Recaps

Chabashira intervened when Hoshinomiya harassed Kazami, but Hoshinomiya stayed to pry into Class D’s business until Ichinose arrived. Kazami abruptly confessed to Ichinose, prompting Chabashira to stop him, and she then led Kazami and Ayanokoji to the break room to discuss class matters.

• Hoshinomiya threatened Kazami until Chabashira tapped her on the head and told her to stop harassing her student.
• Hoshinomiya clung to Chabashira and insisted on joining her meeting with Kazami, while Chabashira refused to discuss Class D’s affairs with her.
• Ichinose arrived, and Kazami suddenly confessed to her with a story about placing a curse on her.
• Chabashira knocked Kazami on the head, and Hoshinomiya defended Ichinose before leaving with her.
• Chabashira told Kazami and Ayanokoji to stop chatting and follow her to the break room for a discussion.

Kazami Saku and Ayanokoji waited in Chabashira Sae’s inner room while she explained to Horikita why she had been placed in Class D. After Chabashira called them out, Kazami suspected she was trying to recruit all three students to help her class rise.

• Chabashira ordered Kazami and Ayanokoji to wait in the inner room, but Kazami protested until she flicked his forehead and made him retreat inside.
• Kazami claimed he would have knocked Chabashira’s nose crooked if he had not respected his elders, while Ayanokoji dismissed his excuse.
• Horikita argued that her conduct and grades did not justify Class D and threatened to appeal to the chairman of the school board.
• Chabashira refuted Horikita’s complaints by explaining the school’s evaluations, hidden point deductions, rules, and meritocracy, then urged her to work toward Class A.
• Chabashira called Kazami and Ayanokoji out, but they initially stayed put until she threatened to lock them in; Ayanokoji emerged first, followed by Kazami.
• Kazami concluded that Chabashira wanted to recruit him, Ayanokoji, and Horikita to help the class rise, but doubted he would work hard without gaining anything himself.

Chabashira revealed Ayanokoji’s concealed ability and Kazami’s top quiz score to challenge Horikita’s confidence in her judgment. Horikita left the meeting humiliated and furious, while Chabashira sent the three students away to reconsider their plans.

• Horikita discovered Ayanokoji and Kazami had been listening to her argument, and Kazami taunted her by imitating her words.
• Chabashira showed Ayanokoji’s test papers, which had exactly fifty points in every subject, and noted that he had answered difficult quiz questions correctly.
• Chabashira revealed that Kazami had earned full marks on the quiz and ranked first in the school.
• Chabashira challenged Horikita’s belief that hard work made her one of the strong, and Kazami compared her to a puppy guarding its food.
• Horikita clenched her fists in anger as Chabashira ended the meeting and ordered the three students out.

Horikita recruited Ayanokoji with a threat and chased Kazami for revenge after refusing to take him on as a subordinate. Kazami argued that his popularity and people skills could help Horikita reach Class A, leaving her to consider his usefulness.

• Horikita asked Ayanokoji to cooperate with her plans, and he refused until she threatened him with a metal compass.
• Kazami offered to become Horikita’s subordinate, but she rejected him and listed his past bad strategies as reasons she would not seek his advice.
• Horikita chased Kazami with the compass over his past teasing, while Ayanokoji was caught between them.
• Kazami challenged Horikita to put away the compass and fight barehanded, then backed down when she did so.
• Kazami volunteered to handle errands and class morale, arguing that he was more popular than Horikita and Ayanokoji.
• Horikita acknowledged that Kazami’s social skills could help manage class relationships.

After Horikita recruited Kazami into unpaid work, he went out for dinner and ran into Hoshinomiya, who offered him food in exchange for becoming her informant in Class D. Kazami refused, but when Hoshinomiya got drunk and promised to tell him what Honami liked, he agreed to escort her home.

• Horikita accepted Kazami and Ayanokoji's help, then left to organize her study notes.
• Kazami went out for dinner and met Hoshinomiya, who offered to treat him to a meal.
• Hoshinomiya asked Kazami to become her mole in Class D, but he refused her offer.
• Hoshinomiya drank until she was thoroughly drunk, then persuaded Kazami to walk her home by promising information about Honami.
• Kazami supported Hoshinomiya all the way to the faculty dormitory entrance, exhausted by the journey.

Kazami discovered that Hoshinomiya had tricked him into escorting her without sharing the promised information about Ichinose. During a drawing lesson with Kamuro, he recounted his failed attempt to take control of Class D and learned that she was willing to lend him points, before their teasing turned to a discussion of midterm preparation.

• Hoshinomiya sent Kazami away without telling him anything about Ichinose, and he left the teachers' dorm cursing her.
• Kazami showed Kamuro an erotic drawing of her, and she tore it up and warned him not to reveal that she had taught him to draw.
• Kamuro asked about Class D, and Kazami described his schemes and how his classmates had rejected him and overthrown him as their leader.
• Kamuro offered to lend Kazami points, but his teasing about whether she wanted him made her furious.
• Kazami changed the subject to the midterms, and Kamuro claimed her exam preparation was going well despite seeming unsure.

Kazami brooded over his failed ambition to lead Class D and resolved to lie low under Horikita while waiting for a chance to reclaim power. As midterms approached, Hirata organized tutoring, but many classmates were uncooperative and Sudo, Ike, and Yamauchi refused to participate.

• Kazami offered Kamuro free tutoring, and she reluctantly accepted after learning he had earned full marks on a pop quiz.
• Kazami watched Kushida persistently approach Horikita and convinced himself that Kushida was romantically in love with her.
• Kazami blamed his classmates and Chabashira-sensei for rejecting his plans, and vowed to bide his time before challenging Horikita's leadership.
• Hirata organized tutoring for the class ahead of midterms, with Kushida and Yukimura among the first to cooperate seriously.
• Sudo, Ike, and Yamauchi repeatedly rejected Hirata's tutoring invitations, while other students participated reluctantly and failed to take the exams seriously.

Kazami agreed to tutor Hasebe and Sakura while Horikita organized Class D’s midterm preparations. Ayanokoji failed to recruit Sudo and Yamauchi, and Horikita’s tutoring group broke apart after she argued with Sudo.

• After Hirata repeatedly asked Kazami to help with tutoring, Kazami agreed to teach Hasebe and Sakura.
• Horikita took charge of Class D’s exam preparations and ordered Ayanokoji and Kazami to bring Sudo, Ike, and Yamauchi to tutoring.
• Kazami declined Horikita’s assignment because he had already promised to tutor Hasebe and Sakura, so Ayanokoji went alone and failed to persuade Sudo and Yamauchi.
• At the library, Kazami began tutoring Hasebe and Sakura while Horikita’s study group erupted into an argument between Horikita and Sudo.
• Horikita’s group dispersed on bad terms, and Hasebe told Kazami that Horikita’s overbearing way of speaking had provoked Sudo.

After discussing Horikita’s decision and boasting about his ambitions, Kazami and Ayanokoji stumbled upon Manabu Horikita confronting Suzune Horikita late at night. Ayanokoji fought Manabu while Kazami joined in with a surprise attack, leaving Manabu in a sorry state.

• Kazami told Hasebe that he would help Sudo if Sudo and Horikita fought, shocking Hasebe and Sakura Airi.
• After dinner and several games, Kazami and Ayanokoji discussed Horikita’s decision and Kazami’s ambition to become king.
• Kazami and Ayanokoji heard an argument and found Manabu Horikita pinning Suzune Horikita against a wall.
• Kazami began stripping so he could fight Manabu, then sent Ayanokoji in first while planning an ambush.
• Ayanokoji dodged and countered Manabu’s attacks, gaining the advantage as they fought.
• Kazami attacked Manabu below the belt while he was occupied with Ayanokoji, leaving Manabu struggling to suppress a scream.

Suzune Horikita stopped Kazami and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji’s fight with Manabu Horikita, then asked them to keep the incident secret. After Chie Hoshinomiya photographed Kazami in his underwear, he copied Ayanokoji’s piano and calligraphy abilities and returned to the dorms with him.

• Suzune Horikita stopped the fight, and Manabu Horikita told her to drop out before leaving after Kazami taunted him.
• Suzune asked Kazami and Ayanokoji to keep the night's events secret, then questioned Ayanokoji about his fighting skills.
• Chie Hoshinomiya photographed Kazami and Ayanokoji, mistook the scene for something from a novel, and ran off without deleting the pictures.
• Ayanokoji told Kazami to put his clothes back on, then confirmed he could play piano and practice calligraphy.
• Kazami copied Ayanokoji’s piano and calligraphy abilities after making him call him Big Brain, then went back to the dorms with him.

Kazami embellished the previous night's events while gossiping with Hasebe, then Horikita beat him for his story. He pressured Horikita into agreeing to cook his meals for a month, leaving him pleased with his latest victory.

• Kazami told Hasebe an exaggerated story about Ayanokoji fighting Horikita's brother while carrying a piano, practicing calligraphy, and holding flowers.
• Horikita confronted Kazami and beat him after he continued talking about her brother.
• Kazami complained to Hasebe, then went to Horikita and demanded she treat him to a meal.
• Horikita served Kazami a rice-free salad, and he threatened to post an account of the previous night's events on the school forum.
• Kazami demanded that Horikita cook his meals for a month, and she agreed to keep the story from being revealed.

Kazami woke to find Horikita delivering meals under their agreement, then worried when Kushida noticed their unusual closeness and sought an explanation. Ayanokoji arranged for Kushida to help them at noon the next day, leaving Kazami to invent a cover story that would not expose Horikita’s secret.

• Horikita woke Kazami at six thirty and brought him breakfast and a vegetable-only lunch, explaining that she would add meat if he gave her points.
• After classes, Horikita asked Kazami about dinner, and Kushida overheard their exchange and suspected they were secretly dating.
• Kushida hurried after Kazami to ask about Horikita, but Kazami hesitated because he had promised to keep Horikita’s family dispute secret.
• Ayanokoji promised Kushida an answer if she helped them at noon the next day, and Kushida agreed.
• Kazami panicked that Horikita would punish him if he revealed her secret, so Ayanokoji suggested claiming she had lost a bet and was bringing Kazami meals for a month.

Ayanokoji planned to find past exam papers to help Class D pass the midterms, while Kazami tried to recruit him and got caught insulting Chabashira-sensei. At Horikita's dinner, Kazami ate her homemade pickled radish without asking and learned she would charge him 1,000 points for it.

• Ayanokoji told Kazami he planned to find past exam papers, reasoning that earlier students had not been expelled for failing the first midterms.
• Kazami invited Ayanokoji to join his grand undertaking as Class D's Mighty General, but Ayanokoji said they were both Horikita's lackeys.
• Chabashira-sensei overheard Kazami criticizing her judgment, and Kazami nervously denied having said anything before moving aside.
• Kazami arrived at Horikita's room for dinner and admired her cooking as he ate her vegetarian meal.
• Kazami ate Horikita's homemade pickled radish without permission, and Horikita told him it would cost 1,000 points.

Kazami paid Horikita a thousand points for her homemade pickled radish, then reassured her that her harsh treatment of Sudo, Ike, and Yamauchi was understandable. Horikita regained her resolve to keep advancing the class, and Kazami's first private dinner in her room ended.

• Horikita charged Kazami a thousand points for the pickled radish he had already tasted, then offered to sell him more jars.
• Kazami suggested Horikita sell the radish to Ayanokoji, but Horikita instead offered Kazami a long-term supply and refused to include it with his meal plan.
• Horikita asked Kazami whether she had been too harsh on Sudo and the others, and he said her frustration was understandable but warned that their expulsion could cost the class points.
• Horikita took Kazami's words to heart and resolved not to let others' opinions shake her as she worked to move the class forward.
• Kazami tried to cheer Horikita with a joke and a compliment, and their private dinner ended with him regretting the thousand-point cost.

Kazami asked Chiaki Matsushita to tutor Hasebe and Sakura because his own study plans left him no time to honor his promise to Hirata. Matsushita rejected the request and denied Kazami’s claim that she was capable, leaving him without an agreement.

• Kazami decided to ask Chiaki Matsushita to take his place tutoring Hasebe and Sakura.
• Kazami waited for Matsushita with breakfast Horikita had made, but Matsushita suspected he had an ulterior motive.
• Matsushita joked that she could exorcise ghosts by beating people with a stick, and Kazami asked whether her family worked in exorcism.
• Kazami explained that he had promised Hirata to tutor Hasebe and Sakura and asked Matsushita to fill in.
• Matsushita refused, and when Kazami said she had the ability to teach them, she awkwardly pretended not to understand him.

Kazami pressured Matsushita into tutoring Hasebe and Sakura, then introduced her to them as their new tutor. He left the three girls getting acquainted while reflecting on Sakura’s shyness and Ayanokoji’s misfortune.

• Kazami threatened to reveal Matsushita’s secret until she agreed to help tutor Hasebe and Sakura.
• Kazami tried to recruit Matsushita as a long-term subordinate, but she rejected the idea and told him to become a real leader first.
• Kazami told Hasebe and Sakura that he could no longer tutor them because he had an important undertaking, and said he had found a replacement.
• Hasebe doubted Kazami’s claim that he had serious work to do and teased him about his schemes.
• Kazami introduced Matsushita Chiaki as their new midterm tutor, and Sakura, Hasebe, and Matsushita exchanged greetings.

Kazami, Ayanokoji, and Kushida put Ayanokoji’s plan to buy past exam papers into action, relying on Kushida’s charm to negotiate a lower price. The second-year student dropped his demand from fifty thousand points to five thousand, then was won over again by Kazami’s whispered advice.

• Hasebe, Matsushita, and Sakura teased Kazami about having mostly cute girls as friends, and Kazami fled after they dismissed Ayanokoji and Hirata as exceptions.
• Kazami met Ayanokoji and Kushida at lunch to begin their plan to obtain past exam papers.
• Ayanokoji told Kushida that Horikita had devised the plan, while Kazami privately recognized the lie.
• Kazami and Ayanokoji chose Kushida as their negotiator and approached a second-year student selling a complete set of past exam papers.
• Kushida’s charm persuaded the student to lower his price from fifty thousand points to five thousand.
• Kazami coached Kushida on another appeal, and the second-year student called her an angel descended into the three-dimensional world.

Kushida obtained the past midterm papers for free, and Ayanokoji arranged for her to distribute them to Class D a week before exams. Kazami then secretly used a copy and Kushida’s contacts to launch a business selling the papers to struggling first-years, hoping to solve his points shortage without Horikita finding out.

• Kushida charmed an upperclassman into giving her the past midterm papers for free, surprising Ayanokoji.
• Ayanokoji asked Kushida to keep the papers and distribute them to Class D a week before the midterms.
• Kazami asked Kushida for a copy of the papers and a list of struggling first-years with their contact details.
• Kushida recognized Kazami planned to sell the papers, worried Horikita would be angry, then agreed to help him.
• Kazami messaged students on Kushida’s list and quickly arranged several in-person sales after promising the papers were genuine.

Himeno Yuki confronted Kazami over his embarrassing username and asked him for help, but he repeatedly lied to provoke her and farm Emotion Points. After she beat him, they agreed to talk properly, and Kazami learned she had trained in judo, Taekwondo, and self-defense.

• Himeno Yuki met Kazami at Palesa Coffee Shop and angrily confronted him about the username Don't Talk, Kiss Me.
• Kazami teased Himeno and pretended he could help her, swinging her between anger and hope to gain Emotion Points.
• Kazami admitted that his claimed connections and promises to negotiate a deal were all lies, enraging Himeno.
• Himeno chased and struck Kazami before asking to talk properly, and Kazami surrendered.
• Himeno told Kazami she had trained in judo, Taekwondo, and women's self-defense.

Kazami sold his exam-preparation method to Himeno and Class B, then negotiated separate deals with Class A and Ryuen’s Class C. Although he closed all the transactions, Ryuen haggled the Class C price down to 134,358 points, leaving Kazami exhausted and unwilling to deal with him again.

• Kazami required Himeno to sign a confidentiality contract and quoted her fifty thousand points for his method, offering a discount if she brought other buyers.
• Himeno brought Kanzaki and Ichinose, and Kanzaki negotiated a contract giving all of Class B access to the method for one hundred thousand points.
• Kazami chose Katsuragi Kohei as his contact in Class A and secured a deal after a brief negotiation.
• Kazami contacted Ryuen anonymously and endured extensive questioning and haggling before finalizing the Class C deal for 134,358 points.
• Kazami finished the cross-class sales exhausted and decided he would never do business with Ryuen again.

Kazami exploited Yamauchi and several Class D students by selling them an exam strategy, then played the role of a selfless classmate as they thanked him. He looked forward to their reaction when Kushida distributed past exam papers the next day.

• Ryuen heard that the deal was complete and reminded Ishizaki to keep studying despite their access to an exam strategy.
• Kazami approached Yamauchi, convinced him that a shortcut would guarantee he passed, and accepted Yamauchi's game console as payment collateral.
• Yamauchi shared Kazami's strategy with Sudo, Ike, and others, pretending he had devised it himself.
• Sudo, Ike, and the others cried with relief and praised Kazami for helping them.
• Kazami delivered an earnest speech about helping Class D while privately anticipating their disappointment when Kushida handed out past exam papers.

Kazami used exam-paper sales to amass around 450,000 points and rewarded Kushida for helping him. When Kushida shared past papers with Class D, Yamauchi, Ike, and Sudo realized they had paid Kazami dearly for materials the class received free, and Kazami played innocent before Horikita questioned him.

• Kazami calculated that his trading with all four classes had brought his assets to around 450,000 points.
• Kazami transferred 2,000 points to Kushida as thanks, and she accepted them after he urged her to treat him as a friend.
• Kushida shared the past midterm papers with Class D during homeroom, prompting the class to celebrate.
• Yamauchi, Ike, and Sudo confronted Kazami about the electronics they had put up as collateral, and Kazami claimed he had only wanted to help them.
• Kazami blamed the high cost of the papers on Kushida, then stormed out of the classroom while Kushida realized he was acting.
• Horikita questioned Kazami about what had happened, and he claimed he had been worried the others would fail.

After midterms, Sudo failed English and faced withdrawal, so Horikita brought Kazami to the rooftop to meet Ayanokoji and Chabashira-sensei. Ayanokoji began asking whether the world was fair, but Kazami’s interruption broke the mood.

• Kushida confronted Kazami for lying about how many points he earned from selling past papers, and he persuaded her to keep it secret.
• Class D studied Kushida’s past papers through the week before the midterms ended.
• Chabashira-sensei announced that Sudo had failed English and would have to complete the withdrawal procedures, while Hirata asked to review his exam paper.
• Horikita signaled for Kazami to follow her out of the classroom after Ayanokoji left, and she threatened him when he joked about going to the bathroom together.
• Horikita stopped Kazami from entering the girls’ bathroom and took him to the rooftop, where Ayanokoji asked Chabashira-sensei whether the world was fair.
• Kazami loudly answered that it was not, prompting Chabashira-sensei to tell him to stay quiet.

Ayanokoji and Horikita paid Chabashira-sensei to revoke Ken Sudō’s expulsion, and the class celebrated his narrow escape. After the gathering, Kazami took Kushida’s forgotten phone to return it.

• Ayanokoji offered to buy the point needed to save Sudō, and Chabashira-sensei set the price at 100,000 points.
• Horikita agreed to cover part of the cost, and Chabashira-sensei revoked Sudō’s expulsion.
• Sudō hosted a meal to thank Ayanokoji, Horikita, and Kazami, while Ayanokoji let Horikita take credit for tutoring him.
• Sudō defended Horikita when Yamauchi criticized her, then the gathering ended and the guests left Ayanokoji’s room.
• Ayanokoji noticed Kushida’s forgotten phone, and Kazami took it to return to her.

Kazami followed Kushida after realizing she had left the dorm, only to discover her hidden resentment toward Horikita and get caught listening. The chapter ended with Kushida grabbing him after chasing him down.

• Kazami noticed Kushida was missing and guessed that she had gone outside because she was jealous over Horikita.
• Kazami followed Kushida to a secluded area and overheard her angrily insulting Horikita.
• Matsushita's message made Kushida's phone ring, revealing Kazami's hiding place.
• Kushida called for the intruder to come out, and Kazami ran away while she chased him.
• Kushida caught the exhausted Kazami by the collar, and he awkwardly pretended they had met by coincidence.