"Why is she here too?" Horikita Suzune asked, a hint of wariness in her voice as she fixed her gaze on Kushida Kikyo.
Shangguan Che hadn't even figured out who she meant when Kushida across the table smiled and answered, her voice as sweet as honey. "Horikita, I just want to help Sudo. We can't just stand by while he's falsely accused, can we?"
"I hope you mean that." Horikita raised an eyebrow, making no effort to hide her distrust.
Shangguan Che, who'd been planning to keep his head down and coast, perked up at once.
The moment those two opened their mouths, sparks flew. It was far more interesting than the math problems in class.
He leaned back in his chair, ready to sit back and enjoy the show. But before he could settle in, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka lifted his eyes slightly, apparently paying attention to the conversation too.
Shangguan Che chuckled to himself. No wonder the guy across from him was a kindred spirit. Even their slacking-off rhythms matched.
"Come on, everyone. We're all trying to help Sudo, so let's not fall out over it." Hirata Yosuke hurried to smooth things over. He still held his chopsticks, and he'd barely touched the rice in his bowl. The exhaustion in his eyes was hard to miss; the effects of staying up late to check the security footage hadn't worn off.
"I'm not doing this for Sudo." Horikita set down her chopsticks and folded her arms, her tone firm. "I'm doing it for our Class Points. My goal is to lead Class D to Class A. We can't let something like this hold us back."
"Oh, whatever our reasons, it's good that we're working together!" Kushida quickly chimed in, her smile warm and friendly. "Let's listen to Hirata and figure out how to clear Sudo's name together, okay?"
Shangguan Che grumbled inwardly. They were both talking about helping, but Kushida's version was obviously more appealing.
Even Sudo looked less tense now, and Ayanokoji, who'd been silent the whole time, gave a slight nod.
"Hirata, you said the footage you checked didn't show anyone else?" Horikita stopped dwelling on her minor spat with Kushida and got straight to the point, turning her attention to Hirata.
At that, Shangguan Che nearly spat out his soup. Had Horikita forgotten about him again?
He and Hirata had gone to check the footage together, yet she'd asked Hirata about the footage he'd checked without mentioning Shangguan Che at all.
Shangguan Che glanced discreetly at Hirata and silently pleaded, Bro, it's up to you. Help me get noticed for once.
Sure enough, Hirata immediately added, "That's right. Sorry, but Shangguan and I haven't found anything yet. We've checked all the cameras near the scene, but haven't found anyone who might have witnessed it."
See? I knew Hirata would mention me, Shangguan Che thought, quietly pleased with himself. Then he began to wonder again: Horikita always treats me like I'm invisible. Could it be that Class D really is a gathering place for defective products, and even people's ability to remember names is defective?
Then why was someone as perfect as Hirata in Class D? The more he thought about it, the more something felt off. Shangguan Che couldn't help sighing. Class D had way too many secrets. The more he dug, the more nervous he got.
"I asked some friends in the other classes, too." Kushida set down her spoon, sounding a little disappointed. "I asked everyone I know, even people I'm not very close to, but they all said they hadn't been to the club building and hadn't heard anything about a fight."
"What the hell?" Sudo slammed his hand on the table, his voice suddenly rising by an octave. Quite a few people in the cafeteria turned to look. "So I'm the one getting blamed for nothing? Those C-class cowards can make up whatever they want about me, and there's not a single witness?"
Shangguan Che quietly shifted away.
Sudo's temper was way too explosive. He was like a ticking time bomb, liable to go off at any moment. Shangguan Che lowered his head and shoveled in a mouthful of rice, thinking, All this pressure, and I'm lucky to be thick-skinned enough not to let it get to me.
"If nobody saw Sudo fighting with anyone from Class C, then why don't we..." Horikita suddenly spoke, a sly glint in her eyes. "Have Sudo say he didn't lay a hand on them. We could say the Class C students staged the whole thing and injured themselves to frame him."
She paused, then added, "As for the security footage showing Sudo going to the club building around that time, we could say he was just passing by and never even saw anyone from Class C. That would give us more room to maneuver at next week's hearing, wouldn't it?"
The cafeteria fell silent.
Sudo's eyes widened; he clearly hadn't thought of that approach. Hirata frowned, tapping his fingers against the table as he considered whether it could work. Kushida rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.
Shangguan Che, however, shook his head inwardly.
Horikita's idea sounded clever, but it wouldn't work.
Earlier, he'd been in the school's document archive and had seen a file marked "Confidential." It read, "Investigation into first-year Class D student Ken Sudō, with audio recording attached."
He hadn't looked closely at the contents, but the title alone made it clear that the school had already questioned Sudo. They might even have recorded it.
"Sudo, has the school questioned you yet?" Shangguan Che set down his chopsticks and interrupted everyone's thoughts. If he didn't speak up now, they'd keep heading in the wrong direction.
Sudo froze for a moment, then nodded, his voice growing quieter. "Yeah. They called me to the faculty office yesterday afternoon."
"What did they ask you?" Hirata immediately pressed, sounding anxious.
"They... they asked what happened and how I reacted at the time." Sudo lowered his head further, his voice barely audible. "I... I think I've already shut down the approach Horikita suggested."
"You told them you hit the others?" Horikita frowned, her voice edged with disbelief. He'd practically cut off their last escape route himself.
"I... I was so mad then. They kept provoking me, so I..." Sudo flushed and couldn't get the words out. All he could do was nod heavily.
"You're hopeless." Horikita sighed, disappointment clear in her voice.
"What did you say?" Sudo jerked his head up, eyes wide. His anger flared in an instant. "Do you think I wanted to be falsely accused? They started it. Why shouldn't I have fought back?"
"Sudo, that's not what Horikita meant..." Kushida hurried to smooth things over. She reached out to pat Sudo on the shoulder, but he dodged her.
"All right, everyone, calm down." Hirata quickly stood up and stepped between them. "Arguing won't solve anything. Let's think of another way."
Just then, Ayanokoji, who'd been silent until now, spoke up. His voice wasn't loud, but it instantly quieted the commotion. "Did the school make any kind of recording, like an audio recording?"
Shangguan Che raised an eyebrow. It was interesting that Ayanokoji had chosen this moment to speak.
He remembered Ayanokoji always wanted to act like an ordinary person. Could he have decided that staying silent while everyone else spoke would make him stand out too much?
Sudo paused and thought back. "I think... I think one of the teachers had a recording device. I was too busy getting mad to pay much attention."
The mood at the table instantly sank to rock bottom.
Everyone understood that if the school had a recording, Horikita's plan was completely useless.
Sudo had admitted to hitting them himself. Once the recording was played, any excuse would be pointless.
Looking at the deadlock, Shangguan Che suddenly found it a little funny. They'd been discussing ways to solve the problem so animatedly, and then one sentence had closed off every path forward.
He picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a large bite of food, thinking, What's done is done. There's no point thinking too much about it. I might as well eat first. I'll need the energy to figure something out.
As if they shared the same thoughts, Ayanokoji picked up his chopsticks too and quietly began eating.
Hirata looked at them and sighed helplessly.
He'd wanted to keep discussing the problem, but he was just too hungry. He'd stayed up late checking the footage and skipped breakfast that morning; his stomach had been growling for ages. He picked up his spoon and joined the "eating squad."
Sudo was still sulking over what had happened, but seeing everyone eating made his stomach grumble too. He had no choice but to pick up his chopsticks and listlessly shovel in rice.
Horikita frowned, still trying to think of another solution. But after looking around the table, she finally picked up her chopsticks too. She couldn't think on an empty stomach.
Kushida, meanwhile, looked perfectly relaxed. She ate as she greeted the students around her, as if the impasse hadn't affected her at all.
The cafeteria gradually returned to its usual clamor, with the sounds of clattering dishes, conversation, and laughter blending together. The tense atmosphere around the table full of Class D's core members was gradually washed away by the aroma of the food.
As he ate, Shangguan Che discreetly observed the people around him. Hirata ate quickly, clearly starving. Ayanokoji ate at a steady pace, his expression unchanged no matter what he was eating. Horikita kept frowning from time to time, clearly unwilling to give up thinking. Kushida smiled as she ate and chatted animatedly with students who passed by. Sudo was still sulking, but he wasn't holding back on the food.
He suddenly felt that although this lunch gathering to "discuss the Sudo Incident" hadn't produced any useful conclusions, it had unexpectedly shown him another side of Class D.
"Forget it. I'm done thinking about it." Shangguan Che shook his head, clearing the jumble of thoughts from his mind. He picked up his spoon and took a big mouthful of soup. "I'll eat my fill first. There's always a way forward. We'll figure something out."
And so, this tumultuous lunch meeting to "solve the case" ended in a silent "eating contest."
Nobody knew what to do next, and nobody knew how next week's hearing would turn out. But at least for that moment, everyone set their worries aside and focused on enjoying the food in front of them. (The world of classmates as seen through Shangguan Che's eyes.)
Before you continue