Chapter Summaries

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.

Yukimura tried to buy Katsuragi’s help for Class D, but Katsuragi rejected the offer. Oreki continued preparing for the Command Tower exam and invited Karuizawa to his room, where he teased her about Horikita’s frequent visits.

• Yukimura offered Katsuragi two million points to reveal Class A’s chosen events and go easy on Class D, but Katsuragi refused and pointed out that Yukimura lacked the authority and funds to make the deal.
• Oreki explained to Horikita that Yukimura’s effort to challenge Class A could expose him to a major setback because Class A had no obvious weaknesses.
• Oreki ended his chess practice with Horikita early after weeks of making her memorize chess games, and Horikita quickly left his room.
• Oreki called Karuizawa to his room and learned that she had spent the afternoon at school, where she had been the main character among Class D’s girls.
• Karuizawa questioned Oreki about calling her over despite their secret relationship, and he told her Horikita had been visiting daily to train for the chess event.
• Karuizawa reacted with surprise and jealousy when Oreki said he had been alone with Horikita every day.

Oreki gave Karuizawa a birthday necklace, then asked her to help choose a gift for someone else and bought a black beret that she suspected was for Sakayanagi. Their shopping trip ended when they ran into Ichinose, Kanzaki, and Shibata in the Shopping District, setting up the commander exam storyline.

• Oreki gave Karuizawa a heart-shaped necklace for her birthday and asked her to help him shop for another friend's gift the next day.
• Oreki and Karuizawa met early on Saturday and bought a black beret, which Karuizawa suspected was for Sakayanagi.
• Oreki suggested they get breakfast after finishing their shopping, but he and Karuizawa spotted Ichinose, Kanzaki, and Shibata in the Shopping District.

Oreki and Karuizawa learned that Class C students were following and harassing Ichinose’s Class B, and Oreki suspected Ryuuen was trying to uncover a spy. The chapter ended with Karuizawa complaining that Horikita had assigned her to take the English test.

• Shibata lost his temper after Class C students repeatedly followed him and other Class B students, and Kanzaki and Ichinose tried to calm him.
• Ichinose invited Oreki and Karuizawa to breakfast and explained that Class B hoped to keep the harassment quiet so Class C would not intensify it.
• Kanzaki said Class B suspected the harassment was one of Ryuuen’s strategies, while Ichinose proposed discussing the matter with Ryuuen.
• Oreki wished Class B luck in the Command Tower Exam, and Ichinose left with her classmates after breakfast.
• Oreki told Karuizawa he thought Ryuuen was trying to find a spy in Class B, but he doubted the plan would work because Class B had spent twenty million points to protect its classmates.
• Karuizawa said Horikita had assigned her to the English test and complained that she was being used as an inferior horse in a Tian Ji’s Horse Racing strategy.

As the Command Tower exam approached, Oreki trained Horikita Suzune in chess and encountered Hiyori, who remained resigned about Class C’s chances against Class B. On the day of the first match, Sakayanagi headed to the special classroom, while Oreki knew Horikita would face her in chess.

• Oreki continued coaching Horikita in chess, and she lost ten games before taking a break on the 20th.
• Oreki returned Horikita’s books and met Hiyori, who asked him to fetch a book and then played chess with him, losing three games.
• Hiyori told Oreki that Class B’s unity had impressed her and that Class C had not found a spy in its rival.
• On the 21st, the Command Tower exam began, with Class A facing Class D and Class B facing Class C.
• Sakayanagi went to the special classroom to command Class A and regretted that she could not compete against Oreki, while Oreki had arranged for Horikita to face her in chess.

The Class A versus Class D Summit Exam began, and the first four events gave Class D an early win in swimming before Class A won basketball and took two academic rounds by default or forfeit. The chapter left the exam underway, with Sakayanagi recognizing that Class D had sacrificed weaker students to preserve stronger competitors for later events.

• The Command Tower showdown began, and Kōenji won the swimming event for Class D against Hashimoto, costing Class A 30 class evaluation Points.
• Class D fielded Sudou and Hirata for basketball, but Class A won by six points despite Sudou’s skill and Hirata’s encouragement.
• Class D forfeited the Abacus Calculation event because it had no students skilled enough to compete against Katsuragi and Emi Takumi.
• Class D sent Karuizawa and other weaker students to the English Test, then forfeited before ten minutes had passed.
• Sakayanagi noted that Class D’s commander had likely used the weaker students as sacrifices to save stronger competitors for later rounds.

Class D won the English cloze match, then chess was selected as the sixth event, giving Class A a chance to clinch the exam. As Kamuro and Horikita prepared to face off, Horikita revealed that she had memorized more than three hundred chess games under someone’s guidance.

• Yukimura Teruhiko and Meiyu Wang represented Class D in English cloze, and Meiyu’s strong performance helped their class win.
• Chess was selected for the sixth round, leaving Class A one victory away from winning the exam.
• Oreki sent Kamuro to compete, while Sakayanagi planned to guide her as the Command Tower.
• At the chess venue, Horikita told Chabashira she disliked chess but would do her best.
• Horikita said someone had taught her to play and that she had memorized more than three hundred games in just over two weeks.
• Sakayanagi considered Horikita’s rapid preparation as the chess match began.

Horikita Suzune lost her chess match against Sakayanagi Arisu as the special exam ended with Class A and Class B each gaining 190 class evaluation Points, while Class C and Class D each lost 90. Manabu Horikita acknowledged Suzune’s growth, and Oreki told her that enduring the exam and remaining herself mattered more than winning.

• Yanagi recognized Horikita Suzune’s chess opening as one she had taught Oreki and realized they had been playing together for weeks.
• Class B defeated Class C five matches to two, while Class A defeated Class D by the same score after Horikita lost to Sakayanagi and Class D lost its final event.
• Teacher Majima announced that Class A and Class B each gained 190 class evaluation Points, while Class C and Class D each lost 90.
• Oreki explained to Manabu Horikita that Suzune had helped plan Class D’s exam strategy and that the experience had changed how her classmates viewed Class D.
• Manabu Horikita praised Suzune’s progress, and Oreki congratulated her for enduring the exam’s mental strain and remaining herself.

Horikita thanked Oreki for teaching her chess, while Manabu warned that the Student Council president election was approaching. Oreki then visited Sakayanagi for a private chess rematch, which turned into an intimate encounter that she ended early because she was in pain.

• Horikita thanked Oreki, and Manabu told them to prepare for the upcoming Student Council president election.
• Kamuro delivered Sakayanagi’s invitation and a small box to Oreki, then accompanied him to Sakayanagi’s room.
• Sakayanagi sent Kamuro to look after Hayate and asked Oreki to explain why he had taught Horikita chess; Oreki said Horikita had followed his instructions.
• Sakayanagi challenged Oreki to a private chess rematch, and Oreki agreed before locking the door.
• Oreki and Sakayanagi began an intimate encounter, but Sakayanagi asked him to stop because it hurt, and he helped her recover.

After the Command Tower Exam, the first-year classes kept their original rankings, and Kei Karuizawa reflected on Class D’s prospects and her growing closeness with Houtarou. On the elevator ride, she chatted with Maya Sato and watched the classmates’ interactions with Horikita, whom she saw as both a possible romantic rival and someone who needed friends.

• The updated evaluation points showed Class 1-A in first place, followed by Classes 1-B, 1-C, and 1-D.
• Kei thought Horikita had used the Modern Literature Test to make Sato and the others confront their weak academics, and she felt hopeful about Class D’s future.
• Kei felt happy that Houtarou had remembered her birthday and given her a present, and she wondered whether they would soon date.
• Kei met Maya Sato by the elevator, and Sato said she had decided to study harder after her poor exam performance.
• Kushida joined Kei and Sato in the elevator while Horikita studied alone, and Kei considered whether Horikita might someday become a rival for Houtarou’s attention.

Kei and the other girls rode the elevator with classmates, discussing perfume and guessing that Ichinose had changed hers for someone she liked. When Oreki joined them, their lively conversation stopped, leaving the girls silently watching him.

• Kikyou noticed that Karuizawa seemed guarded and had changed to jasmine perfume, while Horikita kept reading her vocabulary book.
• Sakura and Hasebe joined the elevator, followed by Ichinose, who revealed that she had switched to citrus perfume.
• The girls speculated that Ichinose had changed her perfume because she was in love, while Ibuki entered and awkwardly ignored Horikita's silence.
• Haruka, Sakura, and Kei discussed their perfumes as the elevator descended to the boys' dormitory floor.
• Oreki got into the elevator, Horikita greeted him, and the girls fell silent around him.

After Class A celebrated its Command Tower Exam results, Oreki urged Sakayanagi to become the next Student Council President so their class could retain influence. Sakayanagi questioned why he had chosen her, especially when his own record seemed more than impressive enough.

• Teacher Majima congratulated Class A on earning 190 class evaluation points, gave Sakayanagi 500,000 Private Points, and announced a Student Council assembly that afternoon.
• Oreki invited Sakayanagi to lunch and treated her and Kamuro, prompting Kamuro to wonder what had changed between him and Sakayanagi.
• Oreki told Sakayanagi that he had already acted regarding the Student Council President's resignation and wanted her to shoulder the position for Class A.
• Oreki argued that Sakayanagi was the best candidate because Class A needed a fair president and he lacked an outstanding track record of leading a class.
• Sakayanagi doubted Oreki's explanation, recalling his many successes and wondering why he was willing to let her take on the demanding role.

Arisu Sakayanagi realized Oreki had arranged for her to gain expulsion protection and lead Class A to victory, giving her a strong record and a path to the Student Council presidency. Oreki then showed her a radical plan to replace the council with members of their own year, while Manabu Horikita nominated Kiriyama as his successor.

• Sakayanagi connected Oreki’s role in the expulsion vote and Command Tower exam to his plan to make her a credible Student Council President candidate.
• Oreki and Sakayanagi discussed naming a future child Alice, while Kamuro watched their flirtation.
• At the library, Oreki gave Sakayanagi the Student Council roster and proposed removing its current members from other grades so she could appoint her own team.
• Manabu Horikita delivered his final speech as Student Council President and nominated Kiriyama of Class 2-B as his successor.

Manabu Horikita announced Sakayanagi Arisu as a Student Council Vice President and candidate for Student Council President, disrupting Nagumo’s plans. He then revealed that Houtarou Oreki was another candidate, leaving the election’s lineup unresolved.

• Nagumo Miyabi tried to secure Kiriyama’s support by promising him backing and considering a 20 million Point payoff to control the future election.
• Manabu Horikita invited Sakayanagi Arisu into the Student Council as Vice President and recommended her for Student Council President.
• Nagumo resented Horikita’s announcement but had also made plans to benefit from Kiriyama, Sakayanagi, or Houtarou Oreki winning.
• Horikita hinted at a third candidate, prompting speculation that he would recommend Horikita Suzune before he named Houtarou Oreki of Class 1-A.

After Manabu Horikita withdrew Oreki’s nomination for Student Council President, Oreki began canvassing first-year class representatives for votes. The representatives gathered at Keyaki Mall, where they discussed the election and the recent Command Tower Exam while waiting for Oreki and Sakayanagi.

• Manabu Horikita announced that only Kiriyama and Sakayanagi Arisu were candidates, then left the Gymnasium.
• Oreki messaged representatives from all four first-year classes and asked them to meet him at a tea restaurant in Keyaki Mall.
• Katsuragi and Ryuuen clashed over whether Katsuragi was becoming Oreki’s subordinate, while Katsuragi affirmed his loyalty to Class A.
• Katsuragi said he was willing to support Sakayanagi, noting that Kiriyama was aligned with Nagumo and that the election would depend on securing votes.
• Ryuuen dismissed Class C’s loss to Class B in the Command Tower Exam, and Kanzaki recalled Oreki’s earlier prediction of Class B’s victory.
• Ichinose asked Horikita Suzune whether she knew why Oreki was late, but Horikita remained absorbed in Manabu Horikita’s speech.

Suzune recognized that her brother had nominated Houtarou Oreki for Student Council President, but Oreki missed the announcement while exchanging points for cash. After Principal Tsukishiro failed to stop him, Oreki arrived late at a reserved meeting, where Kikyou Kushida entered with three third-year students.

• Suzune felt relieved and proud when her brother nominated Oreki, then wondered why Oreki had not answered his phone.
• Oreki went to the Chairman's Office to exchange points for cash using a privilege he had purchased.
• Principal Tsukishiro confronted Oreki, suspected he planned to buy votes, and learned that Oreki had already exchanged his points.
• Oreki arrived late at the tea restaurant at Keyaki Mall, carrying a case, and asked whether Kushida and the third-year students had arrived.
• Kikyou Kushida entered the private room with two girls and one boy.

Oreki used cash to buy third-year votes for Arisu Sakayanagi in the student council election and arranged for Kōenji to offer the graduates a better price for their remaining points. After the third-years completed their exchanges, Hirata and Ryuuen offered to bring their classmates in to vote.

• Oreki gathered Class 3-C and Class 3-D upperclassmen and explained that he was canvassing votes for Sakayanagi.
• Hashimoto opened two suitcases holding twenty million yen in cash, and Oreki offered each upperclassman 100,000 yen after their vote was verified.
• Oreki warned an upperclassman who threatened to record the deal that the graduating students could earn money from selling their votes.
• Oreki introduced Kōenji as a buyer who would purchase the upperclassmen's remaining points for more than the school offered.
• Katsuragi and Hashimoto verified the votes and paid six million yen to the remaining Class 3-C and Class 3-D students.
• Hirata offered to gather Class 1-D, and Ryuuen offered to message his classmates so they would vote for Sakayanagi.

Oreki secured support for Sakayanagi by offering Student Council positions instead of cash, pressuring Class B into voting for her. With Sakayanagi already holding a strong lead, she set out to win the remaining votes by deceiving someone into supporting her.

• Kanzaki and Ichinose questioned Oreki's plan after he clarified he would not pay Class B for its votes, and Hiyori recognized that he was offering Student Council positions instead.
• Oreki warned Ichinose that refusing his offer would leave Class B without Student Council members while Class C gained positions, pressuring the first-year classes to vote.
• Oreki reminded Hirata that the Student Council President could expel a member, prompting Class D students to comply as well.
• Kamuro reported that Sakayanagi had secured her class's votes and that third-year Classes 3-C and 3-D and first-year Classes B and C were casting green ballots.
• Sakayanagi decided to pursue the remaining votes herself, intending to deceive a gullible student into supporting her.

Arisu Sakayanagi won the Student Council presidency by a landslide and appointed Nagumo Miyabi as her sole Vice President, leaving Houtarou Oreki off the council. The day after her first speech, Nagumo approached Manabu Horikita and apologized for his past actions.

• The school publicly counted the election ballots, invalidated two students’ double votes, and announced Sakayanagi’s 346 votes against Kiriyama’s 64.
• Sakayanagi thanked the students, named Nagumo her Vice President, and appointed other students to council and committee roles.
• Kiriyama realized Nagumo had not delivered the second-year votes he had promised, while Nagumo recalled securing Sakayanagi’s support with a written guarantee.
• Nagumo noticed Oreki was absent from the assembly and stayed home with Hayate instead.
• After Sakayanagi’s first speech as president, Nagumo met Manabu Horikita backstage, praised him, and apologized for supporting Class 3-B and using underhanded methods.

Manabu Horikita warned Akane Tachibana that Sakayanagi had set up Nagumo, who was expelled from the Student Council after the leadership handover. At school, Katsuragi proposed easing the isolation rules, and Oreki prompted him to imagine changing the school from within.

• Manabu Horikita told Akane Tachibana that Sakayanagi was a dangerous politician who had used Nagumo as a pawn.
• After Sakayanagi became Student Council President, she expelled Nagumo Miyabi and updated the council roster.
• Katsuragi asked Oreki about his absence and then raised the school’s restrictions on contacting family and leaving campus.
• Oreki explained that the isolation was meant to shape students and suggested Katsuragi could eventually change the school by staying to work there.
• Katsuragi imagined himself as a teacher and considered how students might respond if the school’s rules changed.