Recaps

Mio Ibuki stole Kei Karuizawa’s underwear and planted it in Haruki Yamauchi’s jacket to frame him. The next morning, Hirata searched the boys and their tents as Yamauchi discovered the hidden item and feared it would be found.

• Mio Ibuki took underwear from Kei Karuizawa’s tent and hid it in Haruki Yamauchi’s jacket pocket.
• Kiyotaka Ayanokoji noticed someone near the boys’ tents and warned Suzune Horikita to watch Mio Ibuki and the tents.
• Kei Karuizawa discovered her underwear was missing, sparking accusations and an argument between the girls and boys.
• Yosuke Hirata proposed searching the boys and their tents, and both sides reluctantly agreed.
• As Hirata searched, Haruki Yamauchi felt the planted underwear in his pocket and panicked, then looked toward Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.

Hirata found Karuizawa’s underwear in Yamauchi’s pocket but hid it to prevent Class D from turning against him, while secretly deciding to investigate who had framed him. As Ibuki watched for signs that her plan had been discovered, Ayanokoji recognized her role and began preparing a counterattack against Ryuen’s scheme.

• Yamauchi begged Ayanokoji to help conceal the underwear, but Ayanokoji refused to get involved.
• Hirata found Karuizawa’s underwear in Yamauchi’s pocket and hid it instead of revealing it to the class.
• Hirata told everyone the search had found nothing, and Karuizawa agreed to search the campsite again.
• Hirata privately reassured Yamauchi, stowed the underwear in his backpack, and told him to watch Ibuki.
• Ibuki joined the search while secretly watching Hirata and Yamauchi, and Horikita became wary of her.
• Ayanokoji realized Ibuki had framed Yamauchi and began planning a counterattack against Ryuen.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji started a controlled fire to provoke Mio Ibuki into acting, and helped Yosuke Hirata restore order when Class D panicked. Amid the chaos, Ibuki stole Suzune Horikita’s key-card holder containing the Leader Card and fled, while a feverish Horikita pursued her.

• Kiyotaka Ayanokoji set fire to discarded branches, intending to force Mio Ibuki to reveal her purpose.
• Class D’s students blamed and argued with one another, but Kiyotaka calmed Yosuke Hirata, who organized the firefighting and evacuation.
• Suzune Horikita spotted Mio Ibuki watching the fire and wondered whether she had started it.
• Mio Ibuki seized Horikita’s key-card holder and fled into the woods with the Leader Card.
• Suzune Horikita chased Ibuki despite developing a fever and growing weak.

Suzune Horikita pursued Mio Ibuki through the rain to reclaim Class D's Leader Card, but Mio defeated her and escaped with the holder. Kiyotaka Ayanokoji found Suzune and suggested Mio might have taken a fake card, then led her toward the staff base to get help and reassess their options.

• Kiyotaka Ayanokoji noticed Suzune Horikita and Mio Ibuki were missing and went into the woods to find them.
• Suzune confronted Mio over the key card holder, and both denied knowing who had started the fire.
• Suzune fought Mio to stop her from taking the Leader Card, but Mio overpowered her and left with the holder.
• Kiyotaka found the battered Suzune, reassured her that the stolen card might not be real, and helped her toward the school staff's base.

Kiyotaka sheltered the feverish Suzune from the storm and urged her to withdraw from the exam so he could take over as Class D’s leader. After Suzune admitted her desire for her brother’s approval and her loneliness, Kiyotaka called them companions and promised to help her pursue her goals.

• Kiyotaka found a rock shelter, started a fire, and helped Suzune rest as her fever and injuries worsened.
• Suzune told Kiyotaka that Mio Ibuki had taken the Leader Card and blamed herself for putting Class D at risk.
• Kiyotaka proposed that Suzune withdraw, then take over as Class D’s leader and use the guessing round to recover points from Ryuen and Yahiko.
• Suzune revealed that she wanted to reach Class A to earn her brother Horikita Manabu’s approval and admitted she had no companion to rely on.
• Kiyotaka told Suzune they were companions, recognized her efforts, and promised to help her pursue her goals.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji got Suzune Horikita’s withdrawal approved and took over as D Class’s leader, avoiding a potential 50-point penalty. As the rain eased at daybreak, he watched Ryuen Kakeru trust a fake Leader Card and uncovered A Class’s secret deal with C Class.

• Kiyotaka Ayanokoji brought the injured Suzune Horikita to the teachers’ camp, where she agreed to withdraw and let him become D Class’s leader.
• Sae Chabashira approved Horikita’s withdrawal and appointed Kiyotaka Ayanokoji as the new leader, while the other teachers recognized the strategic value of the move.
• Kiyotaka Ayanokoji revealed that the card Mio Ibuki had stolen was fake and that he had started the fire to lure her into taking it.
• Mio Ibuki told Ryuen Kakeru that she had taken Horikita’s Leader Card, and Ryuen believed C Class was assured victory despite Ibuki’s suspicions.
• Kiyotaka Ayanokoji observed Kohei Katsuragi and Yahiko discussing their hidden agreement to receive points from Ryuen after the exam.
• The rain eased at daybreak as Kiyotaka Ayanokoji waited for the final stage of the exam.

The students completed the Leader Card guessing stage and returned to the rest camp for the Uninhabited Island Survival Exam results. Class B placed first, Class D second, Class A third, and Class C fourth, leaving the camp in an uproar.

• Ayanokoji accompanied the unwell Suzune Horikita to the plaza, where he submitted Class D's guesses of Yahiko Totsuka for Class A and Ryuen Kakeru for Class C.
• Ayanokoji kept his own Leader Card, which named him as Class D's leader, while the exam stages concluded.
• On the ferry, Suzune Horikita thanked Ayanokoji, and he told her she would understand when the results were announced.
• Ryuen Kakeru confronted Mio Ibuki about whether the card had been fake, and Ibuki admitted she was unsure.
• The school announced the final rankings: Class B finished first with 240 points, Class D second with 230, Class A third with 220, and Class C fourth with zero.

After the students returned to campus, the school unexpectedly launched the VIP Exam and summoned Yoshikage Kira to a meeting with his group. Hoshinomiya Chie explained the exam’s rules and possible outcomes, leaving Kira to begin a secretive test centered on identifying each group’s VIP.

• The school announced the VIP Exam without warning and sent Yoshikage Kira instructions to report to Room 404.
• Kira contacted Honami Ichinose and learned that students in Class B had received different meeting times and locations.
• Kira arrived at Room 404, where Ichinose welcomed him and Hoshinomiya Chie prepared to explain the exam.
• Hoshinomiya told the students that first-years had been divided into twelve zodiac groups and that the exam would test critical thinking through a challenge involving each group’s VIP.
• Hoshinomiya outlined the four possible results, including rewards and Class Point penalties for correct or incorrect guesses, and said the school would keep the identities of VIPs and answerers anonymous.

Kira and the other students reviewed the rules of a group exam centered on identifying a hidden VIP, with rewards and penalties depending on when and whether they submitted answers. The group scheduled its first discussion for the next day, leaving its members wary of one another as another group arrived.

• Kira Yoshikage recognized that the exam’s rules relied on betrayal and deduction, with outcomes determined by whether the group identified the VIP and when they submitted their answers.
• Ryuen Kakeru warned the others not to interfere with him, while Sakayanagi Arisu cautioned him against impulsive behavior and Honami Ichinose urged everyone to focus on the exam.
• Kira questioned whether the school had deliberately selected the group’s members, but Hoshinomiya Chie declined to explain the arrangement.
• Ayanokoji urged the group to plan its investigation and warned them not to trust anyone, including their classmates.
• Hoshinomiya scheduled the first group discussion for five o’clock the next afternoon in Room 404 and told the students to check the roster in their email.
• As Hoshinomiya ushered the group out, Ryuen arrived with classmates, and the two groups exchanged wary looks.

Yoshikage Kira suspected the VIP Exam’s groups had been deliberately assembled around each class’s leaders. At the first discussion, Ryuen Kakeru proposed reckless gambling, and Sakayanagi Arisu challenged him as the group’s tensions rose.

• Yoshikage Kira noticed that the school had grouped prominent students from different classes together and wondered whether the arrangement served another purpose.
• Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, Suzune Horikita, Yosuke Hirata, Honami Ichinose, Yoshikage Kira, Ryuen Kakeru, and Sakayanagi Arisu gathered in Room 404 for the VIP Exam discussion.
• Ryuen Kakeru taunted Ayanokoji, who remained calm, before Sakayanagi Arisu arrived and the meeting began.
• Honami Ichinose proposed that the students compare when they received the school’s messages, and Hirata and two B Class students shared their accounts.
• Ryuen Kakeru dismissed the investigation and urged the group to guess the VIP, saying C Class had little left to lose.
• Sakayanagi Arisu called Ryuen’s proposal reckless and selfish, and the two exchanged sharp barbs.

Sakayanagi Arisu announced that Class A would follow Katsuragi’s plan to remain silent throughout the VIP Exam, leaving the first meeting stalled. Yoshikage Kira withdrew to the observation deck, where Kikyo Kushida approached him under the pretext of asking for exam advice.

• Sakayanagi Arisu explained that Class A would refuse to participate in discussions until the exam ended, and Honami Ichinose and Yoshikage Kira recognized it as Katsuragi’s defensive strategy.
• Ryuen Kakeru mocked the plan, but Sakayanagi said most of Class A supported it and the meeting soon ground to a halt.
• Honami Ichinose became the Dragon Group’s leader by speaking the most, while Yoshikage Kira ignored Kikyo Kushida’s expectant glances.
• After the meeting, Honami Ichinose went to the lounge to plan with Yoshikage Kira, but he headed alone to the observation deck.
• Kikyo Kushida joined Yoshikage Kira and asked what the group should investigate next, hoping to grow closer to him.

Kikyo Kushida invited Yoshikage Kira to the cruise ship’s café, offering information about Class D and admitting how stressed she felt. Kira agreed to hear only exam-related information, then listened as Kushida described the pressure she faced during the VIP Exam.

• Yoshikage Kira told Kikyo Kushida to investigate within her own class and avoid discussing the exam with outsiders.
• Kikyo Kushida said Ayanokoji and Horikita had identified suspicious people and were interested in working with Class B.
• Kikyo Kushida invited Yoshikage Kira to the café to share information and talk about her stress, and he agreed to hear only exam-related information.
• Kikyo Kushida led Yoshikage Kira to a quiet café corner and ordered them coffee.
• Kikyo Kushida told Yoshikage Kira she envied his freedom from others’ expectations and described the strain of helping Class D prepare for the VIP Exam.

Kira listened as Kushida shared information about Classes C and D and asked to become genuine friends. He agreed to keep their relationship focused on exchanging information, then left the café to meet Honami Ichinose and consider Ryuen Kakeru’s next move.

• Kushida told Kira that Ayanokoji was watching Shiho Manabe, Horikita was investigating group members, and Ryuen's people had questioned two students from Class D.
• Kushida asked Kira to become friends, but he said they should stick to sharing information during the exam.
• Kira listened as Kushida described her stress and warned her to watch her safety when she mentioned Ryuen's threat.
• Kira left the café and messaged Honami Ichinose that he was on his way to meet her in the lounge.
• Kira hurried toward the lounge while reviewing Kushida's information and considering Ryuen Kakeru's next move.

After Class C struggled to identify the VIP, Ryuen demanded access to everyone’s school messages and chat histories to investigate their own class. Mio Ibuki refused and persuaded other students to resist, leaving Ryuen facing open opposition.

• Ryuen blamed Class C’s lack of progress in the VIP Exam and decided the VIP might be hiding among them.
• Ryuen ordered every Class C student to hand over their Student Terminals and reveal their school messages and chat histories.
• Class C students hesitated to surrender their private information despite Ryuen’s threats.
• Mio Ibuki refused Ryuen’s demand, arguing that it invaded their privacy and could expose Class C to other classes.
• Other students voiced support for Ibuki, who told Ryuen she would accept being submitted as the VIP rather than let him force the class into compliance.

Ryuen Kakeru used Mio Ibuki’s defiance as a reason to rule her out as the VIP, then pressured the rest of Class C to reveal their messages and chat logs. Hiyori Shiina began checking their terminals while Mio suspected the two had planned the tactic together.

• Ryuen Kakeru abruptly calmed down and declared that Mio Ibuki was not the VIP because she had openly defied him.
• Ryuen Kakeru used his reasoning to end Mio Ibuki’s resistance and shift suspicion onto the other Class C members.
• Ryuen Kakeru ordered everyone except Mio Ibuki to show their text messages and chat logs.
• When a group member protested, Ryuen Kakeru threatened him with suspicion until he agreed to comply.
• Hiyori Shiina collected the Student Terminals and began checking the text messages as their owners watched.
• Mio Ibuki suspected Ryuen Kakeru and Hiyori Shiina had coordinated their bad-cop and good-cop approach.

Ryuen ordered Hiyori Shiina to inspect Class C’s school messages, and she found that its four VIPs were scattered across different groups. With the class unable to safely share information with other classes, Shiho Manabe proposed approaching Kei Karuizawa, whom she suspected of being a VIP, and Ryuen approved the plan.

• Ryuen had Hiyori Shiina check Class C’s Student Terminals for official messages while Mio Ibuki suspected they had staged their earlier confrontation.
• Shiina identified four Class C VIPs assigned to four separate discussion groups, leaving the class without a concentrated lead.
• Shiina reasoned that the group assignments followed a larger logical pattern but warned that exchanging VIP records with other classes risked severe penalties and unreliable cooperation.
• Shiho Manabe named Kei Karuizawa as a VIP suspect and proposed approaching her with several Class C girls under the pretext of their past conflict.
• Ryuen approved Manabe’s approach and ordered the rest of Class C to stay put and await further instructions.

Hirata tried to persuade Koenji to cooperate with Class D in the next round, but Koenji dismissed the exam and the class’s lost points. The conversation ended when a school-wide notice announced that the Monkey Group’s first round had been completed and warned other groups against rule violations.

• Hirata gathered Ayanokoji, Yukimura, and Koenji to share information and prepare for the second round.
• Yukimura shared his records of Class D students’ movements and clues from text messages, while Ayanokoji said Class B might cooperate and mentioned Suzune Horikita’s plan.
• Hirata asked Koenji not to abandon the group as he had during the Uninhabited Island Exam, when his withdrawal cost Class D 30 Class Points.
• Koenji said he did not care about the class or its points, prompting Yukimura to accuse him of harming Class D.
• Koenji dismissed the exam as a boring game, used his Student Terminal, and headed for the door.
• A school-wide notice announced that the Monkey Group’s VIP had been identified and its first round had ended, while other groups were told to continue the exam.

Koenji ended the Monkey Group's exam early by locking in its VIP, angering the other students and alarming Class D. Hirata, Yukimura, and Ayanokoji shifted their focus to protecting the VIPs Kushida and Minami, while Ayanokoji later watched Koenji on the deck and noticed something that made him stop.

• Hirata received messages about Koenji ending the Monkey Group exam and apologized to the other group members on Koenji's behalf.
• Ayanokoji told Hirata and Yukimura that Koenji's action could not be undone and urged them to prioritize protecting Class D's VIPs.
• Hirata revealed that Kikyo Kushida from the Dragon Group and Minami from the Horse Group had contacted him as VIPs.
• Hirata, Yukimura, and Ayanokoji made a plan to protect Kushida and Minami, with Ayanokoji watching the Dragon Group.
• Koenji went to the deck, dismissing the couples and the exam as boring, while Ayanokoji watched him and then noticed something across the deck.

Ayanokoji overheard the teachers discussing Kira’s placement in the Dragon Group and the attention Ayanokoji had drawn during the island exam. The next morning, he defended his decision not to stop Koenji from ending the Monkey Group exam, then turned the conversation with Horikita toward protecting the VIPs.

• Ayanokoji saw Kushida speaking privately with Kira and left them alone.
• Ayanokoji overheard the teachers say Kira had been deliberately placed in the Dragon Group to test his potential, and the Class B teacher noted Ayanokoji’s leadership during the island exam.
• Horikita confronted Ayanokoji about failing to stop Koenji from submitting a Monkey Group VIP answer and ending the exam early.
• Ayanokoji argued that Koenji would not have listened and might have identified the VIP correctly, while Horikita conceded that stopping him would have been difficult.
• Ayanokoji agreed to try to intervene next time, then urged Horikita to focus on protecting Kushida and Minami and invited her to breakfast.

Ayanokoji asked Horikita what she knew about Kei Karuizawa, then Ryuen revealed that he had identified all the VIPs in Class C and could force classmates to surrender their phones. The conversation ended when Ayanokoji spotted a phone Ryuen had left recording beneath his chair.

• Ayanokoji asked Horikita about Kei Karuizawa, and Horikita warned that Kei could expose their plan if they brought her into their group.
• Horikita described Kei’s concern for her social standing, her clique, and her conflict with Shiho Manabe.
• Ryuen sat down beside Horikita and said he had identified all the VIPs in Class C by checking classmates’ school messages on their phones.
• Ryuen claimed he understood the exam and left after taunting Horikita.
• Ayanokoji pointed out that Ryuen’s phone was recording beneath the chair, and he and Horikita parted.

At the Dragon Group’s fourth meeting, Honami Ichinose’s attempt to ease the tension with a card game failed, and the group made no progress identifying the VIP. Kiyotaka Ayanokoji focused instead on Kei Karuizawa’s unusual behavior and left suspecting it might reveal a clue to the test.

• Honami Ichinose offered the Dragon Group a deck of cards after the members refused to discuss the VIP, but Ryuen Kakeru, Kikyo Kushida, and the others declined to play.
• Kikyo Kushida considered using her VIP information to secure Yoshikage Kira and Class B’s help because she feared Suzune Horikita would uncover her past.
• Kiyotaka Ayanokoji recalled that Shiho Manabe and other Class C girls had been harassing Kei Karuizawa, while Karuizawa sought protection from Class A students instead of Hirata.
• Ayanokoji reflected on Karuizawa’s influence over others and her possible need for attention and control, but could not determine what drove her behavior.
• Honami Ichinose collected the untouched cards when the meeting ended without progress, and Ayanokoji left to investigate Karuizawa’s behavior as a possible clue to the test.

After the Dragon Group meeting, Kikyo Kushida feared that Suzune Horikita would expose her past and resolved to enlist Yoshikage Kira’s help. Kiyotaka Ayanokoji noticed her distress and followed her to discover what she was hiding.

• After everyone left the discussion room, Kikyo Kushida recalled how her leaked secrets had caused her middle-school class to collapse.
• Kushida feared Horikita might remember their shared middle school and expose her past, destroying her reputation and risking her expulsion.
• Kushida decided to ask Yoshikage Kira for help, offering information about the VIPs and the Dragon Group exam in exchange for stopping Horikita.
• Kushida left the room cautiously, determined to protect her secret and prevent Horikita from revealing it.
• Kiyotaka Ayanokoji watched Kushida’s anxious behavior and quietly followed her to learn what she was hiding.

After the Dragon Group meeting, Kikyo Kushida privately questioned Yoshikage Kira to learn whether Suzune Horikita had revealed her past, but Kira deduced that Horikita knew a damaging secret about her. When Kira sensed Kiyotaka Ayanokoji eavesdropping, Kikyo postponed her confession and arranged to meet Kira that night.

• Kikyo Kushida invited Yoshikage Kira to a quiet café and asked whether Suzune Horikita had told him anything about her past.
• Kira said Horikita had not discussed Kikyo, then reasoned that Kikyo's unusual persistence and Class D placement pointed to a damaging middle-school secret known to Horikita.
• Kira sensed someone nearby and spotted Kiyotaka Ayanokoji watching from behind the café's glass wall.
• Kikyo avoided revealing her secret or VIP status in public and asked Kira to meet her at eight that night on the third-floor observation deck.
• Kira agreed to the meeting, while Ayanokoji watched them leave after overhearing that they had arranged it.

After Kira exposed the painful history behind Kushida’s perfect persona, she wrestled with her past and prepared for their secret meeting. She applied lipstick as a private ritual and waited for the negotiation that could determine her future and her chance to belong.

• Kushida walked back to the dormitory, replaying Kira’s deductions and the interruption of her confession by Ayanokoji’s surveillance.
• Alone in her room, Kushida let her composed persona collapse and recalled how fear of isolation had driven her to absorb others’ troubles until she broke down in middle school.
• Kushida recognized that her efforts to build new relationships at Advanced Nurturing High School had been an attempt to escape her past and regain a sense of belonging.
• Kushida decided that rehearsing arguments would not change her limited bargaining position: her VIP status and exam information were her only leverage.
• Kushida applied muted rose lipstick as a personal ritual, then waited for the eight o’clock meeting with Kira aboard the deck.

Kikyo Kushida met Yoshikage Kira alone on the cruise ship’s observation deck to confess the truth about her past and negotiate a way forward. She confirmed that Kira’s deductions were correct and revealed Horikita’s connection to the incident, leaving the confession unfinished.

• Kikyo Kushida left her room and took a secluded route to the observation deck for her secret meeting with Yoshikage Kira.
• Kushida found Kira waiting by the railing, and they confirmed that no one had followed her.
• Kushida told Kira that his deductions at the café were correct.
• Kushida confessed that she had caused a middle-school class to fall apart in a serious incident.
• Kushida said Horikita had attended the same school, knew the whole truth, and had repeatedly rejected her attempts to befriend her.