L Lawliet In COTE

Chapter 3 - Social Interactions

***Eru Lawliet***

"They don't have strawberry cheesecake?" I mutter to myself, looking at the school menu. "I suppose chocolate cake will have to suffice," I say sighing as I wait for my slice of cake. "750 points is ridiculous for a piece of cake," I say as I take the cake and see Hirata waving at me from his table.

As I made my way towards Hirata, I noticed Ayanokoji sitting by himself. I was planning to sit with him, but I am curious about why Hirata is calling me over.

"Hey, come sit with us," Hirata says as he makes some space on the table for me. As I take a seat, I notice that Hirata's table is mostly filled with girls, who seem to admire him a lot. He has become quite popular, it seems.

Karuizawa looks at me, my posture, and my slice of chocolate cake with a disdainful expression. "Is that really what you're eating for lunch?" She asks me as if she's disgusted by my choice. I swipe my finger on the icing and put it in my mouth.

"Yes, why is something wrong?" I inquire as I look at her indifferently.

He smiles and says, "I think it's just unusual to see someone eating dessert so early in the day." He tries to sound friendly and casual. He seems like a good-natured person for the most part.

"You must really like sweets, Eru. I always see you eating candy in class." Kushida says in her usual friendly tone.

"Nothing wrong with that, though. Everyone likes sugar, right?" Everyone nods their head at Hirata's response. He turns to me and says, "Anyways, Eru, I wanted to talk to you about the class."

"I understand," I say, looking around th table. I would typically ask for something in exchange for my information, but I have no intentions of making enemies with most of the class here by doing so. "Well, ask away. I have no problem answering a few questions." I pick up my fork and eat a piece of cake.

"Thank you for all your help, Eru," Hirata says, smiling warmly at me. "I mostly wanted to tell you that while most of us were suspicious of your claims yesterday, most of us agree they now have some truth to them, especially given what many of us have learned about free items."

I swallow the cake and nod. "That makes sense"

"Yes, now many of us wanted to ask you what you think of Clas D's current situation, given your knowledge of the school and point system, and since you were able to figure everything out on the first day, I think you're the most qualified to give your opinion on this."

I pick up another slice of cake and bit into it, observing the surroundings. I notice the various expressions on the faces of the students: curiosity, wariness, disgust. "There is not much to say. We are in class D for a reason. The school probably has no expectations of success from us," I say as I swallow the cake. "Even during today's class, there were people texting on their phones, sleeping, and having entire conversations while Chabashira Sensei was lecturing. I would say that class D's situation does not look good. I will not expect many points for our class if things continue like this."

"But the teachers were nice. They did not seem to mind. They never even said anything," Sato says from across me, smiling innocently. Ike nods in agreement, "Yeah, I mean, we should be fine as long as we do not get into trouble, right?"

I shake my head in response, holding a piece of cake in my hand. I sit in my usual posture, with my knees drawn up to my chest. "No, this is similar to a test. No teacher will give you the answer. You should know the answers yourself. Otherwise, why have they been teaching you? The situation is the same here. The school is giving you freedom, but there are consequences for not using it wisely." I say in a calm and monotone voice, looking at them with a hint of sarcasm. Class D really is full of idiots.