Even the Cafeteria Can Be a Place for a Hero to Save a Beauty

The next day.

Because there were no personal points deposited, the students of Class D were living in nothing short of poverty.

I heard that quite a few people were mocked by students from the neighboring class while waiting in line to buy vegetable sets.

Although, this was entirely their own doing.

"Hey, Kushida, could you lend me some points?"

"Wang, could you please lend me some points? Not much, just 5,000 will do!"

"Hey, hey..."

Early in the morning, Karuizawa was using the intimidation factor of her gyaru persona to shake people down everywhere.

However, because most of Class D had lived extremely extravagantly last month, very few people were able to lend her money.

Because of this, she even had an unpleasant falling out with a certain classmate.

Whether it was a genuine change of heart or because they hadn't emerged from their grief, the classroom discipline today was unexpectedly good; there was no tardiness, no idle chatter, and no one playing on their phones.

When it came time to eat, although they were extremely reluctant, they still had to obediently choose the cheap or free lunch options.

Shintō Katsuya, who had been busy all day, had just ordered a bowl of udon noodles when he saw Karuizawa surrounded by three fierce-looking girls at a nearby table, and the way she didn't dare to move caught his attention.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Suddenly hearing a familiar voice, a glimmer of light appeared in Karuizawa's eyes, and she broke free from the encirclement of the three girls and came to Shintō's side.

She hugged one of Shintō's arms tightly, pressing her entire body against him as much as possible, like a sloth:

"Hey, Shintō-kun, you're here. These three people, they're bullying me!"

As she spoke, Karuizawa pointed her index finger at the three girls with a haughty air, looking every bit like a person who had gained a little power and let it go to her head.

This infuriated them:

"Hey! What did you say? You were the one who bullied our friend, and now you're turning the tables?!"

"Who... who bullied her? It was her own fault, she was the one who bumped into us first..."

Although she was still acting arrogant, her words betrayed her lack of confidence.

Kind-hearted by nature, she actually knew she was in the wrong, but years of experience with bullying had left her unable to easily apologize to others, fearing it would invite violence.

"Ha?! You really are infuriating!"

The girl opposite said this and reached out to grab Karuizawa, who had already closed her eyes in fear, only to find a reliable back blocking her path.

"You... do you want to meddle in other people's business?!"

"Meddle? She's my friend, and she's being bullied by you three for no reason; how can you call that meddling?"

Although Shintō had already guessed what the truth of the situation probably was, he wasn't some embodiment of justice, and in times like these, he naturally had to stand by his own people.

"You! It was Karuizawa who knocked our classmate Rika flying while waiting in line! You're being so unreasonable!"

"Which one of you three is Rika?"

"We... we are her friends!"

"That makes it simple. I'm Karuizawa's friend, too. If you can stand up for your friend, I can certainly do the same."

Seeing Shintō's stubborn, thick-skinned attitude, the lead girl was at a loss, but just because she had no way to deal with him didn't mean Class C didn't!

"Heh, you've got guts. You'd better stay right here. I'm going back to get Rika. Do you dare to confront her face-to-face?!"

"You're welcome to. But you'd better be quick; my time is very precious."

Shintō shrugged, and the three girls rolled their eyes at him in unison before turning around to call for backup.

Only after they had truly walked away did Karuizawa let go of the hands she had been using to hold onto Shintō:

"Shintō-kun, why did you agree to them! What will we do if a lot of people come later?"

"If I didn't agree, did you want to be cornered and beaten up the next time you were alone?"

"I... but we can't just sit here and wait for death, right? Why don't we find some people to come over too? At the very least, it would give us some courage, wouldn't it?"

Karuizawa looked terrified. Although Shintō looked very capable, she deeply understood the principle that two fists are no match for four hands.

"This is the cafeteria, and it's fully monitored. Unless they don't want to stay in school, they won't dare to do anything. If you're scared, you can go back first, but try not to stay outside alone."

Although he said that, Shintō quietly switched his phone to recording mode and hid it in his pocket.

"I... I'm not scared... Besides, this started because of me, how could I leave you alone?"

"You're really loyal, aren't you?"

"..."

Looking at the restless Karuizawa beside him, Shintō reached out and ruffled her hair (the texture was actually quite nice...):

"Don't be afraid, I promise you it will be fine. I'm doing this to settle it once and for all. Take a deep breath, okay?"

Feeling the strange sensation on her head, Shintō's comfort was accompanied by waves of warmth blowing onto her face, causing Karuizawa to blush uncontrollably, even though she knew it wasn't the right time, and she responded instinctively:

"Okay..."

In no time at all...

The udon noodles were ready!

"I really admire you, being able to eat at a time like this."

"Even if the sky were falling, it shouldn't delay a meal. Besides, if she doesn't come back for a whole day, are you going to starve yourself for that long?"

Just as the two were talking, a group of thugs with swaggering gaits, fierce and violent expressions, and the textbook appearance of 'delinquents' burst into the cafeteria.

The leader sported a purple center-parted hairstyle and, to emphasize his thuggish nature, had draped his jacket over his shoulders instead of wearing it.

Flanking him were two burly men, though the one on the right looked a bit more massive than the other.

Behind them was the trio that had just bullied Karuizawa, and trailing the trio was a girl with a timid aura, wearing glasses and sporting two braided pigtails.

Additionally, there was a girl with short hair walking nearby; although she kept a deliberate distance from them, it was clear she was also part of the group.

The immense pressure quickly drove away the students blocking their path. Whether they were upperclassmen or underclassmen, it was clear that no one wanted to cross a group of delinquents.

As they drew closer to Shinjo, the hairs on Karuizawa's arms stood on end, and she uncontrollably gripped his arm tightly once more.

It was as if she were being stared down by some ferocious beast, yet Shinjo acted as if nothing were wrong, continuing to slurp the udon noodles in his bowl.

"With udon, the most important thing is the broth."

It wasn't until he slowly set his bowl down that a large face appeared right in front of him.