Tatsuya Sakuya

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Tatsuya Sakuya (司波朔夜)
Alias(es)	Shiba 19
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Class 1-D, Advanced Nurturing University
Occupation/Role	First-year student; aspiring Class 1-D leader
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background / History

Tatsuya Sakuya is a transmigrator who enters Advanced Nurturing University already aware of its competitive structure and major events. Rather than openly pursue power at once, he initially intends to use his information advantage to secure an easy, resource-rich school life. His longer-term objective is to rise from Class 1-D to Class 1-A. 1 2

From his first days at school, Sakuya recognizes the monthly 100,000-point distribution as a test rather than a gift. While his classmates spend freely, he gathers zero-point necessities and preserves his resources for opportunities with greater value. 3

He deliberately acquires a high-end voice recorder, regarding physical evidence as the strongest asset in a school where promises and trust are fragile. He subsequently uses recordings and information to gain leverage over others, most notably Kamuro Masumi after witnessing her shoplift. 4 12 13

When Class 1-D’s Class Points fall to zero, Sakuya is one of the few students unsurprised by the outcome. He views the financial crisis and looming expulsions as the ideal opening to establish authority within the class. 31

Appearance

Sakuya is described as a tall, handsome student with a composed and polished demeanor. He is ranked first in a first-year girls’ looks-and-charm ranking. 4 21

• Usually maintains an elegant, relaxed posture. 2 6
• Has a calm expression that rarely changes, even during tense confrontations. 1 3
• Lives in Room 217 of the first-year boys’ dormitory. 4 5
• Frequently admires his own appearance and openly considers himself exceptionally handsome. 26

Personality

Sakuya is calculating, observant, and highly self-controlled. He routinely studies the incentives behind school rules and social behavior rather than accepting events at face value. His decision to stockpile free goods before Class 1-D’s points collapse demonstrates both his foresight and his willingness to let others suffer the consequences of poor judgment. 3 31

He often presents himself as polite, calm, and helpful, particularly toward people he considers useful or vulnerable. He respects Airi Sakura’s social anxiety, offers Karuizawa Kei patient academic support, and intervenes when classmates are harassed. 4 10 28 30

Beneath that composure, Sakuya is manipulative and mischievous. He uses secrets, intimidation, teasing, and staged social roles to gain cooperation or information. He is willing to exploit Kamuro’s shoplifting, provoke Horikita Suzune, and pressure desperate upperclassmen for old examination papers. 12 18 19 34

Abilities & Skills

Strategic Analysis

Sakuya quickly identifies hidden incentives and uses them to position himself advantageously.

• Recognized the initial 100,000-point allowance as temporary startup capital rather than unconditional wealth. 3
• Correctly anticipated Class 1-D’s loss of all Class Points due to misconduct. 24 31
• Understands the comparative conditions of the four first-year classes and Class 1-D’s weaknesses. 18 32
• Plans to acquire old midterm papers through a good-cop/bad-cop negotiation with financially desperate second-years. 34

Academic Ability

Sakuya possesses exceptional academic knowledge but intentionally restrains his visible performance.

• Earned exactly 40 points in every entrance examination subject, indicating deliberate score control. 21 22
• Correctly solves advanced calculus questions in class despite appearing disengaged. 20
• Solved the difficult bonus question on the surprise mathematics examination while keeping his final score unremarkable. 27
• Tutors Karuizawa Kei in mathematics and is confident he can improve her performance before the midterms. 28 30

Physical Ability and Combat

Sakuya conceals outstanding athleticism, reflexes, and fighting ability.

• Recorded 62 kg in grip strength and placed third overall in Class 1-D’s physical fitness test. 8
• Caught a falling runner, corrected his own balance, and finished the endurance run only one second behind Ayanokouji. 8
• Won the grade-wide 50-meter freestyle test with a school-record time of 21.91 seconds, earning Class 1-D 10,000 Private Points. 11
• Fought Student Council President Horikita Manabu to a stalemate, stopping his fist near Manabu’s face while Manabu’s fingers reached Sakuya’s throat. 25

Chess

Sakuya is an elite chess player capable of defeating experienced opponents and matching Sakamayanagi Arisu.

• Defeated a Chess Club senior and its president during the recruitment challenge tournament. 16
• Broke the president’s King-side Fortress through a knight move creating a royal fork. 16
• Defended against Sakamayanagi’s attack and declined a forced winning continuation, intentionally steering their match into a draw. 17

Observation and Leverage

Sakuya closely watches others for weaknesses, secrets, and behavioral tells.

• Recorded an office worker during the bus dispute and used the footage to silence him. 1
• Identified Horikita Suzune’s connection to Horikita Manabu before she disclosed it. 10 11
• Recorded Kamuro Masumi’s shoplifting and used the incident to compel her cooperation. 12 18
• Deduced Ayanokouji Kiyotaka’s controlled entrance scores and physical-test performance, then established a friendship with him. 24

Cooking and Practical Knowledge

Sakuya is capable with food preparation and consumer electronics.

• Advises Airi Sakura on selecting a lightweight camera suited to her needs and counters an aggressive sales pitch. 4
• Prepares braised chicken and later teaches Kamuro how to cook tomato beef. 13 23
• Cooks omurice for Karuizawa during their tutoring sessions. 29 30

Equipment / Items

• Sony PCM-A10 voice recorder — Purchased for 28,500 points; equipped with a high-precision noise-reduction chip and treated by Sakuya as a key source of physical evidence. 4
• Smartphone — Used for messaging, recording video, exchanging contacts, and point transactions. 1 3 12 14
• Dormitory key card — Grants access to Room 217. 4

Relationships

• Horikita Suzune — His seatmate and a potential asset in his plan to reach Class 1-A. Their relationship alternates between mutual suspicion, verbal provocation, and reluctant cooperation. Sakuya intervenes against her brother and keeps the incident confidential. 2 19 25
• Karuizawa Kei — His “rental girlfriend” employer, who pays him 10,000 points per month for public protection. Their transactional arrangement develops into tutoring, meals, dates, and growing mutual reliance. 14 28 30 33
• Ayanokouji Kiyotaka — A fellow Class 1-D student whose score control Sakuya recognizes. Sakuya offers friendship, creating an intelligence connection between them. 24
• Ichinose Honami — A Class 1-B student who first sees Sakuya as kind after the bus incident. They exchange contact information after discussing the point system. 1 3
• Airi Sakura — A socially anxious Class 1-D student whom Sakuya treats with deliberate respect. He helps her buy a suitable camera, and she later seeks his advice on photography. 4 5
• Kamuro Masumi — A Class 1-A student initially placed under Sakuya’s leverage after he records her shoplifting. Their hostile dynamic gradually shifts toward uneasy friendship through shared meals and cooking. 12 13 23
• Sakamayanagi Arisu — A Class 1-A leader and chess rival. Their first match ends in a draw after Sakuya deliberately declines a winning line, leading Sakamayanagi to propose future wagers. 17 19
• Horikita Manabu — The Student Council president and Suzune’s older brother. Sakuya confronts him after witnessing his treatment of Suzune and proves able to fight him evenly. 24 25
• Hasebe Haruka — Airi’s close friend. She becomes interested in Sakuya’s swimming ability and considers lessons alongside Airi. 11

Story Role / Major Arcs

Enrollment and Early Positioning

• Defuses a bus confrontation by threatening an office worker with video evidence, drawing Ichinose Honami’s admiration. 1
• Joins Class 1-D, evaluates its students, and identifies Horikita Suzune as a valuable academic ally. 2
• Preserves his points by collecting free supplies while classmates spend their allowances recklessly. 3
• Purchases a recorder and begins forming connections with Airi Sakura. 4

Athletic Tests

• Performs near Ayanokouji during the physical fitness test while revealing exceptional reflexes in the endurance run. 8
• Uses Horikita Manabu’s status to force Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki to apologize for their harassment of female classmates. 10
• Wins the swimming test with a record-breaking 21.91-second performance and earns Class 1-D 10,000 points. 11

Class A Contacts and Chess Rivalry

• Records Kamuro shoplifting and gains leverage over her. 12 13
• Defeats Chess Club challengers before drawing against Sakamayanagi Arisu. 16 17
• Learns more about the balance among the four classes through Sakamayanagi and Kamuro. 18
• Provokes Horikita by relaying Class A’s description of Class 1-D as a “Gathering Place of Defective Products.” 19

Alliances and Concealed Ability

• Establishes a friendship with Ayanokouji after confronting him about his controlled scores. 24
• Intervenes in the conflict between Horikita Suzune and Horikita Manabu, fighting Manabu to a stalemate. 25
• Continues to conceal the extent of his academic and physical capabilities from classmates. 21 22 25

Class 1-D Crisis

• Anticipates the collapse of Class 1-D’s Class Points and remains calm when the class receives zero Private Points. 31
• Sees the class’s financial panic and expulsion risk as the opening move in his plan to take control. 31
• Recruits Karuizawa Kei into a negotiation strategy intended to obtain old midterm examination papers. 33 34

Notable Quotes

“Then... the game officially begins.” 31

“Can you bury me?” 16

“I merely have the habit of considering the corresponding cost before accepting any benefit.” 31

Trivia

• Sakuya’s Class 1-D seat is by the window in the second-to-last row, which he calls a “throne” and an ideal vantage point for observing the classroom. 2
• He refers to his recorder as Advanced Nurturing High School’s “strongest weapon.” 4
• He intentionally chose a draw against Sakamayanagi despite calculating a mating continuation. 17