Cafeteria Chaos: A Lunchtime Discussion in a Deadlock

"Why is this person here too?" Horikita Suzune's voice carried a hint of imperceptible wariness, her gaze landing squarely on Kushida Kikyo.

Before Shangguan Che could react to whom she was referring, Kushida across from them had already smiled and chimed in, her tone as sweet as if it were coated in honey: "Horikita-san, I just want to help Sudo-kun too. I couldn't just watch him be misunderstood, could I?"

"I hope you mean that sincerely." Horikita raised an eyebrow, her distrust evident in her tone.

Shangguan Che, who had originally intended to "coast and slack off," instantly perked up.

The moment these two started talking, the air became thick with tension; it was far more interesting than any math problem in class.

He leaned back against his chair, preparing to be a "bystander eating popcorn," but before he could even settle in, he noticed Ayanokoji Kiyotaka also lift his eyes slightly, clearly focusing his attention on this conversation as well.

Shangguan Che chuckled to himself: As expected of a "kindred spirit" sitting across from me, even our rhythm for slacking off is similar.

"Alright, alright, everyone is here to help Sudo, let's not damage the harmony." Hirata Yosuke quickly tried to smooth things over. He was still holding his chopsticks, having barely touched the rice in his bowl, yet the exhaustion in his eyes was impossible to hide—the aftereffects of staying up all night to watch surveillance footage had not yet faded.

"I'm not doing this for Sudo." Horikita put down her chopsticks and crossed her arms, her tone firm. "I'm doing this for the class points. My goal is to lead Class D to Class A, and I can't have this kind of thing holding us back."

"Oh my, no matter the reason, it's great that we can help together!" Kushida immediately took over the conversation, her smile gentle and kind. "Let's listen to Hirata-kun and work together to find a way to clear Sudo-kun's name, shall we?"

Shangguan Che muttered to himself: Both of them are talking about helping, but the moment Kushida says it, it sounds much more appealing.

Among those present, Sudo's expression softened significantly, and even Ayanokoji, who hadn't spoken at all, gave a slight nod.

"Hirata, you said the surveillance footage you pulled didn't show anyone else?" Horikita stopped dwelling on her minor friction with Kushida and cut straight to the point, her gaze fixed on Hirata.

When Shangguan Che heard this, he nearly spat out the soup he was drinking. Was Horikita forgetting about him again?

It was clearly him and Hirata who went to pull the footage together, yet she asked Hirata about "the footage you pulled" without even mentioning his name.

Shangguan Che snuck a glance at Hirata, silently chanting: Brother, it's up to you. Whether I can get some presence or not depends on you.

Sure enough, Hirata immediately added: "Yes, I'm very sorry. Shangguan and I haven't had any luck yet. We've checked all the surveillance near the scene of the incident and haven't found anyone who looks like a witness."

See, I knew Hirata would mention me. Shangguan Che felt a small sense of pride, but then he began to ponder: Horikita always treats me like an invisible person. Could it be because Class D is truly a "gathering place for defective products," and even their ability to remember people is flawed?

Then why is someone as perfect as Hirata in Class D? The more he thought about it, the more something felt off. Shangguan Che couldn't help but sigh; there were too many secrets in Class D, and the more he dug, the more unsettling it became.

"I also asked friends from other classes." Kushida put down her spoon, her tone tinged with disappointment. "Whether they were acquaintances or people I'm not very close with, I asked everyone, but they all said they hadn't been to the club building and hadn't heard about any fight."

"What the hell?" Sudo slammed his hand on the table, his voice rising an octave, drawing the attention of many people in the cafeteria. "So I'm just the scapegoat? Those scumbags from Class C can slander me however they want, and there isn't even a single witness?"

Shangguan Che shifted slightly to the side.

Sudo's temper was too volatile; he was like a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment. He lowered his head to shovel some rice into his mouth, thinking: The pressure is on, but luckily my mental fortitude is strong; I'm not falling for this.

"Since no one saw Sudo fighting with the students from Class C, then why not..." Horikita suddenly spoke up, a flash of cunning in her eyes. "Have Sudo say he didn't throw a punch, and claim that the Class C students staged it themselves, intentionally injuring themselves to frame him?"

She paused, then added: "As for the surveillance showing Sudo at the club building at that time, just say he was passing by and never even saw the Class C students. If we do that, won't we have more room to maneuver at next week's disciplinary hearing?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the cafeteria fell silent.

Sudo's eyes widened, clearly not having expected such a tactic; Hirata frowned, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously as he considered the feasibility; Kushida also rested her chin on her hand, looking thoughtful.

Shangguan Che, however, shook his head internally.

Horikita's idea sounded clever, but unfortunately, it wouldn't work.

He had seen a file marked "Confidential" in the school's document room that he had mentioned to you earlier, which read: "Investigation into Sudo Ken of Class 1-D, with audio recording attached."

He hadn't read the content in detail at the time, but just by looking at the title, he knew the school must have already questioned Sudo, and they might have even recorded it.

"Sudo, has the school investigated you yet?" Shangguan Che put down his chopsticks, interrupting everyone's thoughts. If he didn't say it now, everyone would continue heading in the wrong direction.

Sudo was stunned for a moment, then nodded, his voice growing quieter: "Yeah, I was called to the faculty office yesterday afternoon."

"What did they ask you?" Hirata immediately pressed, his tone full of urgency.

"Just... just asked about what happened and how I responded at the time." Sudo's head drooped lower and lower, his voice as small as a mosquito's. "I... I think I might have blocked off the method Horikita-san just suggested."

"You told them you hit them?" Horikita frowned, her tone filled with disbelief. This was practically cutting off his own path.

"I... I was too angry at the time. They kept provoking me, and I just..." Sudo's face flushed red, unable to finish his sentence, and he could only nod heavily.

"Truly hopeless." Horikita sighed, her tone full of disappointment.

"What did you say?" Sudo suddenly lifted his head, his eyes wide, his temper flaring up instantly. "Do you think I wanted to be framed? They started it, why couldn't I fight back?"

"Sudo-kun, Horikita-san didn't mean it like that..." Kushida quickly tried to mediate, reaching out to pat Sudo's shoulder, but he dodged her.

"Alright, alright, everyone, don't get excited." Hirata also stood up quickly, blocking the space between the two. "Arguing won't solve the problem now. Let's think of other ways."

Just then, Ayanokoji, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. His voice wasn't loud, but it made the noisy scene instantly quiet: "Did the school record the incident with something like a voice recorder?"

Shangguan Che raised an eyebrow. Ayanokoji speaking up at this moment was quite interesting.

He remembered that Ayanokoji had always wanted to play the "ordinary person." Could it be that he felt that since everyone else had spoken, he would look too out of place if he didn't?

Sudo was stunned for a moment, carefully recalling: "It seems... it seems a teacher was holding a voice recorder. I was too busy being angry at the time, I didn't pay much attention."

Once those words were out, the atmosphere at the table dropped to freezing point.

Everyone understood that if the school had a recording, Horikita's previous plan was completely useless.

Sudo had already admitted to throwing a punch; once the recording was played, any defense would be in vain.

Shangguan Che looked at the stalemate before him and suddenly found it a bit funny—they had just been discussing a plan so enthusiastically, and yet one sentence had blocked off every path.

He picked up his chopsticks and took a large bite of food, thinking: It's come to this, there's no point in thinking too much. Better to eat first; only with a full stomach will I have the energy to find a solution.

As if by telepathy, Ayanokoji also picked up his chopsticks and began to shovel rice into his mouth in silence.

Hirata looked at the two of them and sighed helplessly.

He had originally wanted to continue the discussion, but he was truly famished; having stayed up all night watching surveillance footage and skipping breakfast this morning, his stomach had long since been growling. He picked up his spoon and joined the "feeding frenzy."

Sudo was still sulking over what had just happened, but seeing everyone else eating, his own stomach betrayed him with a growl, leaving him no choice but to pick up his chopsticks and shovel in his food with little enthusiasm.

Horikita frowned, still pondering whether there were any other solutions, but after glancing at the people at the table, she eventually picked up her chopsticks as well; she couldn't very well solve problems on an empty stomach.

Kushida, on the other hand, looked completely relaxed, greeting classmates nearby while she ate as if the previous standoff hadn't affected her in the slightest.

The clamor in the cafeteria gradually returned to normal, with the sounds of clattering trays, chatter, and laughter weaving together. The tense atmosphere that had originally hung over the table filled with the core members of Class D was washed away by the aroma of the food.

Shangguan Che ate his meal while secretly observing the people around him: Hirata was eating quickly, clearly starving; Ayanokoji was eating at a steady pace, his expression unchanging regardless of what he ate; Horikita was still frowning from time to time, clearly not having given up on her thoughts; Kushida was smiling as she ate, chatting animatedly with passing classmates; and although Sudo was still sulking, he wasn't eating any less.

He suddenly felt that this lunch meeting, intended for the purpose of "discussing the Sudo incident," had unexpectedly allowed him to see a different side of Class D, even if it hadn't yielded any useful conclusions.

"Forget it, I'll stop thinking about it." Shangguan Che shook his head, casting aside the wild thoughts in his mind, and used his spoon to take a large gulp of soup. "I'll just focus on getting full first. Besides, there's always a way out; a solution will turn up eventually."

And just like that, this turbulent "investigative" lunch meeting finally drew to a close with a silent "eating contest."

No one knew what to do next, and no one knew what the outcome of next week's hearing would be, but at least for this moment, everyone had temporarily set aside their worries and focused entirely on enjoying the food before them. (The world of classmates through the eyes of Shangguan Che.)