Chapter Summaries

Suzune Horikita and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji resolved the secret-filming incident without involving the school, then confronted Kanji Ike and the others. Horikita warned Ayanokoji not to risk becoming implicated again, and he agreed to trust her and seek her help.

• Suzune Horikita recovered the camera's SD card and met Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, who admitted he had warned her to prevent a larger crisis for Class D.
• Horikita asked Ayanokoji to observe Kanji Ike and the others, and he agreed to alert her if they caused trouble again.
• Horikita reprimanded Kanji Ike, Haruki Yamauchi, and the others, including Ayanokoji, and warned them that another incident would mean expulsion.
• After the others left, Horikita privately told Ayanokoji not to go along with their schemes and to come to her for help.
• Ayanokoji agreed to approach Horikita first next time, and the two became true companions.

The students’ apparent luxury cruise vacation turned out to be the opening of a seven-day Uninhabited Island Survival Battle Special Exam. After the school announced the rules, the classes began considering the risks and strategies that would determine their rankings.

• Yoshikage Kira watched the students enjoy the cruise and told Honami Ichinose that they would soon learn the truth behind the suspiciously generous vacation.
• The cruise ship approached an uninhabited island, and the school summoned the students to announce the Special Exam.
• Sae Chabashira explained the exam’s point system, daily roll calls, supplies, seven-day duration, class rankings, and claimable bases.
• Chabashira announced that Sakayanagi Arisu could not participate, leaving Class A with 270 starting points, and Kohei Katsuragi urged his classmates to stay calm.
• Chabashira explained the secret-leader rule and the sixth-day leader-guessing rule, under which correct and incorrect guesses would transfer 50 exam points.

After landing on the uninhabited island, Class D argued over spending points on a private portable toilet until Yosuke Hirata brokered an agreement and organized teams to search for bases. Suzune Horikita and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji headed inland while Rokusuke Koenji wandered off through the trees, uninterested in the exam.

• Kei Karuizawa and Teruhiko Yukimura argued over whether Class D should spend points on a more private portable toilet, dividing the girls and boys.
• Ken Sudō's attempt to stop the argument failed, but Yosuke Hirata persuaded the class to prioritize privacy and hygiene alongside survival supplies.
• Yosuke Hirata arranged for a portable toilet and emergency supplies, then split the class into three teams to search for bases.
• Suzune Horikita and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji set out together to find a base and encountered Rokusuke Koenji in the woods.
• Rokusuke Koenji declined to help search for bases and swung deeper into the trees to explore the island, while Suzune Horikita and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji continued their search.

Suzune Horikita and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji discovered Kohei Katsuragi presenting himself as Class A’s leader, but Ayanokoji suspected the claim was a deception. Meanwhile, Mio Ibuki infiltrated Class D’s camp as a supposed expelled student, and the class organized its camp while she secretly searched for its hidden leader.

• Suzune Horikita and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji watched Kohei Katsuragi and Yahiko at a base as Katsuragi claimed to be Class A’s leader and gave Yahiko the Leader Card.
• Kiyotaka Ayanokoji told Suzune Horikita that Katsuragi’s behavior suggested he was pretending to be Class A’s leader, and they later found and claimed another base for Class D.
• Mio Ibuki arrived at Class D’s camp pretending Ryuen Kakeru had expelled her, and Yosuke Hirata agreed to let her stay after Suzune Horikita raised concerns.
• Mio Ibuki secretly observed Class D’s decision-makers and sought to identify the class’s hidden leader so she could report to Ryuen Kakeru.
• Yosuke Hirata helped Class D organize supplies, base patrols, and camp construction while Suzune Horikita and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji continued scouting.

Suzune Horikita and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji investigated Class C’s suspiciously lavish camp, where Ryuen Kakeru claimed he planned to withdraw from the exam. The chapter revealed Class A’s secret deal with Ryuen and ended with Mio Ibuki planning to frame someone at Class D’s base.

• Suzune Horikita, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, and Honami Ichinose compared information about Class C, including Masumi Kamuro’s secret delivery of supplies and the suspected deal between Ryuen and Class A.
• Ryuen Kakeru told Horikita and Ichinose that he intended to spend all 300 points and withdraw Class C from the exam, but they suspected he was misleading them.
• Horikita and Ichinose agreed to keep sharing information before leaving Class C’s base with their companions.
• Kohei Katsuragi and Yahiko discussed Class A’s hidden-leader strategy and confirmed that they had supplied Ryuen with goods for 150 points in exchange for future Personal Point payments to Class C.
• Katsuragi arranged for Masumi Kamuro to monitor Ryuen’s side while Yahiko stayed out of sight.
• Mio Ibuki, unable to gather useful information at Class D’s base, decided to frame someone to disrupt the class and create an opportunity to investigate.

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.