Recaps

Class A reviewed the Selection Project Exam rules and chose Sakayanagi Arisu as its Commander Tower because her Protection Points could shield her from expulsion. At lunch, Kazehara Tetsu proposed using both large-event slots for twenty-person events, prompting Katsuragi Kouhei to question the strategy.

• Majima Tomoya explained that seven events would each change Class Points by 30, with another 100 points awarded to the class that won the exam overall.
• Class A unanimously nominated Sakayanagi Arisu as Commander Tower, and she accepted after Kazehara Tetsu approved.
• The warning bell ended Class A's discussion before the students could choose their events.
• At lunch, Kazehara Tetsu proposed filling both large-event slots with twenty-person events.
• Katsuragi Kouhei asked Kazehara Tetsu why he wanted to commit so many students to large events instead of focusing on individual events.

Kazehara Tetsu explained Class A’s strategy for the class team events and told Sakayanagi Arisu he wanted to face Class C so he could challenge Ayanokoji Kiyotaka in International Chess. The chapter ended with Sakayanagi heading to the opponent draw while Kazehara focused on Class C and Ayanokoji.

• Kazehara Tetsu explained that Class A should rely on its strong average ability in large events and let its top students compete in multiple events.
• Kazehara Tetsu said Class A would favor physical events against Class B but academic events against Class C or Class D.
• Kazehara Tetsu told Sakayanagi Arisu that, if Class A could choose its opponent, he wanted to face Class C and play Ayanokoji Kiyotaka in International Chess.
• Sakayanagi Arisu realized that Kazehara would need to persuade Class C’s Commander Tower, Horikita Suzune, to put Ayanokoji in the chess event.
• Sakayanagi Arisu identified herself as Class A’s Commander Tower and followed Majima Tomoya to the Special Building for the draw.

Kazehara Tetsu learned that Class A would face Horikita Suzune’s Class C in the Selection Project Exam and told Horikita he had a specific goal for their match. He wanted her to send Ayanokoji to play International Chess against him.

• Kazehara Tetsu received a system task to lead Class A to defeat Horikita Suzune’s Class C for 500 system Points.
• Kaneda Satoru left the Lottery Draw ceremony, followed by Ichinose Honami, Horikita Suzune, and Sakayanagi Arisu, who revealed Class A would face Class C.
• Kazehara Tetsu told Ichinose Honami that Class C was the opponent he had wanted, while Horikita Suzune focused on finding a way for Class C to win.
• Sakayanagi Arisu invited Ichinose Honami away, leaving Kazehara Tetsu and Horikita Suzune alone.
• Kazehara Tetsu told Horikita Suzune that he wanted to play International Chess against Ayanokoji and wanted her to send him to the other side of the chessboard.

Kazehara Tetsu asked Horikita Suzune to send Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to face him in International Chess, insisting Ayanokoji was the strongest player in Class C. Horikita agreed to repay one of her two favors, then learned Kazehara wanted the victory for someone else.

• Horikita Suzune refused Kazehara Tetsu's request because she feared it could be a trap and saw no reason to follow an opponent's demands.
• Kazehara reminded Horikita that she owed him two favors and offered to count one as repaid if she agreed to send Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to the International Chess event.
• Horikita asked whether Kazehara was certain of Ayanokoji's skill, and Kazehara said she could verify it herself and that the favor would count even if the event was not selected, provided she promised to send him if it was.
• Horikita agreed to send Ayanokoji if International Chess was selected for the exam.
• Horikita asked why Kazehara was so determined to face Ayanokoji, and Kazehara said he wanted to prove he was better at International Chess and give the victory to someone else.

Class A finalized its ten events for the Selection Project Exam, then Kazehara Tetsu began delivering White Day chocolates to the girls who had given him chocolates on Valentine’s Day. His last delivery brought him face-to-face with Horikita Suzune as he was about to put a gift in her mailbox.

• Kazehara Tetsu and Classmate Sakayanagi confirmed Class A’s ten event choices and submitted the chart.
• Class A prepared steadily for the Selection Project Exam as the days passed.
• Kazehara Tetsu delivered White Day chocolate boxes to the dorm mailboxes of the girls who had given him chocolates.
• Horikita Suzune opened her door and saw Kazehara Tetsu holding a chocolate box intended for her.

Kazehara Tetsu left chocolates at Horikita Suzune’s door before asking which event Class C had chosen for the exam. Horikita refused to reveal the strategy, pressed him about his International Chess match against Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, and left after he estimated his chance of winning at 50%.

• Kazehara Tetsu placed a box of chocolates in Horikita Suzune’s mailbox and said he was dropping things off for friends, not giving her a White Day gift.
• Kazehara Tetsu asked Horikita which event Class C had chosen, but she refused to disclose the class’s strategy before the School Authority announced the lists.
• Horikita asked Kazehara about his odds against Ayanokoji Kiyotaka in International Chess and explained that she had tested Ayanokoji against a Chess AI, which he outperformed in every game.
• Kazehara said his chance of beating Ayanokoji was 50%, explaining that a single mistake could decide the match.
• Horikita said she looked forward to seeing the match, then returned to her room and left the chocolates in the mailbox.

The Selection Project Exam began with Sakayanagi Arisu, Ichinose Honami, and Horikita Suzune waiting for Class D’s Commander. Ryuen Kakeru arrived as a last-minute replacement for Kaneda Satoru, putting himself at risk of expulsion to regain control of Class D as the Commanders were called inside.

• Sakayanagi Arisu, Ichinose Honami, and Horikita Suzune waited outside the Multipurpose Classroom for the Commanders to arrive.
• Sakayanagi Arisu hinted that Ichinose Honami did not know about a change in Class D’s Commander.
• Ryuen Kakeru arrived instead of Kaneda Satoru and made clear that he would represent Class D.
• Sakayanagi Arisu explained that the rules allowed a substitute Commander, while Ichinose Honami and Horikita Suzune realized Kaneda Satoru had stepped down in a planned switch.
• Ichinose Honami and Horikita Suzune recognized that Ryuen Kakeru could be expelled if Class D lost, and Sakayanagi Arisu warned that his methods were unpredictable.
• A School Authority official opened the Multipurpose Classroom and called the Commanders inside.

Sakayanagi Arisu and Horikita Suzune prepared for the Special Exam, and Sakayanagi revealed that she had learned International Chess after seeing Ayanokoji Kiyotaka play. As the exam began, she said she believed Kazehara Tetsu was stronger than her and would prove himself the true strongest.

• The School Authority separated the Commander Towers into soundproof sections, leaving Sakayanagi Arisu and Horikita Suzune together while their proctors checked the system.
• Sakayanagi Arisu told Horikita Suzune she had been excited and nervous about the coming International Chess match, not the class competition.
• Sakayanagi Arisu revealed she had started seriously learning chess after seeing Ayanokoji Kiyotaka play.
• Sakayanagi Arisu said Kazehara Tetsu was stronger than her and that the match would prove he was the true strongest.
• Horikita Suzune denied being especially concerned about Kazehara Tetsu, and Sakayanagi Arisu let the subject drop when Hoshinomiya Chie announced that time was up.

Sakayanagi Arisu and Horikita Suzune began the exam by selecting players for a seven-a-side soccer match. Horikita fielded Hirata Yosuke to secure an early lead, while Sakayanagi submitted a deliberately weak lineup, leaving Horikita uncertain about her strategy.

• The system randomly selected soccer as the first event and revealed that each class needed seven players.
• Sakayanagi asked whether students could communicate, then suggested that Horikita was relying on Hirata Yosuke because Class C was weaker academically and had few strong athletes.
• Horikita selected Hirata and six other students, choosing to field her strongest player immediately rather than risk a surprise substitution by Class A.
• Sakayanagi submitted a lineup with no Kazehara Tetsu or Kitou Hayato, including four girls and three boys of average athletic ability.
• Horikita questioned Sakayanagi’s apparent decision to concede the match and explained that she had started Hirata to score quickly and discourage Class A from bringing in its strongest players.

Class C beat Class A in soccer, then lost the long-rope-skipping event, leaving the match tied. Horikita Suzune realized Sakayanagi Arisu was tracking the cumulative number of participants so Class A could reuse its strongest students in later events.

• Hirata Yosuke led Class C to a 5–0 soccer victory after Sakayanagi Arisu weakened Class A’s lineup at halftime.
• Horikita Suzune selected twenty less useful Class C students for long rope skipping, while Sakayanagi Arisu fielded a disciplined Class A team.
• Class A won the long-rope-skipping event with consistent, synchronized performances.
• Sakayanagi Arisu murmured, “Twenty-eight people,” prompting Horikita Suzune to calculate the participants used across the first two events.
• Horikita Suzune realized Class A planned to exceed its class membership in cumulative participants so it could reuse its strongest students, and she was relieved that Hirata Yosuke had already competed.

Class C lost the tennis event to Class A after Sakayanagi Arisu used a substitution to turn the doubles match around. The next draw paired Class C’s Onodera Kayano against Class A’s Kazehara Tetsu in the 100-meter round-trip swimming event, leaving Horikita Suzune worried about their chances.

• Class C won the first tennis singles match, but Class A took the second, leaving the doubles match to decide the event.
• Class C’s doubles team fought back from a large deficit, but Sakayanagi Arisu substituted in a net specialist and Class A won the match.
• Horikita Suzune accepted the tennis loss and prepared for the next event draw.
• The fourth event was 100-meter round-trip swimming, and Horikita chose Onodera Kayano to compete for Class C.
• Class A entered Kazehara Tetsu, whose physical ability made Horikita worry about Class C’s chances, while both competitors warmed up at the pool.

Kazehara Tetsu defeated Onodera Kayano by ten meters in the 100-meter swimming event, leaving Class C in a desperate position. Afterward, he praised her performance, and she regained her resolve to challenge him again.

• Kazehara Tetsu and Onodera Kayano warmed up and traded confident remarks before their swimming race.
• Kazehara Tetsu built an early lead, while Onodera Kayano held close until the turnaround point.
• Kazehara Tetsu pulled farther ahead in the second leg and won by ten meters.
• Class A celebrated the win as Class C fell to three losses and one win, while Horikita Suzune watched with concern.
• Kazehara Tetsu praised Onodera Kayano, and she accepted his respect and vowed not to lose to him next time.

Class C lost the English and mathematics tests, giving Class A a 4:1 lead and making Class C's overall defeat inevitable. Horikita Suzune faced the final event with few strong participants left as Sakayanagi Arisu anticipated an International Chess match.

• Horikita Suzune selected Class C's strongest English students and left Koenji Rokusuke off the roster because she did not expect him to cooperate.
• Horikita Suzune used her Commander Tower privilege to solve a difficult English question, but Class A still won by 21 points, making the score 4:1.
• Horikita Suzune selected seven of Class C's remaining students for the mathematics test and used her privilege again, but Class A won by an overwhelming margin.
• Sakayanagi Arisu pointed out that Class C had few candidates left and suggested they await the final event, the International Chess match.

The Seventh Match began as an International Chess showdown between Kazehara Tetsu and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, with the Commander Towers able to intervene. After Ayanokoji opened with Pawn to E4, Sakayanagi Arisu took control of Black from the start, leaving Ayanokoji unfazed as the match continued.

• Horikita Suzune admitted she had little chess experience, while Sakayanagi Arisu said she would play the final match herself.
• Kazehara Tetsu challenged Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to give the match his all and asked whether he would hold back as he had at the Sports Festival.
• Ayanokoji Kiyotaka won the draw to play White and opened with Pawn to E4.
• Kazehara Tetsu signaled Sakayanagi Arisu, who used her intervention authority to take control of Black immediately.
• Ayanokoji Kiyotaka remained calm and said it made no difference whether he faced Kazehara Tetsu or Sakayanagi Arisu.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka held a slight advantage during the Commander Tower phase of his chess match against Sakayanagi Arisu, but Kazehara Tetsu took over and used a relentless blitz pace to put Ayanokoji under mounting pressure. The game continued with Ayanokoji spending far more time defending against Kazehara’s attacks.

• Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Sakayanagi Arisu played the opening at high speed, though Ayanokoji gradually gained a slight advantage because Sakayanagi had to relay moves through Kazehara Tetsu.
• The Commander Tower intervention period ended, and Sakayanagi told Horikita Suzune that the small disadvantage was recoverable and that the real game was beginning.
• Kazehara Tetsu took over as Black and made twenty moves in just 26 seconds without pausing to think.
• Sakayanagi explained to Horikita that Kazehara had already calculated his answers and had played countless instructional games with her.
• Kazehara continued at blitz speed, and after forty moves he had used only one minute while Ayanokoji had spent more time trying to defend against the shifting attacks.

Kazehara Tetsu defeated Ayanokoji Kiyotaka in the final chess match on time, sealing Class A’s victory over Class C in the special exam. After the results were announced, Horikita Suzune declined Sakayanagi Arisu’s invitation to walk and left the classroom alone.

• Kazehara Tetsu’s relentless pace left Ayanokoji Kiyotaka with less than three minutes, and Ayanokoji lost when his timer reached zero.
• Kazehara Tetsu won the chess match, while Ayanokoji acknowledged how difficult it would be to beat him.
• Sakamoto Suguru announced that Class A won six matches and lost one, gaining 250 Class Points as Class C lost 150.
• Hoshinomiya Chie tried to comfort the disappointed Horikita Suzune, while Sakamoto Suguru finished the examination procedures.
• Sakayanagi Arisu invited Horikita Suzune for a walk, but Horikita declined and left the classroom.

After the exam, Kazehara Tetsu stopped Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and revealed that he knew Tsukishiro Tokinari was secretly following them to arrange Kiyotaka’s expulsion. Tsukishiro confronted them, and Kazehara declared he would keep Kiyotaka from being taken until he settled their score, then condemned Ayanokoji Atsuomi and the motives behind the White Room.

• After Class C’s defeat, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka prepared to leave, but Kazehara Tetsu asked him to talk privately.
• Kazehara told Ayanokoji that he knew Tsukishiro Tokinari was trying to get him expelled and was listening nearby.
• After Kazehara exposed his presence, Tsukishiro emerged from the shadows and asked whether the Kagihara Family planned to interfere.
• Kazehara said he did not care about the expulsion or the White Room, but nobody would take Ayanokoji away before Kazehara settled their score.
• Tsukishiro explained that Ayanokoji Atsuomi had ordered him to return Kiyotaka to the White Room, and Kazehara denounced Atsuomi as incompetent for relying on his son.
• Tsukishiro fell silent under Kazehara’s accusations while Ayanokoji listened without reacting.

Tsukishiro Tokinari reaffirmed his plan to expel Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and return him to the White Room, while Kazehara Tetsu made clear he would not interfere. After spending the evening with Sakayanagi Arisu, Tetsu asked her to come with him somewhere in the Dormitory, leaving his purpose unrevealed.

• Tsukishiro Tokinari told Kazehara Tetsu that he would continue trying to expel Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and take him back to the White Room.
• After Tsukishiro left, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka told Kazehara Tetsu he would probably stay at Kouyoku High School for three years before returning, and Tetsu said he hoped they could compete again.
• Sakayanagi Arisu waited for Kazehara Tetsu after the exam, and the two discussed who was strongest at the school before going to dinner together.
• On the third floor of the Dormitory Building, Kazehara Tetsu stopped Sakayanagi Arisu from returning to her room and asked her to come with him for something he had to do.

Kazehara Tetsu gave Sakayanagi Arisu a potion he claimed would help her heart condition. After she drank it, she felt only a faint warmth and wondered if it had been a scam.

• Kazehara Tetsu welcomed Sakayanagi Arisu into his dorm and offered her some leftover Valentine’s chocolate.
• Sakayanagi Arisu asked what had happened to the handmade Valentine’s chocolate she had given him, and Kazehara Tetsu said he had finished it.
• Kazehara Tetsu exchanged 500 Points for an Omnipotent Body Repair Potion (Advanced) and mixed its powder into warm water.
• Kazehara Tetsu told Sakayanagi Arisu that the drink was medicine for her heart condition, and she drank it without hesitation.
• Sakayanagi Arisu waited for an effect, felt only faint warmth, and asked Kazehara Tetsu if he had been scammed.

Kazehara Tetsu stayed with Sakayanagi Arisu after the potion repaired her fragile heart, then quietly made her lean pork congee. The chapter ended with them sharing breakfast in the morning sunlight.

• Kazehara Tetsu gently flicked Sakayanagi Arisu's forehead and told her the medicine needed time to work.
• Sakayanagi Arisu realized the potion had repaired her heart and let her experience physical exertion without pain.
• Kazehara Tetsu stayed beside Sakayanagi Arisu through the night and left her resting in bed while he made congee.
• Kazehara Tetsu carefully cooked lean pork congee and let it cool to a suitable temperature.
• Sakayanagi Arisu woke and ate the congee with Kazehara Tetsu beside her.

Kazehara Tetsu and Sakayanagi Arisu discussed the final class rankings and Class A's success before the Graduation Ceremony. Kazehara accepted that he had fallen short of his 3,000-point goal, while Sakayanagi promised to support him through the two years ahead.

• Kazehara Tetsu arrived early at the Gymnasium with Sakayanagi Arisu, and they reflected on how Class A had become united over the past year.
• Kazehara recounted the final class totals: Class A had 2903 points, Class B had 655, Class C had 121, and Class D had 397.
• Sakayanagi asked why Kazehara had not warned Ichinose Honami about Ryuen Kakeru's tactics, and Kazehara said Class A benefited from the other classes weakening each other and that Ichinose needed to learn from setbacks.
• Kazehara regretted that Class A had fallen 97 points short of his 3,000-point goal, while Sakayanagi reassured him that they had two years to reach it.
• Sakayanagi touched Kazehara's hand and pledged to help him achieve his goals, and Kazehara took her hand in response.

At the graduation ceremony, Horikita Manabu delivered the Class A representative’s speech, and Majima Tomoya praised Kazehara Tetsu’s Class A for finishing the year at the top. Afterward, Sakayanagi Arisu told Kazehara Tetsu that her father wanted to speak with him, then left him to take the call.

• Horikita Manabu gave a formal speech as the Class A graduate representative at Kouyoku High School’s graduation ceremony.
• Kazehara Tetsu and Sakayanagi Arisu left the ceremony with the other current students.
• Majima Tomoya congratulated Class A on remaining at the top and raising its Class Points to 2,903, then dismissed the students.
• Kazehara Tetsu asked Sakayanagi Arisu about his plans, and she said her father wanted to talk with him.
• Sakayanagi Arisu explained that Sakayanagi Narimori’s situation had stabilized, kissed Kazehara Tetsu on the cheek, and headed to the Dormitory.

Kazehara Tetsu called Sakayanagi Narimori to ask about the trouble he was facing and offered the Kagihara Family’s help, which Narimori declined. Tetsu admitted he was dating Sakayanagi Arisu, and Narimori accepted their relationship while asking him to protect his daughter’s feelings.

• Kazehara Tetsu called Sakayanagi Narimori and asked how he was handling the fabricated evidence against him.
• Kazehara Tetsu offered to ask his father and the Kagihara Family to help, but Sakayanagi Narimori said he could manage the matter himself.
• Sakayanagi Narimori asked whether Kazehara Tetsu and Sakayanagi Arisu were together, and Tetsu confirmed that he liked her and they were dating.
• Sakayanagi Narimori said he did not object because Arisu was happy with Tetsu, and Tetsu promised to stay by her side.
• Sakayanagi Narimori urged Kazehara Tetsu to avoid getting involved with too many girls so Arisu would not be hurt, and Tetsu promised to treat her well.

Kazehara Tetsu found Horikita Suzune waiting nervously outside the Gymnasium for her brother’s graduation, and reminded her how much courage she had gained over the past year. When the doors opened, Suzune hurried through the crowd to speak with Horikita Manabu, leaving Kazehara watching from behind.

• Kazehara Tetsu went to the Gymnasium and spotted Horikita Suzune waiting alone for the graduation ceremony to end.
• Kazehara Tetsu told Horikita Suzune that she had changed and now had the courage to wait for Horikita Manabu and say goodbye.
• Horikita Suzune thanked Kazehara Tetsu, and her tense posture relaxed as they waited for the doors to open.
• The Gymnasium doors opened, and the waiting students crowded around the graduating third-years with gifts, congratulations, and confessions.
• Horikita Suzune hurried through the crowd to Horikita Manabu and began speaking to him as Kazehara Tetsu watched.

As Horikita Manabu prepared to graduate, Miyabi Nagumo told Kazehara Tetsu that he planned to build a school governed by Might Makes Right and invited him to join the Student Council. Horikita Suzune asked Kazehara to accompany her when she saw her brother off on the thirty-first, then asked what kind of girl he liked.

• Kazehara Tetsu spoke with Miyabi Nagumo, who said he respected Horikita Manabu despite their rivalry.
• Miyabi Nagumo declared that he would pursue his vision of a school governed by Might Makes Right now that Horikita Manabu had graduated.
• Miyabi Nagumo invited Kazehara Tetsu to join the Student Council, but Kazehara declined.
• Horikita Suzune told Kazehara Tetsu that Horikita Manabu would leave by bus at noon on the thirty-first and asked Kazehara to come with her to see him off.
• Horikita Suzune asked Kazehara Tetsu what kind of girl he liked, and he said he liked girls who stayed true to themselves and were not swayed by anyone.