Who fried this rice? A Sam-Chan Mystery Novel

 Sam-Chan and the Case of the Forbidden Fried Rice

It was a quiet afternoon at Sakura High. The hallways were unusually calm, the teachers were grading papers, and the cafeteria... was suspiciously aromatic.

Sam-Chan, the school’s self-proclaimed “Ace Detective of the Absurd,” was lounging under the cherry blossom tree when a frantic voice interrupted her peace.

“Sam-Chan! We need you!” cried Hiro, the student council secretary. “There’s been a crime in the kitchen!”

Sam-Chan stood up immediately, her crimson scarf fluttering in the breeze. “A crime… in the cafeteria? Intriguing. Lead the way.”

Inside the cafeteria, a group of lunch ladies stood in a huddle, whispering nervously. On the counter was a steaming plate of golden fried rice—perfectly seasoned, glistening with soy sauce, and topped with a suspiciously elegant fried egg.

“This isn’t ours,” whispered Mrs. Takahashi. “None of us made this. It just… appeared.”

Sam-Chan knelt beside the plate, eyes narrowing. “Hmm. No grease splatter near the wok. And this rice was clearly fried in sesame oil, not the usual canola. Someone went gourmet... and covert.”

She pulled out her Detective Bento Notebook and scribbled down clues:

• Mystery rice appeared at 12:15 PM

• Cooked with sesame oil, garlic, scallions

• Perfectly fried egg

• No kitchen staff responsible

Sam-Chan sniffed the air. “There’s a faint trace of lemongrass. That narrows it down to someone with serious skills.”

Just then, she spotted a single clue: a stray grain of rice... on the edge of a nearby backpack.

She crept over, lifting the flap with her chopstick (because fingerprints matter), revealing a small container... with a used spatula inside.

"Gotcha."

“RYU!” Sam-Chan shouted, spinning around.

From the back of the cafeteria, Ryu Nakamoto—the mysterious transfer student with dreamy hair and suspiciously good culinary instincts—stood frozen.

“Okay, okay, you got me!” he said, throwing up his hands. “I didn’t mean to cause a panic. I just… missed home cooking. And the stove was open!”

Sam-Chan smiled. “Next time, tell someone before you throw down culinary magic. You nearly caused a fried rice frenzy.”

The lunch ladies, impressed by the taste, decided to add Ryu’s rice to next week's menu—with proper credit, of course.

As Sam-Chan scribbled “Case Closed” into her notebook, she grinned. “Another mystery solved. Now, pass me a spoon.”