Chapter Summaries

Oreki spent the day with Kushida after meeting first-year Ichika Amasawa, whom he suspected was a White Room Student. Their trip through the Shopping District followed Kushida’s old date itinerary, and Kushida realized Oreki had copied her plan, leaving her to wonder whether he had gone on many dates with Sakayanagi.

• Ichika Amasawa approached Oreki, said she would not pursue him or antagonize President Sakayanagi, and then left.
• Kushida found Oreki waiting, and he lied that he had stayed because he was concerned about how she felt after the previous day.
• Oreki took Kushida to the Shopping District and used a previously purchased hat as an excuse to say they were choosing a gift for Sakayanagi.
• Oreki and Kushida watched The Wandering Earth, ate dinner, and visited the Aquarium, where they encountered Kamuro.
• Kushida recognized that their outing followed the date itinerary she had once planned for Oreki and learned that he had copied her plan.

Kikyou Kushida accompanied Houtarou Oreki to the supermarket, where they overheard Ichika Amasawa confronting Kazuomi Housen. Oreki recognized Amasawa and Housen together, while their conversation suggested they had never met before.

• Kikyou Kushida worried that Oreki and Sakayanagi Arisu might have already become intimate, then agreed to help Oreki choose body wash.
• Oreki and Kushida browsed the supermarket shelves and discussed the body wash’s scent.
• Oreki pulled Kushida close and covered her mouth when he recognized Amasawa speaking with Housen nearby.
• Amasawa identified herself and Housen, while Housen held a kitchen knife and challenged her.
• Oreki inferred that Housen had not sold information to Amasawa and that they were meeting face-to-face for the first time.

Housen dismissed Amasawa after she hinted that she had seen through his knife-related scheme, then Amasawa revealed her interest in Kushida. At a café, Kushida explained how the pressure of maintaining her popular, kind persona led her to write an anonymous blog that exposed her classmates’ secrets.

• Housen told Amasawa to leave, but she warned him to make his knife purchase look like ordinary cooking equipment and implied she understood his plan.
• Amasawa said she wanted to meet Kushida because she was intrigued by her, while Kushida listened to their conversation and became alarmed.
• Oreki invited Horikita to join him and Kushida at a café, explaining that Amasawa seemed to know Kushida’s dark past and that Kushida needed support.
• Horikita offered to help but said she needed to learn Kushida’s past, and Kushida began describing how she realized she could gain popularity by being kinder and gentler than everyone else.
• Kushida explained that keeping up her persona became painful as others trusted her with more secrets, so she started an anonymous blog to relieve her stress.
• Kushida said her classmates found the blog and identified themselves from the events she had written about.

Kikyou Kushida told Horikita Suzune and Oreki how her blog exposed her classmates’ secrets and caused her former class to collapse. Oreki said Ichinose would likely support her, while Horikita learned Kushida had been cursing her when kicking railings, leaving their relationship strained.

• Kikyou Kushida explained that her blog revealed classmates’ secrets, prompting them to turn on one another until the class and its teachers went on strike and she was suspended.
• Oreki said Kushida’s past would not work as leverage at this school because few would believe it, and he urged her to find a safer way to vent.
• Horikita Suzune learned that Kushida had kicked railings while cursing her and questioned why Kushida hated her so much.
• Oreki told Kushida that Ichinose would help her because of her kindness, even without being asked to repay a favor.
• Kikyou Kushida worried that Ichinose might have to act against her conscience, and Oreki asked whether Kushida had deliberately tried to hurt anyone.

Oreki helped Kushida address her conflict with Horikita and began planning how to handle Amasawa’s threat to expose Kushida’s past. He then visited Sakayanagi with a gift, learning that her new position as Student Council President had made his movements much more closely watched.

• Oreki explained that Ichinose would help Kushida, and Horikita said she forgave Kushida but warned her not to curse at her again.
• Horikita kept a recording of Kushida’s confession as leverage, and Kushida agreed to cooperate with Oreki’s plan.
• Oreki suggested they move to his dorm to determine whether Amasawa knew Kushida’s past and who might have told her.
• Oreki left Kushida and Horikita waiting in his room and brought a gift to Sakayanagi.
• Sakayanagi learned that Oreki had gone out with Kushida, and Oreki realized her Student Council presidency had expanded the network watching him.

Oreki and Sakayanagi learned that Tsukishiro had secretly recruited first-years to help expel Ayanokouji, while Housen pursued the same goal through violence. Oreki believed Ayanokouji could handle Housen without their intervention, leaving the planned confrontation ahead.

• Oreki gave Sakayanagi the hat he had chosen with Kei, then told her that Ichika Amasawa was likely a White Room Student targeting Kushida and Ayanokouji.
• Kei read Maya Sato’s message about Horikita and Kushida visiting Oreki’s dorm, then wondered whether Sakayanagi liked the hat she had helped choose.
• Oreki and Sakayanagi compared evidence that Tsukishiro had arranged secret meetings at camera-free locations for first-years to discuss expelling Ayanokouji.
• Sakayanagi accepted reports that Housen had assaulted Ibuki and Ryuuen, while Housen agreed to cooperate with Class 2-D and sold school information to the other classes.
• Oreki concluded that Housen planned to provoke Ayanokouji into an expulsion-worthy mistake, but said Amasawa and Ayanokouji were strong enough to handle him.

Oreki tried to protect Kushida by arranging for Yagami to pair with Ayanokouji, but Yagami refused, revealing that he would not take an easy chance to sabotage Ayanokouji. As the cross-grade exam rules pushed students to choose partners and study, Ayanokouji received an invitation on the evening of the 8th.

• Oreki told Kushida to propose that Yagami team up with Ayanokouji, and Kushida suspected Yagami had learned about her dark past from Amasawa.
• Yagami rejected Kushida's message, saying he admired her and wanted to reserve his academic ability for her rather than partner with Ayanokouji.
• Horikita suspected Kushida was worried about Oreki misunderstanding her feelings, while Oreki concluded Yagami would not accept an easy opportunity to target Ayanokouji.
• The school announced the cross-grade exam rules, deadlines, score-manipulation penalties, and expulsion consequences as students began choosing partners and studying.
• After Class 2-D's evening study session on the 8th, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji was invited out by a student.

Tsubasa Nanase lured Hirata and Ayanokouji to the lake railing, where she and Kazuomi Housen confronted Ayanokouji with a knife. At the library, Arisu Sakayanagi told Oreki that Housen had begun acting after Kamuro retrieved recordings from the dormitory vending machines and the railing.

• Hirata and Ayanokouji followed Tsubasa Nanase under the pretense of confirming the partner pairings for the exam.
• Nanase led them to the lake railing, revealed her hostility toward Ayanokouji, and said he should leave the school.
• Kazuomi Housen rose from a bench and charged at Ayanokouji with a fruit knife as Hirata tried to protect him.
• At the library, Arisu Sakayanagi told Oreki that Housen had begun to act.
• Sakayanagi explained that Kamuro had retrieved Voice Recorder reports from locations where Principal Tsukishiro had met with first-year students.

Housen’s attempt to get Ayanokouji expelled by provoking a violent fight failed, and Housen was expelled the following month. Ayanokouji and Housen were paired for the cross-grade written exam, which ended as students across the school continued studying.

• Kamuro explained that Housen had accepted Principal Tsukishiro’s offer of 16 million in cash and planned to make Ayanokouji look responsible for a fight, while Shiina Hiyori overheard their discussion.
• Ayanokouji arrived at school with his left hand bandaged after deliberately driving it onto Housen’s blade, turning Housen’s plan against him.
• Housen was expelled after his attack failed, then accepted a pairing with Ayanokouji for the cross-grade exam while intending to seek another chance to earn the promised money.
• Yanagi and Katsuragi discussed Class 2-A’s prospects and the modest rewards for the exam as students took physics, mathematics, Japanese, English, and chemistry.
• After the exam, Oreki saw Ayanokouji at the cafeteria, and students across the grades continued attending study groups and studying in the library.

Oreki explained that he had unified the first-years, prompting Kanzaki to recognize how much the balance between classes had shifted. As the new special exam began, Class 1-C sought a partnership with Class 2-A, but Oreki ignored their approach and recalled how his meeting with Housen and Nanase had led Housen to cooperate.

• Oreki told Nagumo that his class was studying hard because it lacked confidence in the school's recognition and feared future point-heavy exams.
• On May 1, the rankings showed Class 1-C had risen to Class B, while Class 1-D had fallen to zero points.
• Ryuuen mocked Kanzaki and Shibata for failing to use their exchange meeting to gain leverage over the first-years.
• Kanzaki confronted Oreki, who said he had unified the first-years.
• After the special exam rules were announced, Class 1-C approached Class 2-A seeking partners, but Oreki ignored them and recalled meeting Housen and Nanase.

Oreki explained how he and Sakayanagi formed an alliance with Class 1-C, helping its students rise to Class 1-B and take first place in the joint exam. He revealed that Kōenji had tutored the underclassmen and officially transferred into Class 2-A, leaving his new desk waiting for him.

• Utsunomiya and Haru approached Oreki to ask about the school’s class competition, and Utsunomiya admitted he had secretly recorded their conversation before deleting the file.
• Utsunomiya offered twenty million Points in exchange for Class 2-A’s support, and Oreki said he eventually accepted the alliance after consulting Sakayanagi.
• Oreki told Kanzaki that Class 1-C’s students had earned high Behavioral Standards Exam scores by acting well during the assessment period.
• Oreki explained that Kōenji had tutored academically weak students from Class 1-C, raising their results for the joint written exam.
• Oreki said Class 1-C students covered Kōenji’s missing Points, and Kōenji officially joined Class 2-A.

Housen learned that the Student Council had expelled him and rushed to confront it, suspecting Oreki had used him and discarded him after the special exam. He and Nanase arrived at the Student Council office, where the council president’s authority to expel students was established.

• Kanzaki worried that Oreki could unite three classes against Class B and began considering a serious decision to protect his class.
• Housen saw that Class 1-D’s evaluation points had fallen to zero but remained focused on expelling Ayanokouji and escaping the school.
• Sumakiden told Housen that the Student Council had ordered his expulsion and gave him two hours to collect his belongings.
• Housen suspected Oreki had set him up, dismissed Nanase’s denial that she had betrayed him, and demanded that she speak up for him.
• Housen jumped from the second-floor classroom window and headed to the Student Council office, while his classmates wondered whether his expulsion would be a relief.
• Nanase followed Housen, and they reached the Student Council office about four minutes later.

Ryuuen revealed that he had deliberately gathered evidence of Housen’s repeated assaults, leading the Student Council to expel him. When Housen rejected the decision and attacked Kōenji, Kōenji confronted him, leaving the outcome unresolved.

• Housen tried to strike Ryuuen, but Albert Yamada blocked him.
• Ryuuen admitted he had set Housen up and explained that recorded assaults and reports of later fights had secured his expulsion.
• President Sakayanagi and the Student Council confirmed Housen’s expulsion and ordered him to hand over his phone.
• Housen refused, flipped the table, and objected to losing his Student ID Points.
• Rokosuke Kōenji arrived at Sakayanagi’s request and offered to discipline Housen.
• Housen grabbed Kōenji by the collar, and Kōenji asked whether he was sure he wanted to attack him.

Housen dropped out after Kōenji forced him to back down, and Ryuuen moved to recruit Nanase to replace him in a plan to obtain points from Class 1-D. Housen spent his remaining points on laptops before leaving the school.

• Kōenji confronted Housen with the consequences of his killing intent, and Housen chose to withdraw.
• Oreki read messages from Student Council members reacting to Housen’s expulsion and the danger at the Student Council.
• Ryuuen told Ibuki that Housen was spending his remaining points on goods to resell after leaving the school.
• Ryuuen argued that Nanase knew Housen’s secret and had to take his place in cooperating with him to obtain points from the school.
• Housen bought two new laptops, returned to his dormitory, and handed in his room key.

Kazuomi Housen left the school after Sumakiden forced him to accept his withdrawal and warned him to keep his dealings with Ayanokouji secret. Tsukishiro and Ayanokouji discussed their mission, while Sumakiden confronted Tsukishiro about using an outsider instead of a White Room student; the chapter then showed the stable second-year class rankings.

• Housen headed for the school gate and reflected on the lessons he had learned after leaving High School of Advanced Education.
• Sumakiden shoved Housen to the ground, ordered him not to reveal school matters or interfere with Ayanokouji, and extinguished his desire to resist.
• Tsukishiro reviewed Housen's returned student ID, and Ayanokouji said he could not imagine himself losing before leaving the principal's office.
• Sumakiden told Tsukishiro that he had been slacking by sending an outsider instead of directly dispatching a White Room student.
• The second-year rankings showed Class 2-A leading Class 2-B, Class 2-C, and Class 2-D, and Katsuragi remarked that Class B remained far behind.

Houtarou went on a date with Sakayanagi, while Katsuragi worried about protecting their classmates from the consequences of the school’s contraceptive restrictions. During a dreamlike scene of a future outing with Attorney Horikita, Houtarou encountered a younger Sakayanagi, who asked him for affection.

• Katsuragi watched Houtarou and Sakayanagi leave together and considered finding contraceptives through school employees, unaware that his concerns were misplaced.
• Houtarou and Sakayanagi followed Kushida’s date itinerary, visiting a movie theater before planning dinner and an aquarium trip.
• As Houtarou held Sakayanagi’s hand during the film, he drifted into a dream of shopping with Attorney Horikita and waited outside while she entered a clothing store.
• Houtarou encountered a younger-looking Sakayanagi playing with another girl, and she asked him for a hug after guessing he had come with Horikita.
• Houtarou explained that Horikita was nearby, prompting Sakayanagi to ask him for a kiss instead.

Oreki was pranked by Sakayanagi and briefly detained by police until he reunited with Ibuki, who recognized him and explained the situation. He then learned that Housen had attacked Ryuuen, reviving the history behind Housen’s expulsion.

• Sakayanagi teased Oreki into hugging her, then called for help and slipped away with Alice as a police officer approached.
• Sakayanagi messaged Oreki that she had taken Alice home, leaving him waiting at the mall while police questioned him.
• Ibuki arrived, recognized Oreki, and confirmed to her fellow officer that Sakayanagi was his adult wife and that the incident was a prank.
• Ibuki received a radio report that Housen had attacked Ryuuen, but the victim had forgiven him.
• Oreki recalled how Ryuuen had reported Housen to the Student Council, leading to Housen’s expulsion and leaving his former class under his control.

Oreki and Sakayanagi went on a date, discussed how they would stay together despite distance, and returned to their school routine. Oreki remained curious about the trouble facing Shiina, while Sakayanagi arrived at class with Kamuro and greeted Katsuragi.

• Oreki dreamed that Ibuki hinted Shiina had lost a National Library librarian position and faced a bigger problem, then woke in a movie theater beside Sakayanagi.
• Oreki and Sakayanagi watched 5 Centimeters Per Second and discussed how Takaki and Akari drifted apart.
• Sakayanagi said she would remain devoted to Oreki and described finding a lost partner through persistence or by asking adults for help.
• Oreki took Sakayanagi to the Aquarium and hired Kamuro as a third wheel before they escorted Sakayanagi to her dormitory.
• Oreki arrived at school tired after trying to dream about Shiina, greeted his classmates, and saw Sakayanagi arrive with Kamuro and speak with Katsuragi.

Oreki and Sakayanagi resumed a discreet show of affection after he had distanced himself to protect her, then met Class 1-B representatives Riku Utsunomiya and Sakurako Haru to settle their alliance’s terms. Utsunomiya and Haru chose to owe Oreki 20 million Private Points rather than surrender half their class rewards, and Oreki signed their agreement despite believing they had underestimated the school and their rivals.

• Arisu Sakayanagi and Oreki exchanged a chilly, businesslike greeting, then Oreki tugged her sleeve and she clasped his hand while their classmates watched.
• Oreki, Sakayanagi, and Kamuro met Class 1-B representatives Riku Utsunomiya and Sakurako Haru during lunch.
• Utsunomiya and Haru presented an agreement promising to repay Oreki 20 million Private Points before he graduated.
• Oreki offered them the alternative of paying him half their class evaluation points and future rewards, but Utsunomiya insisted their class could succeed without that arrangement.
• Oreki signed the agreement while thinking that the juniors had not understood the school’s nature or the challenge posed by Ichika Amasawa.

Oreki used the Class 1-C agreement to distribute the first debt payment and visited Kushida, who was upset about Ichika Amasawa’s approach. He reassured Kushida that he had been easing her stress and said he would confront Amasawa soon.

• Utsunomiya paid Oreki 3 million points as the first installment of Class 1-C’s debt, and Oreki arranged payments for Horikita, Kushida, and their classmates.
• Oreki discussed the remaining money with Sakayanagi and Yanagi, then visited Kushida in her room.
• Kushida complained that Ichika Amasawa was annoying her and explained that Amasawa’s claimed middle-school connection was false.
• Oreki told Kushida that spending time with him had helped ease her stress and said he had reimbursed the 500,000 points she spent on Amasawa’s file.
• Oreki said he would approach Amasawa again before she caused more trouble.