Chapter Summaries

Kujo took Hiyori to play tennis, where she struggled while Ayanokoji displayed extraordinary skill against Horikita Suzune and later rallied with Kujo for hours. Afterward, Hiyori told Horikita that she only wanted to graduate with Kujo, while Horikita admitted she could not trust Ayanokoji.

• Kujo and Hiyori met Ayanokoji and Horikita Suzune at the tennis courts, where Horikita rejected Ayanokoji's suggestion to play doubles.
• Ayanokoji defeated Horikita after imitating her tennis technique, leaving her exhausted and unconvinced that he had played fairly.
• Hiyori tried tennis with Kujo's help but struggled to return the soft balls, so Kujo stopped and suggested they go to the library.
• Kujo challenged Ayanokoji to rally without keeping score, and the two played for hours before Hiyori brought them a ball-picking machine.
• Horikita asked Hiyori about her goals and her relationship with Kujo, and Hiyori said she only wanted to graduate with him.
• Horikita said she could not trust Ayanokoji because his inner self differed from his outward appearance.

Kujo and Hiyori read together in the library, where Sakayanagi approached Hiyori and befriended her over their shared love of books. Hiyori left happy with her new friendship, while Kujo suspected Sakayanagi had carefully learned how to appeal to her interests.

• Kujo followed Hiyori to the library, and they communicated silently while finding books and read sitting back-to-back.
• Sakayanagi sat across from Hiyori, introduced herself, and asked to be her friend.
• Hiyori and Sakayanagi bonded over the novel Sakayanagi was reading and exchanged thoughts about it.
• Sakayanagi gave Hiyori the book, asked her to recommend more, and left after Hiyori shared her phone number.
• Kujo returned and heard how Hiyori had made a new friend; he suspected Sakayanagi had used her knowledge of Hiyori's interests to build a connection.

Kujo Makoto sold Katsuragi information about Ryuen and then received Sakayanagi’s offer through Morishita Ai. The chapter ended with Kujo hinting that he wanted Sakayanagi’s chess records, while Hiyori told him she had made a new friend.

• Katsuragi paid Kujo ten thousand points for information about Ryuen, then asked whether Kujo had submitted to Ryuen’s rule.
• Kujo admitted that he was Ryuen’s strategic partner, and Katsuragi proposed keeping in touch for more information.
• Morishita approached Kujo on Sakayanagi’s behalf and passed him Sakayanagi’s offer to arrange a private confrontation with Ayanokoji in exchange for personal points.
• Morishita promised to transfer her points if Kujo ever needed them to move up to Class A, and Kujo hinted that he wanted Sakayanagi’s chess records.
• Kujo returned to his seat, where Hiyori told him she had made a new friend.

Ichinose Honami joined the Student Council and rejected Miyabi Nagumo’s attempt to recruit her to his meritocratic plan. She declared that she would protect every first-year from expulsion, prompting Nagumo to start planning how to counter her growing influence.

• Ichinose Honami introduced herself as a new Student Council member, and Miyabi Nagumo took her aside to hand over her duties.
• Nagumo told Ichinose that Horikita Manabu had chosen her because she could help protect his younger sister and offered to teach her how to reach Class A.
• Ichinose asked about Nagumo’s policies, and he described a system that would give student leaders control over points and expel those he judged incapable.
• Ichinose challenged Nagumo’s plan, saying students outside Class A could enjoy the same sea breeze and that she would not abandon any first-year to the school’s exams.
• Nagumo realized Ichinose could unite the first-years against him and began planning to expand his influence and replace Horikita Manabu as Student Council president.

Kujo helped Nohara at the school flower shop and negotiated with Sakayanagi to earn monthly Personal Points by assisting Class A in an exam. Sakayanagi arranged for Kamuro to meet Kujo, anticipating their discussion as May approached.

• Kujo replaced shelves at Nohara's flower shop, and Nohara planned a surprise for her after seeing her leave.
• Sakayanagi asked Kujo whether she would help Class A earn Class Points in an exam in exchange for monthly payments from its students.
• Kujo proposed that Sakayanagi pay her based on how many Class Points her help secured, and they agreed to meet in a few days with Shiina.
• Sakayanagi ordered Kamuro to print something and meet a student from Class C, whom Kamuro recognized as Kujo.
• Alone in the classroom, Sakayanagi removed her beret and rested after expressing anticipation for May.

The first-month Code of Conduct Exam results showed Class A in first place and Class D far closer behind than expected, prompting celebrations, criticism, and new rivalries across the year. Katsuragi accepted Sakayanagi's leadership and signed a contract involving Kujo, while Sakayanagi promised to lead Class A to graduation as she continued to focus on competing with Ayanokoji.

• The school announced that the first-years had passed the month without losing points, ranking Class A at 1000, Class B at 992, Class C at 920, and Class D at 810, with no class changes.
• Hirata led Class D in celebrating its results, while Horikita, Ayanokoji, Karuizawa, and Koenji remained largely unmoved.
• Ryuen reflected on his control of Class C and revealed that he had stopped Koenji's plan to obtain Personal Points from upperclassmen after the Student Council intervened.
• Ichinose and Class B celebrated their score, while Hoshinomiya became determined to compete with Chabashira after seeing Class D's results.
• Sakayanagi's faction criticized Katsuragi, and Kamuro presented a cooperation contract between Class A and Kujo that called for Sakayanagi to drop out if Class A broke the agreement.
• Katsuragi signed the contract and asked whether Class C was an enemy or ally; Sakayanagi promised Class A's students she would ensure they graduated from Class A, while keeping her focus on Ayanokoji.

Kujo met Sakayanagi Arisu on the seaside promenade to ask her to arrange a meeting with her father about changing the school’s rules. Sakayanagi revealed that she understood Kujo wanted to dismantle the class-based system, and she chose to stay at the school to witness his path and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka’s.

• Kujo asked Sakayanagi to speak with her father about raising exam difficulty and rewards, and she agreed to pass along his question.
• Sakayanagi asked Kujo to stay at the school after graduation, but he declined and said he would take care of Hiyori.
• Kujo suggested Sakayanagi wanted to defeat Ayanokoji and leave the school, and she explained that she opposed the White Room’s treatment of talent and wanted to challenge Ayanokoji.
• Sakayanagi deduced that Kujo wanted to end the school’s class-based privilege system rather than help every first-year graduate from Class A.
• Sakayanagi declared she would remain at the school to witness Kujo and Ayanokoji’s paths, and said Kujo’s presence was necessary to face Ayanokoji.
• Kujo explained that Ryuen had revealed the school’s rules on his own after Kujo initially gave him the information.

Kujo and Hiyori spent a seaside date exchanging gifts and talking about their futures, and Kujo admitted his selfish nature while telling her he wanted to graduate with her. Hiyori reassured him that she loved him and hoped to make more friends before they parted near the school.

• After saying goodbye to Sakayanagi, Kujo walked with Hiyori along the Seaside Promenade and joked about buying her a library after graduation.
• Kujo kissed Hiyori's hand, and she shyly took his hand so they could walk together by the sea.
• When Hiyori asked about his plans after graduation, Kujo said he hoped to continue studying at the same school as her and described what he expected for their classmates.
• Kujo gave Hiyori a light-blue hair clip, and Hiyori surprised him with a bouquet and told him she would always face in his direction.
• Kujo confessed that he was selfish and cared most about graduating with Hiyori, while Hiyori said she hoped to make more friends and graduate with them.
• As they neared the school, Hiyori explained that her magic outfit had formed the bouquet and that a flower-shop owner had given her the prop.

Hiyori took Kujo shopping, hoping to find matching outfits for them, while Kujo tried to understand her hints and guess what she wanted. The chapter ended with Hiyori asking whether Kujo thought her clothing choices were too childish after he pointed out a formal dress.

• Hiyori brought Kujo to a shopping center under the pretense of buying clothes for herself.
• Kujo tried to show Hiyori what styles he liked by pointing out accessories and cute charms as they visited stores.
• Kujo realized Hiyori wanted to buy matching outfits for them, and Hiyori admitted she wanted to try something couples usually did.
• Hiyori asked Kujo whether he preferred matching clothes in different colors or accidentally wearing identical outfits.
• Kujo told Hiyori to decide, but when she asked what he wanted to see her wear, he pointed out a uniform and then an evening gown.
• Hiyori complained that Kujo might think the clothes she had picked were too childish.

Kujo told Ayanokoji about the midterm exam’s past-paper format while Nagumo prepared to use the papers to pressure the first-years. Ichinose coordinated a joint study plan with Kujo’s help and agreed to meet him and Hiyori at karaoke.

• Kujo explained that the midterm would reuse past first-year exam papers, and Ayanokoji considered how upperclassmen might deceive students who tried to obtain them.
• Nagumo collected the second-years’ old exam papers and planned to trade them to first-years for points, using the risk of expulsion to pressure them.
• Ichinose noticed Nagumo’s preparations while working on Student Council duties and sent Kujo news that some second-years had kept their original papers.
• Kujo gave Ichinose the exam rules and advised her to organize a joint study group with Classes C and D, approaching Kushida before Horikita and contacting Ryuen about Class C.
• Ichinose and Kujo arranged to meet at karaoke the next day, with Kujo bringing Hiyori.

Kujo invited Ichinose and Hiyori to karaoke, where he sought a large loan from Ichinose to influence the upcoming midterm exam. Ichinose offered to pay immediately, leaving Kujo and Hiyori stunned.

• Kujo introduced Hiyori to karaoke while she reflected on their relationship and her jealousy of Ichinose.
• Ichinose joined Kujo and Hiyori, and Kujo used karaoke as cover to discuss his plans with her.
• Kujo explained that he wanted to borrow 2.5 million points from Class B to persuade the school to raise the midterm's difficulty, promising Class B his support in an upcoming exam.
• Ichinose said she needed her classmates' approval and asked Kujo to explain his plan, then offered to pay the 2.5 million points herself.

Ichinose accepted Kujo’s offer to support Class B and talked with Hiyori about her difficulty rejecting Chihiro’s feelings. After Kujo returned, the three began karaoke, where Hiyori discovered he sang well despite scoring poorly.

• Ichinose decided to accept Kujo’s offer of full support for Class B, while pretending she would consult her classmates first.
• Kujo left Hiyori and Ichinose alone, and Hiyori reassured Ichinose that she had helped Kujo as much as he had helped her.
• Ichinose told Hiyori that a girl in her class liked her and that she did not know how to reject Chihiro without hurting her.
• Hiyori shared how she had feared losing her friendship with Kujo when she confessed to him, helping Ichinose decide to be honest with Chihiro.
• Ichinose and Hiyori chatted about Kujo, dating, and school gossip until Kujo returned and they both told him to sing first.
• Hiyori found that Kujo sang with feeling and expressive gestures, though the karaoke machine gave him a low score.

Kujo confronted Manabe about her interference in a plan involving Wang Meiyu and Hirata, then used Hirata’s painful middle-school past to push him to keep helping Class D. The chapter ended with Hirata calling Chabashira to arrange a study group despite being left distressed in the rain.

• Kujo questioned Manabe about her role in the dispute between Karuizawa’s group and the girls interested in Hirata, then warned her to leave Shiina alone.
• Ryuen waited for Manabe afterward and questioned her about what Kujo had wanted.
• Kujo met Hirata and falsely claimed to be the childhood friend of the boy Hirata had abandoned when he was bullied in middle school.
• Kujo confronted Hirata with his guilt, told him to stay at school and help change Class D, and assigned him to support Horikita and Kushida.
• After Kujo left, Hirata remained in the rain and called Chabashira to arrange a Class D study group for the midterm exams.

During their morning exercise, Kujo gave Ayanokoji a recording of Hirata’s past and challenged Koenji to face him in the next exam. Koenji left without agreeing to lend Kujo 2.5 million points, while Ayanokoji wondered how far Kujo would go in using other students.

• Kujo asked Ayanokoji whether he knew Karuizawa, and Ayanokoji pretended not to recognize the name.
• Kujo handed Ayanokoji a recording of Hirata’s past, prompting Koenji to ask how much Kujo knew.
• Kujo told Koenji he would not deliberately hurt everyone, then challenged him to a serious contest in the next exam.
• Kujo asked Koenji to lend him 2.5 million points, and Koenji left without responding to the request.
• Ayanokoji asked whether Kujo planned to use Wang Meiyu against Koenji, and Kujo replied that he might simply be a scumbag.

Kujo collected ten million points and received Class A’s support through Morishita, then tested Ryuen’s resolve in a rooftop fight. He left Ryuen with a warning that future exams would be much harder and an invitation to seek his help.

• Morishita delivered Class A’s points to Kujo, who accepted them anonymously and left her some points to keep.
• Morishita told Kujo that Class A understood his plan to use points to raise the exam’s extra rewards and hoped he would eventually join them.
• Kujo invited Ryuen to the rooftop, where Ryuen challenged him to a fight with an iron bar.
• Kujo defeated Ryuen and broke the iron bar, then sent Ichinose a message after reaching his ten-million-point goal.
• Kujo warned Ryuen that the upcoming exams would be harder and offered his help, but Ryuen vowed to get him expelled.

Kujo thwarted Ryuuen’s plan, then received care from Hiyori before they discussed studying for the upcoming exams. Horikita Manabu learned how Kujo had united the first-years through joint study sessions, then assessed the year to Chairman Sakayanagi and recognized Class A’s actions as a challenge to the second-years.

• Kujo destroyed the iron rod and prevented Ryuuen from using it to frame or injure him.
• Hiyori bandaged Kujo, questioned his injuries, and agreed to help him study for the exams.
• Horikita Manabu questioned Ichinose about the first-years’ study sessions and called Kujo, prompting her to admit Kujo had asked her to bring the classes together.
• Horikita Manabu warned Ichinose that Kujo was unusually difficult to predict and encouraged her to learn from him.
• Chairman Sakayanagi summoned Horikita Manabu and asked for his assessment of the first-years and whether the school should raise exam difficulty.
• Horikita Manabu praised Sakayanagi Arisu’s leadership and described her approach to Nagumo as an open challenge from First-Year Class A to the second-years.

Chairman Sakayanagi discussed Kujo Makoto’s proposal to change the first-year midterm exam rules with Horikita Manabu, and the S-System added a class-ranking wager to the exam. The school announced the new rules, making this the first transparent Special Exam for the first-years.

• Chairman Sakayanagi asked Horikita Manabu to assess Kujo Makoto, and Horikita described Kujo as skilled at manipulating people.
• Chairman Sakayanagi revealed that Kujo had proposed spending points to increase the first-years’ midterm difficulty and asked Horikita for advice.
• Horikita recommended updating the test papers and argued that pretending to change them would imply the original exam rules had leaked.
• Chairman Sakayanagi explained that the S-System had added a wager in which classes guessed another class’s midterm ranking, gaining or losing 50 points based on the results.
• Horikita and Chairman Sakayanagi discussed tie rules and other details, and Chairman Sakayanagi disclosed that the first-years had spent ten million points on the change.
• The school announced the new midterm rules, making it the first Special Exam with transparent rules for this year’s first-years.

Kujo studied reluctantly before meeting with Ichinose and Ayanokoji to coordinate their classes’ response to the midterm. He proposed a ranking plan for the new voting exam and revealed that he had obtained copies of the original exam papers.

• Hiyori made Kujo memorize literature notes after he got every question on a page wrong.
• Ichinose joined Hiyori, Kujo, and Ayanokoji in the library, where Kujo woke up and began their strategy meeting.
• Kujo explained that Class C would vote itself fourth, Class D third, Class B second, and Class A first in the voting exam.
• Kujo revealed that he had bought copies of the original midterm papers from a third-year student and handed them to Ichinose and Ayanokoji.
• Kujo told Ichinose not to inform Hoshinomiya about the papers and advised them to wait before sharing them with their classes.

After the midterm results were announced, Ryuen approached Hoshinomiya to propose working together against Class D, while Sakayanagi rejected Nagumo’s Student Council invitation and explained that Kujo’s contracts had tied the first-year classes to him. Kujo and Hiyori ended the chapter planning a seaside photo outing.

• The students celebrated their midterm results, which placed Class A first, Class B second, Class C third, and Class D fourth, with no class changes or expulsions.
• Ryuen visited Hoshinomiya and proposed that they cooperate against Class D in exchange for information.
• Sakayanagi refused Nagumo’s invitation to join the Student Council, despite his having provided her class with exam papers and study help.
• Sakayanagi explained to Katsuragi and the Class A students that Kujo’s point contracts were meant to bind every class to him and make them protect him from expulsion.
• Kujo agreed to take photos by the sea with Hiyori, who promised to make him an extra-tasty bento.

Horikita Suzune questioned why Class D had struggled to surpass the other classes and sought Ayanokoji’s advice on preparing for the next exam. After he urged her to strengthen the class’s weakest students, she went to speak with the three struggling boys, but they brushed her off.

• Horikita Suzune reviewed the close Class Point standings and wondered why Classes B and C had cooperated with Class D without overcoming Class A.
• Horikita asked Ayanokoji what Class D should do next, and he suggested making Class C their target and learning about Kujo directly.
• Ayanokoji advised Horikita to help Class D’s academically weak students, including Ken Sudō, Yamauchi Haruki, and Kanji Ike.
• Horikita decided to visit the three boys herself instead of asking Hirata or Kushida for advice.
• Ken Sudō, Yamauchi Haruki, and Kanji Ike each dismissed Horikita, so Ayanokoji sent a message asking Kushida and Hirata for help.