Chapter Summaries

Hoshino Kanade began her first day at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School after observing a dispute over a priority seat on the bus. She followed the girl who had caught her attention and learned that she was Ayanokoji Kiyona.

• Hoshino Kanade rode the bus to school beside a striking girl and reflected on her past life, her orphanage upbringing, and her limited savings.
• Koenji Rokusuke refused to give an elderly woman his priority seat and argued with a woman in office attire and a sweet-looking girl who asked him to move.
• The sweet-looking girl appealed to the other passengers, and one woman gave up her seat for the elderly woman.
• After the students arrived at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, Hoshino followed the girl from the bus and asked why she had watched her.
• The girl said she had been curious because Hoshino seemed unwilling to give up her seat, and she introduced herself as Ayanokoji Kiyona.

Hoshino Kanade and Ayanokoji Kiyona reunited as classmates in Class D and became friends, then argued with Horikita Suzune before their homeroom teacher explained the school’s point system. The class celebrated its initial 100,000 points, while Hoshino expected Class D to lose them and planned to pursue his own goals.

• Hoshino Kanade introduced himself to Ayanokoji Kiyona, and she happily declared them friends.
• Hoshino Kanade and Ayanokoji Kiyona discovered they were both in Class D and sat near each other, where they talked about fate and lifelong friendship.
• Horikita Suzune told Hoshino Kanade and Ayanokoji Kiyona to quiet down, and Hoshino challenged her until the teacher arrived.
• Chabashira Sae introduced herself as Class D’s homeroom teacher and explained that students had to live on campus and could not contact the outside world.
• Chabashira Sae announced that every student had received 100,000 points, and Hoshino anticipated that Class D would soon lose them.

Hoshino Kanade and Ayanokoji Kiyona left their class introductions and skipped the opening ceremony to buy necessities, while Hoshino suspected the school’s monthly points system had hidden conditions. They parted after exchanging contact information, and Hoshino settled into his new dorm room.

• Hirata Yosuke proposed voluntary introductions, and several classmates began introducing themselves.
• Hoshino Kanade slipped out of class, and Ayanokoji Kiyona followed him; they agreed to call each other Kanade and Kiyona.
• Kanade and Kiyona skipped the opening ceremony and visited the school convenience store, where Kanade pointed out clues that the points system and school cameras might have hidden purposes.
• Kanade and Kiyona bought necessities, exchanged contact information, and picked up their dorm keys.
• Kanade said goodbye to Kiyona and entered his spacious single dorm room, number 404.

Hoshino Kanade considered how to earn points and protect himself in Class D while hoping to grow closer to Ayanokoji Kiyona. Kiyona savored her newfound freedom in the dorm and accepted Kanade’s invitation to eat.

• Hoshino Kanade weighed selling information to other classes, deciding to avoid Class A for now and viewing Class B as the safest potential buyer.
• Hoshino Kanade considered recruiting Matsushita Chiaki as an informant but decided it was too soon to approach her.
• Hoshino Kanade invited Ayanokoji Kiyona to get something to eat through his terminal.
• Ayanokoji Kiyona celebrated her freedom from outside contact and reflected on Kanade’s unusual behavior and their friendship.
• Ayanokoji Kiyona accepted Kanade’s invitation to eat.

Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona ate mapo tofu in the cafeteria, where Kanade noticed third-years looking down on students taking free meals. They went to the library, where Kanade found Shiina Hiyori and was captivated by her.

• Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona chose mapo tofu and shared a meal in the crowded cafeteria.
• Kanade observed some third-years treating students who ate free meals with contempt, and Kiyona agreed their behavior was strange.
• Kanade explained that he planned to use his knowledge of the school and its students to build real abilities and advance his position.
• After lunch, Kanade and Kiyona went to the library to spend the rest of the free first day reading.
• Kanade encountered Shiina Hiyori in the library and was immediately captivated by her.

Shiina Hiyori watched Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona browse mystery novels in the library but could not bring herself to approach them. The next day, Hoshino Kanade settled into Class D’s relaxed routine, and Kiyona persuaded him to attend the club orientation with her.

• Shiina Hiyori noticed Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona choosing mystery novels, memorized their appearances, and began planning an accidental meeting rather than introducing herself.
• Hoshino Kanade spent the next morning reading books he thought Shiina Hiyori might like while Class D’s students grew increasingly lax during lessons.
• Kushida approached Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona at lunch, asked for their contact information, and added them to the class group chat.
• After a school announcement about the club orientation, Kiyona asked Hoshino Kanade to go with her, and he reluctantly agreed.
• Kiyona pressed her head into Hoshino Kanade’s hand, drawing the attention and pained howls of their classmates.

Hoshino Kanade accompanied Kiyona to the club fair, where her bluntly affectionate remarks drew attention and forced them to flee the crowd. Kiyona explained that she had copied the lines from a gal game, leaving Kanade flustered as they went to eat.

• Hoshino Kanade spent the day with Kiyona as their classmates whispered about their closeness, and Kiyona reminded him they would visit the club fair after school.
• After classes and cleaning, Hoshino Kanade went with Kiyona to the gym for the club fair.
• Kiyona showed little interest in the clubs and told Hoshino Kanade that a club without him had no meaning, prompting him to lead her out before the crowd gathered.
• Hoshino Kanade asked Kiyona about her remarks, and she said she had copied the style from a gal game she had played the night before.
• Hoshino Kanade told Kiyona not to play gal games again, and they went to eat.

Hoshino Kanade arranged a private meeting with Ichinose Honami and revealed that the school’s graduation benefits were reserved for Class A. Ichinose believed him and signed his confidentiality contract, leaving them poised to discuss the information further.

• Hoshino Kanade got Ichinose Honami’s contact information from Kushida and arranged to meet her privately at a KTV.
• Ichinose arrived early and checked the area before meeting Hoshino Kanade in room 206.
• Hoshino Kanade presented Ichinose with a contract that required her to keep his identity document information confidential.
• Ichinose hesitated over the contract’s one-sided terms, and Hoshino Kanade warned her that only Class A would receive the school’s full graduation benefits.
• Ichinose believed Hoshino Kanade and signed the contract.

Hoshino Kanade secured an information-sharing deal with Ichinose, giving her the choice of how much to pay for the first exam’s contents. Afterward, he spent lunch with Kiyona and tried the cafeteria’s new squid-and-crucian-carp rice bowl, which they both found unpleasant.

• Hoshino Kanade explained the class rankings and Class Points to Ichinose, then offered her the first exam’s contents in exchange for two million points.
• Ichinose signed a lenient contract that let her pay a month later or choose a fair amount, and she agreed to work with Hoshino Kanade.
• Hoshino Kanade reflected that he would need a different approach to deals with Class C and Class A.
• Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona bought the cafeteria’s Crucian-Squid Duo Rice Bowl and disliked its sour, fishy flavor.
• Kiyona said she would return to the dorm after school because the squid ink had stained her teeth, leaving Hoshino Kanade to go to the library alone.

Shiina Hiyori planned ways to approach Hoshino Kanade, hoping to find a fellow mystery-novel reader. When she finally met Hoshino alone in the library, they bonded over books and agreed to discuss them again.

• Shiina Hiyori abandoned her planned approach after realizing Hoshino Kanade had no predictable route and was usually accompanied by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
• Shiina Hiyori found Hoshino Kanade alone in the library but hesitated to interrupt her reading.
• Hoshino Kanade noticed Shiina Hiyori watching and invited her to read together.
• Hoshino Kanade and Shiina Hiyori discussed the mystery novel The Devotion of Suspect X and its clues.
• Shiina Hiyori offered Hoshino Kanade a choice of her first-edition Queen books, and they agreed to talk about The Tragedy of Y next time.

Kiyona struggled with jealousy when Hoshino Kanade introduced Shiina Hiyori as a new friend, but accepted her after they bonded over detective fiction. Later, Hoshino asked Shiina to negotiate with Ryuen Kakeru using information about the school’s first assessment, leaving Kiyona observing Hoshino’s trust in both of them.

• Hoshino Kanade introduced Shiina Hiyori to Ayanokoji Kiyona, who offered Shiina a book about locked-room mysteries.
• Kiyona decided her earlier reaction to Hoshino making another friend had only been necessary for the role she was playing.
• Hoshino asked Shiina to take information about Class A’s first assessment to Ryuen Kakeru and negotiate a deal for one million points.
• Shiina agreed to approach Ryuen, while Hoshino specified that he must keep her involvement secret and could blame upperclassmen if problems arose.
• Kiyona watched the discussion and planned to ask Hoshino about the questions she could not answer herself.

Hoshino Kanade chose to trust Kiyona and revealed that he cared more about earning points and building a good life with their group than competing for Class A. At the start of May, Chabashira Sae revealed that Class D had received zero points because of its students’ misconduct, leaving the class stunned by the ranking board.

• Kiyona decided not to ask Kanade about Class D, and Kanade asked whether she wanted to reach Class A; she said she only wanted to enjoy high school.
• Kanade told Kiyona that supporting themselves and making a good life for the three of them mattered more to him than the class-ranking competition, and she agreed with him.
• The next day, Shiina Hiyori told Kanade that their information-gathering operation could earn them a million points early the following month.
• On May 1, Hondo complained that the class’s monthly points had not arrived, and Chabashira Sae coldly told him that the transfer had been completed.
• Koenji pointed out that Class D had received no points, and Chabashira explained that lateness, absences, and disruptions during class had cost them their allowance.
• Chabashira displayed the class rankings: Class A had 950 points, Class B had 940, Class C had 750, and Class D had 0.

Class D learned that it had earned zero points after its students squandered their allowance, and Chabashira Sae explained that the school ranked students by merit. The chapter ended with Class D facing possible expulsions after a quiz and the former Class A struggling to accept its demotion to Class B.

• Chabashira Sae told Class D that its zero points would leave it with no monthly allowance and called its students defective products.
• Horikita Suzune challenged the class assignments after Class B overtook the original Class A, but Chabashira Sae told her to prove herself by reaching Class A.
• Chabashira Sae revealed that seven Class D students would face expulsion if the quiz had been a formal exam.
• A Class C student mocked the former Class A, prompting Totsuka Yahiko to try to chase him before Katsuragi Kohei stopped him.
• Sakayanagi Arisu warned Katsuragi Kohei that Totsuka Yahiko's impulsiveness could cost them their place in Class B.

After the first month’s aptitude assessment reshuffled the class rankings, Class A celebrated its rise while Class D struggled with having no points and growing resentment. Hoshino Kanade reflected on how the upheaval had changed the story’s course before he and Ayanokoji were summoned to the faculty office.

• Ichinose thanked Class A for working together, while Kanzaki and Hoshinomiya recognized the uncertainty behind their promotion.
• Ryuen watched Class C begin to appreciate his strict discipline and told Ishizaki to go to the bathroom.
• Yukimura confronted Hirata over Class D’s situation, but Kushida intervened and calmed them; Sudo then stormed out after rejecting Hirata’s appeal to cooperate.
• Yamauchi tried to sell his used game console for more than he had paid, while Karuizawa asked classmates to lend her points.
• Hoshino Kanade considered how the altered rankings had disrupted the original course of events and decided not to involve himself in guiding Class D.
• A school announcement summoned Hoshino Kanade and Ayanokoji to meet Chabashira-sensei in the faculty office.

Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona went to find Chabashira Sae, but she led them to a cramped pantry and ordered them to hide in silence. As footsteps approached outside, Hoshino Kanade held Kiyona close, turning the tables after she had teased him.

• Hoshino Kanade guessed that Chabashira Sae had called them over because she suspected Kiyona was pretending to be diligent.
• Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona met Hoshinomiya Chie, who teased them, and Hoshino Kanade hinted that Chabashira had special expectations for Class D's future.
• Chabashira arrived, scolded Hoshinomiya for pestering her students, and took Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona to the Counseling Room.
• Chabashira locked Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona inside a pantry and ordered them to stay quiet or face serious consequences, including expulsion.
• Kiyona teased Hoshino Kanade in the darkness until he heard approaching footsteps and pulled her into his arms.

Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona hid together while Chabashira Sae spoke with a student outside, and their teasing turned into a secret kiss. The chapter ended with Kanade pulling Kiyona into a deeper kiss as she closed her eyes and yielded to the moment.

• Hoshino Kanade teased Kiyona while holding her close, as she warned him that Chabashira-sensei and another student were outside.
• Kiyona noticed something hard in Kanade's pocket, and he awkwardly claimed it was a root vegetable.
• Kanade nipped Kiyona's ear, and she struggled to keep quiet while the conversation outside continued.
• Kiyona kissed Kanade to stifle any sound he might make, then asked if he was satisfied.
• Kanade said the kiss was not enough, pulled Kiyona close, and kissed her again as she closed her eyes.

Horikita Suzune questioned Chabashira Sae about being assigned to Class D, and Chabashira showed her Horikita’s impeccable entrance exam results. The conversation ended with Chabashira summoning Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona from the Pantry, where they had been hiding together.

• Horikita Suzune asked Chabashira Sae why she had been assigned to Class D and insisted she had performed well on the entrance exam.
• Chabashira Sae showed Horikita her answer sheet and confirmed that her written score was impeccable.
• Chabashira Sae revealed that Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona were in the Pantry and ordered them to come out or face expulsion.
• Kiyona reluctantly let go of Hoshino Kanade, and the two emerged flustered, with Kanade trying to shield her.
• Chabashira Sae questioned their flushed faces and suspicious behavior, but Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona denied hearing her conversation with Horikita.

Chabashira Sae questioned Kiyona about her deliberately identical exam scores and challenged Kanade over his refusal to engage with Class D. She left the office still considering how to get Kiyona, Kanade, and Horikita to work together for the class.

• Chabashira Sae showed Kiyona her entrance exam and quiz scores, all exactly fifty in every subject, and asked if she had controlled them on purpose.
• Kiyona admitted she had taken the tests that way because it was interesting, leaving Chabashira Sae's prepared speech useless.
• Chabashira Sae asked Kanade why he had poor cooperation and group-spirit evaluations despite his perfect entrance exam results.
• Kanade said he did not care which class he was in, disliked bonding activities, and could manage without Class Points.
• Chabashira Sae gathered her papers when the hour struck and told the students to leave before the office was locked.
• Horikita Suzune headed for the door without acknowledging Chabashira Sae, Kiyona, or Kanade.

After Chabashira Sae left, Kiyona and Hoshino Kanade grew closer as they walked together, until Horikita Suzune interrupted them. Horikita reflected on Chabashira's hint that the two students could help her raise Class D to Class A.

• Chabashira Sae left the teachers' room entrance, and Kiyona called her lecture pointless.
• Hoshino Kanade said the wait had not been a complete waste, and Kiyona quietly reacted to his words.
• Kiyona linked arms with Hoshino Kanade as they walked beneath the cherry trees.
• Horikita Suzune stopped them in the corridor and asked about their closeness.
• Horikita recalled her meeting with Chabashira Sae and concluded that Hoshino Kanade and Ayanokoji Kiyona could help her raise Class D to Class A.

Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona rejected Horikita Suzune’s appeal to help promote Class D to Class A and continued on their own path. Over the following week, Kiyona grew increasingly attached to Hoshino Kanade, deciding that being near him mattered more than understanding her feelings.

• Horikita Suzune urged Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona to use their talents to help Class D reach Class A.
• Hoshino Kanade told Horikita Suzune that her goal meant nothing to them, and Kiyona said she was not interested.
• Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona walked away together, while Horikita Suzune remained determined to pursue her class goal alone.
• Over the next week, Kiyona and Hoshino Kanade grew closer as they walked, ate, and read together.
• Kiyona wondered whether she wanted Hoshino Kanade himself or the comfort he gave her, then decided she only wanted to stay by his side.