Recaps

Oreki accepted a quest to earn 100 million Points and warned Kikyou Kushida about the future threat of Ichika Amasawa. As the exam approached, Class D hired Kōenji to tutor them, Karuizawa finally grasped her studies, and Oreki met Hirata at a Cafe after being invited by him.

• Oreki accepted the quest to earn 50 million Points from upperclassmen and 50 million from new students, with a reward that let souls leave bodies and a penalty tied to Kikyou Kushida.
• Oreki warned Kikyou Kushida that Ichika Amasawa would enroll as a new student and knew about her dark history, leaving Kikyou unsettled.
• Kōenji tutored Class D for fourteen days under a deal that promised him Points if they failed or class evaluation points if they all passed, while Arisu Yanagi learned the terms from Oreki.
• Sakura told Oreki she felt relieved about the exam, and Karuizawa said she had finally understood her studies and asked Oreki to teach her.
• Oreki held a private study session with Karuizawa, then met Hirata at a Cafe after Hirata invited him.

Hirata asked Oreki how his class could get through the special exam, and Oreki proposed lowering everyone’s scores to ensure they passed. After Hirata left, Nagumo praised the plan and considered using it for his own class.

• Hirata told Oreki that his class’s study group was struggling and asked for a way to get through the exam.
• Oreki suggested that Hirata’s class could forgo the reward, then explained how keeping everyone’s scores low could lower the passing line.
• Hirata said he would think over Oreki’s proposal and left the Cafe.
• Nagumo approached Oreki, praised the plan, and said he might copy it for his class.

Houtarou Oreki confronted Nagumo Miyabi about manipulating second-year scores and discovered that Nagumo had accumulated over ten million Points. Oreki revealed he wanted fifty million from upperclassmen, leaving Nagumo worried that Oreki planned to let his funds grow before taking them.

• Oreki warned Nagumo that score manipulation would make the school view him as a pest, and Nagumo grew irritated.
• Oreki asked how many Points Nagumo had saved, making Nagumo suspect he was about to be swindled again.
• Nagumo claimed he had less than five million Points, but Oreki estimated that he had just over ten million from his various income sources.
• Oreki said he wanted fifty million Points and told Nagumo to keep accumulating more, which made Nagumo fear Oreki was fattening him up to take his money later.
• Oreki decided not to target Nagumo yet because he needed fifty million Points from upperclassmen and the Hard Exam left little room for maneuvering.

Oreki watched the students take the five-subject exams after Hirata’s plan to protect the struggling students was rejected, and he wondered who in Class B had been contacting other classes. His meeting with Honami Ichinose left him convinced she was still acting like an angel, but he asked about her frequent meetings with Sakayanagi Arisu.

• Nagumo arranged for strong students from his class and Class 2-B to tutor students in Classes 2-C and 2-D, while Oreki decided to wait for an opportunity to take points from the upperclassmen.
• Most of Class C rejected Hirata’s proposal for everyone to aim for low scores, so Hirata asked capable students, including Kei, to score 51 Points in each subject.
• Oreki and the other students completed their mathematics, english, physics, chemistry, and biology exams from October 27 to 29.
• Oreki met with Horikita and Kikyou Kushida after the exams, and Kushida said Hirata had asked thirteen students to score 51 Points in every subject.
• Oreki met Honami Ichinose to ask whether anything had changed among her classmates; after hearing that Class B was still working hard, he asked why she often met Sakayanagi Arisu.

Oreki learned that rumors exposing Horikita Suzune as Student Council President Manabu Horikita’s younger sister had spread through Class C, and he went to confront the situation. He arrived to find classmates pressuring Horikita for exam answers and private points.

• Ichinose wondered whether she had intruded on Oreki’s time with Sakayanagi, and Oreki struggled with whether to warn Ichinose about Sakayanagi’s plans.
• Kushida messaged Oreki that Horikita was being attacked by rumors in Class C and asked whether Horikita really was the Student Council President’s sister.
• Oreki realized the rumor would deeply upset Horikita because she feared becoming a burden to Manabu and had wanted their relationship kept secret.
• Oreki went to Class 1-C and found Yamauchi, Yoshiko Banjo, and other classmates crowding Horikita and demanding exam information and points from her.

Oreki pulled a distressed Horikita away from the classroom after rumors about her being Manabu Horikita’s sister spread, and he told her Kushida was behind the scheme. He reassured her that the revelation could strengthen her reputation, while the rumor continued spreading among the first-years.

• Oreki took Horikita outside after noticing she was dazed, and he told her Kushida had likely spread the rumor about her brother.
• Horikita panicked that the rumor would damage Manabu’s reputation and make her a target for students seeking favors.
• Oreki explained that Horikita’s rise from Class D to Class C could make the connection an asset rather than a source of shame.
• Oreki held Horikita to calm her and checked reports that students across the first-year classes had learned she was Manabu’s sister.
• Oreki decided the rumor did not need to be stopped, though Horikita still needed help handling it.

Oreki had Kushida take the blame for the rumor that Horikita Suzune was Manabu Horikita’s younger sister, causing Horikita to leave school for the day. He then explained that the rumor could help Horikita transfer classes, while Kushida demanded that he clear her name.

• Oreki told Kushida to pose as the rumor’s mastermind, and she agreed after he promised to protect her from Ichika Amasawa.
• Kushida approached Horikita and urged her to return to class and explain herself, but Horikita ignored her and left for the dorms.
• Kushida complained that Horikita had treated her coldly, and Oreki said Horikita now believed Kushida was behind the rumor.
• Oreki told Kushida to help Horikita request leave and said he would let the rumor spread because it could support Horikita’s eventual transfer to Class A.
• Oreki accused Kushida of realizing Horikita was Manabu’s sister and backing down because she feared his retaliation.

Oreki let rumors about Horikita Suzune’s relationship to Manabu spread, while Sakayanagi recognized their possible value in the Student Council election. After Class C received no Class Points for its exam, Horikita found that twelve classmates had withheld her share and demanded access to test answers in exchange for their Points.

• Sakayanagi asked whether Oreki was letting rumors about Horikita Suzune spread to help him pursue the Student Council presidency, but he said he had no interest in the position.
• Oreki asked Kushida to spread the rumors among upperclassmen, and Manabu Horikita’s silence led students to take the claims as confirmation.
• Horikita returned to class, where Chabashira announced that Class C had earned no Class Points because its exam average was too low.
• Twelve classmates refused to transfer Horikita’s share of the class’s Points to her, despite the earlier agreement.
• When Horikita offered to help with study sessions, a classmate demanded test answers supposedly available through her brother’s authority in exchange for continuing to give her Points.

After Horikita Suzune was driven from class by accusations and rumors that she would receive 20 million Points from her brother, Oreki learned how the examination changed the classes’ evaluations. Class A remained far ahead, Class D returned to Class C, and the chapter ended with Oreki reading a message from Kikyou Kushida.

• Horikita Suzune left class again after classmates accused her of benefiting from her brother and claimed she would receive 20 million Points when he graduated.
• Teacher Majima congratulated Class A on earning 100 class evaluation Points, bringing its total to 2,151.
• Kaneda led Ryuuen’s class as it earned 50 Points, returned to Class C, and prepared to pay Kōenji for tutoring.
• Hoshinomiya Chie praised Class B’s hard work after it earned 100 Points, but she privately despaired over its chances of catching Class A.
• Oreki read a message from Kikyou Kushida after Class A’s homeroom period ended.

Oreki met with Sakayanagi and reassured her before arranging to meet Ichinose about ending the rumors surrounding Horikita. He explained that the rumors had achieved their purpose, and Ichinose wondered why he had asked her instead of Kushida.

• Oreki told Sakayanagi he would stop rumors about her quickly, easing her jealousy about his plans to help Horikita.
• Kamuro realized Oreki's promise to Sakayanagi did not mean Horikita's rumors would be handled the same way, and Oreki caught her watching them.
• After lunch with Sakayanagi, Oreki met Ichinose and asked whether she had heard anything about the rumors.
• Oreki told Ichinose he wanted the rumors about Horikita to end now that their purpose had been achieved.
• Ichinose questioned why Oreki had come to her instead of asking Kushida for help.

Oreki asked Ichinose about the rumors targeting Horikita, and she traced them to Class C and suspected Shiina Hiyori. As Oreki and Ichinose headed to Horikita’s dorm to help, Horikita remained overwhelmed and saw Ichinose waiting at her door.

• Ichinose told Oreki that rumors about Horikita being Manabu Horikita’s sister, receiving exam information, and inheriting twenty million Private Points had spread among first-years.
• Ichinose traced the rumors to Class C, while a message from Karuizawa reported that Shiina Hiyori had been lurking outside Horikita’s room.
• Oreki suspected Hiyori was exploiting Horikita’s predicament for money or leverage, and asked Ichinose to teach Horikita how to handle the rumors.
• Horikita withdrew to her dorm room, blamed herself for running away from class, and remembered that Hiyori had offered to resolve the rumors for one million points.
• Horikita checked her video intercom and saw Ichinose at the door, but could not find Oreki in view.

Oreki confronted Horikita about her response to the rumors and reminded her that he had been helping her for some time. Horikita accepted his help, while Ichinose watched their close exchange and felt awkward.

• Horikita opened her door to find Ichinose and Oreki waiting together.
• Oreki said he had come to deal with the rumors after hearing Horikita had left class, and Horikita admitted she felt weak and unworthy of his help.
• Oreki criticized Horikita for losing her composure over problems concerning herself and revealed he had arranged for Sakura to return the Voice Recorders during the Sports Festival incident.
• Oreki told Horikita he was used to helping her and was fulfilling Manabu Horikita's request, then offered her his hand.
• Horikita took Oreki's hand and asked him to keep helping her, while Ichinose felt awkward watching them.

Oreki helped Horikita calm down after rumors about her being the Student Council President’s younger sister caused her to lash out, and Ichinose offered her support. Horikita returned to school the next day, while Oreki’s classmates avoided attacking her because they knew it would offend him.

• Ichinose interrupted Oreki and Horikita’s intimate conversation, then offered to help Horikita with anything she could.
• Horikita explained that ignoring rumors had worked for her before but admitted she had mishandled this situation by losing her temper and running away.
• Oreki advised using influential students to suppress the rumors, while Ichinose offered to discourage Class B from discussing them.
• Oreki described a plan for Kushida to spread more outrageous rumors to prompt the school and Student Council to crack down, though Ichinose worried it would harm innocent students and Kushida’s relationships.
• Oreki and Ichinose revisited Horikita that evening, and she recovered enough to go out for tea and discuss the situation.
• Horikita returned to school the next day, and Oreki’s classmates refrained from using the rumors against her because they knew it would offend him.

Hirata publicly challenged the rumors about Horikita and blamed Ryuuen, prompting students to defend Horikita while others objected to her behavior. Horikita still suspected Kushida, leaving Kushida frightened that Horikita might use the recorder against her as she sought Oreki’s help.

• The class had to address three days of rumors about Horikita, and Oreki arranged for popular student Hirata to clear her name while Kushida remained unable to help directly.
• Hirata told Class D that someone had spread the rumors to divide them, and he pointed to Ryuuen’s past attacks on Sudou and Kouenji.
• Sudou, Hasebe, and Sakura supported Hirata’s account, but several girls argued that Horikita’s connection to the Student Council President and her harsh treatment of classmates still troubled them.
• Horikita looked toward Kushida and continued to believe she was behind the incident, despite carrying a recorder of Kushida’s Sports Festival conduct.
• Kushida messaged Oreki in fear that Horikita might release the recording, while Oreki assured her that Horikita was rational.

Horikita Suzune countered the rumors by apologizing to her classmates and presenting herself as devoted to the class, while Karuizawa shut down the girls spreading the accusations. Kushida recognized that Horikita’s display was calculated acting that restored her standing and protected her ability to collect Points.

• Karuizawa and Sato challenged the girls who accused Horikita of getting exam information from the Student Council President, and the accusers backed down.
• After receiving Oreki’s signal, Horikita apologized for snapping at her classmates and asked them to move forward with her.
• Horikita said she liked the class and wanted everyone to stay together through their three years, prompting her classmates to applaud and shift away from the rumors.
• Kushida concluded that Horikita’s humble speech was an act that made her a trusted companion and helped secure the Points owed to her.

Oreki reassured Kikyou Kushida that Horikita Suzune would not expose her recording and concluded that he understood who was behind the rumor. He left Kushida resolved not to target Horikita, while Kamuro later reported seeing them together to Sakayanagi Arisu.

• Sakayanagi Arisu predicted that Horikita Suzune would leave Class D and said she wanted to meet her in Class A.
• Kikyou Kushida told Oreki that Horikita had confronted her with a Voice Recorder and seemed to suspect her of spreading the rumor.
• Oreki reassured Kikyou Kushida that Horikita would not release her recording and revealed that he had swapped out Horikita's Voice Recorder.
• Oreki warned Kikyou Kushida not to target Horikita after Manabu Horikita graduated, and Kikyou said she would leave Horikita alone.
• Oreki said he understood why the mastermind had started the rumor, then went to eat with Kikyou Kushida.
• Kamuro saw Oreki with Kikyou Kushida in the cafeteria and reported it to Sakayanagi Arisu.

Oreki cleared Kushida of masterminding the rumors about Horikita and investigated the real culprit. He confronted Shiina Hiyori in the library after tracing her there, accusing her of being involved in spreading the rumors and demanding to know how much she knew.

• Arisu Sakayanagi, Yanagi, and Kamuro discussed Kushida’s relationship with Oreki and dismissed her as a mistress.
• Oreki told Horikita that Kushida was innocent and explained that he had blamed her temporarily to calm Horikita down.
• Kushida showed Horikita the message she had sent Oreki three days earlier, then admitted she had deliberately done little to stop the rumors.
• Oreki urged Kushida and Horikita to support each other, and Horikita asked who had really orchestrated the rumor incident.
• Oreki used the school’s GPS system to find Hiyori in the library, where she was searching for a book by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
• Oreki stopped Hiyori from leaving and accused her of seeking one million from Horikita to resolve the rumors and of being tied to their source in Class C.

Shiina admitted that she had spread rumors about Horikita to get money, but Oreki suspected someone had pressured her into taking the blame. He recorded her confession and pressed her to reveal the person behind the scheme, while Shiina refused.

• Shiina admitted that she had spread rumors about Horikita and paid Class D students to help, hoping to obtain Horikita's Private Points.
• Oreki revealed that Horikita knew about Shiina's role and had likely recorded their call, then sent Shiina one Private Point.
• Oreki said he was more interested in discovering who was behind the rumor scheme, since spreading it risked offending Horikita and the Student Council President.
• Shiina refused to name the person who had pressured her, warning that betraying them would bring terrible consequences.
• Oreki showed Shiina a Voice Recorder that had captured her confession.

Oreki confirmed that Manabu Horikita had directed Hiyori to spread rumors about Horikita Suzune, then offered Hiyori large sums of Private Points and ongoing support. Hiyori wondered what Oreki expected in return, and he admitted he did not want to give her money for nothing.

• Oreki sent Hiyori escalating amounts of Private Points and offered monthly support and living expenses after graduation.
• Hiyori typed Manabu Horikita's name into her phone, confirming that he was behind her rumor-spreading.
• Oreki explained that Manabu likely wanted the rumors to ease Horikita Suzune's transfer into Class A and help her inherit her brother's connections.
• Hiyori questioned whether Oreki expected her to become his pet like Kamuro and speculated that he wanted to support her in exchange for something.
• Oreki said he did not want to give things away for nothing.

Oreki paid Shiina 5 million Points and tasked her with earning 55 million from the incoming freshmen, which advanced his system quest. He then met Manabu Horikita at a reserved bathhouse, where Manabu admitted he had masterminded the rumor incident and began explaining his reasons.

• Oreki offered Shiina 5 million Points in exchange for bringing him 55 million from the freshmen, and she accepted the task.
• The system registered Shiina's agreement and increased Oreki's quest progress by 25%.
• Oreki emailed Manabu Horikita and went to a bathhouse in the Shopping District to meet him.
• Manabu Horikita welcomed Oreki into the bath and confirmed that he had orchestrated the rumor incident.
• Manabu said one reason for his actions was that he and his classmates had less than four months until graduation and had to give their final test everything.

Manabu Horikita explained that he had arranged the rumor incident to protect and strengthen Suzune after someone paid to ask whether she was his sister. Oreki challenged his understanding of her, and later Suzune returned to her routine while wondering whether Oreki’s demands meant he was interested in her.

• Manabu Horikita said he had used the rumors to help Suzune withstand hardship and revealed that someone had spent 100,000 Points to ask if she was his sister.
• Oreki told Manabu that Suzune was not simply chasing after him and that she lacked goals of her own, a flaw Manabu had failed to recognize.
• Two days after the rumor incident, Suzune rejoined the study group and began considering Oreki’s suggestion that she become a lawyer.
• Suzune greeted Oreki in the elevator, then accompanied him to the library to borrow books under their ongoing agreement.
• Suzune wondered whether Oreki’s request for one hundred books meant he wanted to kiss her repeatedly, and Oreki asked if he could visit her without a specific reason.

Oreki guided Horikita Suzune to stop chasing her brother’s example, and she told Manabu Horikita that she wanted to become herself. Manabu suspected she had simply shifted her dependence to Oreki, while Oreki privately considered her his future wife and offered to get food with her.

• Hiyori watched Horikita blush as she spoke with Oreki and wondered if Horikita was falling in love.
• Oreki asked Horikita why she had enrolled at the same school as Manabu if she only wanted his recognition, then pointed out that she and her brother were different people.
• After thinking about Oreki’s question, Horikita met Manabu and said she no longer intended to follow in his footsteps and wanted to be herself.
• Manabu congratulated Horikita on growing, then suspected that Oreki had merely replaced him as the person influencing her.
• Manabu called Oreki his future brother-in-law and said Horikita seemed beyond waking up, while Akane Tachibana struggled to follow his meaning.
• Oreki privately reasoned that Horikita had not truly become independent and asked her if she wanted to get something to eat.

Oreki questioned Sakayanagi about her role in the rumors targeting Horikita and learned that she had designed them as a Trial to test whether Horikita deserved a place in Class A. The chapter ended with Sakayanagi explaining that Horikita might join Class A after her brother graduated if she passed.

• After seeing Horikita off, Oreki ran into Ichinose, who asked about his gentle handling of the rumors and whether he knew who had caused them.
• Oreki told Ichinose he knew the mastermind but could not say whose side he would take if the matter were pursued.
• Ichinose realized Sakayanagi had overheard their conversation at the girls' dormitory entrance and left, while Oreki went into Sakayanagi's room.
• Oreki asked Sakayanagi why she had set the rumor incident in motion, since targeting Horikita seemed to offer her no advantage.
• Sakayanagi explained that Horikita might enter Class A after Manabu Horikita graduated, and that the rumors were a Trial to test Horikita's potential.

Arisu Sakayanagi revealed that someone had approached her to help bring down Honami Ichinose, and she warned Ichinose after refusing. Oreki feared Ichinose would withdraw from school if targeted, so he asked Kamuro to watch over her and pressed Kamuro about her hidden weakness.

• Arisu Sakayanagi told Oreki that someone had asked her to help bring down Honami Ichinose and that she had refused, but warned Ichinose about a likely rumor campaign.
• Arisu Sakayanagi called Ichinose an angel unsuited to the school and said she had repaid Ichinose’s kindness, leaving her next choice to her.
• Oreki asked Manabu Horikita how he would respond to rumors, and Manabu said he would ignore rumors that had not become actions and face attacks directly.
• Oreki told Kamuro to follow Ichinose because he expected her to withdraw from school if someone attacked her with rumors.
• Oreki grabbed Kamuro’s wrist and asked about her weakness, arguing that Arisu Sakayanagi kept her because she believed Kamuro’s problems could be corrected.

A week after Oreki warned Kamuro to watch Ichinose, every first-year found a letter accusing Ichinose of illegally possessing a huge number of points and naming Sakayanagi Arisu as the reporter. Sakayanagi denied involvement but challenged Ichinose to explain herself publicly, leaving Ichinose facing a trap that could expose Class B’s shared points.

• Oreki stopped Kamuro from revealing her weakness and told her to keep an eye on Ichinose.
• A week later, first-year students found identical letters accusing Ichinose of possessing an enormous amount of illegitimate points and bearing Sakayanagi Arisu’s name.
• Shibata confronted Sakayanagi, but Kanzaki stopped him before he revealed that Ichinose’s points came from her classmates.
• Sakayanagi denied reporting Ichinose and suggested that she explain the accusation in front of everyone.
• Ichinose arrived, saw the letter, and replied that she did not know what she had done to deserve the accusation.