Chapter Summaries

After Class D’s strong exam performance, Hoshinomiya Chie tried to recruit Hoshida No into Class B, but he refused and affirmed that he would remain in Class D. Chabashira-sensei later spoke with him privately about how important he was to the class.

• Karuizawa Kei and Ichinose Honami stopped Hoshida No after the exam, and Hoshinomiya Chie joined them to praise his performance.
• Hoshinomiya Chie urged Hoshida No to transfer to Class B, appealing to his friendships with Karuizawa Kei and Ichinose Honami, but he declined.
• Chabashira-sensei confronted Hoshinomiya Chie and backed Hoshida No’s place in Class D; Hoshida No said he would continue acting as a Class D student.
• After Hoshida No left, Hoshinomiya Chie encouraged Karuizawa Kei and Ichinose Honami to stay close to him, while Ichinose said they should respect his choice.
• Chabashira-sensei gave Hoshida No coffee and told him that Class D needed his abilities; he replied that he understood.

Class D rose to Class C, and Hoshida No agreed to continue leading study groups while declining to commit to Horikita Suzune’s plan to reach Class A. He later discussed the coming exam with Ayanokoji and noticed Sakura Airi hiding a swimsuit-idol magazine in her basket.

• The Class Points update showed Class D had surpassed Class C, and Hirata Yousuke, Kushida Kikyo, and Chabashira Zuo Zhi addressed the class’s promotion.
• Kushida Kikyo asked Hoshida No to keep leading study groups and invited him to practice swimming with her, and he agreed to the study groups.
• Horikita Suzune asked Hoshida No to work with her toward Class A, but he told her she would need to accept his approach.
• Hoshida No and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka discussed Horikita’s role and the importance of the next exam at a supermarket.
• Hoshida No noticed Sakura Airi hurriedly hiding a swimsuit-idol magazine in her basket and wondered about her other side.

Hoshida No and Hasebe Haruka rescued Sakura Airi from an obsessive fan who had mistaken her for gravure idol Shizuku. After campus security took the man away, Hasebe escorted Sakura to the dormitory and offered Hoshida her thanks.

• Hoshida No heard Sakura Airi pleading for help and found an electronics store employee cornering and filming her.
• Hasebe Haruka stepped between Sakura and the man, but he tried to shove her.
• Hoshida No restrained the man, took his phone as evidence, and stopped him from lunging at Hasebe.
• Hasebe called campus security while comforting Sakura, who explained that the man had recognized her as Shizuku.
• Campus security restrained the man and took him away for further questioning.
• Hasebe thanked Hoshida, agreed to take Sakura to the school counseling office, and escorted her back to the dormitory.

Hoshida No met Morishita Ran while reading behind the school, where she revealed her interest in observing him. Sakayanagi Arisu arrived, acknowledged her shogi defeat, and again tried to recruit Hoshida into Class A, but he refused before Morishita left, still intrigued by him.

• Hoshida No found Morishita Ran reading on a secluded bench, and she questioned him about his mathematical skills and motives.
• Morishita explained that she independently observed people she found interesting, including Hoshida, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Ichinose Honami, and Katsuragi Kohei.
• Sakayanagi Arisu arrived with Kamuro Sumire and praised Hoshida's shogi ability, admitting that his logical deductions had exposed a weakness in her strategy.
• Hoshida described the psychological turning point in their match, and Morishita remarked that Sakayanagi's strategy had relied on an unsound premise.
• Sakayanagi renewed her offer to bring Hoshida into Class A, but he refused and told her the game was over.
• Morishita left after saying she remained interested in Hoshida, who returned to his journal but struggled to focus.

Karuizawa Kei, Ichinose Honami, and Kushida Kikyo visited Hoshida No’s dorm room, followed by Horikita Suzune, creating a crowded afternoon of study-session planning and exam strategy. After the others left, Hoshida No agreed to have dinner with Karuizawa Kei and Ichinose Honami.

• Karuizawa Kei brought Hoshida No pudding and invited him to a joint study session, then Ichinose Honami arrived to ask about a mathematical model.
• Kushida Kikyo brought the study-session plan, and she accidentally spilled water on Hoshida No and Ichinose Honami while looking over his notes.
• Horikita Suzune joined them to discuss the next exam, and Hoshida No outlined possible team-cooperation or survival formats and how to prepare.
• Horikita Suzune and Kushida Kikyo left, and Karuizawa Kei and Ichinose Honami invited Hoshida No to dinner; he agreed.

Kushida Kikyo struggled with her feelings after seeing Hoshida No still kept her handkerchief, then helped organize a joint study session for Class B and Class C. Ryuen Kakeru threatened Hoshida No over their ended alliance, while Hoshida continued observing Kushida as the study session ended.

• Kushida Kikyo left Hoshida No's room unsettled by Horikita Suzune's visit and the pink handkerchief he still kept.
• Hoshida No, Karuizawa Kei, and Ichinose Honami encountered Ryuen Kakeru, who threatened Hoshida over their past deal and promised further trouble.
• A few days later, Kushida Kikyo organized a joint study session for Class B and Class C, where Hoshida No explained difficult problems.
• Kushida Kikyo thanked Hoshida No for keeping her secret and helping her, then hurried away to speak with Hirata Yousuke.
• Hoshida No touched the handkerchief in his pocket and reminded himself that he kept it because he was used to using it and was observing Kushida Kikyo.

Hoshida No navigated shifting relationships and warned signs of trouble as Ryuen Kakeru began targeting him with intimidation and rumors. No quietly countered Ryuen’s tactics through school discipline, forcing him to ease off while tensions lingered in Class C.

• At the swimming lesson, Hoshida No discussed cooperation for a future exam with Horikita Suzune while Karuizawa Kei and Kushida Kikyo joined the group.
• Hasebe Haruka told Hoshida No that the employee who harassed Airi had been dismissed and gave him cookies she had baked with Airi.
• In the library, Morishita Ran warned Hoshida No that Ryuen Kakeru was spreading rumors and that Sakayanagi might take an interest in his friends.
• Ryuen Kakeru’s lackeys intimidated timid Class C boys, and rumors claimed Hoshida No was stringing along several girls from Class B.
• Hirata Yousuke and Kushida Kikyo urged classmates not to believe the rumors, while Horikita Suzune advised Hoshida No to use school rules against Ryuen.
• With information from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Hoshida No anonymously exposed minor rule violations by Ryuen’s rumor-spreaders, prompting disciplinary action and making Ryuen rein in his tactics.

Hoshida defeated Sakayanagi Arisu in their shogi match, while she probed how he handled personal relationships and unexpected variables. He left with her gift of tea, wary that it was also a way to mark him, as Sakayanagi anticipated the upcoming Special Exam.

• Hoshida arrived at the Third Music Classroom, where Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Sumire were waiting to play shogi.
• As they played, Sakayanagi questioned Hoshida about his role in Class C and warned that personal relationships could become variables in the school’s games.
• Hoshida explained that emotional risks could be assessed with enough information, then used a Knight move to block Sakayanagi’s counterattack and set up a stronger line.
• Hoshida gained the advantage, and Sakayanagi conceded, calling it his second win against her.
• Sakayanagi had Kamuro give Hoshida a gift of fine tea and warned him to expect the unexpected in the upcoming Special Exam.
• After Hoshida left, Sakayanagi told Kamuro that his skill excited her and wondered what he had understood from his last look; Hoshida suspected the tea was also a way of marking him.

Hoshida No joined his classmates for a beach outing, where he stopped Yamauchi Haruki and his friends from taking photos in the women's changing area. On the bus ride back, Yamauchi's hatred of Hoshida deepened, and Hoshida chose to wait and see what he would do next.

• Hoshida No agreed to join Karuizawa Kei, Ichinose Honami, Kushida Kikyo, Horikita Suzune, and their classmates at the beach.
• At the beach, Hoshida No spent time with Kei, Honami, Kushida, Hasebe Haruka, and Sakura Airi while Horikita watched the changing-area entrance.
• Horikita confronted Yamauchi Haruki, Sotomura Hideo, Ken Sudō, and Kanji Ike as they attempted to take pictures through a changing-area ventilation window, and Hoshida made Yamauchi hand over his phone and delete the blurry photos.
• Hoshida explained to Horikita that keeping the incident quiet would protect the class's points and strength, and Horikita Manabu later warned Hoshida not to let efficiency cost him other important things.
• On the bus back, Yamauchi glared at Hoshida and brooded over Ryuen Kakeru's rumors, while Ayanokoji told Hoshida that Yamauchi was emotionally vulnerable.
• Hoshida told Ayanokoji he would wait to see what choice Yamauchi made.

Class 1-B celebrated Ichinose Honami’s birthday, and Hoshida No’s thoughtful gift brought her closer to acknowledging her feelings for him. After Kushida Kikyo warned Hoshida about Yamauchi and Sotomura, he ordered Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to keep watching them and privately wondered whether his own feelings were changing.

• Shiranami Chihiro, Kanzaki Ryuji, Karuizawa Kei, and their classmates prepared a birthday celebration for Ichinose Honami.
• Hoshida No gave Ichinose an illustrated marine-life guide and a silver anchor bracelet, which she said she would treasure.
• Kushida Kikyo noticed Ichinose’s happiness and warned Hoshida that Yamauchi and Sotomura seemed to be planning something involving Ryuen and him.
• Ichinose thanked Hoshida again as they left, then sent him a photo of the bracelet that evening.
• Hoshida told Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to keep tracking Yamauchi and Sotomura, then looked at Kushida’s old handkerchief and wondered when he had started to change.