2nd Year Room 9

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

Summary
On Thursday, 17 additional pairs were formed, making the total 73. Two students from class 1-D had found partners, but when questioned by Horikita, they pretended not to know anything. Kiyotaka suspected that the truth would be revealed during their meeting with Nanase later that day, and the presence or absence of Hosen would impact how things proceed.

After class, Nanase arrived at the library alone, and Kiyotaka assumed that Hōsen would not appear after all. Suzune invited Nanase to sit, and the two exchanged greetings. Horikita then inquired about their policy for pairing students in class 1-D, and asked if Hōsen had already developed a plan to unite the class. Nanase refused to answer, stating that it would be a betrayal to reveal their strategy to an outsider. Suzune then suggested working together to help students with low academic OAA find suitable partners and pass the exam. Nanase agreed, but only if class 1-D was given an adequate number of private points. Suzune acknowledged that while it was a good idea to request private points, it would leave students with low academic OAA without partners. Nanase agreed with Horikita and claimed that it was because of Hōsen's individualistic mindset that he tried to impose on the class. Kiyotaka concluded that Nanase wanted to negotiate with class 2-D to prevent this from happening.

Suzune asked Nanase if she was afraid of Hosen. Nanase confessed that she was, and then looked at Kiyotaka for a moment. He recalled the previous instances when she had looked at him in a similar way, and despite his suspicion about her true identity, he believed that she was the only one who can help them gain class 1-D's support. Suzune proposed that they work with students who were actively seeking partners and form an agreement without involving private points. Nanase countered by pointing out that the students looking for partners were primarily those with a rating of 'C' and 'D', and that Hosen wouldn't allow anyone to form a pair without his approval.

Kiyotaka suggests that Hōsen's strategy isn't solely focused on gaining points for himself, otherwise he would be helping those students who still haven't found partners and demanding a portion of the points they obtain from negotiations. Instead, he simply imposes rules and marginalizes anyone who breaks them. To avoid expulsions in class 2-D, Kiyotaka proposes that Suzune negotiate with at least a couple of students. However, Suzune is hesitant as she believes that such an approach would lead to relationships based solely on points, rather than trust. While Kiyotaka notes that Suzune's approach is similar to Ichinose's, he recognizes that Suzune's goal is to cooperate with a single class.

Nanase informs Suzune that her classmates are keen on earning private points, and they would view pairing with someone without receiving any points as a waste. Suzune realizes they would need to convince Hōsen and asks Nanase to call him. After a brief moment, Nanase manages to get Hōsen on the line, but he refuses to negotiate and declines their request to meet in person. Despite Nanase's attempts to reason with him, Hōsen demands points in exchange for his cooperation and hangs up abruptly. Nanase apologizes profusely, but Suzune reassures her and reveals that she already has a plan in mind.

Characters
In order of appearance:
 * Suzune Horikita
 * Tsubasa Nanase
 * Kazuomi Hōsen
 * Kiyotaka Ayanokōji
 * Kaga (visual)
 * Mikami (visual)
 * Shiratori (visual)
 * Honami Ichinose (visual)
 * Kakeru Ryūen (visual)
 * Arisu Sakayanagi (visual)