2nd Year Room 12

This is overall thirteenth chapter for the 2nd Year arc of You-Zitsu manga series.

Summary
Kei and Kiyotaka were studying together in his room on a Friday night. Although Kei was feeling tired, Kiyotaka complimented her on her hard work. Kei then asked Kiyotaka a question that had been on her mind for a while: why did he go to such great lengths to hide his academic abilities when he had the potential to excel? Kiyotaka replied that he preferred not to attract attention to himself. Kei then changed the subject and asked Kiyotaka how many points he thought he could get if he tried his best. While he wasn't exactly sure of the number, Kiyotaka believed he could get around 400 points, which was equivalent to an A in academic ability. Kei expressed her doubts, but Kiyotaka confidently replied that he had not encountered any problem he couldn't solve since enrolling in school.

Kei and Kiyotaka were studying when the doorbell rang, rang, interrupting them. Kiyotaka checked the monitor and saw Ichika waving at him. However, Kei was the one to answer the intercom, surprising Ichika. Kiyotaka took over and asked Ichika what she needed. Despite her request to come back later, if he was busy, Kiyotaka agreed to let her up. Afterwards, Kiyotaka asked Kei if she was okay with Ichika knowing about them. He assured her that he would handle the situation and asked her to wait in the room while he let Ichika in.

As soon as Ichika arrived at Kiyotaka's room, she apologized for the unexpected visit and noticed an extra pair of shoes outside. She explained that she thought she had lost her favorite hair ribbon and was searching for it. Kiyotaka kindly invited her inside to look for it. Once inside, Ichika greeted Kei warmly, but Kei only gave a brief reply. Then, Ichika asked Kei if she was Kiyotaka's girlfriend, but Kei dismissed the question and said that their relationship was not Ichika's concern. In turn, Kei asked Ichika about her relationship with Kiyotaka, but Ichika ignored the question and began searching under the bed. This behavior frustrated Kei, and she demanded that Ichika stop ignoring her and answer her question. However, Ichika's revelation that Kiyotaka was her personal chef only added to Kei's annoyance.

After failing to find her hair ribbon under the bed, Ichika headed to the kitchen to continue the search and instructs Kiyotaka to check the living room. Kei took the opportunity to whisper and ask Kiyotaka about Ichika's behavior. He explained that he had to cook for her so she would become Sudō's partner, but Kei remained suspicious. Eventually, Ichika returned with her found hair ribbon and apologized for interrupting their study session. Before leaving, she suggests that Kei join them the next time Kiyotaka cooks. The studious atmosphere uptill now was disrupted, and Kiyotaka had to reassure Kei by explaining everything until she was satisfied before they could study.

Kiyotaka arrived at Keyaki Mall the next day and took some time to reflect on the situation. He thought about the new freshman classes and their progress in forming partnerships:

He noted that In Class 1-A, which had no clear leader, the students with good academic performance were negotiating partnerships on their own while less academic students were using their strengths in other areas to secure partnerships. So far, 34 students in Class 1-A had found partners. Kiyotaka then turned his attention to Class 1-B, which also lacked a clear leader. However, many of their top students had partnered with Class 2-C rather than 2-A since Ryūen had offered more points. As a result, 33 students in Class 1-B had already found partners. Finally, Kiyotaka considered Class 1-D, which had come under Hōsen's control early on. Due to his policies, they had the fewest number of pairs formed. Kiyotaka admitted he knew nothing about Class 1-C since most had formed pairs with Ichinose's class earlier that week. Out of its 40 members, 10 were still without partners. Kiyotaka believed that there must be a mediator in Class 1-C who had managed to help his classmates form partnerships during the meeting organized by Ichinose.

In total, 105 pairs had been formed, which was approximately 70% of the students. Kiyotaka speculated that if the student in the White Room still had no partner, then the chances of him being paired up with that person were high. This led Kiyotaka to come to Keyaki Mall in search of new partnership options. He suspected that Tsukishiro had taught the White Room student how to behave like a normal student.

Sakayanagi arrives and notices Kiyotaka, remarking that he's been quite involved with the freshmen lately. He points out that he's been helping Suzune pair up their classmates. Sakayanagi then expresses her concern that the upcoming exam may be a problem for him, especially if he ends up paired with the student from the White Room, which would almost certainly lead to his expulsion. However, to her surprise, Kiyotaka appears calm and composed. He tells her that he's decided to change his approach and will no longer keep anything hidden.

Sakayanagi offers to introduce him to some freshmen she knows to help him find a partner, but Kiyotaka declines, saying that he already has an idea of what he needs to do. He assures her that it's not because he doesn't trust her, but because he wants to take care of this on his own. Sakayanagi bids him farewell, looking forward to a rematch in the future.

While on his way back from Keyaki Mall, Kiyotaka was approached by a boy and a girl. The girl asked him if he was Kiyotaka Ayanokōji from Class 2-D.

Characters
In order of appearance:
 * Kei Karuizawa
 * Kiyotaka Ayanokōji
 * Ichika Amasawa
 * Suzune Horikita (visual)
 * Honami Ichinose (visual)
 * Tsubasa Nanase (visual)
 * Kazuomi Hōsen (visual)
 * Takuya Yagami (visual)
 * Tsukishiro (visual)
 * Arisu Sakayanagi
 * Sakurako Tsubaki
 * Riku Utomiya