Che asked softly, trying to make his voice sound gentle.
"I'm done." Sakura shook her head, her voice barely above a whisper. "Are you still eating, Shangguan?"
"I'm done too. Come on, let's go back to the classroom." Shangguan Che emptied the rest of his food into the leftovers bin, gathered his tray, and walked out of the cafeteria with Sakura.
On the way, Sakura kept her head down and barely spoke. Shangguan Che noticed and worried, but he didn't know how to comfort her.
He couldn't just ask, "Are you scared because of that letter, could you?" So he simply stayed by her side and occasionally said things like, "That guy was just looking for trouble. Don't pay him any mind," and, "It's quiet in the classroom. You can get some rest when we're back."
Back in the classroom, Sakura sat at her desk, still looking a little out of sorts. Watching her, Shangguan Che silently resolved to find the person who'd sent the letter as soon as possible. He wouldn't let Sakura suffer like this again!
As soon as the dismissal bell rang, the classroom gradually quieted down. Ike and the others were among those Hirata had asked to stay behind.
Leaning against a desk, Shangguan Che watched Hirata calmly organize the after-school tutoring. He couldn't help thinking, This guy really knows how to read people. Or maybe Kushida's just incredibly persuasive. Otherwise, how did she get these "problem students" to stay behind so willingly?
Just then, Hirata walked over and patted Shangguan Che on the shoulder. "Shangguan, I'll have to ask you to take charge of two students this time: Sotomura Hideo and Karuizawa Kei."
Shangguan Che's eyes widened. He pointed toward Karuizawa Kei and asked incredulously, "Seriously, Hirata? You're assigning your girlfriend to me? Don't you have time to tutor her yourself?"
He was full of questions and couldn't help wondering who Hirata was planning to tutor that he couldn't even look after his own girlfriend.
Following Hirata's gaze, Shangguan Che spotted Ike, Yamauchi, and Ken Sudō sitting together, looking a little uncomfortable.
He understood at once. Those three weren't easy to deal with. They were stubborn, and their academic foundations were weak. Hirata was probably the only one with enough patience and skill to get them to stay for tutoring willingly.
Shangguan Che patted Hirata on the shoulder and grinned. "Sure, Hirata. Good luck. I'll take care of things on your end and make sure Karuizawa Kei and Sotomura Hideo get taught properly."
He couldn't help thinking that Hirata really was something. He'd always thought Kushida was quite influential, but when it came to managing the class and getting everyone involved, Hirata was the real core of the group.
Soon, the classroom split into several "tutoring groups."
At Hirata's table, he patiently asked Ike, Yamauchi, and Sudō about their difficulties with their studies. Ike scratched his head sheepishly and said he could never figure out how to approach geometry proofs in math. Yamauchi frowned and complained that he kept forgetting the English vocabulary he'd memorized. Sudō was even more straightforward, admitting that he couldn't understand the mechanics section of physics at all.
Hirata didn't show the slightest impatience. Instead, he took out a notebook and carefully explained things as he drew diagrams. Whenever they didn't understand something, he gave them example after example until all three nodded to show that they understood. (This was what Shangguan Che imagined was happening.)
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