Chapter Summaries

Ike devised a plan to protect himself from Bai Lan by publicly advocating for a lighter punishment during the anonymous class discussion, hoping Bai Lan would owe him a favor. As the meeting approached, Kushida and Hirata prepared the class group and shared the rules and evidence for the discussion.

• Kushida announced an anonymous discussion on June 2 to decide Bai Lan's punishment, temporarily removing Bai Lan from the class group.
• Ike reasoned that most classmates would favor severe punishment for Bai Lan and planned to speak in his defense so Bai Lan would remember his support.
• Ike decided against recruiting his friends, believing that acting alone would make his favor more valuable and leave others as more likely targets for Bai Lan's revenge.
• Ike replied to Kushida's message, adding lines he thought sounded impressive.
• Before the meeting, Kushida muted the class group and Bai Lan left it; Hirata then posted the discussion charter, class rules, the school's punishment announcement, and Bai Lan's own statements.

Class 2-D held a discussion meeting to decide Bai Lan’s punishment, with Hirata serving as judge and Kushida leading the proceedings. Ike tried to earn Bai Lan’s favor by proposing a light punishment, but Karuizawa posted an even stronger defense, and the meeting continued under rules that gave each student only one chance to speak in the opening stage.

• Kushida began the discussion meeting, and students flooded the chat with proposals, most of them calling for a severe punishment for Bai Lan.
• Ike used his real name to propose a light punishment, hoping classmates would tell Bai Lan that he had supported him.
• Karuizawa argued that Bai Lan should receive no punishment because he had protected a classmate who was being bullied.
• Ike resented Karuizawa for overshadowing his message and assumed she had impulsively defended Bai Lan to compete with him.
• The chapter explained that Karuizawa had waited because she was trying to craft a persuasive argument within the meeting’s one-post opening stage, but Ike’s message made her fear he would appear closer to Bai Lan than she was.

Karuizawa proposed no punishment for Bai Lan, while Ike plotted to use her loyalty against her and mocked Horikita’s proposal of a special award. Horikita argued that Bai Lan had saved the class at least 400 points by protecting Karuizawa, reframing his attack as part of the same incident and leaving the class to consider his contribution.

• Karuizawa proposed no punishment for Bai Lan because she wanted to prove her loyalty to him.
• Ike planned to pressure Karuizawa into sharing a heavy fine, then mock her when she could not afford it.
• Horikita’s lengthy message pushed Ike’s proposal off the chat’s front page, and Ike angrily opened her argument.
• Ike laughed at Horikita’s proposal of a special award, then stopped when she claimed Bai Lan had saved the class at least 400 points.
• Horikita explained that Bai Lan had prevented Karuizawa’s expulsion, preserved midterm rewards, and avoided further class-point deductions, arguing that his attack continued the framing incident.

Horikita argued that Bai Lan’s actions had saved the class far more points than they had cost and that he deserved a Special Award, prompting students to debate how to reward or punish him. The trial entered its Battle Stage, where Horikita defended Bai Lan against the severe-punishment faction and left its representative speechless.

• Horikita calculated that Bai Lan had brought the class at least 350 points in net value and proposed a Special Award, leading students to reconsider their demands for punishment.
• Students debated the size of Bai Lan’s reward, and the factions selected Horikita as the Special Award representative, Karuizawa for no punishment, and Kōenji Rokusuke for the Grand Award.
• The Battle Stage began, and the severe-punishment representative accused Bai Lan of breaking rules and acting selfishly.
• Horikita argued that Bai Lan had defended the Mutual Protection Pact and the class by retaliating against the people who framed Karuizawa.
• Horikita said Bai Lan had not claimed credit because he knew the class could not afford to pay him, and she challenged why a truly greedy Bai Lan would accept punishment.

Horikita argued that Bai Lan’s achievements and the deterrence he provided justified a substantial reward, warning that punishing him could drive him to leave the class and become its enemy. The class’s factions fell silent or changed their positions, leaving Kogenji as the last hope for those seeking to reduce Bai Lan’s reward.

• Horikita warned that Bai Lan could abandon the class or join another one, taking his benefits with him and potentially retaliating against them.
• The severe-, light-, and slight-punishment factions backed down, while Karuizawa demanded an even larger special award for Bai Lan.
• The prize-winning faction’s spokesperson accepted that Bai Lan deserved a special prize but argued his 50-point loss should be punished separately from his 400-point achievement.
• Horikita argued that Bai Lan’s actions created valuable deterrence and that his gains outweighed the 50-point loss, leaving no reason to reduce his reward.
• The class placed its hopes on Kogenji proving that Bai Lan’s contribution was replaceable, but the chapter ended as Kogenji’s academic ability was being discussed.

Horikita argued that Bai Lan deserved the Special Award because his abilities and the class's trust in him made him irreplaceable. Kogenji conceded that she had missed her chance to earn credit for helping Karuizawa, and the Battle Stage ended with Karuizawa confirming she would still turn to Bai Lan for help.

• Kogenji led Bai Lan 1–0 in academics and 2–1 overall after the class judged their physical abilities a draw.
• Horikita described how Bai Lan anticipated Yonekura's frame-up, gathered evidence, and helped expose the mastermind behind it.
• Kogenji claimed she could perform the same investigative work, but Horikita pointed out that she had not been the person Karuizawa called for help.
• Horikita explained that Bai Lan's past actions had earned him the class's trust and prestige, making Karuizawa unwilling to rely on anyone else instead.
• Karuizawa confirmed she would ask Bai Lan for help again, and Kushida announced the end of the first-round Battle Stage.

First-Year Class B awarded Bai Lan a 400-point Special Prize after Horikita persuaded the class not to punish him, while Bai Lan packed for his planned departure and ignored the meeting. When he learned of the decision, he realized Horikita had used his influence to sway the class and worried that his plans had gone awry.

• Hirata ruled that Bai Lan would receive a 400-point Special Prize with a 70% share, paid through Task Priority and a 280-point Double Reward Quota.
• Classmates realized Bai Lan’s unused quota could offset penalties, meaning they could not take points from him even if they punished him.
• Bai Lan packed his luggage and declined Horikita, Kushida, Karuizawa, and Hirata’s offers to update him about the meeting.
• After the meeting, Bai Lan rejoined the class group and was greeted enthusiastically by his classmates.
• Bai Lan read the announcement and meeting history, then praised Horikita for using his influence to change the class’s decision.
• Bai Lan’s satisfaction turned to worry when he realized the unexpected reward had disrupted his expectations.

Bai Lan’s efforts to reduce his standing in class backfired, and Horikita revealed that a dropout would cost the class 300 points. After his five million yen withdrawal was approved, Bai Lan collected the cash, arranged a trip outside school, and left through the gate the next morning.

• Bai Lan realized that using benefits, force, and moral appeals had strengthened his control over the class, while Horikita’s group-chat announcement made his departure a threat to the class’s points.
• Bai Lan received confirmation that his five million yen exchange had been approved and celebrated by robot dancing, which classmates interpreted as a sign that he was pleased with them.
• Horikita saved a recording of Bai Lan dancing, believing it proved that he approved of her answer and could serve as leverage in future arguments.
• Bai Lan paid an academic affairs employee to help him collect the cash, replaced his broken phone, and booked a flight for June 3.
• Bai Lan left the dormitory at five in the morning, showed his departure permit to the gate guard, and walked out of school.

Bai Lan traveled to the Arctic to fulfill his wish of fighting a polar bear, while his absence left Teacher Chazhu reflecting on his claims about who deserved Class A. She resolved to test whether her class could rise to Class A without being opposed by the school and society.

• Bai Lan flew to the Bear Country and boarded a cruise ship bound for the Arctic, hoping to fight a polar bear with the help of his Overlord Body skill.
• Teacher Chazhu noted that the former Class D had temporarily become Class B despite falling below Ichinose's class in points, and she saw Bai Lan's seat was empty.
• Teacher Chazhu recalled processing Bai Lan's exchange of nearly 5.7 million points for time outside, after he had already spent millions more on cash and other expenses.
• Teacher Chazhu remembered Bai Lan's argument that an incompetent class did not deserve Class A and that the school and society would oppose an unworthy class's success.
• Teacher Chazhu decided to test whether her class could reach Class A and whether the school and society would truly oppose it, then returned to her senses when students called to her.

Chazhu told Class B that Bai Lan was absent, then teased them into thinking he had dropped out and cost them 300 points. Hirata explained that Bai Lan had used points to legally leave school, while Chazhu considered how to develop other capable students in his absence.

• The class panicked when Chazhu said Bai Lan could not attend, and she told them he had grown tired of school and left.
• The students assumed Bai Lan had dropped out and blamed the loss of 300 class points on his departure.
• Hirata corrected them, explaining that Bai Lan had taken leave rather than dropped out.
• Chazhu confirmed that Bai Lan had spent points to obtain permission to leave school, prompting students to ask how much it cost.

Hirata explained Bai Lan’s planned absence as a chance for the class to prove itself and take on more responsibility. As the students accepted his explanation, Horikita and Kogenji emerged as ambitious students seeking influence, with Kogenji determined to reach Class A.

• Chabashira revealed that Bai Lan’s outings could cost about one million points per day, shocking the class.
• Students questioned Horikita and Kushida about their calm reactions, and Hirata explained how he had learned Bai Lan planned to spend time away.
• Karuizawa realized she was the only one among the five who had not known about Bai Lan’s plans and blamed her friends for taking her away before she could stay.
• When students challenged Bai Lan’s spending and absence, Hirata used Ayanokoji’s past advice to explain that Bai Lan wanted to test and train the class by giving others a chance to take responsibility.
• The class accepted Hirata’s explanation, and the chapter identified Horikita and Kogenji as ambitious students seeking influence; Kogenji resolved to reach Class A.

Kogenji abandoned his plan to earn points independently after realizing Bai Lan had monopolized the class’s opportunities and authority. While Bai Lan was absent, Kogenji decided to copy his successful tactics and seize influence, ending with Kogenji looking toward the second-year Class D classroom upstairs.

• Kogenji had originally hoped his classmates would follow him, but he switched to gathering twenty million points alone when they rejected his offer.
• Bai Lan’s class rules and mutual-support agreement tempted Kogenji with the prospect of earning large numbers of points, but Bai Lan’s prestige left him unable to access the opportunities.
• After Horikita’s remarks and Hirata’s explanation, Kogenji decided to use Bai Lan’s absence to build his own authority and challenge his monopoly.
• During Chabashira’s morning meeting, Kogenji planned to imitate Bai Lan’s accomplishments to gain his classmates’ trust.
• Kogenji smiled as he looked toward the second-year Class D classroom upstairs, considering what he could copy from Bai Lan.

Bai Lan trained several polar bears in the Arctic by fighting them and feeding them, while searching for a well-fed bear strong enough to challenge. On June 9, he prepared for his final training session before heading back to school.

• Bai Lan defeated his first polar bear, which was too hungry and exhausted to provide the challenge he wanted.
• Bai Lan kept searching for stronger polar bears, feeding the bears he defeated so they could recover and spar with him again.
• Bai Lan justified feeding the bears by making them work for the food, sometimes chasing them or laying bait as part of their training.
• Bai Lan waited in the snow for another polar bear, one of the bears he had been training.
• Bai Lan planned to finish the bears’ training on June 9 and then begin his journey back to school.

Bai Lan lured a polar bear with a fish-scented buoy and challenged it, then looked forward to returning to Advanced Nurturing High School so he could resume his dropout plan. After nearly a week without signal, he reached a port, received a flood of missed messages, and checked his communications app for updates from Kushida Kikyo.

• Bai Lan used a fish-covered buoy smeared with seal fat to lure a polar bear toward shore, but it sensed a trap and tried to flee.
• Bai Lan chased the polar bear and congratulated it on graduating, then reflected that defeating the trained bears had shown him the power of his Overlord Body.
• Bai Lan eagerly anticipated returning to school, where he hoped to resume accumulating demerits by fighting Nagumo and others.
• On the afternoon of June 9, Bai Lan left the polar bear area and reached a port where his school phone received nearly a week's worth of missed messages and notifications.
• Bai Lan checked his communications app for updates from his important intelligence officers, starting with Kushida Kikyo.

After returning from the Arctic, Bai Lan learned that Kogenji had exposed Yonekura and her accomplices for framing Karuizawa, leading to their expulsion and the withdrawal of two other students. Bai Lan hurried back to Japan, rented an apartment near the school, and began considering what Kogenji’s actions meant.

• Bai Lan read Horikita Manabu’s messages and learned that Kogenji had appealed Yonekura’s case and provided restored chat records proving that she and her accomplices had framed Karuizawa.
• The school expelled Yonekura and two girls, while two boys were suspended; the boys then withdrew from school after apparently being beaten.
• Bai Lan lamented losing the chance to punish Yonekura and the others, then worried that Nagumo might be gone before he returned.
• Bai Lan paid a fine for feeding Arctic wildlife and left the Arctic by ship.
• Bai Lan landed in Tokyo on June 10, got his parents’ consent to rent an apartment near the school, and learned that they were unsurprised he had left school.

Bai Lan stored his Arctic gear and souvenirs in his new apartment, then reviewed the messages about Kogenji’s plan to force Yonekura and four others to drop out. He realized Kogenji wanted to seize his authority by surpassing his earlier revenge, and wondered how Kogenji had obtained one million points so quickly.

• Bai Lan sorted his Arctic clothes, survival tools, and handmade polar-bear-fur souvenirs into his apartment for safekeeping.
• Bai Lan finished reading and replied to messages from Horikita Manabu and his other informants, telling them not to worry.
• Bai Lan concluded that Horikita had given Kogenji a motive to hate him, while Hirata had given him an opportunity to act.
• Bai Lan realized Kogenji planned to force Yonekura and four others to drop out, outperforming Bai Lan’s past revenge to gain prestige and seize his authority.
• Bai Lan questioned how Kogenji had quickly acquired one million points, since students with many points would be reluctant to sell them and poorer students could not supply enough.

Bai Lan deduced that Kogenji was saving points to change classes, then rejected the idea of hiring him to help force Bai Lan’s own expulsion. After returning to school, Bai Lan arranged for Horikita to take his luggage and went to ambush Nagumo, but found that the stairwell made attacking him too risky.

• Bai Lan concluded that Kogenji wanted to save twenty million points to transfer into Class A and considered recruiting him to help Bai Lan drop out, but decided the risk was too great.
• Bai Lan blamed Horikita and Hirata for complicating his plans and resolved to bend the rules in response to Hirata breaking their agreement.
• Bai Lan returned to school and handed his luggage and room key to Horikita, who agreed to take them to his dormitory.
• Bai Lan checked Nagumo’s location and ran to intercept him near the teaching building’s stairwell.
• Bai Lan listened for Nagumo’s footsteps but decided not to attack in the stairwell, fearing Nagumo could fall and suffer serious injuries.

Bai Lan ambushed Nagumo, intending to beat him, but discovered that Nagumo had a broken arm and realized he could not safely attack him. Nagumo mistook Bai Lan’s angry question about who had injured him for concern, leaving him stunned and confused.

• Bai Lan hid around a corridor corner and grabbed Nagumo when he appeared.
• Bai Lan saw Nagumo’s cast and bandages and realized his arm was broken.
• Bai Lan learned that nobody had told him about the fracture because others assumed he already knew.
• Bai Lan abandoned his plan to beat Nagumo and angrily asked who had injured his arm.
• Nagumo recognized Bai Lan and feared another beating, but interpreted Bai Lan’s question as concern.

Nagumo interpreted Bai Lan’s questions about his injured hand as an offer to cooperate in framing Kogenji Rokosuke, who had undermined both men’s standing by expelling Yonekura and four others. Seeing a chance to stabilize his control over the second-years and renegotiate his debt to Bai Lan, Nagumo decided to accept while concealing his eagerness.

• Nagumo suspected Bai Lan was pretending not to know about his hand injury and searched for the purpose behind the act.
• When Bai Lan asked whether Kogenji Rokosuke had injured him, Nagumo concluded that Bai Lan wanted him to blame Kogenji.
• Nagumo reasoned that Kogenji’s expulsions had damaged Nagumo’s prestige and income while making Bai Lan look less effective among the former Class D.
• Nagumo inferred that Bai Lan was offering help with a frame-up in exchange for Nagumo’s cooperation, which could also lead Bai Lan to extend or reduce Nagumo’s debt.
• Nagumo chose to accept the apparent deal but planned to seem reluctant so he could negotiate for better terms.

Bai Lan learned that Nagumo’s hand would take three months to heal, ruining his plan to earn disciplinary penalties by beating Nagumo. He dismissed Nagumo’s request to reduce his debt and saw Kogenji’s rise as a way to weaken the support that had been obstructing Bai Lan’s plan to drop out.

• Nagumo claimed Kogenji had broken his hand, and Bai Lan mistakenly took his helplessness as proof that Kogenji had used overwhelming force.
• Nagumo explained that his injury would take three months to heal, so Bai Lan realized he could no longer use him to accumulate disciplinary penalties before the semester ended.
• Bai Lan called Nagumo useless, then rejected Nagumo’s demand to end their agreement and reduce the remaining thirty million points owed for Karuizawa’s compensation.
• Nagumo’s hopes collapsed, and Bai Lan left as Nagumo angrily shouted that he would make Hirata feel his pain.
• Bai Lan considered how Kogenji’s growing influence would divert the former Class D members’ support, weaken Nagumo’s power, and help Bai Lan pursue his own goal.