Chapter Summaries

Sakayanagi Arisu offered Class D a cooperation contract that would give Class A 10,000 points per student each month and impose severe penalties for missed payments. After Class A revealed that nine group exams had ended, Horikita Suzune rejected its offer to provide answers and hurried to gather Class D’s signatures, while Ichinose Honami and Ryuen Kakeru considered the exam pattern.

• Sakayanagi Arisu proposed that Class D pay Class A 10,000 points per student each month in exchange for using three Class A VIP identities.
• Horikita Suzune read the contract’s debt and expulsion clauses, then agreed to seek every Class D student’s signature.
• Sakayanagi Arisu and her group revealed that nine group exams had ended, and Horikita Suzune refused Sakayanagi’s offer to share Class D’s answers.
• Ichinose Honami worried that Class B had failed the VIP Exam and questioned whether she was suited to lead her class.
• Ryuen Kakeru asked Shiina Hiyori about the exam pattern, then decided to approach Sakayanagi Arisu for answers.

Uesugi Hara, Sakayanagi Arisu, and Kamuro Masumi shared a teasing afternoon at a café before Ryuen Kakeru arrived to ask Sakayanagi to cooperate on the VIP challenge. Sakayanagi refused because she had already partnered with Class D, and Ryuen left without learning who had uncovered the pattern.

• Uesugi Hara teased Kamuro Masumi and flirted with Sakayanagi Arisu, but Kamuro interrupted their exchange.
• Ryuen Kakeru arrived with Ishizaki Daichi, Yamada Albert, and Shiina Hiyori and asked Sakayanagi Arisu to work with him on the Class A VIP.
• Sakayanagi Arisu told Ryuen Kakeru that she had already partnered with Class D, which she had chosen simply because she wanted to work with them.
• Ryuen Kakeru asked whether Sakayanagi or Uesugi had figured out the pattern, but neither revealed the answer.
• Ryuen Kakeru ended the conversation and left with his companions.

After the exam, Ichinose Honami worried that her failures had made her unfit to lead Class B, and Hoshinomiya Chie comforted her. The chapter ended with Hoshinomiya preparing a more personal way to cheer her up.

• Ryuen Kakeru left with Ishizaki Daichi, Yamada Albert, and Shiina Hiyori, and Sakayanagi Arisu signed a contract with Horikita Suzune.
• The exam ended with Class A gaining 300 Class Points and 4.5 million Private Points, Class B and Class C each losing 150 Class Points, and Class D gaining 1.5 million Private Points.
• Ichinose Honami felt responsible for Class B's poor result and went to speak with Hoshinomiya Chie.
• Ichinose asked Hoshinomiya whether she could truly lead Class B, and Hoshinomiya reassured her that she did not have to shoulder every failure alone.
• When Ichinose remained upset, Hoshinomiya decided to use her secret technique to comfort her.

Uesugi Hara found Ichinose Honami drunk outside his room and took care of her. As she questioned her own ability as class leader, he explained that her setbacks came from inexperience and unbounded kindness, leaving her to consider where to set limits.

• Uesugi Hara opened his door after hearing irregular knocks and caught Ichinose Honami as she fell into his arms.
• Uesugi Hara brought the drunk Ichinose Honami inside, corrected her confusion about whose room she was in, and gave her a trash can when she began vomiting.
• Uesugi Hara gave Ichinose water, and Ichinose asked whether she was useless after her class's recent setbacks.
• Ichinose Honami told Uesugi Hara she regretted keeping the suspected spy Kaneda in her class and failing to see the pattern in the VIP Exam.
• Uesugi Hara said Ichinose's mistakes came from inexperience and excessive kindness, then explained that she needed to decide how much she was willing to do for others and when to stop.

Uesugi Hara warned Ichinose Honami that Class B could not avoid conflict if it wanted to reach Class A, then offered to help her lead Class B in exchange for influence over it. Ichinose remained wary but began considering the deal, leaving Uesugi intent on expanding his control across the first-year classes.

• Uesugi Hara advised Ichinose Honami to set limits if she took in a student from another class and warned her that the other classes would fight for the school's graduation benefits.
• Uesugi challenged Ichinose's ambition and pressured her to prove she could keep leading Class B, prompting her to insist she would not give up.
• Uesugi claimed Class A could not be surpassed while he supported it, then offered Ichinose key exam information in return for letting him direct Class B.
• Ichinose mistook Uesugi's proposed conditions for a sexual demand, and he clarified that he wanted her to lead Class B according to his instructions.
• Uesugi promised to consult Ichinose before taking actions that harmed Class B's interests, and she began to consider the alliance as a chance to raise her class.

Uesugi Hara and Ichinose Honami agreed to cooperate, with Ichinose promising to end the arrangement once Class B no longer needed his help. After discovering it was nearly midnight, Ichinose asked to stay at Uesugi’s room, and he struggled to understand his restless feelings as she showered.

• Ichinose Honami agreed to change Class B’s strategy and accept Uesugi Hara’s help, while promising to end their cooperation when her class no longer needed it.
• Uesugi asked why Ichinose had gotten drunk, and she explained that Hoshinomiya Chie had brought her to her room and pressured her to drink beer.
• Uesugi told Ichinose it was nearly midnight, and she found messages from Shiranami Chihiro asking whether she would return.
• Ichinose asked to stay the night at Uesugi’s room, and he agreed because he had an extra bed.
• Ichinose went to shower in Uesugi’s shirt while he turned off the lights and wondered whether his restless feelings meant he was falling for her.

Ichinose Honami spent the night in Uesugi Hara's room after washing her clothes, while both tried to hide their unease from each other. In the morning, she realized Uesugi had seen her underwear hanging in the bathroom and decided to wash his shirt before returning it.

• Ichinose Honami returned from the bathroom in Uesugi Hara's shirt and went to sleep, while Uesugi silently wished his “Miss Tool” good night.
• Hoshinomiya Chie drunkenly rambled about her past, and Shiranami Chihiro dreamed of cuddling Ichinose Honami.
• Uesugi Hara woke early, noticed Ichinose sleeping, and saw her pink underwear hanging beside the bathroom sink before leaving for breakfast.
• Ichinose Honami woke late, discovered her underwear in the bathroom, and worried about what Uesugi Hara would think of her.
• Ichinose Honami told Uesugi Hara she would take his shirt home, wash it, and return it, and he casually agreed.

Uesugi Hara and Sakayanagi Arisu talked about her health, ambitions, and views on life before discussing her plan to invite the class leaders to an event. The chapter ended with Sakayanagi asking why the other leaders would attend even if they recognized her invitation as a trap.

• Sakayanagi Arisu joined Uesugi Hara for a break and asked about his past and his time in high school.
• Sakayanagi told Uesugi Hara that she sometimes envied healthy people but valued her intelligence, family, and other possessions more than a healthy body.
• Sakayanagi declared that she would overcome her physical limitations and win what she wanted in her own way.
• Sakayanagi proposed hosting an event for the class leaders to exchange advice, and said Class A would prepare the venue and refreshments.
• Uesugi Hara likened Sakayanagi's invitation to a Hongmen Banquet, and Sakayanagi asked why the other class leaders would still attend.

Sakayanagi Arisu gathered students from all four classes for a social game and proposed a high-stakes version of Old Maid. The seven players prepared to compete for five hundred thousand Points, with the winner being the person who held the odd card when the game ended.

• Uesugi Hara accompanied Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Masumi to the gathering, where the four class leaders discussed class matters.
• Uesugi Hara sat with Kamuro Masumi, Ayanokoji, Kushida Kikyo, Kanzaki, and Shiina Hiyori while the leaders talked.
• Kamuro Masumi pressed her foot onto Uesugi Hara's, and he tickled her waist until she laughed and hurried to the restroom.
• Sakayanagi Arisu invited the students to play Old Maid, and seven students joined: Uesugi Hara, Sakayanagi Arisu, Ichinose Honami, Ryuen Kakeru, Shiina Hiyori, Ayanokoji, and Horikita Suzune.
• Sakayanagi Arisu offered five hundred thousand Points as the prize and explained that the winner would be the last player holding the odd card.

Sakayanagi Arisu explained the seating rules for the Old Maid game, and the players began competing for 500,000 points. After the first round, Ayanokoji and Shiina Hiyori had been eliminated, while Ryuen Kakeru secretly took the Joker from Uesugi Hara.

• Sakayanagi Arisu explained how the referees would arrange seats and how players from the same class would switch places if they ended up adjacent.
• Kushida Kikyo arranged the seats after Uesugi Hara revealed that he held seven unmatched cards and the Joker.
• Ayanokoji drew a matching card from Uesugi Hara and left the game, missing out on the 500,000 points.
• Uesugi Hara discarded a pair of 6s, and Shiina Hiyori later paired her cards and was eliminated.
• Ryuen Kakeru drew the Joker from Uesugi Hara, ending the round with him holding it and Class A still best positioned to win.

Uesugi Hara won the Old Maid game, allowing Ichinose Honami to take Sakayanagi Arisu’s five hundred thousand points, then confronted Kushida Kikyo on the deck. Their argument turned physical, and the chapter ended with Uesugi restraining Kushida as she struggled and shouted.

• Horikita Suzune, Ryuen Kakeru, and Sakayanagi Arisu were eliminated from the card game, leaving Uesugi Hara and Ichinose Honami to play the final round.
• Uesugi drew the Joker, but Ichinose avoided it and won the game, receiving five hundred thousand points from Sakayanagi.
• Uesugi met Kushida on the deck and explained that he had helped Ichinose because she was his partner and because Class A’s wager was meant to display its resources.
• Kushida questioned Uesugi about Class B working for him, and he covered her mouth to keep her from attracting attention.
• Kushida bit Uesugi’s arm, so he slapped her buttocks and then restrained her against a wall when she lunged at him.
• Uesugi told Kushida he would release her if she stopped shouting and nodded.

Uesugi Hara confronted Kushida Kikyo about her false, people-pleasing persona and coaxed her into revealing her resentment and insecurities. He then played back her confession on his Terminal, exposing that he had deliberately drawn her out and leaving Kushida furious and ashamed.

• Kushida Kikyo glared at Uesugi Hara after he released her, while he inspected the bite marks on his arm.
• Uesugi Hara told Kushida Kikyo that she seemed more real when she stopped pretending to please everyone.
• Kushida Kikyo admitted how exhausting it was to smile, act cute, and hide her true feelings for fear of being excluded.
• Kushida Kikyo realized Uesugi Hara had been trying to draw her out and confronted him.
• Uesugi Hara played a recording of Kushida Kikyo's confession from his Terminal, and she tried unsuccessfully to seize it.
• Uesugi Hara said he had wanted her to learn how cruel people could be, while Kushida called him a pervert and a liar.

Uesugi Hara secured leverage over Kushida Kikyo and left her struggling with their uneasy partnership, while Ichinose Honami secretly kept his shirt close at night. The next morning, he ran into Morishita Ai and their encounter turned into a playful chase.

• Uesugi Hara told Kushida Kikyo that he had kept a recording as insurance for their partnership, then teased her before leaving.
• Kushida Kikyo grew upset after Uesugi Hara said he liked the real her, and she leaned against the railing in the moonlight.
• Ichinose Honami held Uesugi Hara's unwashed shirt under the covers and wore it unbuttoned as she went to sleep.
• Uesugi Hara spotted Morishita Ai crouching over an ant and kicked her, then falsely blamed Kamuro Masumi.
• Morishita Ai recognized Uesugi Hara's lie and hit him with a slipper, then chased him and threw her other slipper at him.

Uesugi Hara and Ayanokoji followed Manabe Shiho and two other Class C girls as they confronted Karuizawa Kei over an incident with Rika. After Uesugi Hara intervened, he forced Karuizawa to thank him before he and Ayanokoji left her behind.

• Uesugi Hara and Ayanokoji followed the Class C girls as they led Karuizawa Kei into a deserted alley.
• Manabe Shiho accused Karuizawa of knocking Rika over and refusing to apologize, and the girls shoved and bullied her.
• Ayanokoji and Uesugi Hara watched until Ayanokoji asked whether they should intervene, then Uesugi stepped out and made the girls leave.
• Karuizawa rejected Uesugi Hara's help and tried to leave, but he tripped her and repeatedly stopped her from getting up.
• Uesugi Hara made Karuizawa thank him before leaving with Ayanokoji.

Uesugi Hara met Ayanokoji on the cruise ship’s lowest level, where they watched Karuizawa Kei being bullied by girls from Class C. Uesugi agreed to take control of Karuizawa as a source of information and left Ayanokoji to handle the recorded video and the bullies.

• The morning after their conversation, Ayanokoji messaged Uesugi Hara and asked him to meet on the ship’s lowest level.
• Uesugi found Ayanokoji watching Karuizawa Kei being bullied and agreed to use her to gather information for Ayanokoji.
• Manabe Shiho pressured Rika to slap Karuizawa, and Rika’s fear gave way to an eager grin as she struck Karuizawa repeatedly.
• Uesugi and Ayanokoji watched Karuizawa beg the girls to stop while one of them recorded the assault on her Terminal.
• Uesugi declared that Karuizawa was his to control, and Ayanokoji agreed to deal with the video and the girls from Class C.

Uesugi Hara confronted Karuizawa Kei about Hirata Yosuke and the fake relationship, then uncovered a scar tied to her painful past. He stopped when she begged him not to touch it, apologized, and left her shirt buttoned.

• Uesugi Hara told Karuizawa Kei that Class C had come instead of Hirata and suggested Hirata had betrayed her.
• Uesugi Hara revealed that Hirata had told him about their fake relationship, and Karuizawa Kei collapsed in despair.
• Karuizawa Kei offered to let Uesugi Hara do whatever he wanted, and he pinned her down and unbuttoned her shirt.
• Uesugi Hara felt a scar on Karuizawa Kei's abdomen, and she tearfully begged him not to touch it.
• Uesugi Hara withdrew his hand, buttoned Karuizawa Kei's shirt, and apologized.

After learning about Karuizawa Kei’s past bullying and the scar it left, Uesugi Hara offered her protection in exchange for gathering information about Ayanokoji. Karuizawa accepted, though she remained wary of trusting him.

• Karuizawa Kei explained that girls at her high school had bullied her and cut her with a knife, leaving the scar on her abdomen.
• Uesugi Hara warned that Class C still had a video of her and offered to protect her, showing her the footage as proof that he had it.
• Uesugi Hara asked Karuizawa to work for him by helping Ayanokoji and reporting information about him.
• Uesugi Hara told Karuizawa she could avoid dangerous tasks and invoke Sakayanagi Arisu’s name if she ran into trouble.
• Karuizawa Kei weighed his offer against Class C’s threats and agreed to become his informant.

After confronting the scar left by her past bullying and ending her false relationship with Hirata Yosuke, Karuizawa Kei resolved to protect herself by becoming dependent on Uesugi Hara. Before dawn, she went to his room, determined to bind herself to him.

• Karuizawa Kei examined the scar on her abdomen, retched, and cried as she recalled her helplessness and vowed to protect herself.
• Karuizawa Kei told Matsushita Chiaki that she was meeting a teacher, while admitting that she and Hirata Yosuke had broken up.
• Karuizawa Kei left the dormitory and decided that she needed to pay a price to secure Uesugi Hara's protection.
• Karuizawa Kei found Uesugi Hara's room and knocked on his door.

Karuizawa Kei visited Uesugi Hara at night and offered herself in exchange for his protection, afraid he would abandon her like Hirata Yosuke had. Uesugi Hara stopped short of taking advantage of her, comforted her, and let her fall asleep beside him.

• Karuizawa Kei insisted on entering Uesugi Hara's room and clung to him, admitting she feared being abandoned again.
• Karuizawa Kei offered to satisfy Uesugi Hara's desires if he promised to protect her from bullying and never leave her.
• Uesugi Hara told Karuizawa Kei to let go, then carried her to the bed and gave her the night to calm down.
• Karuizawa Kei slipped into Uesugi Hara's bed and urged him to remember her, but he stopped and covered the scar on her lower abdomen with his hand.
• Uesugi Hara promised to discuss things after they returned to school, and Karuizawa Kei relaxed and fell asleep beside him.

Uesugi Hara and Karuizawa Kei woke up together after spending the night in his room, and he helped her avoid being seen by other students. Over breakfast, Kei worried that he would judge her for her bold advances, but Uesugi assured her he would keep his word.

• Karuizawa Kei woke beside Uesugi Hara and hurried to cover herself after her pajamas slipped.
• Uesugi Hara warned Kei that students might gossip if they saw her leaving his room after her breakup with Hirata Yosuke, so she stayed until nightfall.
• Kei messaged Matsushita Chiaki and her friends, telling them she was resting in a room arranged by a teacher.
• Uesugi Hara returned with breakfast and asked Kei why she was eating so slowly.
• Kei asked Uesugi whether he thought she was easy, and he said he believed her and would keep his word.