Light Novel 2nd Year Volume 9/Summary

Prologue
Miyabi Nagumo monologues of his journey as a student. Being the best in academics and sports, many tried to take advantage of him. He wasn't that hard working but rather grasp things faster than others. Popularity was important to him but he couldn’t be rid of a discomfort that was augmented with Horikita Manabu, someone smarter, more impressive and determined than him. Next was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, someone arrogant but had unquestionable abilities. He began doubting himself despite having similar accomplishments. The only way to quell this discomfort was to finally defeat someone of similar capabilities, proving he is in fact, the real deal.

Chapter 1
With the 2nd term of the second year ending, winter holidays were about to start. Nagumo summoned Kiyotaka to the student council room via text, which he accepted. He saw Kushida who went past and glared at him. Kei arrived soon after, apologising for being late and had some bed-hair. She was embarrassed by it and his comments that some boys were worse.

Hirata greeted him as he entered class, escaping for the group of girls surrounding him. Hirata tells him to confide in him if he requires help. Despite saying it often, he was uneasy about the unstableness of the class, but returned to the girls eyeing him. Sae announced there’d be a quiz before winter break, a little more than 2 weeks left. She assures that expulsion is unlikely, but class points were important. The test was simple as it consist of direct academic aptitude against other classes. Their class were already picked to face Class A.

For class points, Arisu's A had 1250, Horikita's B had 985, Ryuen's C had 684, Ichinose's D had 655. They will be taking the exam as a class, meaning, collectively, every student has to answer at least 2 questions and 5 at most, one by one as they enter the exam hall. 10 minutes were given per student, and they can't change the answer of another. Written and verbal hints were disallowed. If the whole class finished 1 hour before the total time given, they will receive 10 points, 30 minutes 5 points, and 10 minutes 2 points. Special rules were dependent on a person's academic OAA, someone with A will get 1 point per correctly solved question, B has 2 and vice versa till E with 5. Depending if the bottom E students can solve correctly, they could equalise 5 Class A students of A and above abilities. Absentees meant that 2 questions will be left unanswered. Sae was acting like a mother to her children as she wishes them luck.

Theoretically, Horikita's class had a 100% chance to win considering the lopsided points distribution. Horikita suggest that low rated student should answer as many as they can first. The students assures her they’ll do their best, with Sudou being excited despite being unable to contribute as much since his E abilities had went up to a C+.

Kiyotaka went into the student council room and saw Nagumo and Kiriyama waiting for him. The Y2 council members were also called and will join later. The two banter saying Y3s will have another special exam, with the latter saying there was no use since the end result was already determined, and all those that could change it were already expelled. Turning his attention, Nagumo states the Y2 classes were unnaturally close with class points. Usually there would be 2 at most 3 classes in the race, but now all 4 were in the run. By the final test in Y2, that would change as he shared his own story. He already had the longest tenure as student council president and the school has intervened to make him pass the baton. Thus, he intended to use Kiyotaka to help him decide the next one, each of the supporting a different candidate, either Horikita or Ichinose.

Nagumo already secured all the Y3 votes, and Kiyotaka's only chance to equalise was to either get all the Y1s or Y2s to vote for his candidate. If Nagumo chose Ichinose, it would be simple as she alone could secure the majority of the Y2 votes too, garnering at least a simple majority vote of the student population. Kiyotaka ponders his choice of candidate and sets his terms. He wants voting to be anonymous and that this will be considered a real duel between them. Nagumo accepts the second but inquires whether Kiyotaka thinks that the Y3s would betray him if they become untraceable. Kiyotaka candidly states so as they accepted the deal, as they moved on to their bets. If Nagumo won, Kiyotaka would drop out, but if Kiyotaka wins, he wants all of Nagumo's points, enough to transfer to another class. Kiriyama vehemently objected but was shut down as Horikita and Ichinose asked for permission to enter.

Surprised at Kiyotaka's presence and sitting next to him, Horikita endorses Ichinose to be president due to her experience and lack of weak points. Nagumo agrees but says that Ichinose low class position is her Achilles heel as presidents have all graduated from Class A. Being evenly matched, Horikita chose to enter the race as Nagumo signals for Kiyotaka to choose one of them. Wanting to advance his plan, Kiyotaka made up his mind and was about to say the name but Kiriyama interjected and asked both candidates whether they want to participate first. Nagumo was irritated by the stalling tactic, as Kiryuuin just then, forcibly entered the room. Nagumo was suspicious of how Kiriyama messed up the time schedule with her despite specific instructions.

Kiryuuin says she’s been wrongly framed as a shoplifter. The fastest to react was Ichinose while Kiriyama explained the entire scene. Nagumo was crossed as he says that if she admits her crime, he'll close both his eyes. She already got the admission of Yamanaka who framed her so she wasn’t afraid. Nagumo tells her to leave the footage and exit, being annoyed at the interruption as he seeked Kiyotaka's participation, to which he already agreed. Horikita also accepted but Ichinose tells everyone that she is officially withdrawing from the student council. She voices her low class position as well as past history as detriments to her rising up and so, she decides to not only forgo the election, but the council entirely. Nagumo says the past doesn’t define her future though Ichinose replied it doesn’t change or erase it. Kiriyama supported Ichinose, saying she’s serious and that no one has the right to stop her decision. She turns to Horikita and says she has her support. She then tells the rest that she is unwell and will leave first.

Nagumo was annoyed that his fun was taken away as he tells the new president to fill in the 2 missing vacancy of the council. With the bets off, Nagumo tasks Kiyotaka in helping Horikita find the replacements, with the conditions being one must be from their class and the other being from the first year, promising that she'll be informed as well. Kiyotaka went on to give Nagumo a souvenir, telling Kiriyama to share since he wasn’t aware he'll be here too. Nagumo predicted correctly that Kiyotaka's class was facing Arisu's Class A in the next special exam, as he says they have a good chance to win. He shares how this seasons of exams are usually advantageous for bottom classes to rise up and increase competition. Class A always has a lead, but this year's lead was unprecedentedly low.

With that, his plan of getting 20 million points were postponed as expected that it wasn’t going to be easy. Horikita waited for him outside as they agreed on how unexpected it was for Ichinose to do that. Horikita also ponders the veracity of Kiryuuin being framed and could only think someone did it for revenge. She invites Kiyotaka to join the student council but was quickly declined. She settled for him helping to find replacements but was also rejected as he says easy contenders like Yousuke would fit right in. Sensing his desire to leave quickly, Horikita tries to get his input about the previous special exam but was also shut out, with him pointing to 40 other classmates to ask about that. He tells her that he has no advice to give her but as a classmate, he will follow her orders if it's something akin to solving the hardest question, as he assures her it'll be correct.

Someone with B grade solving 5 hard questions makes her life easier. She shares how even though she won’t abuse her powers as president, she'll gladly dive into the grey area as well as make full use of its reputation. He was peeved that the seeds he sowed had created more issues, and Ichinose sudden action but it couldn’t be helped. He went on to update Kei with a call, who answered in an angry tone. He was able to appease her after giving a clear timeline.

Their relationship had progressed whereby Kiyotaka learnt that one's intuitiveness and perception couldn’t compare to the effectiveness of spending time and knowing another's feeling, to the extent that it becomes better than reading another's mind. Like how feelings can change from tense to serene instantly by using feelings. However, the pages of this books are quickly decreasing as each topic takes longer than the beginning. He was already ready to move to the next step as the end draws closer.

Chapter 2
Juggling between student president work and class leader work wasn’t easy for Horikita. She was grateful the class was motivated to study but was sad when reflecting on Airi. Kiyotaka reprimands her for getting hung up on the past. She was also glad to know Nagumo had convinced Kiyotaka to help her though he added he's doing so begrudgingly. She had already made the decision for the Y2 student as Kushida appears just then. She laughs when Horikita praised and invited her to join, baiting her with the role of vice-president. Horikita grabbed Kushida's hand and begged her openly, saying it will help to reach Class A and her wish to pay back the class.

Seeing how she was adamantly opposed and piecing all the pieces together instantly, Ichika stealthily interjected behind them by saying Kushida won’t be easily targeted if she was inside the council. Despite noticing her presence first, Kiyotaka kept silent and raised his dominance, something only Ichika could notice, as he glared at her so she wouldn’t go overboard. Ichika took the warning but still played with her enough to be an annoyance as she listed numerous irrefutable benefits for Kushida's case. He vouched for Ichika that she only heard the bare minimum. Deciding to help their cause, Ichika began poking Kushida all over, whom could only endure for her public persona. Ichika used Horikita's public weapon as her own weapon, forcing them to change to a more secluded location.

Wanting not to stay too long, Kiyotaka caution Ichika to not play much further when she antagonised the two girls. Kushida says she’ll only join if Horikita kowtowed to her which Horikita quickly did so. With her position secured, more power given, as well as ability to shame Horikita constantly, Kushida was more than appeased. Kiyotaka grabbed Ichika's arm as they moved away, listening to Horikita ashamed plea to only let Kushida see this sight.

Afterward, Horikita felt humiliated but justified after getting Kushida's assistance. Kiyotaka says she could had been smarter in choosing another tactic that wouldn’t tarnish her dignity but she glossed past his words. Kiyotaka recommended Ichika to be on the council as well, stating her OAA was more than qualified, though Horikita says Ichika wasn’t what she envisioned her council to be. She went on to find her candidate, leaving Ichika and Kiyotaka to talk. The former saying she was testing Kushida and how much stronger she’s gotten psychologically. It was a mistake for her to pick a fight with three Whiteroom students, but she was able to get stronger out of it, even if they didn’t take her seriously.

She tagged alone to also inspect the new president, wondering whether to join herself. Kiyotaka says she could had made it in if she sternly made her case to Horikita, though the key word is seriously. She was still in year one and could make herself known in the future if she seriously intends to be a part of the council. With Yagami gone, Kiyotaka welcomes her to turn her malice to him if she ever so wished. Horikita came back with news of Ishigami's whereabouts, with Ichika praising her for noticing her classmate. He was a class adviser of Class 1A and walked past coincidentally in front of them. Ishigami rejected the offer as they understood that with no one coming forward, none were interested in the council. Horikita decides to choose from Class 1D instead, with Ichika offering Housen's name jokingly.

Nanase greeted them outside 1D's classroom and asked to be a part of it after hearing Horikita's objective. Kiyotaka and Ichika vouched for her OAA and serious attitude, which sold Horikita on the idea. She was against the latter for her attitude and personality despite being high in terms of abilities. Exchanging contact, Horikita promises to disseminate Nagumo's action and put in good word that Kiyotaka helped her. Ichika left soon after as Horikita invites him to join a study session reasoning Kei would be involved. He decides to attend, surprising Horikita though not because of her reason.

Kei was happy to see him attend but was soon dissatisfied when he said it was only for a short visit. Sudou was also late as he wore his glasses. He shared that he has found studying to be fun instead of a chore, thus, he was able to continue without being burnt out. He also wanted to expand his opportunities if he fails in basketball. His words inspired the weaker students to also work harder as they started studying.

The day after, Kiyotaka tried to avoid meeting Nagumo in the student council room but was dragged by Horikita. Kiyotaka quipped that the council would run fine even without her as they saw the two new members getting along. Nagumo laughed at Horikita's boldness in appointing Kushida, and said it was a first that girls outnumbered the boys internally. With that, Nagumo approved the procedure and reluctantly moved from the president's chair, leaving it to Horikita and officially stepping down. He found it a pity that despite having much power, he couldn’t overturn the school decisions in many aspects, but was still able to implement the transfer ticket. Kiyotaka took his leave and allowed them to continue the formalities, knowing Horikita's goal was to make her name known as the president that started from Class D at 0 points and graduating as Class A.

A unexpected guy texted Kiyotaka to meet whom agreed to do so at 2pm. Kiryuuin walked by Kiyotaka and was about to storm inside the room again before being told that the new president was being inaugurated. She begrudgingly stopped and asked for some of his time. He knew she wanted to use his expertise instead of knowing through Nagumo and expanding more effort. He excused himsel by saying that Kei was waiting for him, though she retorted back that the duties of girlfriends include patiently waiting for the house patriarch, which was ironic to say for herself.

She threatened to disclose his displays during the uninhabited island exam if he didn’t help her find the culprit. He tells her that she should had done it from the start but she instead tried to have a friendly relationship with him. Despite not wanting to go against a third year, he decides to help her out slightly.

Chapter 3
Kanzaki contacted Kiyotaka and brought along his classmates Himeno, Watanabe and Amikura. They decide to use the Karaoke room to conduct their meeting, the latter two only coming since they heard that they were meeting Kiyotaka. Kanzaki decides that now is the prime time to move forward. Kanzaki wanted everyone to write a credible oath of secrecy but eventually settled with their verbal promises. They heard that their class leader Ichinose had quit the student the council, but nothing concrete has ensured that yet. Some gossiped that Kiyotaka was the replacement, as he confirms the formal while rejected the latter. Himeno asks if Ichinose had given up on Class A, though the newer two defended her. Nonetheless, without communicating, Ichinose only sowed doubts into everyone’s mind.

Kanzaki was 70% while Himeno was 50% sure Ichinose had given up on Class A. They had no right to blame Ichinose as both ideals clashed. Kanzaki looked to Kiyotaka for confirmation as he too was shocked by her action. He tells them that classmates should know more about her than someone who doesn’t spend every day in class with her. He tells Kanzaki there was no need for secrecy to find her intention, and that he shouldn’t be content only having a few like minded people, that would never change the class. Kiyotaka tells them to look for small changes to see her mindset. They recalled but she was still unchanged after resigning, it was only the island exam that she wasn’t herself. The boys were clueless as Amikura asked Kiyotaka what she should do. Himeno instantly knew as she answered Kanzaki that Kiyotaka had a role in Ichinose's lack of energy.

Cutting in, Kiyotaka said he received a confession from Ichinose but was unable to answer her, shocking everyone. Shibata and the others would be shattered hearing this as Kanzaki wonders if things would be better if Kiyotaka broke up with Kei and dated their leader. Kiyotaka says that such a thing can’t be decided due to another student’s suggestion as he brought them back to Ichinose's reason. They wondered if it was reluctance to fight Ryuen but it was unlikely. The bottom line was that as leader, she's obligated to tell the class her thoughts, and if she steps down, she would then regain the personal freedom to choose to fight or give up. The other two began to come to terms but was against betraying Ichinose though they could see if she decided to cover up the truth and bluff them to provide false security.

Kanzaki had also called the tardy Hamaguchi along as had planned to use him as Ichinose's replacement. Kiyotaka compares him to Yosuke from his class in role as he thanks him for helping him out during the island exam. Unexpectedly, they already had 5 members, 3 being official, whilst the two promises to not say anything. As Kanzaki was about to share the next stage, the door was burst opened by Ishizaki who notices Kiyotaka.