Recaps

D Class's students split into an angry dispute over Hirata's handling of the missing Key Card until Majima ordered them to stop. After the deserted-island exam ended, Horikita approached Kazehara on the cruise ship to ask what had happened, and he agreed to talk.

• Yukimura grabbed Hirata by the collar and blamed him for making an important decision without the class's consent.
• Karuizawa defended Hirata while Yukimura's supporters demanded to know who had taken the Key Card, and Kushida failed to calm the opposing groups.
• Majima silenced the students and ordered D Class to return to their places, leaving Hirata pale and Yukimura still glaring at him.
• After the seven-day exam ended, Kazehara saw the still-weak Horikita waiting on the cruise ship's deck.
• Horikita asked Kazehara to explain the exam from Class A's perspective, and he agreed to find somewhere to sit and talk.

Kazehara Tetsu explained the exam results to Horikita Suzune and described how Class D’s failed strategy and Hirata Yosuke’s cover-up had destroyed trust within the class. Horikita asked whether Class D could recover, but Kazehara said the chances were nearly zero, leaving her silent and defeated.

• Kazehara Tetsu explained that Ryuen Kakeru’s plan could not earn points and that Class D lost its saved points after its leader was exposed and it guessed Class C’s leader incorrectly.
• Horikita Suzune asked how Class A discovered the replacement leader and why Ryuen Kakeru withdrew, but Kazehara Tetsu withheld the details and said he did not know about Ryuen’s withdrawal.
• Kazehara Tetsu criticized Ayanokoji Kiyotaka for not taking charge and said Hirata Yosuke’s decision to cover for the real leader had split Class D into opposing factions.
• Horikita Suzune asked whether Class D could turn things around, and Kazehara Tetsu said rebuilding trust and uniting the class was highly unlikely.
• Horikita Suzune lowered her eyes and remained silent, unable to argue with Kazehara Tetsu’s assessment.

Kazehara Tetsu helped Horikita Suzune confront how much she had modeled herself on her brother, Horikita Manabu, and urged her to find goals of her own. He invited her to join Class A, leaving her to consider whether changing classes could help her choose her own path.

• Horikita Suzune asked Kazehara Tetsu what someone falling behind an exceptionally capable family member should do, and he recognized that she was speaking about herself.
• Kazehara Tetsu pointed out that Horikita Suzune had copied Horikita Manabu’s traits and questioned whether she sought Class A for herself or for his recognition.
• Horikita Suzune admitted she wanted to earn her brother’s approval, and Kazehara Tetsu encouraged her to become herself rather than a copy of him.
• Kazehara Tetsu suggested that Horikita Suzune could leave D class and invited her to join Class A.
• Horikita Suzune did not refuse, but asked for time to consider the offer and whether a new environment could help her find her own path.

Class A celebrated their success in the Desert Island Exam, and Kazehara joined after Hashimoto persuaded him. During the gathering, Kazehara and Katsuragi discussed the coming conflict with Sakayanagi and the danger it posed to the class’s unity, before Kazehara suggested a different way to view the situation.

• Hashimoto persuaded Kazehara to leave his room and attend Class A’s celebration.
• Tozuka welcomed Kazehara, and Katsuragi offered him a seat while Kamuro brought him pastries.
• Kazehara asked Katsuragi how he felt about the class, and Katsuragi said he was glad to see everyone getting along but feared it would not last.
• Kazehara asked whether Katsuragi would keep fighting Sakayanagi, and Katsuragi said their opposing ideals made conflict unavoidable.
• Katsuragi explained that he objected to Sakayanagi treating classmates as tools for personal power, and Kazehara suggested looking at the issue another way.

Kazehara Tetsu proposed becoming Class A’s leader to reconcile Katsuragi Kouhei’s desire for unity with Sakayanagi Arisu’s belief in Might Makes Right, and Katsuragi agreed to support him if he presented a workable plan. After leaving a class gathering, Kazehara found Yamamura Miki alone by a vending machine, where she admitted she was uncomfortable joining the others and envied how easily he drew attention.

• Kazehara Tetsu suggested that he lead Class A and balance the factions’ competing goals, saying his relationship with Sakayanagi Arisu could help persuade her.
• Katsuragi Kouhei agreed to support Kazehara if he could convince Sakayanagi with a concrete plan, but they paused their conversation when Hashimoto Masayoshi and Tozuka Yahiko approached.
• The students continued celebrating, and Kazehara left the Recreation Area when the gathering began to wind down.
• Kazehara spotted Yamamura Miki standing alone by the Vending Machine and asked why she was not inside with the others.
• Yamamura told Kazehara that she was uncomfortable in that setting and envied how he could get everyone to notice him.

Kazehara Tetsu helped Yamamura Miki open up about her loneliness and fear of talking to people, then encouraged her to join her classmates. Just as she found the courage to try, the gathering ended, but she decided she would keep trying to connect with others.

• Kazehara Tetsu asked Yamamura Miki why she wanted to be noticed, and she admitted that being ignored made her feel as if she did not exist.
• Yamamura Miki told Kazehara Tetsu that she liked listening to the Vending Machine and confessed that she had always been lonely and afraid to talk to people.
• Kazehara Tetsu told Yamamura Miki she communicated clearly and was a sweet girl, then encouraged her to approach the people in the Recreation Area.
• Yamamura Miki agreed to try joining her classmates, but the group left the Recreation Area before she could enter.
• Kazehara Tetsu reassured Yamamura Miki that she would have more chances, and she thanked him after deciding she wanted to try getting along with others.

Kazehara Tetsu received notice of a new Special Exam aboard the cruise ship and attended a briefing on its rules. He learned that he was in the Rabbit Group with students from all four classes, and expected to follow his plan to earn Points.

• Kazehara Tetsu read the school's email ordering students to attend a meeting about a Special Exam, while other students complained that their vacation had been interrupted.
• Kazehara Tetsu arrived at Room 204 at six o'clock, where Majima Tomoya explained that first-years would compete in twelve animal groups to identify each group's Favored One.
• Majima Tomoya outlined the exam's schedule and four possible outcomes, including rewards and Class Point penalties for correct or incorrect answers.
• Majima Tomoya distributed the Rabbit Group's roster, which included Kazehara Tetsu, Ichinose Honami, Ibuki Mio, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, and other students from Classes A through D.

After the Special Exam briefing, Kazehara Tetsu organized Class A to share information and revealed to Ichinose Honami that he planned to profit by submitting the Favored One’s name. Ichinose hesitated over his risky proposal, and the conversation turned to dinner.

• After the briefing, Kazehara Tetsu told Takemoto Shigeru to wait for the school to announce the Favored One and asked Class A to share their group lists in the class chat.
• Takemoto Shigeru agreed that gathering information was sensible and went back to his room.
• Kazehara Tetsu invited Ichinose Honami to join him in making Points, saying he would submit the Favored One’s name at eight-thirty the next night.
• Ichinose Honami questioned how Kazehara Tetsu could know the Favored One and said she needed time to consider the risk.
• Kazehara Tetsu gave Ichinose Honami until the next afternoon to answer, then asked whether she had eaten dinner.

Kazehara Tetsu and Ichinose Honami shared dinner and an easy conversation after the surprise test disrupted their vacation plans. Honami said she would seriously consider Kazehara’s earlier suggestion, and they ended the evening relaxing together on the ship’s deck.

• Kazehara Tetsu accepted Ichinose Honami’s invitation to eat, and they chose food together in the busy dining hall.
• Kazehara gave Honami roasted scallops, and they chatted about food, books, the cruise ship, and their interrupted vacation plans.
• Honami said she could not answer Kazehara’s earlier suggestion yet but would give it serious thought, adding that she did not think it would be bad if it was him.
• Kazehara and Honami went for a walk on the deck, where they found a cloudy sky and enjoyed the sea breeze together.
• Honami remarked that Kazehara sometimes sounded philosophical as they leaned by the railing.

Kazehara Tetsu learned he was not the Favored One and joined the Rabbit Group’s first discussion, where Ichinose Honami proposed that everyone cooperate to identify the Favored One and earn Personal Points. Most students cautiously accepted the plan, while Ibuki Mio watched Kazehara closely.

• The night before the exam, Ichinose Honami and Kazehara Tetsu returned to their cabin early.
• Kazehara received the school’s notice that he had not been selected as the Favored One and suspected Karuizawa Kei held that role.
• Kazehara arrived last at the Rabbit Group meeting and took the seat Takemoto Shigeru had saved for him.
• Ichinose proposed that the group cooperate to identify the Favored One and have everyone submit the correct answer for Personal Points.
• Yukimura Teruhiko and Sotohara Hideo supported the plan, and Manabe Shiho reluctantly agreed after Yabu Nanami urged her to try it.
• Ibuki Mio ignored the discussion and watched Kazehara as he looked at his phone.

Kazehara Tetsu privately showed Ichinose Honami that he knew the identities of Class B's Favored Ones, leaving her to postpone their discussion. Meanwhile, Manabe Shiho confronted Karuizawa Kei over an alleged past incident and threatened to photograph her, and Karuizawa looked to Kazehara for help.

• Kazehara Tetsu messaged Ichinose Honami a list identifying Class B's three Favored Ones, and Ichinose agreed to talk after they left.
• Manabe Shiho confronted Karuizawa Kei about Rika's claim that Karuizawa had bullied her in the school café.
• Karuizawa denied knowing Rika and dismissed the incident as minor, angering Manabe.
• Manabe pointed her phone camera at Karuizawa and threatened to send the picture to Rika for confirmation.
• Karuizawa searched the room for help and finally turned her gaze toward Kazehara Tetsu.

Kazehara Tetsu stopped Manabe Shiho from escalating the dispute with Karuizawa Kei by warning that it could disrupt the exam. After the discussion ended, he took Ichinose Honami aside, confirmed she trusted his list of Favored Ones, and began explaining a deal involving the exam’s point rules.

• Karuizawa Kei appealed to Kazehara Tetsu for help, and he warned Manabe Shiho that her actions could disrupt the exam and make the group jointly responsible.
• Manabe Shiho lowered her phone and warned Karuizawa Kei that their conflict was not over.
• After the First Round discussion ended, Kazehara Tetsu gestured for Ichinose Honami to follow him to the stern of the cruise ship.
• Ichinose Honami asked how Kazehara Tetsu had identified the Favored Ones, and he said the process did not matter as long as the list was correct.
• Kazehara Tetsu explained the rewards and penalties for guessing a Favored One, then said the rules contained a major loophole.

Kazehara Tetsu offered Ichinose Honami a deal: he would give Class B the Favored Ones’ identities in three groups in exchange for monthly Personal Point payments to Class A. Ichinose agreed to consult her class and promised an answer before their afternoon discussion.

• Kazehara explained that he would reveal the answers for three groups with Class A Favored Ones if Class B paid each Class A student 15,000 Personal Points per month until graduation.
• Ichinose weighed the deal’s benefits for both classes but worried that Class B students might resent the payments.
• Kazehara set the afternoon discussion as his deadline and said he would approach Ryuen Kakeru if Class B declined.
• Ichinose promised to gather Class B and give Kazehara an answer before the discussion.
• Kazehara and Ichinose exchanged teasing remarks as he left.

Kazehara Tetsu and Ichinose Honami confirmed that Class B had accepted his proposal to exchange 15,000 Points each month for 150 Class Points. They met with Hoshinomiya Chie to witness their private deal, leaving her curious about the negotiation.

• Ichinose Honami messaged Kazehara Tetsu that Class B had approved his proposal, and he promised to keep his word.
• Manabe Shiho and her companions whispered insults about Karuizawa Kei during the tense Rabbit Group discussion, which ended without further incident.
• Kazehara Tetsu reassured Ichinose Honami that their deal was legitimate as they waited in the cruise ship lounge for Hoshinomiya Chie.
• Hoshinomiya Chie teased Ichinose Honami about meeting Kazehara Tetsu and warned him not to bully her.
• Kazehara Tetsu described the arrangement as a friendly negotiation for their mutual benefit, prompting Hoshinomiya Chie to question him.

Kazehara Tetsu secured Ichinose Honami and Class B’s agreement to transfer their future monthly allowances to Class A in exchange for Class Points, with Hoshinomiya Chie witnessing the signed contract. He left after thanking them, while Chie worried about Class B’s future and remained wary of him.

• Ichinose Honami explained to Hoshinomiya Chie the deal Kazehara Tetsu had proposed and Class B’s decision to accept it.
• Hoshinomiya Chie warned that the arrangement could make Class B feel inferior to Class A, but Kazehara argued that strength and the school’s rules were what mattered.
• Kazehara presented the prepared contract, and Ichinose signed it before Chie signed as witness.
• Kazehara put away his copy, thanked Ichinose and Class B, and left the Lounge Area.
• Chie invited Ichinose to celebrate with a drink, then watched her and reflected on Class B’s future and her wariness of Kazehara.

Kazehara Tetsu revealed the rule for identifying each group’s Favored One, allowing the students to end all twelve groups’ exams three days before the deadline. Class A secured 350 Class Points, though Kazehara cautioned Hashimoto Masayoshi against assuming their position was permanent.

• Hashimoto Masayoshi asked Kazehara Tetsu whether he was certain about his answer, and Kazehara explained that each group’s members had to be sorted by Gojuonzu order to identify the Favored One by the zodiac animal’s rank.
• Kazehara Tetsu told Hashimoto Masayoshi that Karuizawa Kei was the Rabbit Group’s Favored One and said he had worked out the rule as soon as he saw the list.
• At 8:30, Kazehara Tetsu and Hashimoto Masayoshi submitted their answers to the school.
• The school announced that nine groups’ exams had ended, followed about thirty seconds later by the remaining three groups, leaving all twelve exams finished with three days to spare.
• Kazehara Tetsu said Ichinose Honami had waited for final confirmation before giving her instruction, and Hashimoto Masayoshi celebrated Class A’s growing Class Point total.
• Kazehara Tetsu warned Hashimoto Masayoshi not to make absolute claims about securing Class A’s position, then brushed off Hashimoto’s questions about what he meant.

Kazehara Tetsu asked Shiina Hiyori to watch Manabe Shiho and alert him if she planned to target Karuizawa Kei. Hiyori agreed, and they promised to spend a day together shopping or visiting a bookstore or café after returning to school.

• Kazehara Tetsu went to the deck and waited for Shiina Hiyori after the exam ended early.
• Kazehara Tetsu asked Shiina Hiyori to discreetly monitor Manabe Shiho and report any drastic plans against Karuizawa Kei.
• Shiina Hiyori agreed to keep watch and contact Kazehara Tetsu if anything unusual happened.
• Kazehara Tetsu offered Shiina Hiyori a reward, and she asked him to treat her to a meal.
• After learning Kazehara Tetsu had just eaten, Shiina Hiyori arranged for them to spend a day together shopping or visiting a bookstore or café after returning to school, and he promised to go.

Kazehara Tetsu planned to lure Manabe Shiho into helping him trap Karuizawa Kei, with Kushida Kikyo as the way to get Karuizawa alone. Ryuen Kakeru confronted him about how Class A solved the exam’s pattern, and Kazehara said he had guessed.

• Kazehara Tetsu learned from Hiyori that Manabe Shiho’s group had repeatedly taunted Karuizawa Kei and planned to lure Manabe with an invitation from a hidden account.
• Kazehara decided Kushida Kikyo could persuade Karuizawa Kei to meet without making her suspicious, then messaged Kushida and agreed to wait an hour.
• Ryuen Kakeru sat across from Kazehara and demanded to know how Class A had uncovered the Gojuonzu and zodiac pattern so quickly.
• Kazehara told Ryuen that he had guessed the pattern.

After Ryuen Kakeru left without getting an explanation for Kazehara Tetsu’s lucky guess, Kazehara met Kushida Kikyo and pretended he wanted her help pursuing Karuizawa Kei. Kushida hid her suspicion as he asked her to support his confession.

• Ryuen Kakeru grew angry when Kazehara Tetsu said he had guessed, then left the lounge after threatening him.
• Kazehara Tetsu waited about forty minutes for Kushida Kikyo to arrive.
• Kazehara Tetsu told Kushida Kikyo that he had liked Karuizawa Kei for a long time and wanted to confess.
• Kushida Kikyo reminded Kazehara Tetsu that Karuizawa Kei was Hirata-kun’s girlfriend and questioned whether pursuing her was right.
• Kazehara Tetsu claimed he wanted to confess so he could get an answer and move on, while Kushida Kikyo concealed her suspicion and called him romantic.

Kazehara Tetsu pressured Kushida Kikyo into luring Karuizawa Kei to a secluded spot so Manabe Shiho and her friends could carry out their plan. He then contacted Manabe anonymously, appealing to her anger and loyalty to Rika.

• Kazehara Tetsu guilted Kushida Kikyo into arranging a private meeting between him and Karuizawa Kei at eight that evening.
• Kushida Kikyo agreed to bring Karuizawa to a remote area near the cruise ship’s lower deck and make an excuse to leave.
• After Kushida left, Kazehara used a hidden account to search for Manabe Shiho.
• Manabe Shiho received an anonymous message offering to help her make Karuizawa Kei kneel and apologize.
• The sender challenged Manabe’s loyalty to Rika, leaving her furious and unsettled.

Manabe Shiho agreed to help an anonymous person target Karuizawa Kei and recruited Yabu Nanami and Yamashita Saki for an ambush. Karuizawa waited in a signal-free basement for Kushida Kikyo, but the people who entered were not who she expected.

• An anonymous person persuaded Manabe Shiho that they shared her hatred of Karuizawa and arranged a meeting at a secluded, unsupervised spot on the ship.
• Manabe Shiho told Yabu Nanami and Yamashita Saki that they would get justice for Rika by attacking Karuizawa that night.
• Karuizawa Kei waited five minutes past the agreed time in the ship's basement and complained that Kushida Kikyo had not arrived.
• Karuizawa discovered that her phone had no signal and heard the Fireproof Door unlock.
• Karuizawa turned toward the door, expecting Kushida, but saw several figures instead.

Kazehara Tetsu arranged for Manabe Shiho and three other Class C students to assault Karuizawa Kei, secretly recording the attack. After they left, he found Karuizawa curled up in the room, and she tried to hide her distress from him.

• Manabe Shiho, Yabu Nanami, Yamashita Saki, and Rika trapped Karuizawa Kei in a room, accusing her of mistreating Rika.
• Manabe Shiho pulled Karuizawa Kei by the hair and bullied her while the others joined in.
• Kazehara Tetsu watched through the door's observation window and recorded the entire assault on his phone.
• Manabe Shiho and the others left after the attack, and Kazehara Tetsu checked that the recording had captured their faces and actions clearly.
• Kazehara Tetsu entered the room and found Karuizawa Kei trembling on the floor; when she recognized him, she begged him not to look.

Kazehara Tetsu exposed Karuizawa Kei’s hidden history of bullying and used the video and the threat of Ryuen’s retaliation to offer her protection in exchange for becoming his subordinate. Karuizawa accepted his hand, agreeing to rely on him.

• Karuizawa tried to hide her distress and demanded that Kazehara help her get revenge on Manabe and the others.
• Kazehara revealed that he knew Karuizawa had been bullied and confronted her with her instinctive fear and submissiveness.
• Kazehara lifted Karuizawa’s shirt and revealed the knife scar on her abdomen, forcing her to acknowledge her past.
• Kazehara warned that Manabe and the others would tell Ryuen about Karuizawa’s role in the conflicts and threatened to hand her video to the school.
• Kazehara offered to protect Karuizawa if she became his parasite, and she placed her hand in his.

Manabe Shiho was silenced after an anonymous account sent her proof of the bullying, while Kagihara joined Ichinose Honami and Class B for a gathering ahead of the exam results. As the final night of the cruise drew late, Class B waited tensely for the results that would decide their wager.

• An anonymous account sent Manabe Shiho a photo of her bullying Karuizawa Kei and warned her that exposing the incident would also implicate her and anger Ryuen Kakeru.
• Manabe Shiho ordered Yabu Nanami and Yamashita Saki not to bring up Karuizawa Kei again, realizing she had been manipulated by someone unseen.
• On the cruise ship’s final night, Ichinose Honami invited Kagihara to a gathering with Class B’s key students to reassure them before the exam results.
• Kagihara chatted and played games with the students, winning over even those who had been hostile toward Class A.
• At 10:55 p.m., the gathering quieted as Class B students checked their phones and awaited the exam results.

The Favored One Special Exam ended with all twelve groups receiving Result Three, leaving Class B relieved while Kazehara Tetsu secured Class A’s gains and a long-term economic advantage. After the cruise, Kazehara reminded Sakayanagi Arisu of their promised summer hot spring trip, and she agreed to keep her word.

• The exam results showed Class A gaining 300 Class Points and 4.5 million Personal Points, Class B gaining no Class Points and 1.5 million Personal Points, and Classes C and D each losing 150 Class Points.
• Ichinose Honami and the Class B students celebrated their apparent escape from losing Class Points, while Kazehara Tetsu recognized that the outcome had also softened their hostility toward Class A.
• The students disembarked when the Luxury Cruise ended, and Sakayanagi Arisu praised Kazehara for his performance in the exam.
• Kazehara reminded Sakayanagi that she had promised to go on a hot spring trip with him during summer vacation.
• Sakayanagi agreed to keep her promise and teased Kazehara about seeing him at the hot springs before they parted to board the buses.