Recaps

Kazehara Tetsu arrived at Kōto Ikusei Kōtō Gakuin and received a system reward for enrolling. After catching Ichinose Honami when she ran into him, he arranged to meet her for coffee, leaving them with their first connection.

• Kazehara Tetsu rode to school with the new students and received 100 Points from his system upon arriving.
• Kazehara Tetsu reviewed his abilities and saved Points for future needs.
• Ichinose Honami accidentally crashed into Kazehara Tetsu, who caught her before she fell.
• Kazehara Tetsu introduced himself and teased Ichinose about the collision, easing her embarrassment.
• Kazehara Tetsu invited Ichinose to buy him coffee as an apology, and she agreed.

Kazehara Tetsu observed his new Class 1-A classmates as Majima Tomoya explained the school’s Points system. The class’s first public clash began when Sakayanagi Arisu mocked Katsuragi Kouhei’s proposal for introductions.

• Kazehara Tetsu took a seat by the window and observed Katsuragi Kouhei, Sakayanagi Arisu, and the other students.
• Majima Tomoya introduced the S System and told the class that each student had received 100,000 Points for the month.
• Katsuragi Kouhei questioned the rules for spending Personal Points, and Majima Tomoya answered before leaving for the entrance ceremony.
• Katsuragi Kouhei proposed that the students introduce themselves, and most of the class applauded the idea.
• Sakayanagi Arisu dismissed the proposal as childish and argued that Class A was not a club for making friends, setting off a tense confrontation with Katsuragi Kouhei.

On the first day of school, Sakayanagi Arisu rejected Katsuragi Kouhei’s call for class unity and argued that students should serve as pieces in a system led by the capable. Kazehara Tetsu backed her view before leaving, and Sakayanagi followed, leaving Katsuragi’s argument unresolved.

• Katsuragi Kouhei defended introductions and unity as necessary for the class to face future challenges, but Sakayanagi Arisu called that approach naive and described most students as Chess Pieces.
• Katsuragi Kouhei objected that Sakayanagi Arisu’s elitist views would divide the class, while Kazehara Tetsu stood up and supported her idea of selection.
• Kazehara Tetsu compared students to chess pieces whose usefulness depended on their abilities, drawing Sakayanagi Arisu’s interest.
• Kazehara Tetsu left the classroom after telling Sakayanagi Arisu that he liked her.
• Sakayanagi Arisu said she felt unwell and left before Katsuragi Kouhei could resume the argument.

Kazehara Tetsu met Sakayanagi Arisu in the Teaching Building and impressed her with his insight into her desire for intellectual combat. As they walked to the entrance ceremony, he explained that the S System tested students through Points and taught them to trade more than goods, leaving Sakayanagi wondering how much he knew.

• Kazehara Tetsu waited beside a vending machine until Sakayanagi Arisu approached him.
• Kazehara Tetsu called Sakayanagi adorable because she hid her desire for a satisfying battle behind a quiet, doll-like appearance, prompting her to reassess him.
• Kazehara Tetsu invited Sakayanagi to the entrance ceremony, and he matched her slow pace as they walked together.
• Sakayanagi asked Kazehara what he thought of the S System and the monthly one hundred thousand Points.
• Kazehara said the Points were an initial test and that the system taught students to exchange information, favors, loyalty, betrayal, and possibly class evaluations.
• Sakayanagi silently wondered what Kazehara knew.

During the entrance ceremony, Kazehara Tetsu identified Ayanokoji Kiyotaka as someone far more significant than he appeared, startling Sakayanagi Arisu, who knew of Ayanokoji through the White Room. The ceremony ended with Sakayanagi deciding to take Kazehara seriously, while he kept his foreknowledge of the plot secret.

• Kazehara Tetsu watched the students during Horikita Manabu's speech and singled out Ayanokoji Kiyotaka as a hidden protagonist.
• Sakayanagi Arisu recognized Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's name and wondered how Kazehara had identified him.
• Kazehara described Ayanokoji as an unusual presence whose apparent nothingness made him dangerous and interesting.
• Sakayanagi challenged Kazehara's assessment, but he suggested she had sensed something abnormal about Ayanokoji herself.
• After the ceremony ended, Sakayanagi left and said Kazehara was someone she should take seriously.
• Kazehara felt relieved and kept his knowledge of the plot secret.

Kazehara Tetsu secretly recorded Kamuro Masumi stealing a lipstick at the Convenience Store and saved the footage in a Hidden Account to use as leverage. Back in his Dormitory room, he secured the evidence from school monitoring and began settling into his new life at the academy.

• Kazehara Tetsu went shopping at Keyaki Mall and spotted Kamuro Masumi browsing cosmetics in a Convenience Store.
• Kazehara Tetsu hid behind a shelf and recorded Kamuro Masumi stealing a lipstick, capturing clear evidence.
• Kazehara Tetsu bought necessities and returned to his room in the student Dormitory.
• Kazehara Tetsu bought a Hidden Account and a Formatting System, then uploaded the original and edited footage to protect it from school surveillance.
• Kazehara Tetsu made instant Udon Noodles and complained that time was passing slowly on the first day.

Kazehara Tetsu decided to use Yamauchi Haruki as a pawn by showing him footage of Kamuro Masumi stealing. He showed the video to Yamauchi and his friends, leaving their reactions to come.

• Kazehara Tetsu rejected the idea of controlling Kamuro Masumi through threats and decided instead to use Yamauchi Haruki to stir up trouble.
• Kazehara Tetsu followed Ken Sudō, Kanji Ike, and Yamauchi Haruki to a café in Keyaki Mall.
• When Yamauchi Haruki talked about wanting to date Sakayanagi Arisu, Kazehara Tetsu approached the trio and offered to show them a Class A student's secret.
• Kazehara Tetsu played a video that clearly showed Kamuro Masumi stealing lipstick and hiding it in her skirt pocket.

Kazehara Tetsu sold Yamauchi Haruki, Kanji Ike, and Ken Sudō an edited video of Kamuro Masumi, setting Yamauchi up to make demands she would reject and then accuse her at school. He expected to expose the video as manipulated when the accusation brought teachers into the matter.

• Yamauchi Haruki eagerly agreed to buy the video, and Kanji Ike and Ken Sudō pooled their Points with him to pay Kazehara Tetsu fifty thousand.
• Kazehara Tetsu sent Yamauchi Haruki the carefully edited video and encouraged him to approach Kamuro Masumi with small requests.
• Kazehara Tetsu left the café, confident Yamauchi Haruki would let his vanity and impatience lead him to act.
• Kazehara Tetsu predicted Yamauchi Haruki would threaten Kamuro Masumi with the video, then report her after she rejected him.
• Kazehara Tetsu planned to reveal that the video had been maliciously edited and altered, turning the accusation against Yamauchi Haruki.

Sakayanagi Arisu invited Kazehara Tetsu to the club information session, where they discussed his ambitions and stopped at the International Chess Club. She challenged him to a chess match, triggering a System quest that required him to defeat her for 500 Points.

• Sakayanagi Arisu invited Kazehara Tetsu to accompany her to the Gymnasium’s Club Joint Information Session.
• As they walked, Sakayanagi identified Kazehara’s support in class as an investment, and he admitted he intended to gain a favorable position and eventually take over Class A.
• At the Gymnasium, Kazehara said he had no intention of joining a club, and Sakayanagi agreed that their views on clubs were alike.
• Sakayanagi stopped at the International Chess Club booth and challenged Kazehara to a game of chess.
• The System gave Kazehara a quest to defeat Sakayanagi for 500 Points, and he searched the System Store for a way to improve his chess skills.

Kazehara Tetsu challenged Sakayanagi Arisu to a warm-up logic game and used a loophole in his rules to defeat her. The System rewarded him with 500 Points, giving him enough to buy the board-game skill he wanted.

• Kazehara Tetsu found the Grandmaster of All Chess skill in the System Store but lacked the 250 Points needed to buy it.
• He proposed a ten-round guessing game to Sakayanagi Arisu before they played chess, and she accepted.
• Kazehara Tetsu won the game four to six after secretly keeping the white Pawn in his sleeve and sometimes leaving one hand empty.
• Sakayanagi Arisu recognized that Kazehara Tetsu had exploited the wording of his rules and admitted defeat.
• The System awarded Kazehara Tetsu 500 Points for defeating Sakayanagi Arisu in a game of wits.

Kazehara Tetsu used his newly acquired chess mastery to defeat Sakayanagi Arisu in a serious match. Afterward, both declined a Senpai’s invitation to join the chess club.

• Kazehara Tetsu equipped the Grandmaster of All Chess skill and chose to play black against Sakayanagi Arisu.
• Sakayanagi Arisu launched an aggressive attack, but Kazehara Tetsu countered and built a positional advantage.
• Kazehara Tetsu created an unstoppable mating threat, and Sakayanagi Arisu resigned.
• Sakayanagi Arisu accused Kazehara Tetsu of understating his skill, and he admitted that underestimation helped him win.
• A Senpai invited them to join the chess club, but Kazehara Tetsu and Sakayanagi Arisu both refused.

Kazehara Tetsu and Sakayanagi Arisu watched Horikita Manabu warn new students that the Student Council valued ability over interest. Afterward, Tetsu invited Arisu to dinner, where they spoke candidly and found common ground; they parted with Arisu promising to beat him next time.

• Kazehara Tetsu criticized Horikita Manabu's use of silence to intimidate the new students, while Sakayanagi Arisu defended it as practical.
• Horikita Manabu introduced himself as Student Council President and said applicants needed exceptional talent and could not join club activities.
• Kazehara Tetsu invited Sakayanagi Arisu to dinner, teasing her about her chess loss, and she accepted.
• Kazehara Tetsu and Sakayanagi Arisu ate at a small Japanese restaurant and talked about their reading interests, philosophy, and mystery novels.
• Sakayanagi Arisu told Kazehara Tetsu that she had enjoyed the day and promised she would not lose next time; he said he would be waiting.

During swimming class, Kazehara Tetsu rebuffed Hashimoto Masayoshi’s probing questions and watched Kamuro Masumi from the poolside. He skipped the 50-meter race, and Kitou Hayato won the boys’ event decisively.

• Kazehara Tetsu challenged Hashimoto Masayoshi’s claims about class unity and left him wondering about Kazehara’s motives.
• Kazehara spotted Kamuro Masumi standing apart from the other girls and suspected Yamauchi Haruki had already approached her.
• The PE teacher announced separate boys’ and girls’ 50-meter freestyle races, with five thousand Personal Points for each winner.
• Kazehara claimed he had twisted his ankle and chose to watch rather than compete.
• Kitou Hayato surged ahead in his heat and finished first by a clear margin.

Kamuro Masumi dominated the girls’ swimming race, then faced schoolwide rumors after Yamauchi Haruki presented a video accusing her of theft. Horikita Manabu postponed judgment and ordered an investigation, leaving Kamuro alone and overwhelmed in a grove behind the Teaching Building.

• Kamuro Masumi swam the fifty-meter race with furious intensity and won by a wide margin, then left exhausted without celebrating.
• The next day, rumors spread through Class A that Kamuro had stolen something, and Majima Tomoya escorted her to the Student Council Office.
• Yamauchi Haruki showed Horikita Manabu and Tachibana Akane a video that appeared to show Kamuro slipping lip balm into her pocket.
• Kamuro denied stealing, while Horikita said the video raised too many questions and ordered the Student Council to investigate before reaching a conclusion.
• Kamuro wandered away from class and collapsed beneath a tree in a quiet grove, trembling under the weight of her anger, fear, and helplessness.

Kazehara Tetsu found Kamuro Masumi hiding after a video of her shoplifting spread through the school and pointed out signs that it had been edited. He said he would accompany her to the Student Council’s questioning and deal with Yamauchi Haruki, leaving Kamuro to wonder why he was helping her.

• Kazehara Tetsu found Kamuro Masumi alone and confronted her with the video of her stealing lip balm.
• Kazehara Tetsu showed Kamuro signs of visual and audio editing that suggested the video had been manipulated.
• Kamuro questioned why Kazehara was helping her, and he admitted he was motivated by her beauty and his attraction to her.
• Kazehara told Kamuro he would attend the Student Council’s questioning as an eyewitness and handle Yamauchi Haruki.
• Kazehara urged Kamuro to believe she was innocent and had been maliciously framed.

At the Student Council Office, Yamauchi Haruki accused Kamuro Masumi of stealing and submitted a video as evidence. Kazehara Tetsu arrived as a witness, then exposed signs that the video had been edited to frame her, leaving Horikita Manabu to examine the evidence.

• Horikita Manabu began the final review of Yamauchi Haruki's theft accusation against Kamuro Masumi.
• Yamauchi presented his phone video and insisted it showed Kamuro stealing from the Convenience Store.
• Kazehara Tetsu arrived as a witness and initially confirmed that the video matched Yamauchi's description.
• Kazehara then accused Yamauchi of framing Kamuro and called the video fabricated.
• Kazehara showed Horikita Manabu distortions in a chip-bag reflection, audio interference, and a sudden camera-angle change as signs of editing.

Kazehara Tetsu proved his phone contained no evidence linking him to Yamauchi Haruki’s fabricated video, and Horikita Manabu expelled Yamauchi for maliciously accusing Kamuro Masumi. Kamuro was cleared and left the office with Kazehara.

• Yamauchi Haruki accused Kazehara Tetsu of giving him the video and setting up the extortion attempt.
• Kazehara Tetsu offered his phone for a full investigation by the Student Council and the Technical Department.
• Horikita Manabu received the Technical Department’s report that Kazehara Tetsu’s phone contained no related records or suspicious data.
• Horikita Manabu found Yamauchi Haruki guilty of malicious false accusation and ordered his expulsion.
• Horikita Manabu apologized to Kamuro Masumi and told her she was free to leave, and Kazehara Tetsu escorted her out.

Kazehara Tetsu challenged Horikita Manabu over Yamauchi Haruki’s expulsion, then explained to Kamuro Masumi how he had made the investigation clear her. He revealed that he knew she had really stolen the item but had protected her, leaving Kamuro to see her life in a new way.

• Horikita Manabu defended Yamauchi Haruki’s expulsion as necessary to protect the school system, while Kazehara Tetsu teased him about his motives.
• Kazehara Tetsu left the Student Council Office, and Horikita Manabu told Tachibana Akane to watch him more closely.
• Kamuro Masumi asked Kazehara Tetsu why the school’s investigation had found nothing on his phone, and he said he had paid a Technical Department contact 200,000 Points to remove data.
• Kazehara Tetsu admitted he had recognized that Kamuro Masumi’s theft in the video was real but said the school’s records now treated her as innocent.
• Kamuro Masumi stopped trembling and looked after Kazehara Tetsu, feeling that her life had found a place to belong.

Kazehara Tetsu pretended not to recognize Ichinose Honami when she found him at a café, then teased her about their first meeting and the compensation she had promised. Ichinose bought him a Caramel Macchiato, and they sat together as she watched for his reaction.

• Kazehara Tetsu spent Friday afternoon alone at a café in Keyaki Mall, reading and drinking an Iced Americano.
• Ichinose Honami arrived and approached Kazehara Tetsu, who acted as if he did not recognize her.
• Ichinose reminded Kazehara Tetsu of their first meeting, and he admitted he had recognized her and teased her about her promise to compensate him.
• Kazehara Tetsu asked Ichinose to buy him the café's most expensive specialty drink, and she ordered him a Caramel Macchiato and herself a Strawberry Smoothie.
• Ichinose set the drinks on the table and watched Kazehara Tetsu as he examined the heart-shaped foam.

Kazehara Tetsu teased Ichinose Honami during their café meeting, then warned her that her desire to help others could hurt both them and herself. After Ichinose left, Kazehara suspected Hoshinomiya had told Class B about an upcoming quiz to spite Chabashira.

• Kazehara Tetsu joked that Ichinose Honami had fallen in love with him because she brought him coffee with heart-shaped latte art, and Ichinose denied it.
• Kazehara praised Ichinose’s personality but warned that her urge to bring warmth to everyone could burn others and herself.
• Ichinose told Kazehara that she planned to study for an upcoming quiz, and he realized Class A’s teacher had not mentioned it to them.
• Kazehara left the café and waited at a shopping mall exit while considering the contact information he had gotten from Ichinose.
• Kazehara concluded that Hoshinomiya had likely told Class B about the quiz to spite Chabashira, then headed to the dormitory.

Kamuro Masumi visited Kazehara Tetsu's room to repay him for helping resolve the theft and admitted her offer came from both gratitude and genuine feelings. She accepted his kiss and chose to remain with him.

• Kamuro Masumi waited outside Kazehara Tetsu's room and entered after he invited her in.
• Kamuro Masumi promised to repay the two hundred thousand Points and began undressing as an immediate offering.
• Kazehara Tetsu stopped Kamuro Masumi and asked whether she acted from obligation or genuine feelings.
• Kamuro Masumi answered that it was both, explaining that she would repay the Points over time.
• Kazehara Tetsu kissed Kamuro Masumi, and she wrapped her arms around his neck in response.

Kazehara Tetsu bought the Eidetic Memory skill and went to Kouyoku High School’s Library, where he met Shiina Hiyori, a fellow mystery-fiction fan. The chapter ended with Hiyori eagerly asking him about his favorite kinds of mystery novels.

• Kamuro Masumi left Kazehara Tetsu’s room after spending the night with him, saying she needed to go back and sleep.
• Kazehara Tetsu purchased the Eidetic Memory skill for 200 points and tested it by memorizing a page of a book.
• Kazehara Tetsu went to the Library at Kouyoku High School and noticed Shiina Hiyori struggling to reach a book on a high shelf.
• Kazehara Tetsu handed Shiina Hiyori the book, Offering to the Void, and commented on its mystery-fiction style.
• Shiina Hiyori realized Kazehara Tetsu knew the book and excitedly asked what kinds of mystery novels he liked.

Kazehara Tetsu and Shiina Hiyori bonded over mystery novels in the library and exchanged contact information. Tetsu left already considering how to approach her again, while Hiyori treasured their unexpected meeting.

• Kazehara Tetsu described his taste for mysteries that challenge readers and recommended authors and books to Shiina Hiyori.
• Shiina Hiyori shared her admiration for Edogawa Ranpo and eagerly noted Tetsu's recommendation of Aya Yuutaka's Summer and Winter Sonata.
• After realizing they had talked for nearly half an hour and blocked the aisle, Hiyori apologized, and the two introduced themselves and exchanged contact information.
• Kazehara Tetsu suggested they discuss new books together at the library or a nearby café, and Hiyori happily agreed.
• Shiina Hiyori watched Tetsu leave, pleased by their meeting, while Tetsu stepped outside and considered how to approach her next time.

Kazehara Tetsu kept apart from Class A’s rival factions while studying, playing chess with Sakayanagi Arisu, and secretly meeting Kamuro Masumi. On May 1, Majima Tomoya explained that Class A’s students received only 92,000 Personal Points because the class had lost 80 Class Points, after Tetsu’s perfect Quiz score drew everyone’s attention.

• Kazehara Tetsu spent April studying in the Library, discussing novels with Shiina Hiyori, and playing chess with Sakayanagi Arisu.
• Kamuro Masumi continued visiting Kazehara Tetsu at night, while her classmates grew sympathetic toward her after the Yamauchi Haruki False Accusation Incident.
• Kazehara Tetsu earned the only perfect score on Class A’s pop Quiz, which had an average score of 87.3.
• On May 1, Class A students noticed that they had received 92,000 Personal Points instead of 100,000.
• Majima Tomoya explained that Class A had lost 80 Class Points through violations, leaving it with 920 points.

Majima Tomoya explained that class income depended on Class Points, the classes were in competition, and students who failed any subject on the Midterm Exam would be expelled. After the meeting, Tetsu told Hashimoto Masayoshi that the expulsion rules could be exploited to eliminate rivals and weaken other classes.

• Majima Tomoya explained how Class Points could rise or fall and showed that Class A had 920 points, ahead of Class B, Class C, and Class D, which had zero.
• Majima Tomoya warned that the classes competed for future success and announced that students who failed any Midterm Exam subject in three weeks would be expelled.
• Majima Tomoya reassured Class A that its Quiz average stood about forty points above the estimated passing score, then ended the meeting.
• Hashimoto Masayoshi congratulated Tetsu for earning the class's only Perfect Score and asked what he thought about the expulsion rules.
• Tetsu told Hashimoto Masayoshi that rules could be exploited to remove opponents and proposed that mass expulsions could cause another class to collapse.