Recaps

Horikita Suzune chose Nanase Tsubasa as the first-year Student Council candidate after Kazehara Tetsu advised her, while Amasawa Ichika failed to persuade Horikita to reconsider her exclusion. After Horikita and Amasawa left, Kazehara finished his drink and headed toward the Dormitory by a secluded path.

• Kazehara Tetsu judged Ishigami unlikely to join the Student Council, so Horikita Suzune set him aside as a candidate.
• Kazehara recommended Nanase Tsubasa for her reliability and good nature, and Horikita decided to approach her about joining the Student Council.
• Amasawa Ichika pleaded with Horikita and Kazehara to reconsider her, but Horikita refused and Kazehara said the president chose the members.
• Horikita thanked Kazehara for his advice, then rejected his suggestion that they walk back to the Dormitory together.
• Amasawa Ichika followed Horikita out, saying she still hoped to prove herself worthy of joining the Student Council.
• Kazehara finished his Americano, collected his scarf and notebook, and took a secluded path toward the Dormitory.

Kazehara Tetsu encountered Himeno Yuki alone in the woods and learned she was weighing whether to attend another get-together. After they watched the imperfect moon together, Himeno decided she would probably go.

• Kazehara Tetsu collided with Himeno Yuki on a shortcut through the woods and asked why she was there alone.
• Himeno told Kazehara Tetsu she had just left a get-together and was considering whether to attend the next one.
• Kazehara teased Himeno about how she had changed from someone who wanted to be alone and asked why she wore a gray School Uniform Jacket.
• Kazehara sat down to look at the moon and told Himeno that it did not need to be perfect to be worth looking at.
• Himeno sat beside Kazehara and said she would probably attend the next get-together.

Himeno Yuki persuaded Kazehara Tetsu to attend her class get-together the next day, using his past treatment of her as leverage and promising to forgive him for it. They parted at the dormitory with Himeno Yuki agreeing to send him the time and place.

• Himeno Yuki asked Kazehara Tetsu to join her class get-together, reminding him that he had hurt and humiliated her before.
• Kazehara Tetsu worried that his presence would make the all-girl gathering awkward, but Himeno Yuki promised to take responsibility and fend off questions.
• Himeno Yuki offered to remember only the good parts of his past actions if he agreed, and Kazehara Tetsu accepted after setting conditions.
• Kazehara Tetsu invited Himeno Yuki to his room for a drink, but she declined and teased him about the invitation.
• At the third floor, Kazehara Tetsu asked Himeno Yuki to message him the get-together's location, and she thanked him for helping her come out of her shell.

After Class A settled its Special Exam entry order, Kazehara Tetsu attended a gathering with Ichinose Honami and her classmates. Their questions about his relationship with Ichinose left her flustered, while Hoshinomiya Chie and one other guest had yet to arrive.

• Katsuragi Kouhei finalized the Special Exam lineup, choosing himself and Kazehara Tetsu to enter first and answer questions.
• Kazehara Tetsu brought a fruit basket to the café gathering and joined Ichinose Honami, Kobashi Yume, Amikura Mako, Shiranami Chihiro, Himeno Yuki, Ando Sayo, and Minamikata Kozue.
• Ichinose Honami said Tsube and Hoshinomiya-sensei were still expected to arrive.
• Kobashi Yume, Ando Sayo, and Minamikata Kozue questioned Kazehara Tetsu about his relationship with Ichinose.
• Kazehara Tetsu said Ichinose had confessed first but that he had not given her a verbal answer, prompting the girls to tease Ichinose until she blushed and told them to stop.

Kazehara Tetsu joined Ichinose Honami and her friends for a lively gathering, where they teased him about his closeness to Honami. Hoshinomiya Chie and Tsube Hitomi joined the group and pressed him to admit whether he liked Honami.

• Ando Sayo and Minamikata Kozue questioned Kazehara Tetsu about rumors that he was close to several girls, and he confirmed that he and Ichinose Honami were close.
• Kobashi Yume pointed out Kazehara Tetsu's small gestures toward Ichinose Honami as the girls asked him about their relationship.
• Tsube Hitomi arrived with Hoshinomiya Chie, who brought bags of snacks and teased Kazehara Tetsu about being Ichinose Honami's partner.
• Hoshinomiya Chie said Ichinose Honami had never invited a boy to their gathering before, and Tsube Hitomi joined the girls in demanding that Kazehara Tetsu say whether he liked Honami.

Ichinose Honami started a truth-or-dare game to stop her friends from teasing her, and the group’s playful questions and dares brought out several small secrets. Kazehara Tetsu avoided being chosen through round after round, but the bottle finally stopped in front of him.

• Ichinose Honami proposed truth or dare, and her friends and Hoshinomiya Chie joined the game.
• Kobashi Yume admitted that she had liked a boy in their class but refused to reveal his name.
• Hoshinomiya Chie said she was single, while Ando Sayo took a cold-juice penalty instead of making a dare phone call.
• Minamikata Kozue confessed that she had once peeked at a classmate’s exam answers, and Shiranami Chihiro said she admired Ichinose Honami most.
• Kazehara Tetsu avoided being chosen through several rounds until Kobashi Yume spun the bottle and it stopped in front of him.

During a party game, Kazehara Tetsu hinted that he liked Ichinose Honami, then discussed the upcoming special exams with the group. The chapter ended with Hoshinomiya Chie asking him to give Class D advice for its match against Class B.

• Kazehara Tetsu said the person he liked was in the room and was blushing while staring at him, flustering Ichinose Honami.
• Kobashi Yume and Shiranami Chihiro completed embarrassing dares, while Himeno Yuki said she did not regret coming to the party.
• Hoshinomiya Chie asked Kazehara Tetsu whether Class A could beat Class C, and he explained that the exam rules gave Class A fewer points per question.
• Ichinose Honami said Class D was preparing for its match against Class B and would do its best.
• Hoshinomiya Chie asked Kazehara Tetsu to give Class D advice, arguing that it would not affect Class A's result.

Kazehara Tetsu refused Hoshinomiya Chie's request for exam tricks, insisting that her class should improve through study and training. After the others left, Hoshinomiya persuaded him to walk her home by pretending to be afraid of the dark, and they headed out together.

• Kazehara Tetsu told Hoshinomiya Chie that her class should study the rules and train rather than rely on another class's exam strategies.
• Hoshinomiya Chie teased Ichinose Honami for not defending her, but Ichinose rejected the act and said Hoshinomiya was wrong to pressure Kazehara for exam information.
• Ichinose Honami and the other students packed up and left the café, while Kazehara Tetsu stayed behind to help clean.
• Hoshinomiya Chie asked Kazehara Tetsu to walk with her because she was supposedly afraid of the dark, and her icy glare stopped him from mocking her age.
• Hoshinomiya Chie called Kazehara her Flower Protector, and the two left the booth and walked onto Commercial Street.

Hoshinomiya Chie warned Kazehara Tetsu not to disappoint Ichinose Honami, then questioned how he planned to get more students to graduate with Class A privileges. Tetsu explained that he intended to recruit valuable students, but Chie challenged him to reveal which class he would target.

• Hoshinomiya Chie told Kazehara Tetsu that Ichinose Honami was exhausted from carrying Class D and asked him not to let her down.
• Tetsu said his goal of helping as many people as possible graduate as Class A was still distant, but he had begun planning to recruit students into Class A next semester.
• Tetsu explained that Class D’s strong bonds made its students difficult to poach, though Himeno Yuki might consider joining him.
• Chie asked Tetsu which class he was really planning to target.

Kazehara Tetsu explained his plan to focus on Class C and its promising students, then prepared to lead Class A through the December 22 exam. He began by marking the difficulty of every question and selected two of the hardest to answer.

• Kazehara Tetsu told Hoshinomiya Chie that he planned to approach Class C, including Horikita Suzune and its academically strong students, as part of his aim to graduate more people from Class A.
• Hoshinomiya Chie thanked Kazehara Tetsu for making Honami happy and said she was curious to see how far his dream would go before heading to the faculty dormitories.
• On December 22, Kazehara Tetsu and Katsuragi Kouhei ate breakfast and confirmed that their three-week exam plan was ready.
• Sakamoto Suguru called Kazehara Tetsu first to enter the exam room, where he had ten minutes to answer questions.
• Kazehara Tetsu marked all one hundred questions by difficulty using the class's agreed symbols, then chose the two hardest problems to solve.

Kazehara Tetsu finished his questions early and waited as Class A students completed the exam. Class A finished with one hour and seven minutes remaining, earning the ten-point time bonus, though Kazehara warned that the final outcome still depended on Class C’s mistakes.

• Kazehara Tetsu left the exam room after answering two questions, and Katsuragi Kouhei entered next.
• Kazehara Tetsu waited silently as students, including Ishizaki Daichi, took their turns following the prepared map.
• Sakamoto Suguru announced that Class A had completed the exam with one hour and seven minutes remaining and had broken no rules.
• Ishizaki Daichi and Hashimoto Masayoshi praised Kazehara Tetsu’s marking system, but Kazehara cautioned that Class A’s low points per question made Class C’s errors decisive.

After Class A finished the exam, Sakayanagi Arisu warned Kazehara Tetsu that the scoring rules could let Class C overtake them despite their stronger performance. Kazehara believed Class C would choose to lose by a narrow margin to support his plan for students across the year to graduate as Class A, leaving Sakayanagi to recognize how he expected Horikita to act.

• Class A students left the waiting room quietly while Kazehara Tetsu waited in the hallway.
• Sakayanagi Arisu pointed out that Class C's lower Academic Ability ratings gave them more points per correct answer and could erase Class A's lead.
• Kazehara Tetsu said he had not influenced Class C's answers and explained that Class C had little to gain from beating Class A in this exam.
• Kazehara Tetsu argued that Horikita would choose to support his plan rather than pursue an unlikely effort to make Class C overtake Class A.
• Sakayanagi Arisu concluded that Horikita would have Class C lose by a small margin to help Kazehara without making the decision look suspicious.

After their exam, Kazehara Tetsu and Sakayanagi Arisu shared lunch before he left to meet Horikita Suzune. Horikita explained how Class C had deliberately controlled its exam score, then traded barbs with Tetsu as they began their discussion.

• Sakayanagi Arisu invited Kazehara Tetsu to lunch and joked about making him fall while learning to ski after he teased her about being hungry.
• Sakayanagi Arisu paid for lunch, and Kazehara Tetsu left after receiving a meeting message from Horikita Suzune.
• Kazehara Tetsu met Horikita Suzune at the Central Plaza of the Camphor Tree Shopping Mall.
• Horikita Suzune explained that Class C had carefully answered the exam to make it look as though they had narrowly lost.
• Horikita Suzune said she chose the shopping mall because she expected Tetsu to leave school and stop somewhere nearby, then reminded him that he had owed her when he teased her about cornering him in the Cafeteria.

Horikita Suzune told Kazehara Tetsu that Nanase had accepted the first-year Student Council position and asked him to find a suitable second-year from Class A. After they finished discussing council business, Horikita invited Kazehara to look around the Shopping Mall with her, and he accepted.

• Horikita Suzune threatened Kazehara Tetsu with future Student Council disciplinary checks if he had forgotten his promise to arrange a meeting with a Class A student.
• Horikita told Kazehara that Nanase had agreed to take the first-year position, while the second-year position remained vacant.
• Horikita listed her requirements for a second-year recruit, and Kazehara promised to select a suitable Class A candidate and arrange a meeting.
• Horikita admitted she had wanted to look around the Shopping Mall with Kazehara after the exam.
• Kazehara offered Horikita his hand and called the outing a date, and Horikita accepted before they set off to explore.

Kazehara Tetsu reviewed the special exam results and asked Sakayanagi Arisu to fill the upcoming second-year vacancy on the Student Council. Sakayanagi recalled being rejected from the council in her first year, and Kazehara argued that she had lost only because of the timing.

• The School Authority sent the special exam results, showing that Class A beat Class C and Class D beat Class B.
• During the closing ceremony, Kazehara Tetsu thought about the winter break and the vacant Student Council position.
• Sakayanagi Arisu congratulated Kazehara Tetsu on Class A's win and noted that Class C had lost by just the right amount.
• Kazehara Tetsu asked Sakayanagi Arisu to join the Student Council as the second-year representative after Nagumo and the other third-years graduated.
• Sakayanagi Arisu explained that she had applied in her first year but had been rejected by Horikita Manabu, then later declined another invitation.
• Kazehara Tetsu told Sakayanagi Arisu that she had been qualified and had lost only because Horikita Manabu had not wanted to recruit anyone that year.

Kazehara Tetsu persuaded Sakayanagi Arisu to meet with Horikita Suzune about joining the Student Council. Sakayanagi agreed to consider joining if Horikita could convince her, and joked about accepting Tetsu’s offer to “sell his good looks.”

• Kazehara Tetsu told Sakayanagi Arisu that joining Horikita Suzune’s Student Council could give her another chance after missing out before.
• Sakayanagi Arisu recognized that Tetsu also wanted a capable second-year to help Horikita, and he admitted that was part of his reason.
• Sakayanagi Arisu agreed to meet Horikita Suzune but said she would only consider joining if the meeting interested and persuaded her.
• Kazehara Tetsu jokingly offered to sleep with Sakayanagi Arisu as a reward, and she laughed at his claim that he was selling his good looks.
• Sakayanagi Arisu asked Kazehara Tetsu to walk her back to the dormitory, and he agreed.

Sakayanagi Arisu insisted on meeting Horikita Suzune immediately to discuss joining the Student Council, and Kazehara Tetsu arranged it. On the way to the café, Sakayanagi explained what she expected from Horikita before agreeing to join.

• Sakayanagi Arisu demanded that Kazehara Tetsu arrange a meeting with Horikita Suzune that day, warning she might lose interest if they waited.
• Kazehara Tetsu messaged Horikita, who said she was free and agreed to meet them at a café in half an hour.
• Sakayanagi Arisu made Kazehara accompany her to the café as a conversation companion, despite his objections.
• Sakayanagi told Kazehara that she wanted to learn Horikita's plans for the Student Council and what role she would have as a member.
• Sakayanagi said she would only consider joining if Horikita gave her freedom and equal respect, and would walk away if treated as an obedient helper.

Kazehara Tetsu brought Sakayanagi Arisu to a café to meet Horikita Suzune and discuss Arisu’s possible role on the Student Council. When Suzune arrived, Arisu sent Tetsu away so the two could speak privately.

• Kazehara Tetsu and Sakayanagi Arisu discussed how they would assess each other before meeting about Student Council business.
• They waited at an outdoor café, where Arisu declined Tetsu’s offer to rehearse questions and enjoyed her Hot Cocoa.
• Horikita Suzune arrived early, and Sakayanagi Arisu told Tetsu to leave so she and Suzune could talk alone.
• Arisu teased Tetsu by offering to visit his dorm room, and Suzune subtly reacted as she watched them.
• Tetsu left the café after asking Arisu not to bully Suzune, and Suzune thanked him for arranging the meeting.

Horikita Suzune met Sakayanagi Arisu during winter break, expecting to discuss the Student Council, but Sakayanagi steered their conversation into casual questions about Horikita’s tastes and habits. She eventually asked Horikita whether she liked someone, leaving Horikita caught off guard.

• Horikita Suzune joined Sakayanagi Arisu beneath the canopy, prepared to discuss Sakayanagi’s potential role in the Student Council.
• Sakayanagi set aside questions about the Council and suggested they have a lighter conversation instead.
• Sakayanagi asked Horikita about her favorite sweets, hobbies, books, and winter-break plans, gradually easing Horikita’s initial tension.
• Sakayanagi observed Horikita’s answers and pointed out that many of her preferences seemed solitary.
• Sakayanagi asked whether Horikita had friends, companions, or someone she liked, leaving Horikita startled and silent.

Horikita Suzune discussed her uncertain feelings about Kazehara Tetsu with Sakayanagi Arisu, who recognized Horikita’s growth and began to consider helping her. Arisu withheld an official answer about joining the Student Council and continued questioning Horikita about who would be worthy to stand beside Tetsu.

• Horikita Suzune admitted she had never figured out whether her tangled feelings for someone counted as liking them.
• Sakayanagi Arisu asked how Horikita would feel if another person became Tetsu-kun’s acknowledged partner, and Horikita said she would want that person to understand his ambitions and not hold him back.
• Sakayanagi Arisu told Horikita that her brother had wanted her to grow through her own efforts and said Horikita seemed worth lending a hand.
• Sakayanagi Arisu postponed her decision about the Student Council until a future meeting and invited Horikita to keep discussing who might be worthy of Tetsu.
• The two girls continued talking beneath the awning while Tetsu, unaware of their conversation, wandered elsewhere with an Americano.

Horikita Suzune explained her plans for the Student Council and offered Sakayanagi Arisu full authority over coordination between classes. Sakayanagi agreed to join, then pressed Horikita for a position that would give her the standing to carry out that role, leaving Horikita weighing the vacant vice-president position.

• Sakayanagi asked Horikita what state Nagumo had left the Student Council in and whether she planned to change it, and Horikita described her goal of making the council more proactive and trusted.
• Sakayanagi demanded meaningful authority rather than routine administrative work, and Horikita offered her full control over coordination between classes while holding her accountable for results and the council's credibility.
• Horikita admitted she feared Sakayanagi might favor Class A but said she would not let that fear prevent her from using capable people.
• Sakayanagi praised Horikita's growth and agreed to join the Student Council.
• Sakayanagi argued that an ordinary member would lack the standing to coordinate between classes, prompting Horikita to consider the vice-president position that would open after the third-years graduated.

Horikita Suzune offered Sakayanagi Arisu the Student Council vice presidency, and the two negotiated their responsibilities and boundaries. They shook hands on the agreement, leaving Kazehara Tetsu surprised that they had settled the appointment so quickly.

• Horikita Suzune offered Sakayanagi Arisu the vice presidency, explaining that Arisu's strategic strengths would complement her own.
• Sakayanagi Arisu accepted and set conditions concerning her health, freedom to pursue plans, and equal standing with Horikita.
• Horikita agreed to Arisu's conditions, and they shook hands on their Student Council partnership.
• Kazehara Tetsu returned and learned that Sakayanagi Arisu had agreed to become vice president when Horikita officially took office.
• Sakayanagi Arisu praised Horikita for her courage in making use of people.

Horikita Suzune reminded Kazehara Tetsu that he owed Sakayanagi Arisu an apology, and Sakayanagi turned it into a dinner invitation for all three. After settling into their new Student Council roles over a meal, they discussed how quickly the arrangement had come together.

• Horikita Suzune reminded Kazehara Tetsu of his promised apology to Sakayanagi Arisu and teased him about keeping his promises.
• Sakayanagi Arisu invited Kazehara Tetsu and Horikita Suzune to dinner instead of going to his dorm, and Horikita accepted.
• Sakayanagi Arisu chose a restaurant on Commercial Street, where the three ordered dinner together.
• Kazehara Tetsu admitted he was surprised that Horikita Suzune and Sakayanagi Arisu had settled their Student Council roles so quickly.
• Sakayanagi Arisu said she and Horikita had discussed everything in one sitting, and Kazehara joked about their long conversation on what they liked.

Horikita Suzune, Sakayanagi Arisu, and Kazehara Tetsu discussed plans for the incoming Student Council while sharing dinner. After Horikita left, Arisu revealed that she intended to visit Tetsu’s room to give him the compensation she had promised.

• Horikita Suzune, Sakayanagi Arisu, and Kazehara Tetsu ate hot pot and discussed how to manage the Student Council after Nagumo and Kiriyama graduated.
• Horikita planned to establish the new council’s structure first, while Sakayanagi proposed observing its problems during the first month.
• After dinner, Horikita thanked Sakayanagi and Tetsu, then left to buy a few things.
• In the elevator, Sakayanagi told Tetsu she was coming to his room to give him the promised compensation.
• Sakayanagi entered Tetsu’s room, and he closed the door behind them.

During winter break, Kazehara Tetsu met Ichinose Honami at a shopping mall and accompanied her to the gym she had joined. Ichinose explained that she wanted to exercise to stay warm and improve her figure, and she remained determined to follow through.

• Kazehara Tetsu found Ichinose Honami waiting outside the mall in the freezing cold and brought her into the heated lobby.
• Ichinose Honami told Kazehara Tetsu that she had joined the gym after a free trial made her feel more energetic.
• Ichinose Honami admitted that losing weight and improving her proportions were also reasons she wanted to exercise.
• Kazehara Tetsu warned that dieting and workouts would be exhausting, but Ichinose Honami insisted she had the willpower to keep going.