"Chapter 1: Lunch Thief, Part 1"

It was a pretty calm morning. Natsuki was standing near a vending machine, about to insert some coins, when she suddenly heard quick footsteps. Before she could react, the coins slipped from her hand, and an annoyed expression formed on her face as she shouted:

— Hey! What the he—?! Sayori? —she asked, confused.

Sayori was surrounded and nervous as she yelled: — IT WASN'T ME, I SWEAR!

Natsuki, seeing that her friend was in trouble, hesitated for a moment before helping her. She figured Sayori must have done something stupid to get herself chased. Even so, after thinking it over, she decided to step in and help, asking as she approached:

— Natsuki: "Hey! What's going on here?" —she said, with a voice that was somewhat loud and rough, as usual.

The two girls turned to her and explained what was going on:

— Girl 1: "Please, Natsuki, it's pretty obvious! She's the one who made half of the cupcakes disappear from the tray we left in our classroom!"

— Girl 2: "Yeah! It's pretty obvious, no girl is as greedy as the one standing in front of us."

— Girl 1: "Now you're coming with us to see the teacher and get a report!"

Sayori, feeling nervous, kept insisting that she didn't do it, waving her hands in denial.

— Sayori: "I'm telling you, I didn't do it! Please, you have to believe me!" —she said, still with a nervous voice.

— Sayori: "Please, Natsuki, you have to believe me!"

As Natsuki watched as they kept blaming her friend for doing such an act, a part of her felt uneasy... as if something was telling her that Sayori wasn't lying. That feeling grew stronger as Sayori continued pleading that it wasn't her. To which Natsuki replied:

— Natsuki: "Hey, but what if it wasn't her? I mean... I know she's a huge pig, but assuming that already seems pretty hasty, don't you think? I'm guessing you have some proof that it was her?":

At that moment, both girls stepped away from Sayori and started walking, with one of them grabbing her arm to prevent her from escaping. One of them said to Natsuki:

— Girl 1: "Follow us."

Without saying anything, Natsuki walked towards the cooking club's classroom, where the girls pointed to a tray missing several cupcakes.

— Girl 1: "Just think about it, who else would come here and eat something? Obviously, it could only have been Sayori, no doubt about it. And that's not all."

The second girl grabbed Sayori and showed that the back of her skirt was stained with cupcake icing.

— Girl 2: "And here's the final proof! With this, we can deduce that Sayori is the one to blame!"

Natsuki was speechless for a moment as she tried to think of something, but soon one of the girls spoke up:

— Girl 1: "That said, this cupcake thief is coming with us!"

Sayori was about to give up and let the girls take her to the teacher when, just as they reached the door, someone stopped them.

???: "Not so fast, girls."

The girls were stunned as they turned to see who it was. Natsuki turned around, and none other than Monika was standing there, saying to the girls:

— Monika: "I know you're upset, but I'm sure this can be explained. It wouldn't be fair to blame someone who might be innocent, would it, girls?" :

One of the girls seemed a little confused, while the other said to Monika:

— Girl 2: "But she's covered in icing! Don't you think that's more than enough to prove she's the one who did it?"

Monika responded:

— Monika: "You may be right, but it could just be a coincidence. Maybe the real culprit isn't the one you have in front of you. So... I'm just asking for a chance, a chance to prove Sayori's innocence. Otherwise, if she really is guilty, you can take her without a problem. Deal?"

Both girls thought for a moment, but they knew Monika might be right, and she was the most popular girl in school. So, without much complaint, they let go of Sayori, who sighed in relief. One of the girls then asked:

— Girl 1: "And who's going to figure out if Sayori is innocent?"

Monika glanced at Natsuki, who had been quite quiet, staring at the others. Monika then said:

— Monika: "Natsuki, you were the first one to doubt Sayori's guilt, right?"

Natsuki froze in shock and didn't know how to say no.

— Natsuki: "EH?! I-I... M-mmmmgh...!"

— Natsuki: "Y-yeah, it was me! I wasn't so sure Sayori was guilty of all this!"

Monika then asked:

— Monika: "So... would you be the one to handle Sayori's case?"

Natsuki, even more shocked, responded:

— Natsuki: "WHAAT?! Of course not! I only said I didn't think she was guilty! It... it's not my problem!"

— Monika: "Then I guess Sayori will be guilty if no one takes her case."

Quickly, Sayori ran to Natsuki and grabbed her by the shoulders, pleading with all her might:

— Sayori: "PLEASE, NATSUKI! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!"

With so many pleas from Sayori, Natsuki had no choice but to give a slight shove and cross her arms:

— Natsuki: "Ugh!! Fine! I'll take the case!"

— Sayori: "THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!"

Monika, seeing that everything was set, nodded slightly and said to everyone:

— Monika: "I'll be back in a bit. By then, let Natsuki investigate the place and, if necessary, ask you all questions without hesitation. Got it?":

Everyone nodded as Monika left. Natsuki was a bit angry while Sayori had a look of happiness and embarrassment.

— Sayori: "I'm really grateful you're helping me with this, Natsuki. It means a lot to me as a friend."

Natsuki just stayed quiet, still with her arms crossed, and let out a sigh.

— Natsuki: "Fine, I guess it's time to investigate and all that..."

— Sayori: "Yay!!"

— Natsuki: (What the heck is she celebrating?) —she thought to herself.

Natsuki just looked around the classroom, still feeling a bit nervous.

— Natsuki: (What have I gotten myself into...?) —she thought again.

To be continued...