Chapter Summaries

Totsuka Yahiko accepted expulsion from Class A, and the first-year voting exam results were announced, expelling one student each from Classes A, C, and D while Class B paid to avoid expulsions. At the bulletin board, Sakayanagi and Oreki discussed Kiyotaka Ayanokouji’s unexpectedly high Praise Vote total.

• Totsuka Yahiko accepted that he would be expelled and entrusted Katsuragi with his future Points.
• The students completed the anonymous voting exam, and the results named Totsuka Yahiko, Tokito Yuuya, and Yamauchi Haruki for expulsion, while Class 1-B paid 20 million Points for exemption.
• Teacher Majima announced the Praise Vote leaders: Sakayanagi Arisu for Class 1-A, Honami Ichinose for Class 1-B, Kakeru Ryuuen for Class 1-C, and Kiyotaka Ayanokouji for Class 1-D.
• Yamauchi complained that his remaining Points had been erased, while Totsuka ignored him and left with travel expenses and a plan to receive cash for Points transferred to Katsuragi.
• Suma Bando escorted Tokito Yuuya from school, and Totsuka realized Ryuuen had avoided expulsion and earned protection through Praise Votes.
• Sakayanagi Arisu and Oreki examined the results, and Oreki noted that Kiyotaka Ayanokouji had received 133 Praise Votes.

Oreki’s deal with Ayanokouji gave him protection from expulsion and made any renewed attempt to target him a challenge to the entire grade. In Class C, Hiyori used the exam to keep Ryuuen at school and give him protection, while Sakayanagi realized Oreki had chosen her for a similar burden in the next exam.

• Sakayanagi and Yanagi inferred that votes from other classes helped Ayanokouji receive protection, and Kamuro asked Oreki what he had done to save Ryuuen.
• Oreki had told Ishizaki and Albert that Ryuuen’s fate rested with Class C, prompting them to persuade their classmates to keep him.
• Hiyori explained that she showed Class C Ryuuen’s old plan and used his record of preserving the class to win support for him.
• Hiyori said she had let classmates criticize Ryuuen before giving him protection, expecting that the protection would be reclaimed and force him to lead again.
• Sakayanagi realized Oreki had selected her for protection because he expected the school to take it back in the next exam, leaving her to bear responsibility.

Oreki’s actions left Hiyori positioned to lead Class A, while Ichinose considered Nagumo’s offer to fund her class in exchange for pursuing Oreki. Oreki then confronted Ryuuen, arguing that Ryuuen had never truly intended to withdraw from school.

• Yanagi pointed out that Ichinose had received sixty-six praise votes, including twenty-seven from Class D.
• Oreki congratulated Ichinose on surviving the expulsion crisis, and she wondered whether he had noticed her interest in him.
• Ichinose reflected that she had chosen to protect her class’s unity rather than expel a classmate, and considered Nagumo’s condition that she pursue Oreki in exchange for advance compensation.
• Ryuuen confronted Oreki about preventing his expulsion, and Oreki claimed that Ryuuen had never genuinely planned to leave school.

Oreki and Ryuuen discussed Ryuuen's place in Class C, while Oreki exchanged Trump Cards with Ayanokouji and negotiated protection from expulsion in return for a future political proposal. The chapter ended with Principal Tsukishiro confronting Ayanokouji and repeating his father's demand that he leave school.

• Ryuuen realized Oreki wanted Shiina to manage Class C and keep Ryuuen from withdrawing, while Oreki said he had enough points to keep only one person.
• Oreki met Ayanokouji at the Special Building, and they exchanged Trump Cards: Ayanokouji sought three years without expulsion, while Oreki requested a future Civil Code Revision proposal.
• Ayanokouji described his father's rise from poverty and how he had come to view his son as a tool.
• Oreki demonstrated his protection by accepting Tsukishiro's request to deliver a phone to a silver-haired girl, then leaving Ayanokouji alone with him.
• Tsukishiro told Ayanokouji that his father still wanted him to withdraw from school and return to his side.

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji baited Principal Tsukishiro into turning off a surveillance camera, then beat him badly enough to force him out of school temporarily. Oreki delivered Tsukishiro’s phone to Manabu Horikita, who advised him to pretend he knew nothing about it.

• Tsukishiro attacked Kiyotaka Ayanokouji and tried to provoke him into retaliating on camera so he could get him expelled.
• Ayanokouji revealed that he and Oreki had met there to lure Tsukishiro into switching off the camera, then beat him and said he would be unable to interfere with special exams for a while.
• Oreki brought Tsukishiro’s phone to the Student Council and found a student ID for Yamauchi Haruki.
• Manabu Horikita confirmed that Tsukishiro had taken the expelled students’ phones and advised Oreki to pretend he did not know about the phone.
• Oreki understood that Ayanokouji’s fight with Tsukishiro would not make his father give up immediately.

After the additional exam, Oreki learned that Tsukishiro had been badly injured and left the school, while considering the possibility that White Room students would enter as next year’s freshmen. At a celebration in his room, Hiyori explained why she wanted Ryuuen to remain, and Oreki revealed how useful Ryuuen could be to their plans for the incoming students.

• Oreki received Hashimoto’s photo of Tsukishiro being taken from the school in an ambulance with fractures to his left hand and foot.
• Oreki recalled how he had helped remove Ayanokouji from Class D’s expulsion target by arranging for Horikita to break up the group targeting him.
• Oreki hosted a celebration in his room with Horikita, Kikyou Kushida, and Hiyori, where Hiyori and Kushida toasted Ryuuen’s survival.
• Horikita asked Hiyori what she thought of Class B, and Hiyori said its cohesion was strong but its students were not worth fearing.
• When Hiyori asked why Ryuuen’s continued presence was useful, Oreki said Ryuuen paid readily and liked collecting points.
• Hiyori considered using Ryuuen to help manage next year’s freshmen and sell the remaining value of their points to Class C.

Oreki paid Kikyou and explained the deal he had made with Ayanokouji, while Kikyou considered the costs of relying on him and complained that Horikita had insulted her. Horikita insisted she had been trying to guide Kikyou back onto the right path.

• Hiyori left Oreki’s room after Ryuuen asked to meet her, and Kikyou dropped her cheerful act to ask why Oreki had brought her there.
• Oreki explained that he wanted Hiyori’s help with Points-related plans and sent Kikyou 500,000 Points as her reward for the task.
• Kikyou asked what Oreki had gained, and he revealed his deal with Ayanokouji: he wanted Ayanokouji to revise the Civil Code if he became prime minister, allowing people to marry multiple partners.
• Kikyou reflected that she had lost classmates’ trust but had savings and prospects of her own, so she did not need to rely on Oreki forever.
• Kikyou complained that Horikita had deliberately insulted her, but Horikita said she had been correcting Kikyou’s tendency to lead others astray.

After the class vote exam, Oreki explained that Tsukishiro had arranged it and encouraged Horikita to grow into leading Class D, while Kushida realized the exam had benefited Horikita more than her. Days later, Oreki invited Horikita to lunch, but she chose to eat with Kushida as part of her effort to improve at managing the class; the chapter ended as Ishizaki joined them in the elevator and Kushida tried to engage Ibuki.

• Horikita asked Oreki about the unusual class vote exam, and he explained that Principal Tsukishiro had been behind it and that the third-years would not face similar exams.
• Oreki encouraged Horikita to lead her class and rely on him when she needed help, while Kushida concluded that the exam had helped Horikita and cost her trust.
• After several days, Oreki invited Horikita to lunch, but she declined because she had plans with Kushida and wanted to work on managing Class D.
• Ishizaki entered the elevator and greeted Ibuki, who ignored him, while Kushida tried to break through Ibuki's reserve.

Ishizaki proposed that Oreki transfer from Class A to Ryuuen’s class, offering him most of the class’s points in exchange for helping them rise. Oreki saw the financial appeal but concluded the school would prevent Class C from staying in Class A unless its students transferred individually.

• Ishizaki asked Oreki to join Ryuuen’s class and promised that Class C would pay the twenty million Private Points required for the transfer.
• Ishizaki argued that Oreki and Ryuuen could lead the class to more than five thousand class evaluation points, with Oreki receiving most of the rewards.
• Ichinose overheard the proposal and considered whether Oreki could help Class B overcome its lack of ambition.
• Oreki calculated that the arrangement could earn him sixteen million points a month, while Ryuuen listened without rejecting the plan.
• Oreki inferred that Hiyori had helped devise the proposal to reach Class A and gain points, but recognized that the school would push Class C back down unless its students paid to transfer individually.

Oreki reflected on his growing wealth and his plans to help Ichinose while Class B waited anxiously for news of the next exam. Hoshinomiya announced that the semester-ending special exam would test the first-years’ overall abilities, and she began displaying the classes’ evaluation points.

• Oreki greeted Yanagi and noted that she, unlike Ichinose and Kushida, was not wearing jasmine perfume.
• Oreki considered his enormous point balance and how Mind Divination had helped him win lottery prizes, while planning to ease Ichinose’s family’s financial pressure.
• Hoshinomiya entered Class B and explained that the upcoming special exam would serve as the semester’s final and test intelligence, physical strength, teamwork, and other abilities.
• Hoshinomiya wrote the current class evaluation points on the blackboard, beginning with Class 1-A at 2628.5 points.

Hoshinomiya explained the Clash at the Summit, an exam where each class chose a Command Tower who would be expelled if their class lost. Oreki recognized Tsukishiro’s plan to pressure Ayanokouji and realized Sakayanagi would have to take responsibility for Class A’s exam.

• Hoshinomiya told Class B that the Clash at the Summit would pit classes against each other in seven events, with class points at stake.
• Oreki read the exam rules, including the requirement that each class appoint a Command Tower who could not compete and would be expelled if the class lost.
• Oreki deduced that Tsukishiro had designed the Command Tower rule to pressure Ayanokouji after the previous exam granted students [Protection].
• Teacher Majima explained the exam to Class A, and Oreki watched Sakayanagi as he realized she would have to serve as Command Tower.
• Yanagi stayed silent as she understood that Oreki expected Sakayanagi to take responsibility for the exam.

Sakayanagi Arisu took command of Class A’s special exam despite her anger at Oreki, while Oreki ate with Sakura and considered how to appease Yanagi. The chapter ended with Kamuro teasing Sakayanagi about Oreki’s lunch companion.

• Sakayanagi Arisu agreed to serve as Class A’s commander for the special exam and asked her classmates to cooperate.
• Oreki invited Sakura to lunch, and Hasebe joined them as Sakura’s friend.
• Sakura thanked Oreki for letting her take photos and asked whether she could photograph him again.
• Oreki noticed Kamuro watching him and decided he needed to address Yanagi’s anger after assigning her exam work.
• Kamuro told Sakayanagi that Oreki was eating with someone else, and Sakayanagi replied that she was not a woman who kept a tight grip on a man.

Sakayanagi denied being jealous of Oreki’s contact with other girls, but accepted his invitation to dinner. Meanwhile, Oreki told Haruka that Sakayanagi would probably become his girlfriend soon, and Haruka raised concerns about Hirata’s behavior.

• Kamuro teased Sakayanagi about Oreki meeting Sakura and Horikita, then revealed that Oreki had invited Sakayanagi to dinner.
• Sakayanagi canceled Kamuro’s study session so she could meet Oreki after school.
• Oreki told Haruka that Sakayanagi was not yet his girlfriend but probably would be soon.
• Haruka changed the subject by saying Hirata’s behavior seemed unfamiliar and that he remained unsettled after Yamauchi’s expulsion.
• Oreki’s thoughts revealed that he had given Hirata to Ayanokouji as a useful assistant.

Oreki heard how badly Hirata’s collapse had hurt Meiyu Wang and Kushida, then offered Kushida a chance to make Horikita’s special exam more difficult. Kushida became tempted but made Oreki promise not to use her actions against her.

• Haruka told Oreki that Hirata had rejected attempts to help him and had publicly insulted Meiyu Wang and Kushida.
• Oreki invited Kushida to talk, and she explained how Hirata had humiliated Meiyu and threatened to expose Kushida’s true face.
• Oreki told Kushida she could interfere with Horikita during the special exam instead of helping her.
• Kushida considered the offer but demanded that Oreki swear he would not use it against her.

Oreki arranged a dinner with Sakayanagi while Horikita took charge of Class D’s preparations for the Command Tower Exam. Horikita selected Ayanokouji as Command Tower, and he accepted the role.

• Oreki invited Sakayanagi to dinner and asked Kamuro to pick up Yanagi later, leaving Kamuro to wonder whether she was being treated as a third wheel.
• Hirata refused to join Class D’s exam discussion and left the classroom, leaving Horikita to lead the preparations.
• Horikita explained the Command Tower Exam’s event-selection rules and divided the possible events into academics, alternative events, and athletics.
• A girl prompted Horikita to identify the Command Tower, and Horikita named Ayanokouji because his Protection reward would keep him safe if Class D failed.
• Ayanokouji accepted the Command Tower position, despite the risk that the role’s holder could be expelled after a failed exam.

Kikyo Kushida tried to shift attention toward Horikita as a possible Command Tower, but Horikita calmly countered by nominating Kikyo instead. Kikyo backed down and the class returned to considering Ayanokouji for the role.

• Kikyo Kushida suggested that Horikita become the Command Tower, arguing that Horikita was intelligent and could help the class preserve Points.
• Horikita recognized that Kikyo’s suggestion could make her bear responsibility for the class’s likely defeat and decided to respond independently.
• Horikita said she could not direct the class because she barely knew the students, then nominated Kikyo, citing her knowledge of classmates and her chance to make up for her previous exam mistake.
• Horikita warned Kikyo that the class could save her from expulsion if everyone contributed 520,000 Points, and offered to pay her share.
• Kikyo withdrew her suggestion and said Ayanokouji should remain the Command Tower, easing the class’s tension.

Horikita organized Class D’s Command Tower exam preparations by recruiting Kouenji and Sudou, while Hashimoto’s spying revealed that Class A was monitoring them. Arisu questioned Oreki about his involvement in Horikita’s share of Class D’s Points, leaving him to consider her implications.

• Horikita explained how Class D could use its students’ strengths to win events, and Kouenji and Sudou agreed to participate.
• Yukimura spotted Hashimoto spying outside Class D’s classroom, and the students worried that Class A might target them.
• Oreki received reports from Hashimoto and Karuizawa and concluded that Horikita was adapting well without his guidance.
• Arisu asked Oreki whether he needed Points and suggested that Horikita’s share of Class D’s Points was connected to him.
• Oreki realized Arisu was implying that defeating Class D could damage his share of its Class Points.

Oreki invited Horikita Suzune to discuss her class’s exam strategy and warned her that Sakayanagi Arisu planned to target Class D. The next day, Sakayanagi went to draw the opposing class, and Oreki received a photograph of the special classroom.

• Oreki met Horikita Suzune in his dorm and suggested she ask Kikyou Kushida for information about their classmates.
• Oreki told Horikita that Sakayanagi Arisu had decided to declare war on Class D, leaving her stunned.
• The next morning, Sakayanagi left for the special classroom to draw the class Class A would face.
• Katsuragi asked Oreki which class Sakayanagi would target, and Oreki said he believed Class A would not lose against any opponent.
• Oreki received a photograph from Sakayanagi showing the special classroom and its large LED screens.

Oreki and Sakayanagi uncovered Nagumo’s attempt to sow discord and discussed his efforts to influence Class 1-A and the upcoming Student Council election. The Command Towers drew their opponents, and Class 1-A and Class 1-D announced their proposed exam events.

• Oreki told Masumi Kamuro to obtain a condom, then Class 1-A selected ten proposed events for its Command Tower Exam against Class 1-D.
• Sakayanagi received a photo of Oreki with Honami Ichinose, and Oreki realized Nagumo was trying to drive a wedge between him and Sakayanagi.
• Nagumo invited Sakayanagi to meet and offered second-year students to train Class 1-A; Oreki concluded Nagumo was placing bets on multiple possible paths to power.
• The four Command Towers were named: Sakayanagi Arisu for Class 1-A, Honami Ichinose for Class 1-B, Kakeru Ryuuen for Class 1-C, and Ayanokouji for Class 1-D.
• Horikita Suzune’s side drafted Class 1-D’s ten proposed events, and Class 1-A and Class 1-D posted their event lists on the bulletin board.

Oreki arranged for Horikita to represent Class D in chess against Class A, hoping the match would ease Sakayanagi’s hostility, and began teaching Horikita the game. He learned that Yukimura had approached Katsuragi for Class A’s chosen events, leaving Katsuragi to hear Yukimura out.

• Oreki explained that Horikita would learn chess and compete for Class D, while Sakayanagi assigned Kamuro to represent Class A.
• Oreki borrowed chess books and told Hiyori that he hoped the match would help Horikita and Sakayanagi reconcile.
• Oreki warned Horikita that Class D had few likely wins and that their chess match would be broadcast live; Horikita accepted the challenge.
• Oreki told Horikita that Yukimura had secretly arranged to meet Katsuragi, apparently seeking information about Class A’s selected events.
• Katsuragi arrived at the shoe lockers to meet Yukimura and said he did not agree to meetings casually.