Recaps

Class 1-D built a commanding lead in the Sports Festival, while Ryuuen’s relentless point-grinding drew attention. Oreki discussed Kushida’s jealousy and motives with Horikita, leaving her to consider how well he understood Kushida.

• Class 1-D widened its lead over Class 1-B, and Kanzaki worried that Ryuuen and his classmates were desperately farming points.
• Sakayanagi complained to Kamuro that Oreki had not visited or eaten with her, despite winning the Mixed Gender Three-Legged Race.
• Oreki and Horikita watched Kushida’s event after Oreki received and saved a serious photograph from her.
• Horikita explained that Kushida had been trying to drive her out of school, and Oreki suggested that Kushida’s hostility came from jealousy of Horikita’s consistency.
• Oreki recalled asking Attorney Horikita what Kushida lacked, and she had answered that Kushida lacked everything Horikita possessed.

Oreki warned Kushida that silencing Horikita would not protect her secret from future students who knew her past, then tended Horikita’s sprained leg and learned she had entered the relay to show her growth to her brother. He offered to massage her injury, leaving Horikita doubtful that he could help.

• Oreki told Kushida that future freshmen from her middle school could expose her past, making her plan to silence Horikita futile.
• Kushida returned to the stands in a bad mood, then moved aside when Oreki came to speak with Horikita.
• Oreki touched Horikita’s bandaged leg and said she had been reckless despite his warning and Voice Recorder.
• Horikita explained that she had entered the 1,200-meter relay because she wanted her brother to see how much she had grown.
• Oreki offered to massage Horikita’s sprained leg, but she thought he was only trying to comfort her.

As the Sports Festival’s final relay approached, the Red Group’s lead made its victory nearly certain, while the first-year classes still fought for their own rankings. Oreki prepared to run the final leg against powerful opponents, and Sakayanagi looked forward to seeing him unleash his speed.

• Oreki examined Kushida’s swollen ankle while Kushida worried about her past becoming known to the incoming first-years.
• The scoreboard showed the Red Group leading by 3,400 points, while Classes 1-A, 1-B, and 1-D remained close in their grade standings.
• Katsuragi encouraged Class 1-A’s relay runners and recognized that his earlier decisions had helped leave the class behind its rivals.
• Sakayanagi told Oreki that Katsuragi had realized his mistake, and Oreki said he would make a move in the relay.
• Sakayanagi promised to take pictures as Oreki prepared to run the final leg against either the Student Council President or Nagumo Miyabi.

Ryuuen’s Class D sold its withdrawal from the 1,200-meter relay to raise money for classmates and avoid the risks of competing. The chapter left Class D set to skip the race, while Classes A and B prepared to fight for the remaining points.

• Sakayanagi told Oreki she would wait at the finish line, while Kamuro doubted he could beat the strongest runners.
• Kanzaki encouraged Class B to aim for a high finish, and Shibata volunteered to run the final leg.
• Ryuuen received 1.5 million Private Points from Totsuka Yahiko and Honami Ichinose, then had Kaneda distribute money to Class D students.
• Shiina explained that Class D had sold its withdrawal from the 1,200-meter relay to the Katsuragi Faction for 500,000 Points and Ichinose for 1 million.
• Ryuuen accepted the plan to withdraw, judging that Class D had little chance of beating the strongest competitors in the relay.

Oreki arranged a last-minute plan to restore Class C’s performance in the 1,200-meter relay, while Horikita Suzune agreed to rally the class after learning her brother was competing. Sudou unexpectedly appeared as Class C’s final-leg runner, leaving Nagumo alarmed as he prepared to race Oreki.

• Shiina recognized that Ryuuen had been humbled but had not given up, and she believed Class B still needed his support.
• Nagumo approached Oreki at the final-leg area and discussed the race, then Sudou arrived to run for Class C, surprising Nagumo.
• Nagumo recalled seeing Sudou’s athletic ability earlier and worried that losing to him as well as Oreki would be humiliating.
• Oreki explained that Sudou had been a sacrificed piece and that Class C needed a strong showing in the relay; he also persuaded Horikita Suzune to act so her brother would see her progress.
• Kikyou Kushida and Horikita Suzune went to Hirata, gathered the class, and Horikita told the students she was disappointed by what had happened after Sudou’s absence.

After Class C’s Sports Festival defeat, Horikita and Kushida used the loss to confront their classmates about their lack of unity and rally them around the final relay. The class went to Sudou’s dormitory to bring him back, though he had expected no one to come.

• Horikita explained that Class C had lost 200 class evaluation points and blamed the poor result on weak athletic performance and a lack of unity, beginning with Kōenji’s refusal to participate.
• Kushida and Horikita claimed the discussion had been planned with Hirata, who played along despite knowing nothing about it.
• Horikita reminded the class that Sudou had been left unsupported during Pole Topping, prompting Yamauchi and Ike to defend themselves.
• Horikita urged the class to put collective interests first and unite for the all-grade 1,200-meter relay.
• Hirata and the others suggested bringing Sudou back, and the entire class went to his dormitory; Sudou had assumed nobody would come for him.

Sudou returned to the relay after reconsidering his decision to withdraw, while Nagumo prepared to race against him and Manabu Horikita. Class 1-C’s lead runner Kōenji built a huge advantage, but a dropped baton by Onodera narrowed the gap before the fourth leg began.

• Sudou returned to the relay and took the final leg after his classmates invited him back and he reflected on his life.
• Nagumo learned that Hirata had chosen Kōenji as Class 1-C’s first runner and noticed Sakayanagi watching near the finish line.
• Kōenji sprinted far ahead of the other first-leg runners and passed the baton to Hirata with Class 1-C holding a large lead.
• Hirata maintained Class 1-C’s advantage before handing the baton to Onodera, who dropped it and allowed the other classes to close the gap.
• Nagumo remarked to Oreki that Class 1-C was no longer doing well as its fourth runner began her leg.

The 1,200-meter relay continued as the runners fought for class rankings and points. Sudou surged into the lead, while Shibata chased him for second place, and Manabu Horikita waited for his delayed handoff.

• Hashimoto fell behind after Kōenji's explosive start, and Ryuuen's withdrawal left Class 1-C leading by the fourth leg.
• Kushida ran the fifth leg for Class 1-A as Nagumo prepared to start first for Class 2-A.
• Nagumo took off quickly, but Shibata began pursuing him for Class 1-B.
• Sudou took the final baton, passed Shibata, and raced toward Nagumo.
• Shibata kept chasing Sudou, hoping second place would preserve Class 1-B's lead in the overall points.
• Manabu Horikita's fifth runner remained far behind as he told Oreki to go ahead.

Oreki waited for the final leg of the all-grade relay so he could race Manabu Horikita, while the two discussed Horikita's beliefs about helping students grow. The chapter ended with Oreki and Manabu sprinting side by side as spectators realized how fast they were.

• Oreki reviewed the mission to defeat Nagumo Miyabi and spoke with Manabu Horikita about Horikita's performance and the value of the school's exams.
• Manabu Horikita explained why he opposed Nagumo's philosophy of eliminating weaker students.
• Oreki praised Kamuro for narrowing the gap, then waited for Manabu Horikita instead of starting his leg as the other classes passed him.
• Manabu Horikita exchanged the baton with Akane Tachibana and challenged Oreki to run at full speed.
• Oreki and Manabu Horikita sprinted side by side, astonishing Akane Tachibana and the spectators.
• Kōenji watched from the stands and said he wished he could race alongside them, while Kamuro received a call from Sakayanagi Arisu.

Oreki and Manabu Horikita surged through the final leg of the 1,200-meter relay, leaving the other runners behind as the crowd watched. At the finish line, Arisu Sakayanagi raised her camera to record her classmates, reflecting on how her father had given her the chance to attend school with her peers.

• Yanagi told Kamuro to record the relay, but Kamuro thought filming the impossible race would be unreasonable.
• Katsuragi and the spectators watched Oreki race neck and neck with Manabu Horikita, while teachers marveled at the runners’ speed.
• Chabashira realized Oreki was the Class A student Horikita Suzune believed she would need to defeat, while Hoshinomiya felt troubled by Chabashira’s apparent acceptance.
• Oreki and Manabu overtook the runners ahead, and Sudou complained that Oreki had been so fast all along before continuing his own race.
• Sato praised Oreki’s looks, and Karuizawa worried that Sato was focused on him instead of Sudou, who was struggling.
• Arisu Sakayanagi raised her camera at the finish line and thought about how her father had arranged for her to attend school alongside her peers.

The final stretch of the 1200-meter relay ended with Manabu Horikita and Oreki overtaking Nagumo Miyabi, while Shibata’s fall cost Class 1-B its chance at a Points reward. The chapter left the relay’s top-five results announced as the Sports Festival standings were decided.

• Sakayanagi Arisu photographed Shibata as Manabu Horikita and Oreki raced past him and Sudou.
• Nagumo pushed for the finish line but was overtaken by Manabu Horikita and Oreki, then finished fourth after his legs weakened.
• Shibata struggled to recover from his fall and finished seventh from last, leaving Class 1-B without a Points reward.
• The final scores placed Class 1-A first, Class 1-B second, Class 1-D third, and Class 1-C fourth, while Class 1-B lost the White Group contest and 100 class evaluation points.
• The referee announced the relay’s top five as Class 3-A, Class 1-A, Class 1-C, Class 2-A, and Class 3-B.

Oreki helped Class A win the Red and White Competition while concealing how fast he could really run, and Manabu Horikita recognized that he had held back. The classes celebrated their results, while Shibata remained distraught over the points his fall had cost his class.

• The Red Group's score rose to 17,985 points, and Oreki reached the finish line where Sakayanagi gave him a towel.
• Manabu Horikita confronted Oreki about maintaining one pace throughout the race, acknowledged his defeat, and asked him to tell Suzune she could stay at school and should work on her relationships.
• Sakayanagi realized Oreki had held back, then questioned how close he and Suzune had become; Oreki dodged the subject by praising Kamuro's performance.
• Katsuragi and Class A's students thanked Oreki for the points, while Sudou and his classmates celebrated Class C's strong results.
• Ryuuen had Kaneda distribute monthly living funds to Class D, and their classmates considered withdrawing the right choice.
• Shibata cried on the track over his mistake, as Kanzaki and the other students tried to comfort him.

Class A won the Sports Festival and extended its lead over Class B, while Oreki learned that Ayanokouji was a White Room product. The chapter ended with Oreki doubting Ayanokouji’s supposed genius because he had shown no talent at school.

• Class A finished first in the Sports Festival, raising its class points to 2001, while Class B fell to 870 and Class C to 580.
• Manabu Horikita began the closing ceremony, and Class A later celebrated its victory at a campus karaoke room.
• Sakayanagi Arisu said fourteen classmates had left both faction group chats, leaving the class divided between her faction, Katsuragi’s, and Oreki’s supporters.
• Sakayanagi Arisu told Oreki that a powerful figure had created the White Room to train children and that Ayanokouji was its successful product.
• Oreki said he had little interest in challenging Ayanokouji and questioned why Ayanokouji had shown no talent in Class C.

After the Sports Festival, Oreki considered how Ayanokouji's father might disrupt the school and collected his share of the Points from Horikita. He then returned to his dormitory for a planned meeting with Kikyou Kushida and found her messages sounded like she was arranging a date.

• Oreki and Sakayanagi Arisu discussed the Principal's retirement and the likelihood that Ayanokouji's father would complicate life at the academy.
• Oreki reviewed the Sports Festival results, received the Equivalent Exchange ability for defeating Nagumo, and worried that finishing second had drawn unwanted romantic attention.
• Oreki encountered Sae Chabashira in the Shopping District before meeting Horikita Suzune to distribute the Points from the Sports Festival.
• Oreki returned to his dormitory on Sunday morning for his planned meeting with Kikyou Kushida and found her messages asking about shops and movies to visit together.

Kikyou Kushida invited Houtarou Oreki to the shopping district to find out whether he would retaliate for her role in injuring Horikita Suzune during the Sports Festival. Oreki reassured her that he would not pursue the matter, and Kushida left relieved after accepting his increased punishment.

• Kikyou Kushida arrived at Oreki’s dorm and invited him on a date after he had stopped replying to her messages.
• Kushida politely rejected a male student who approached her, then revealed her contempt for him once she and Oreki were alone at an outdoor café.
• Kushida asked whether Oreki planned to pursue her involvement with Ryuuen in the attack on Horikita Suzune.
• Oreki told Kushida he would not retaliate and increased her weekly punishment from once to twice, which she accepted with relief.
• Oreki asked Kushida about her relationship with Kamuro.

After Class A’s evaluation score rose, Oreki received the usual monthly transfer from Sugar Senior, along with a message arranging a possible confession. Teacher Majima announced the Final exam’s new paired-team rules, leaving students to consider how the shared passing threshold would affect their choices.

• Oreki checked his account and saw his Class A monthly transfer, as well as one Private Point and a note from Sugar Senior saying she would no longer support him.
• Sakayanagi noticed Kei’s message inviting Oreki to meet a girl who wanted to confess, and Oreki said he would refuse a relationship.
• Teacher Majima announced that the Final exam would take place at the end of the month and that students would set the exam papers themselves.
• Teacher Majima explained that students had to form two-person teams and pass each of eight subjects with a combined score of at least 60, or both partners would be expelled.

Oreki analyzed the paired expulsion exam and realized that students could pass safely by cooperating with the class they challenged and exchanging answers. He identified Ichinose’s Class B as the most trustworthy partner, while Sakayanagi remained distracted and unaware of the rules.

• Teacher Majima announced that pairs would take an eight-subject exam and both students would be expelled if their combined score fell below 700 Points.
• Oreki learned that the classes would create questions for one another, compete for 50 class evaluation Points, and face school review if their questions were too tricky.
• Katsuragi asked whether classes could set obscure questions, and Teacher Majima explained that the school would replace invalid questions with easy reserve questions.
• Oreki concluded that classes could exchange their questions and answers to help both sides pass, but warned that Ryuuen might betray a partner.
• Oreki judged Ichinose’s Class B trustworthy and decided that challenging them first was the best way to secure cooperation.

Houtarou Oreki weighed how to protect Class C from the Pairing Exam and considered using the new rules to negotiate with other classes. Meanwhile, Ryuuen's class discussed its own response, with Hiyori urging him to declare war on Class 1-C to protect their pass rate.

• Oreki considered ending Class A's agreement with Class C and charging Class C a mediation fee, while worrying that Sakura and other Class C students might be at risk of failing.
• Oreki asked Karuizawa about her grades, then asked Teacher Majima whether Class A could declare war on Class C; Majima said the request would be processed immediately.
• After Suma Bando explained the Pairing Exam rules, Ryuuen's classmates called on him to find a way to avoid expulsions.
• Ryuuen realized that the classes could exchange their self-written exam questions and considered approaching Class C.
• Hiyori advised Ryuuen to declare war on Class 1-C quickly so they could maintain their class's pass rate and reduce their debt to Oreki.

Oreki agreed to Class A declaring war on Class C to end their monthly supply payments, then went to meet Maya Sato after Kei told him she planned to confess. Sato asked whether he was dating anyone, while Kei, Kushida, and other Class C girls secretly watched; Oreki suspected the confession was part of a game.

• Ryuuen learned that Class A had already declared war on Class C, leaving him to consider declaring war on Class B and sacrificing Class B's supply agreement for its test papers.
• Oreki explained to Sakayanagi that targeting Class C could remove Class A's monthly 800,000-Point payment and that Class C would struggle to earn perfect scores even with the test papers.
• Kei told Oreki that Maya Sato wanted to confess to him and that several girls planned to watch, but she refused to turn Sato down for him.
• Oreki met Sato in the teaching building and noticed Kei, Kushida, and other Class C girls hiding nearby.
• Sato asked Oreki whether he was dating anyone, and Oreki suspected the confession was part of a punishment game.

Oreki accepted Sato's request to date him, believing her confession was a punishment game, while the girls watching were shocked by his answer. Sato insisted her feelings were genuine, leaving Oreki's misunderstanding unresolved.

• Oreki suspected Sato had approached him as part of a punishment game, but exchanged phone numbers with her when she asked to become friends.
• Karuizawa, Kushida, Matsushita, Wang, Hasebe, and others watched Oreki and Sato from a distance, while Karuizawa worried about his growing closeness with Sato.
• Sato told Oreki she found him handsome, dependable, and attractive because of his athletic ability, and Oreki said he would choose someone like her to date.
• Airi Sakura arrived and reacted in shock as Sato asked Oreki to date her.
• Oreki agreed, then revealed he thought Sato was playing a punishment game, but Sato insisted that she genuinely liked him.

After Sato confessed to Oreki and was rejected, her classmates tried to comfort her by guessing whom Oreki liked. Horikita’s explanation that he considered dating a waste of time ended the speculation, while Sato remained heartbroken.

• Sato confessed her feelings to Oreki, and he rejected her because he liked someone else.
• Hasebe, Matsushita, Wang, and the others tried to comfort Sato by guessing that Oreki liked Horikita, Sakayanagi, Kamuro, or Kushida.
• Kushida stopped Wang from revealing that she had seen Kushida and Oreki together, then suggested Oreki might have named someone as a polite excuse.
• Horikita returned and said Oreki had told her he wanted to focus on studying and considered dating a waste of time.
• The class concluded that Oreki would reject anyone who confessed, and they stopped discussing Sato’s confession.

After rejecting Sato's confession, Oreki struggled to settle his feelings and considered seeking advice. Meanwhile, Katsuragi asked Oreki and Sakayanagi to write exam questions for Class C, but they persuaded him to handle the task himself.

• Oreki returned to the cafeteria and told Sakayanagi that he felt uneasy after rejecting a girl's confession.
• Hiyori overheard their conversation and mistakenly concluded that Oreki had a girlfriend.
• Oreki remained distracted after class and considered visiting the library or asking Ichinose for advice about handling a confession.
• Katsuragi asked Oreki and Sakayanagi to prepare questions for an exam paper intended to be leaked to Class C.
• Oreki and Sakayanagi shifted the exam-writing task back to Katsuragi, who reluctantly agreed.

Oreki met Ichinose in the library while looking for advice about staying friends after a confession, and learned that Class B was preparing for the upcoming exam against Ryuuen’s class. He explained that Ichinose could use the exam’s rules to put Ryuuen’s class at risk, leaving her to consider whether to trust his strategy.

• Oreki searched romance books in the library but found no advice about remaining friends after a confession.
• Oreki encountered Ichinose, who had gathered different editions of third-year middle school textbooks to prepare Class B for its exam against Ryuuen’s class.
• Ichinose explained that Class B feared Ryuuen’s betrayal and planned to study the textbooks instead of exchanging exam papers.
• Oreki told Ichinose that Ryuuen could not afford to deceive Class B because fake papers could lead to mass expulsions in his class.
• Oreki advised Ichinose to refuse a paper exchange and use Class B’s stronger students to help weaker classmates, while Ryuuen’s class would struggle to form safe teams.

Oreki helped Ichinose recognize that the exam could let her class eliminate Ryuuen's class, then asked her for advice after rejecting Sato. Ichinose tested his feelings by confessing to him herself, leaving Oreki unsure how to answer her questions about their friendship.

• Oreki explained that Ichinose's class could use different textbook editions to make the exam much harder for Ryuuen's struggling class and potentially eliminate them.
• Ichinose asked why Oreki had helped her, and he told her that Sato had confessed to him and he wanted to know how to preserve their relationship after rejecting her.
• Oreki said he worried that seeing Sato again would feel uncomfortable, and Ichinose suggested his hesitation might mean his heart had been stirred.
• Ichinose asked Oreki to sit down, ran back to him, and confessed that she liked him as a test.
• Oreki immediately rejected Ichinose, who asked whether he would avoid her afterward, while Oreki appeared stumped and edged back from her.

Oreki and Ichinose overheard Ryuuen preparing his class for an exam against Class B and urging them to study. Ryuuen then blamed Oreki for the class’s losses, but Ibuki challenged his account and defended Oreki.

• Ichinose concluded that Oreki had worried about Sato’s feelings rather than being moved by her confession, and Oreki decided to ask Kikyou Kushida to confess to him for practice.
• While returning books with Ichinose, Oreki heard Ryuuen order his class to seek a test-paper trade with Class B and begin nightly study sessions.
• Ryuuen told his classmates to remember Oreki as the person blocking their rise and taking their Points.
• Ibuki disputed Ryuuen’s accusations, saying Oreki was honest and that Ryuuen’s own actions had caused the class’s losses.
• Ryuuen admitted he had made mistakes at the Sports Festival but insisted Oreki was a liar who had fooled Ichinose’s class.