Chapter Summaries

Honami Ichinose faced the choice between using Oreki’s 20 million Points to avoid expulsion or taking the equivalent of 16 million yen to help her family, and she wanted to stand back up. On the bus, Oreki explained how he would have handled the exam as a third-year, while Class 1-C counted its gains and moved on without Ryuuen.

• Oreki transferred 20 million Points to Ichinose to prevent her expulsion, but she considered taking the money and leaving school to help her family before resolving to stand back up.
• Kaneda reported that Class 1-C had secured 400,000 Points in monthly living expenses from Class B and avoided expulsions, while he and Shiina kept an extra 2 million Points.
• Ryuuen read quietly as Kaneda and Shiina recognized that Class 1-C no longer seemed to need his leadership.
• Oreki boarded the bus and took the seat beside Sakayanagi, who asked how he would have handled the exam from a third-year’s position.
• Oreki said he would have controlled scores and offered Class 3-B’s students two Class A places and 40 million Points in return for undermining their class.
• Sakayanagi asked what Oreki would do as Class 3-B, and he said he would gather the class’s strength to buy Manabu Horikita of Class 3-A over.

Houtarou Oreki paid out Points after the Forest Camping Exam while the school prepared Tsukishiro’s forced in-class expulsion vote exam. The Chairman understood that Tsukishiro intended to use the exam to expel Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, but the chapter ended before he responded to the staff member’s concern.

• Houtarou Oreki’s account updated to show more than 123 million Points, though Class 3-A still owed him 30 million.
• Houtarou Oreki paid exam expenses and compensation, while Arisu Sakayanagi and Hiyori managed distributions to participants.
• Karuizawa and Sato received different Point transfers from Houtarou Oreki, and Kikyou Kushida worried that he no longer needed her help.
• The Chairman ordered preparations for the students’ return and discussed Tsukishiro’s proposed supplementary expulsion vote exam with a staff member.
• The Chairman recognized that Tsukishiro wanted to expel Kiyotaka Ayanokouji by using the school’s rules.

The Chairman explained the purpose of the expulsion vote exam, while Oreki’s Points helped Sakayanagi and Ichinose avoid expulsion. After Ichinose chose to remain at school, Oreki returned to the dormitory and met with Kushida, whose anxiety about the future led her to act unusually.

• The Chairman said the vote exam was an assessment meant to prepare students for harsher evaluations in society, and the school’s rewards left Oreki with an unprecedented amount of Points.
• Sakayanagi completed her expulsion exemption, and Ichinose chose to use Oreki’s Points to stay at school rather than exchange them for money.
• Yanagi and Sakayanagi spoke with Ichinose, who left the Student Council room to rejoin her waiting companions.
• After dinner with Yanagi, Oreki returned to the dormitory and met Kushida, who had checked that he was not recording her and then offered herself to him.
• Kushida said she felt insecure because Oreki had stopped seeking her out and worried that incoming students might expose her past; she also revealed that she had tried to buy contraceptives.

After the Forest Camping Exam, Oreki and Arisu Sakayanagi discussed Class A’s expanding network of spies and Yosuke Hirata’s defection. Meanwhile, Ayanokouji received a mysterious call that suggested an enemy outside the school was moving against him, and the chapter ended as a suited man appeared at the classroom door.

• Four days after the Forest Camping Exam, Oreki and Arisu Sakayanagi discussed the growing number of Class D students spying for Class A.
• Arisu Sakayanagi showed Oreki a report that Yosuke Hirata had agreed to spy for Class A in exchange for 50,000 points a month.
• Oreki said he had another use for Hirata, and Arisu Sakayanagi agreed to let him decide how to use the spy.
• Ayanokouji received a call from an unknown number in which the caller said his name and then hung up, leading him to suspect an outside enemy was targeting him.
• Oreki noticed a message from Chairman Sakayanagi on Arisu Sakayanagi’s phone, then a suited man appeared at the classroom door.

Key Plot Points and Events

• An additional exam is announced for the month, with the unique rule that it will result in an expulsion.
• The exam is a class vote, where students give three praise votes and three criticism votes to their classmates, with the person with the lowest score being expelled.
• The exam is not linked to class evaluation points but is a special case ordered by the new acting director, Mr. Tsukishiro.
• The student who receives the most praise votes in each class will receive a 'protection' that can nullify an expulsion.

Character Developments

• Houtarou Oreki accepts the exam and the potential expulsion without hesitation, showcasing his decisiveness.
• Arisu Sakayanagi sees this as an opportunity to 'weed out' less valuable students and protect the excellent ones, demonstrating her strategic and manipulative nature.
• Totsuka is nominated for expulsion by Sakayanagi, showing his lack of influence and value in Sakayanagi's eyes.
• Katsuragi stands up for Totsuka, indicating his protective nature towards his classmates.

Significant Themes

• Survival of the fittest and the consequences of competition.
• The manipulation of power dynamics within the class.
• The cost of protection and immunity.

Character Interactions

• Teacher Majima shares his disapproval of the new acting director's decision, creating a bond of understanding with the students.
• Sakayanagi and Oreki show their strategic minds, accepting the exam's rules and planning their moves.
• Katsuragi and Totsuka's interaction highlights the protective dynamic between them.

Class 1-A chose Totsuka Yahiko as the student to be expelled after Sakayanagi exposed his disobedience during the Forest Camping Exam. Oreki gave Yahiko five days to gather 20 million Points to save himself, while Principal Tsukishiro framed the situation as a test of Katsuragi's judgment.

• Sakayanagi accused Totsuka Yahiko of ignoring Oreki's arrangements during the Forest Camping Exam and nearly ruining the class's plan.
• Sakayanagi paid Teacher Mashima 30,000 Points to reveal the exam scores, which showed that Yahiko's failure to withdraw had put Class 1-A's first-place result at risk.
• Oreki and Sakayanagi argued that Yahiko should be expelled, while Oreki noted that the class could instead save him by gathering 20 million Points.
• Oreki gave Yahiko five days to gather the 20 million Points himself, leaving Katsuragi and his faction to decide whether to help him.
• Principal Tsukishiro said Yahiko's case would test whether Katsuragi could make the right choice about a disobedient follower.

Tsukishiro reviewed the classes as they faced an anonymous voting exam that required them to award protection to one student and expel another. In Class 1-D, Horikita explained how the threat of expulsion had shattered the class’s unity, while she insisted her own abilities would keep her safe.

• Tsukishiro reviewed Class A’s position and turned his attention to the other classes, believing Totsuka would be expelled.
• Hoshinomiya Chie explained to Class 1-B that the exam would protect the top-ranked student and expel the last-ranked student, leaving her class distraught.
• Suma Bando announced the anonymous expulsion vote to Class 1-C, whose students looked toward the withdrawn Kakeru Ryuuen as a likely target.
• Oreki asked Kikyou Kushida about Class 1-D’s turmoil, and Horikita explained that Hirata had failed to calm the class while Kōenji urged them to eliminate dead weight.
• Horikita told Oreki she did not fear expulsion because her abilities surpassed those of most students.

Oreki reassured his Class D informants about the expulsion vote exam and asked Kikyou and Horikita to cooperate with a plan in exchange for 500,000 points each. The next day, the exam’s pressure spread among the first-years, while Class A had already sacrificed Totsuka Yahiko.

• Oreki reviewed messages from Karuizawa, Sato, Sakura, and Haruka, who feared being targeted in the expulsion vote.
• Oreki created the Anti-Expulsion Mutual Aid Alliance group chat and told its members they would be safe if they avoided last place.
• Karuizawa and Sakura exchanged awkward messages after Sakura realized who was in the group.
• Oreki asked Kikyou and Horikita to cooperate with arrangements for Class D and offered each of them 500,000 points.
• The next day, pressure over the exam spread through the first-years, while Class A had sacrificed Totsuka Yahiko by partnering with Yanagi.

Oreki met Honami Ichinose, who was worried about Class 1-B’s expulsion exam and had decided to protect every classmate despite the cost. Nazuna Asahina then arrived and asked to speak with Oreki about the Forest Camping Exam.

• Oreki greeted Ichinose in the dormitory lounge and learned she had been waiting for him.
• Ichinose told Oreki that Class 1-B faced a difficult exam and wanted to protect every classmate, even if it meant spending 20 million Points.
• Oreki asked whether Nagumo had repaid the Points he owed Ichinose, and she said he had already paid everything back.
• Nazuna Asahina arrived, teased Ichinose about being alone with Oreki, then asked to borrow him to discuss the Forest Camping Exam.

Asahina Nazuna warned Oreki that Nagumo had repaid Ichinose with diverted class funds to manipulate her into pursuing Oreki as revenge for the Forest Camping Exam. Oreki later discussed the scheme with Sakayanagi Arisu, who suggested Nagumo wanted to provoke a love triangle and hurt both Oreki and Ichinose.

• Asahina told Oreki that Nagumo had repaid Ichinose's debt early using Class 2-A funds, despite owing the class an explanation for diverting the money.
• Asahina suspected Nagumo was retaliating against Oreki for ruining his plans during the Forest Camping Exam.
• Asahina revealed that Nagumo intended to demand that Ichinose confess her feelings to Oreki and try to win him over.
• Oreki explained Nagumo's plan to Sakayanagi Arisu as a confusing character development from a book.
• Sakayanagi reasoned that Nagumo wanted to provoke a love triangle and take revenge on both Oreki and Ichinose.

Oreki arranged for Hashimoto and Kamuro to watch Principal Tsukishiro and Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, believing Tsukishiro planned to expel Ayanokouji through the class vote exam. After dinner with Yanagi, Oreki returned to his dormitory and summoned an elegant, blushing visitor, leaving her identity unrevealed.

• Oreki reasoned that Nagumo had used Ichinose to disrupt Sakayanagi’s romance as revenge for losing ten million points.
• Oreki recovered from his troubled thoughts and put Hashimoto and Kamuro in charge of observing Principal Tsukishiro and Kiyotaka Ayanokouji.
• Arisu inferred that Tsukishiro was using the class vote exam to expel Ayanokouji, and Oreki said he wanted to make a deal with him by using the exam’s rules.
• Oreki had dinner with Yanagi and walked her back to her dormitory, bringing her cat Hayate along.
• Oreki returned to his dormitory, sent someone a message, and answered the door to an elegant visitor with blushing cheeks.

Oreki secured Shiina Hiyori’s promise to give him Class C’s Praise Votes so he could interfere in Class D’s internal vote. After learning that Principal Tsukishiro had met with Yamauchi Haruki, Oreki realized Tsukishiro was trying to use the exam to expel Kiyotaka Ayanokouji.

• Oreki asked Shiina how Class C planned to handle the exam, and she said the class had accepted Ryuuen as its likely expulsion target.
• Oreki asked Shiina not to interfere with Class D and to save all of Class C’s Praise Votes for him; she agreed.
• Oreki read Hashimoto’s message and saw a photo of Principal Tsukishiro dining with Yamauchi Haruki.
• Tsukishiro reviewed Class 1-D’s student files and saw the internal voting exam as a chance to force Kiyotaka Ayanokouji to drop out.

Principal Tsukishiro tried to recruit Yamauchi as a pawn to target Ayanokouji, but realized Yamauchi was too clueless to help. Meanwhile, Oreki monitored the factions’ plans around Yahiko’s expulsion and messaged Ayanokouji, who received an ominous warning.

• Tsukishiro approached Yamauchi and tried to explain that envy and personal dislike could determine who was expelled, but Yamauchi failed to grasp that he was in danger.
• Oreki told Hashimoto to stop following the Katsuragi Faction after learning that they had rejected pooling points to save Yahiko.
• Yahiko tried to buy forty Approval Votes from Class C, risking a classmate’s expulsion and a confrontation between the factions.
• Hiyori told Oreki that Ayanokouji searched for books Oreki had read, just as she did.
• Oreki sent Ayanokouji a message, and Ayanokouji received the warning: “There will be an unlucky bastard in Class D.”

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji received a cryptic message hinting that Class D would suffer an unlucky victim, while Oreki maneuvered to protect someone from expulsion by gathering Praise Votes. The chapter left Honami Ichinose contributing Class B’s votes and Hiyori Shiina preparing her classmates for the exam, where Ryuuen was expected to be expelled.

• Kiyotaka Ayanokouji received an unidentified message warning that Class D would have an unlucky victim and recognized the sender’s number.
• Oreki reasoned that Tsukishiro had recruited Yamauchi Haruki as a pawn and sought Class B’s Praise Votes to protect an acquaintance.
• Honami Ichinose agreed to help Oreki and quickly gathered all of Class B’s available Praise Votes.
• Honami explained that Class B had raised the 20 million points needed for the exam from class funds, contributions, and Nagumo’s payment.
• Hiyori Shiina began approaching her classmates, expecting about twenty of them to vote for Ryuuen’s expulsion.

As Class 1-D settled on Kiyotaka Ayanokouji as the target for expulsion, he struck a deal with Houtarou Oreki, who arranged for Horikita Suzune to intervene. Horikita stood at the podium to address the class vote exam, leaving the class waiting to hear what she would do.

• Ayanokouji sensed the class had stopped openly arguing because a large group had agreed to target him for expulsion.
• Hirata messaged Ayanokouji that he would protect everyone and volunteer himself if someone had to be expelled, unaware of the group's plan.
• Ayanokouji contacted the person who had warned him about the target and agreed to provide a future favor in exchange for three years of peaceful campus life.
• Houtarou Oreki replied that he could meet Ayanokouji's request, and Horikita Suzune received a message and went to the podium.
• Horikita asked Teacher Chabashira to let her speak about the exam, while nearly thirty students waited after choosing Ayanokouji for expulsion.

Horikita rejected Hirata’s proposal to borrow points to save everyone and revealed that the class had chosen Ayanokouji as its sacrifice for the expulsion exam. She left the class facing the decision to expel him, while Chabashira wondered what Horikita’s motives were.

• Horikita called for a class discussion about the voting exam, but Yamauchi and Ike showed little interest in staying.
• Hirata proposed borrowing twenty million points, possibly from the Student Council President or his Class A connections, and having the class repay the debt together.
• Kōenji rejected Hirata’s plan, arguing that the exam was meant to eliminate useless people, and other students objected to paying five hundred thousand points each.
• Horikita dismissed Hirata’s proposal and declared that the class’s unified choice was to expel Ayanokouji.
• Chabashira watched Ayanokouji become the focus of the class and wondered whether Horikita was trying to save him or acting on someone else’s behalf.

Horikita exposed Yamauchi’s role in organizing votes to expel Ayanokouji, and the accusations shifted to Kushida as classmates tried to avoid blame. Kushida tearfully claimed Yamauchi had begged her to gather support, leaving the class to decide whom to believe.

• Horikita revealed that the large group had agreed to expel any member who leaked its plans, then nominated Yamauchi for expulsion.
• Horikita accused Yamauchi of using Kushida to gather at least thirty Criticism Votes against Ayanokouji.
• Yamauchi denied asking Kushida for help and blamed Ike, who admitted bringing Yamauchi into the group and said Kushida had asked him to vote against Ayanokouji.
• Horikita confronted Kushida as the class focused its attention on her.
• Kushida cried and claimed Yamauchi had begged her for help, then said she had gathered support because she felt unable to refuse him.

Kushida escaped the blame for rallying Criticism Votes, while Class D’s attention shifted to expelling Yamauchi. As Hirata protested the class’s plan, Oreki offered Ayanokouji a weapon, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Classmates turned against Yamauchi after Kushida blamed him for the Criticism Vote scheme, and Horikita rebuked Kushida for misusing her influence.
• Oreki followed the Class D vote through Kei’s reports and recognized that Horikita’s criticism had redirected the class’s attention toward Yamauchi.
• Students accused Yamauchi of seeking Praise Votes from Class A, while an uncle watching the operation regretted approaching him but expected him to be expelled.
• Sakayanagi told Oreki that he had gotten what he wanted, and Oreki messaged Ayanokouji that he would give him a weapon.
• Hirata angrily condemned the plan to turn classmates against one another, but Horikita ignored him as the class settled on expelling Yamauchi.

Class D settled on expelling Yamauchi Haruki, while Class C chose Kakeru Ryuuen and Ishizaki and Albert Yamada asked Oreki to save him. In Class B, Ichinose explained that the class had gathered enough Points to waive one expulsion, but someone raised a hand before she could finish.

• Hirata kicked a desk, denounced Horikita, and threatened to vote for her after she pushed to expel Yamauchi.
• Ayanokouji realized Hirata's breakdown could make him someone Hirata would confide in, while Class D's expulsion choice remained Yamauchi Haruki.
• Daichi Ishizaki and Albert Yamada asked Oreki to save Ryuuen, but Oreki refused to intervene; Class C then chose Kakeru Ryuuen for expulsion.
• Ichinose told Class B that its members had pooled 21,236,000 Private Points to waive one student's expulsion, and someone raised a hand.

Ryuji Kanzaki warned Class B about spending its saved Points to protect a classmate, while Oreki presented Class A’s plan to give Sakayanagi Protection and expel Totsuka. The chapter ended with Totsuka facing Oreki’s proposal to entrust his Points to Katsuragi before expulsion.

• Kanzaki accepted Class B’s exam plan but urged the class to consider the cost of spending twenty million Points and the risks of losing its savings.
• Class B students defended their decision to protect a classmate, and they comforted Shibata over his Sports Festival misfortune.
• Oreki told Class A that he believed the Protection awards foreshadowed a future exam and proposed that Sakayanagi receive the class’s commendation votes.
• Oreki proposed expelling Totsuka and asked every Class A student to give him ten thousand Points before his expulsion.
• Oreki suggested that Totsuka entrust his remaining Points to Katsuragi until graduation, leaving Totsuka confronting the prospect of being expelled.