Saving a Damsel in the Cafeteria

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 of them were mocked by students from other classes while waiting in line to buy the vegetable set meals.

Although, this was entirely their own doing.

"Hey, Kushida, can 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 levy "taxes" 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 recovered from their grief, the classroom discipline today was unexpectedly good; there was no one late, no one gossiping, 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.

Katsuya Shinjo, 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 returned to Karuizawa's eyes, and she broke free from the three girls' encirclement to reach Shinjo's side.

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

"Hey, Shinjo-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 petty person who had gained power.

This infuriated them:

"Hey! What did you say? You're 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 had made a mistake, but years of experience with bullying had left her afraid to apologize to others easily, fearing it would invite further 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 Shinjo had already guessed what the truth likely was, he wasn't the embodiment of justice, and in times like these, he naturally had to stand on his own side.

"You! It was Karuizawa who bumped into our friend Rika from Class C 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 Shinjo's stubborn, thick-skinned attitude, the lead girl was at a loss for a moment, but just because she had no way to deal with him didn't mean Class C didn't!

"Heh, you've got guts. You've got guts, then wait right here. I'm going back to call Rika over. Do you dare to confront her face-to-face?!"

"You're welcome to, but you'd better be quick. My time is very precious."

Shinjo shrugged, and the three girls glared at him in unison before turning around to fetch their friend.

Only after they had truly walked away did Karuizawa release her grip on Shinjo's arms:

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

"If I didn't agree, would you rather be cornered and beaten up the next time you're alone?"

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

Karuizawa looked terrified; although Shinjo looked strong, she understood deeply that two fists are no match for four hands.

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

Although he said that, Shinjo 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 here alone?"

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

"..."

Looking at the restless Karuizawa beside him, Shinjo 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, Shinjo's comforting words were 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 was ready!

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

"Even if the sky were falling, it shouldn't stop me from eating. 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 students with swaggering gaits, fierce and violent expressions, and the stereotypical appearance of 'delinquents' burst into the cafeteria.

The leader had a purple center-parted hairstyle and, to emphasize his thuggish aura, 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 left after bullying Karuizawa, and following closely behind the trio was a girl with a timid temperament, 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 that she was also part of this 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 and closer to Mashima, the hairs on Karuizawa's arms stood on end, and she uncontrollably hugged his arm tightly once again.

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

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

Just as he slowly set his bowl down, a large face appeared right in front of him.