Light Novel Volume 10/Summary

Below is the summary of Volume 10 of the You-Zitsu light novel series.

Prologue
Yōsuke Hirata gives a monologue where he states that his duty is to protect his classmates. However, in the past, he was a different person whose existence was rather that of a shadow, perhaps similar to Kiyotaka Ayanokōji. Therefore, he sometimes sees Kiyotaka overlapping with his previous self. That all changed after his childhood friend attempted suicide after being constantly bullied without him noticing. The fact that he’s still alive is purely based on luck and it wouldn’t be unexpected if he dies. From then on, he began thinking of ways to get rid of bullying which only ended up in failure. Seeing the class in crisis again, he decides that there's only one way to protect them. The scene switches to Hirata telling Suzune Horikita to shut up, resulting in his classmates looking strangely at him. The usually polite Hirata uttered vitriolic words to another classmate. In his mind, the image he carried for so long didn’t matter anymore. His facial expression screams despair which was plain for all to see.

Chapter 1
On March 1st, the results of the previous exams are announced and surprisingly everyone passed. Most notably, Sudo has shown the most improvement while Kouenji maintain second place seemingly without studying. Chabashira had a much warmer tone towards the class and voiced her curiosity of how far they would go after this. That said, she caution them not to be overconfident as this was far beneath the standards of national-level exams and that something much more significant is just on the horizon.

Another special exam is announced to be on March 8 (Final Special Exam). Hirata encourages the class to work hard for the last exam of the year so they could reach Class A without anyone being expelled. Chabashira soon left after remarking that they may graduate in two years time after all. Kiyotaka sees Manabu Horikita and Miyabi Nagumo talking with the latter spotting him immediately. Nagumo inquires whether he passed the end of year exam. After giving a lukewarm response, Nagumo asks Kiyotaka if that was the right attitude to talk to the student council president. After straightening up slightly, Nagumo proceeds to ask whether he's aware of the person responsible for diverting the slander around Ichinose to other students which was done by posting various others rumours of them on the school forum. Recognising that Nagumo was testing and possibly even seen through him, Kiyotaka feigns ignorance and said that the school has forbidden discussion about the incident and that the student council president is no exception. Manabu supports Kiyotaka which finally forces Nagumo to back down.

When they see Suzune and exchanged some words with her. Nagumo then offers her a seat in the student council. Both Manabu and Suzune are surprised but she declines the offer and return to class annoyed

Chapter 2
On Monday, March 2, Sae Chabashira announces a new special exam while seeming a little bit restless. Compared to past years, this special exam has never been conducted before. It was the first time in the school's history where no student had been expelled till that point. Normally, the Special Exam's failure rate is 3% but it is very hard to lower that percentage to 0%.

The name of the exam is "The Class Poll" and the details are the following:


 * Students can give praise votes to students from other classes. Even if a student is hated by all within his/her class, he/she can still be saved by praise votes from other classes.


 * The winners will get protection points. These points can invalidate expulsions (e.g. failing an exam). A Protection point is non-transferrable. It is almost equivalent to 20 million private points.


 * The rules:
 * Praise and criticism votes interfere with each other. Praise - Critic = Result
 * No self-voting
 * No action such as nominating the same person more than once, entering a blank, abstention or similar
 * The exam is repeated in case of extreme coincidences until the first and last students are decided, with the last student being the one to drop out.
 * Each student has a voting ballot dedicated to issue it to students of other classes, and filling is mandatory.


 * Students with the lowest vote result can still be saved using 20 million points.


 * The vote results will be announced with only the rankings and number of votes, but the voters' names will be kept anonymous.

End of class, Chabashira leaves the classroom. Rokusuke Kōenji and Ken Sudō starts arguing who was more useful to the class before Hirata intervenes.

During lunch time, the Ayanokōji Group has a meeting in the cafeteria after lunch to discuss the special exam. Airi Sakura is anxious about one of them being targeted. Teruhiko Yukimura suggests that they could work together to avoid any of them coming in last. Akito Miyake is concerned there will be larger groups being created. Keisei advises them to not stand out or cause any trouble to draw attention to themselves and they aren't suitable for that strategy anyway. They also discussed possible candidates for criticism votes - Kōenji being the possible candidate, but Airi argues that he was still contributing to class. They then see Kakeru Ryūen sitting alone reading a book, giving off the image that he will take no action to protect himself. Suzune goes to ask Ryūen about his plan, but gets mocked instead. She eventually asks if Ryūen could survive the situation using his full strength, which he replies with an accepting laugh.

Kei Karuizawa calls Kiyotaka that night and they discuss about the exam. He asks Kei to contact him if she finds anyone consolidating power to target someone else before ending the call. He intends to not get deeply involved in the voting operation, but in preparation for unforeseen circumstances, he will observe the movement of the voting.

Chapter 3
The Ayanokōji Group decide that one of the members will go to school early to observe and collect information for three days.

While going to school, Kiyotaka sees Honami Ichinose and they decide to walk together. Honami shares with Kiyotaka that she wants to save all of her classmates. She also offers to give her praise votes to Kiyotaka if he needs them. They then see Nazuna Asahina, their upperclassman and Kiyotaka lets Honami go ahead so he can have a talk with Asahina. Kiyotaka and Asahina talk about the first years' special exam and how the only way to reverse expulsion was with 20 million private points. Asahina says that Nagumo could potentially provide help in exchange for companionship (or dating), while they were talking about the possibility of Nagumo and Ichinose.

Around lunch time, Kiyotaka visits the library, where he meets Hiyori Shiina. They sit next to each other and silently read books for about 30 minutes until the end of lunch break. Kiyotaka then asks Hiyori about Ryūen's situation. Hiyori replies that it's not good and Ryūen seems to have understood that. Hiyori also tells Kiyotaka not to get himself expelled, since she doesn't want to lose anymore of her friends.

After class, Hirata asks Kiyotaka to meet him later at the Keyaki Mall, and Kiyotaka agrees. On his way there he meets Arisu Sakayanagi and Masumi Kamuro. Arisu and Kiyotaka start talking about the addition of the new exam. Arisu reveals that her father, Chairman Sakayanagi, was suspended the other day. She then asks to delay their fight since they can't create conflict between classes in this exam. Kiyotaka says he is of the same opinion. They then talk a little more about the exam before Kiyotaka bids farewell to her.

Kiyotaka meets Hirata, who asks to talk at his room instead. On the way to the dorms, they see Kōenji, who tells Hirata that he should make sacrifices. In Hirata's room, Hirata asks Kiyotaka whether it is necessary for someone to leave the school and that he was still trying to find a way to save everyone. Kiyotaka believes that Hirata will probably sacrifice himself. Before leaving, Kiyotaka asks Hirata whether he has already been dating someone else, to which he denies and, in return, asks Kiyotaka if he likes someone.

Honami meets Kiyotaka at his room at night, being anxious as it was the first time she was alone with a boy past daylight hours. Kiyotaka asks her about her plan for the exam. He tells her that he has knowledge of her intention to cooperate with Nagumo and accept his conditions, to her surprise. When asked about the missing amount, Honami reveals that it was a little over 4 million private points. Kiyotaka then begins formulating a plan to help out Honami so that she wouldn't have to go through with Nagumo's conditions.

Chapter 4
The morning of the third day after the additional test was announced. After going down to the lobby, Kiyotaka meets Sudō (who used the stairs) and they exchange a few words.

When Kiyotaka enters the classroom, he notices a change in the air. It was different from the day before. There's a sense of 'unity'. It can be seen that it implies the existence of a larger group that will challenge this examination. Hirata and Suzune also sense it. Keisei is also able to feel it even though he does not seem to understand the difference.

On lunch break, the Ayanokōji Group discusses about the larger groups and who the target might be. It's unusual to see the number increased in just a single day. It seems to them that Hirata and Suzune have not realised the existence of the larger group. On Hirata's case, this might be because he stands neutral on these things. If he was asked for cooperation, he might try to oppose and dismantle the large group. Kiyotaka then receives a phone call from Manabu and leaves the café.

Kiyotaka meets Manabu and his classmate who was also the former council secretary-Akane Tachibana. They discuss about the exam and about Suzune. Manabu also asks if there was any unusual movement from Nagumo, but Kiyotaka hasn't observed anything yet. Kiyotaka replies that he'll do what he can do.

Kei calls Kiyotaka in the evening and informs him that a large group was targeting him. He then calls Manabu and asks him for some assistance. He later calls Kikyō Kushida and directly asks for the ringleader, since he already believes Kushida already knew and she was the only one in Class C who is capable of going around accumulating votes in the shadow. At first, Kushida denies being the one behind it but tells him that she has knowledge of the ringleader but could not disclose that information since she is the only one who knows it and the person will definitely realise that she betrayed them if she did. Kiyotaka accepts her excuse and chooses not to push further. She then asks about his countermeasure afterwards, to which he replies that if she won't reveal the information then there was nothing he could do. Kushida abruptly gives the answer - Haruki Yamauchi, and explains that she told him as she wants to see how he will turn the situation around. Kiyotaka figures out that the real mastermind was Sakayanagi. Kushida finally admits and Kiyotaka thinks the agreement that Sakayanagi proposed was a lie.

Chapter 5
Kiyotaka enters the classroom, followed by Suzune with Sudō in tow. By observing Suzune's attitude, he deduced that her brother has yet to contact her.

During the lunchtime on Friday, the day before the exam, Suzune and Manabu agreed to meet after they had a phone call. When she arrives at the destination, her brother is already there. They then talk about the first years' exam. Manabu tells her that he won't be able to support her in terms of private points because of what happened in the previous exam. Suzune replies by saying that she didn't need them and instead asks for her brother to give her courage. They then talk about the school and Kiyotaka. Manabu tells Suzune that she can't reach Kiyotaka, but that is not necessary as she just has to continue growing as she is now and venture forward.

After school, Chabashira announces that tomorrow will be the day of the exam. Suzune stands up to get everyone's attention but Hirata tries to stop her. She argues that excellent students being dropped in this exam would be unfair. Kōenji supports Suzune and remarks that she's like a different person that day. Suzune then offers to name the person who should leave, claiming that she's doing the right thing and will explain her rationale. Hirata blocks her suggestion and tries to move on to other topics but was prevented by Sudō, with the help of Kōenji who is also interested in this discussion. Suzune declares that the person is Yamauchi. Yamauchi reacts negatively but she provides her supporting evidences regarding his overall weaknesses that outweighs those of Sudō, Ike, and Kōenji. Yamauchi struggles in vain to defend himself. Suzune then delivers her final blow by revealing to everyone that Yamauchi is a spy for Class A through his connection with Arisu Sakayanagi, adding further credence as he is doing the worst thing possible to the class. Yamauchi tries to brush away the claim but no one seems to believe him, while Kōenji consistently ridicules him. Suzune also points out Kushida also helped him in gathering the criticism votes against Kiyotaka, with Kushida admitting her fault in order to avoid lowering her evaluation. Suzune tries to do a class vote on the matter, but is stopped by an enraged Hirata who believes that her action provides no benefit to the class and is just breaking their friendships apart. He, however, cannot raise any suitable answer or suggestion to Suzune's verdict. The class ends with an undecided result.

The Ayanokōji Group then meet at the café and are all worried about Kiyotaka. He analyses the situation with them and receives encouraging words from Airi.

Afterwards, the group spot an expressionless Hirata sitting on a bench, with Kiyotaka noting that it was the first time he had seen him in such state. He leaves the group and goes to sit with him on the other side of the bench. Hirata tells Kiyotaka that he wants him to lead the class in the future as he cannot do it anymore, with Kiyotaka insisting that Hirata must be the one to protect their class. Hirata gets up and leaves after complimenting Kiyotaka.

Chapter 6
Over to Class D, Ryūen is in danger of being the one most likely to be expelled. Mio Ibuki and Daichi Ishizaki want to save him as they know that their class needs him to survive, since the differences in power between them and the other classes are obvious, and since Ibuki would be the next target if Ryūen were to be expelled. At midnight, Ibuki meets Ryūen in his room to collect his private points. After receiving the transferred points from Ryūen, she leaves and makes another call to another person and decides to go to their room.

Earlier on in the same day, in Class B, Honami asked her classmates to give her all of their private points to her so that everyone in the class will be saved. The total amount is approximately a little less than 16 million points. Honami told them that the Student Council President, Nagumo, had agreed to lend them the missing amount, but she did not disclose his terms for agreement.

At night, Honami nervously makes a phone call to Nagumo to confirm the terms his deal final exam tomorrow. She agrees to go out with Nagumo as a condition, but doesn't seal the agreement yet. After finishing the call, she contemplates on her decision, but is eventually determined to protect her class. At the back of her mind, she still couldn’t shake off an unexplainable feeling as she believed that a romantic relationship should only happen when both parties have mutual affection for one another.

A few days before, after the additional exam was announced to Class A, Arisu as their leader nominates Kōhei Katsuragi to be the one expelled. Katsuragi did not show any resistance and stopped his supporter, Yahiko Totsuka, from trying to argue against it, declaring that he is ready to accept any and all punishments.

No one dared to object and rebel against Arisu as her faction was made up of virtually everyone in class. She then asks everyone in agreement to raise their hand. All 37 students did so, excluding Katsuragi, Totsuka and Arisu. It was then decided for the criticism votes to go to Katsuragi. When asked if he really intends to abide by majority rules, Katsuragi states that he has to take responsibility for forcing Class A to needlessly supply private points to Ryuuen every month. With his expulsion, their contract would be annulled as he shuts down Totsuka for the second time. In less than 5 minutes, a consensus was reached after which Katsuragi and Totsuka left the class earlier. Katsuragi impart his final advice that Totsuka shouldn’t foolishly go against Arisu as she would indubitably target him next, something he learnt the hard way. All Totsuka could do was nod in frustration.

After school, Arisu receives a call from Yamauchi and they decided to meet later that night. Kamuro asks whether Arisu was being genuine with him, which she replies that she’s obviously kidding. She's merely experimenting whether he would be an appropriate spy within Class C and that another experiment would soon be conducted in the next special exam.

Arisu and Kamuro later joins Yamauchi at Keyaki Mall. Since she cannot be seen in this situation, they used a karaoke room as a meeting place. Yamauchi intended to confess to her but gave up after seeing Kamuro. Arisu using her cutesy play acting was successful in persuading Yamauchi to "cooperate" though the process did make her sick to her stomach. She promises to give all the praise votes from Class A to him. In return, he decided to make Kiyotaka the target of his class. Yamauchi was reluctant but the 'promise' from Arisu won over his heart. He was suspicious at first if he would really receive the praise votes - but she threatened not to meet him again if he doesn’t go through with it. To seal the deal, she asks for them to meet the Monday after the exam as she has something important to tell him. Afterwards, Arisu started receiving constant reports from Yamauchi.

After he left, Arisu asks for Kamuro's thoughts on her strategy and her impression of Kiyotaka. She answers that Arisu is excessively enthralled by him. Arisu gave her impression that he’s someone powerful, so much so that people like Katsuragi, Ryuuen and Ichinose wouldn’t hold a candle to him. Kamuro was in disbelief as she asks if Arisu could stand against him. Arisu honestly says that the result is unknown and that she’s capable of beating him from things only she knows thus far. However, she voices how she doesn’t know his true capabilities, or more so that she wants him to be an opponent far above her own abilities. Kamuro was surprised by her answer as she had expected her to be more resolute. Arisu hopes to see him go all out at least once before he gets expelled.

In the evening before the exam, Arisu was in a karaoke room alongside Kamuro, Kito and Masayoshi Hashimoto. Arisu leisurely asks how Horikita found out her collusion with Yamauchi and the potential leaker. Hashimoto tells Arisu that the one who leaked the information was Kei Karuizawa, who was also in Yamauchi's group. Kamuro and Kito questions Arisu on whether she made a mistake. Slightly amused that all three of them hadn’t seen through her facade, Arisu reveals to them her true plan after mentioning a certain story about Yamauchi.

Moving forward, Arisu is interested in what Kiyotaka would do about the situation. Before she allowed her mind to ponder about him, she shut off her cellphone filled with incoming calls and emails from Yamauchi.

Epilogue
On Saturday the day of the exam, most of the classes have settled their situations. Class A chose Katsuragi while Class D picked Ryuuen for expulsion. Class B is moving along on the basis that no one would be expelled. However, there's no absolute guarantees in this exam until the results are published. Suzune inquires whether Kiyotaka really stood on the sidelines despite being the one in danger. In return, he asks whether it looks like he’s done anything to which she answers at least not on the surface. He tells him that's her answer as he adds that she was the one who saved him so there's no need for him to do anything. She jest that it wouldn’t be funny if what he says was true and if he was still expelled from it. He retorts that it would be more funny if he'd fought harder and still lost like she did. She accepts his words with both of them acknowledging that it may be their last conversation as neighbours.

Breaking the silence enveloping the class, Hirata gathers their attention and apologises to Suzune for his behaviour yesterday. He announces that he'll rescind his censure vote against her as she's vital to the class. He then requests everyone to write his name instead on the ballot. Mii-chan had the loudest rejection with others being quick to follow in her footsteps. Suzune is dumbstruck at the ludicrous proposition but Yamauchi supports his decision. Kiyotaka thinks Yamauchi probably contacted Hirata yesterday and begged him that he did not want to drop out. It might also be one of the reasons why Hirata establishes his willingness to leave. When some of the girls voiced their opposition, Hirata declares that he hates them all and pressures them to choose the easy option for them all.

After a long silence, Chabashira arrives in the classroom and announces the start of the exam. The students are called by their names to individually cast their ballots in the voting room.

The results are announced afterwards in each classes. In Class A, Arisu has the most praise votes numbering 36. Meanwhile, the one who gathered the most criticisms votes would be immediately expelled. Mashima, the class's homeroom teacher, then announces that the person with the lowest votes is Totsuka, with 36 censures votes. Katsuragi raises his voice and stands up, while Totsuka himself was in complete disbelief. Mashima confirms that Katsuragi attained some praise votes, saving him from expulsion.

Katsuragi instantly knew it was one of her schemes and confronts Arisu about her earlier threat to get rid of him. Arisu explains that it was just a simple lie as Katsuragi will be more useful to Class A than Totsuka. She also confirms he wasn’t her target in the first place and they won’t cover the 20 million points needed to reverse the expulsion. Arisu reasons that it would be counter-intuitive to expel someone who still 'has use' in them, while declaring that this exam was perfect for disposing unnecessary people. Katsuragi was speechless, being unable to refute her words. She reveals that she kept it clandestine from them so Totsuka won’t gather praise votes from other classes. Furthermore, by signalling Katsuragi out, no one would bother casting their praise vote for Totsuka. With that, Arisu thanks Totsuka for his hard work and to take care of himself, with the latter being close to collapsing.

Totsuka was deeply resentful as his future prospects was ruined, shouting that Katsuragi should had been in his place. He was then escorted away by Mashima. Before they left, Arisu asks if there would be consequences imposed on Katsuragi for using 'that'. Katsuragi was clueless while Mashima answers that there aren’t any, and even if there were, even she can’t take advantage of it easily. She then thanked him for answering as they left. Katsuragi moves quietly towards Arisu while Hashimoto and Hayato Kitō hurriedly moved to obstruct his path. Before he could speak, Arisu says it is pointless to hate her and that the decision was made as a class. Katsuragi submits and wanted to vent his dissatisfaction but even that was stopped. Arisu then warns against seeking vengeance in the future and before she could finish her threat, he reiterates how he's already surrendered to her completely. Seeing how this obstacle has become entirely obedient, she turns her curiosity to Class C where Kiyotaka resides.

Over at Class C, Yamauchi was anxiously moving around but still maintained an eerie smile when Kōenji provoked him by saying many people had used their censure vote on him. Hirata interjects saying he would be the one expelled and so Kōenji turns his attention to him and dropped a bombshell. Kōenji reveals that a girl in their class had sent a message beforehand telling everyone except for Hirata and Yamauchi to not vote negatively against Hirata no matter what he says as he’s likely to sacrifice himself. Thus, with that noble act, he’s most likely to get praise votes instead. Hirata remains speechless as his plan had failed before it even started.

Horikita speaks with Kiyotaka, remarking that he’s awfully composed and looked like he foresaw the outcome. Kōenji interposed, candidly stating that Yamauchi's the 'only one' that should be worried. Yamauchi finally divulged that Arisu has promised him with praise votes from Class A and that he won’t be expelled even if 30 of them voted against him. He arrogantly states he has no need for worry as plenty others are on the chopping block. Although he pumped his arms up in expected victory, Kōenji points out that he’s trembling and that a verbal promise points to nothing, adding that he must be very assured. Yamauchi fails to see his sarcasm and continues shouting.

Chabashira arrives and begins announcing the results, starting with the top three that received highest praise votes. Third and second place are Kushida and Hirata respectively, and first place is Kiyotaka. Yamauchi is the first one to react, finding the results to be absurd. Chabashira confirms again that Kiyotaka had received 42 votes. Suzune could not hide her surprise and asked what he did. He received more votes than there are students in class even if they unanimously voted for him. He answers he did nothing at all, internalising that Arisu accomplish it all alone.

Chabashira then announces that the one received the most criticism votes is Yamauchi, with 33 votes. Second place is Sudō with 21 and then Ike with 20 votes. As Chabashira tried to comfort him, he pushed her away. Even Sudō and Ike could only look away.

Yamauchi loses it and argues that Arisu had promised to give him praise votes. However, Chabashira asks for proof but he cannot provide anything other than verbal promises only he himself heard. Chabashira orders him to leave but he doesn’t budge an inch. Kōenji mocks Yamauchi for being duped asking if he will be pathetic all the way to the end.

This causes him to snapped, which he immediately grabbed a chair and charged at him. Kōenji easily dismisses it and states that he intended to kill him so he shouldn’t have any problems if he does the same. Chabashira intervenes and tells Yamauchi, who's now broken and bawling loudly to leave the classroom.

Kiyotaka observes the class and notes the solemn atmosphere following an expulsion. Horikita states that Hirata is more crazy than she once envisioned as he was completely motionless. The students couldn’t bear witnessing his state of mind and heads home, including Sudo and Ike. As Kiyotaka turns to leave, he stops in front of Kōenji, commenting that he’s didn’t expect to see him take action for their class. His reply was that he only cooperated to avoid expulsion. Kiyotaka says he was referring to how Kōenji was focusing all of Yamauchi hatred at him and him alone. To others it may seem like he was bullying though Kōenji states that he wanted to see his ugly figure disappear as close as possible.

When Kiyotaka leaves the classroom, Suzune follows after him and grabbed his arm. She asks how much he anticipated ahead of time, but he brush her off, saying he’s going home and that he didn’t explicitly take part in anything. Horikita stood frozen but managed to asks if he was the one who told her brother the connection between Arisu and Yamauchi. Kiyotaka didn’t as much as glance back as he continued walking, ignoring her question. As he descended the stairs, he ponders of Arisu's strategy.

When Arisu proposed a temporary truce, he was already 90% sure he won’t be expelled. Above all, he knows she wants to defeat him fairly and that an underhanded tactic would be meaningless. Concurrently, she had Yamauchi brazenly attempt to expel him, which only serves to lower his standings in Class C and make him out to be the villain. To compensate for any detriments to Kiyotaka, she used Class A to invalidate any censure votes he could had gotten because of Yamauchi. He recognised how she only went through all this trouble just to get rid of Yamauchi but he himself added further precaution by using Horikita. By instigating her and further painting the impression that Yamauchi's targeting someone harmless, some praise votes would arrive either out of sympathy or protection.

Kiyotaka then goes to see the bulletin board, where the results are announced. The highest praise votes were Arisu in Class A, Honami in Class B (98 votes) and Satoru Kaneda in Class D (27 votes). He notes how impressive and greatly valued Honami is for achieving such a stunning number when he himself had less than half of that despite receiving most of Class A votes. In Class D, Shiho Manabe dropped out, while Class B managed to not lose anyone.

Katsuragi and Ryūen appears as they talked about the results. Katsuragi was surprised that Ryūen didn’t get expelled despite thinking he was the most likely target. Ryūen shares how the 'Grim Reaper' took pity on him and that he’s surprised as well. He adds that Arisu did something interesting by cutting Katsuragi's only supporter, resulting in his complete lost of spirit. He floats the idea that Katsuragi could still deceive Arisu instead of being her obedient dog, which he rejects. He then asks if Ryūen intends to challenge the three leaders once again whom also rejected that notion. Ryūen concludes that he's only here because of the contract Katsuragi signed which he fully intends to squeeze dry.

Since Katsuragi is still here, their contract is still valid which Ryuuen intends to enjoy to the fullest being a thorn to Class A. Katsuragi had no words to respond and left soon after. Ryūen tells Kiyotaka to follow him as they talked. Ryūen asks when Kiyotaka was such a good person. Kiyotaka replies that he did nothing of note and it was those close to Ryūen that saved him. The lack of expulsion from Class B and Ryūen still being in school were both things he was involved in. Ryūen was clearly aware of the latter as they flashback.

A few days before the exam, Ibuki and Ishizaki came to his room and with the latter begging Kiyotaka to help save Ryūen. Ibuki was sure he wouldn’t cooperate with them though Ishizaki argues that only Kiyotaka could save Ryūen at this point. He observes that Ryūen didn’t sent them and asks if they’re sure of not ridding him. Ibuki explains that it's different now as she knows he's vital for Class D's future. Kiyotaka comments how everyone hates Ryūen both in and out of his class making it unreasonably difficult to save him. The other two continues to bicker. With a trace of anger in his voice, Kiyotaka warns them to stop as they quietened down.

He mention how Ryūen would end up with at least thirty censure votes just from his own class, and that it's understandable since he’s abhorrently unpopular. He could only think of Hiyori, Albert and the two of them that would even give Ryūen their praise votes, resulting in checkmate. Ishizaki says they could only seek him since he defeated Ryūen. Ryūen knew his fate and was just waiting for the day to come, not resisting it in the slightest. Kiyotaka mention how saving Ryūen means someone else has to be expelled though Ishizaki says he doesn’t want anyone to go.

At this rate, Kiyotaka only had one advice for them which was to collect Ryūen private points. Both of them were vehemently opposed to it and so, Kiyotaka frankly told them that they can’t save him. Ishizaki was enraged and attempts to attack Kiyotaka but was restrained by Ibuki. Kiyotaka was disillusioned by their resolves and told them that if they couldn’t even managed this much, they can’t do anything. With that conclusion, he knew Ibuki would collect those points from Ryūen.

The night before the exam, Ibuki calls and tells him she received the points. Kiyotaka arranged for Ibuki, Ishizaki the two of them to come to his room. They collected over 5 million points from Ryūen and after pressuring Ishizaki on who would be abandoned, he was still indecisive. Kiyotaka tells him not to bear a grudge if he decides for them as Ishizaki pleads for more time. Deep down, Kiyotaka hoped it was Manabe as if he could take credit for expelling her, Kei's trust in him would further increase. Manabe was then decided by them both as she had trouble for Class D after the bullying incident. Ibuki was resigned since she was ready to be expelled as well, though Kiyotaka mention that Hiyori can save her. He already had Hiyori's take beforehand so all they had to do was concentrate on Manabe.

That said, Ibuki was agitated and asked for his plan when they only had one-fourth of the points needed to prevent an expulsion. He sends a text to someone and a few minutes later, their secret key weapon appeared. Honami cheerfully greets Kiyotaka but became bashful after seeing they were others as well. After seeing each other, Ibuki and Honami knew straightaway of Kiyotaka's plan while the flustered Ishizaki was left clueless.

Honami explains that she would use all of Class B praise votes on Ryūen. In exchange, Ibuki would fill the private points that Class B was missing to save a student from being expelled, with Kiyotaka acting as their witness. Kiyotaka reflects that this ultimate play could only be used once thanks to Honami's intuitiveness and Ryūen hoarding of private points. Honami moves her attention to Kiyotaka, seemingly seeking assurance that she could save her classmate. To alleviate her uncertainty, Kiyotaka speaks up for her and asks what she'll do. She could still take the Nagumo option but in the end, she made her choice with absolute certainty, deciding to follow Kiyotaka's plan.

Ibuki comments how Honami looks like an idiot that despite all the rumours, she'd still save her enemy at the loss of 20 million points. Honami replies that she is capable enough to save the points again and that Ibuki is in no position to say that as she could pocket the 5 million for herself. Ibuki couldn’t argue back and transferred the required points to Honami. Kiyotaka decides to record the deal with Honami stating that if she fails to live up to her end of the bargain, she'll drop out herself. Kiyotaka reflects that the school probably wouldn’t follow through with such an expulsion, though all Ibuki and Ishizaki could do was believe in Honami's abilities as a leader.

Back to present time, Ryūen states that he knew Honami was saving points but he was also certain that Ibuki isn’t skilful enough to negotiate with her. Additionally, Honami never liked him much and so, he was surprise when Kiyotaka became involved. From the beginning, Kiyotaka aimed to do this as he wanted to save Honami while also having Ryūen stay for some reason he can’t put his finger on. If those two didn’t approach him, he would had cooperated with Hiyori. Kiyotaka asks for his plain if this happens in the future which he doesn’t have an answer for, though he seemed thankful for those two.

Kiyotaka receives a phone call from Honami, and after noticing, Ryūen takes his leave. They talk about the results, with Honami thanking Kiyotaka for saving her from such a dreadful situation while also saving her class. Honami explains that Kanzaki volunteered to be expelled and that after some difficulty she did save him. Kiyotaka comments how the price wasn’t cheap and that their daily lives would be painful. Honami says that points could be earned back while an expelled person could never return. Kiyotaka sensed she was resolute and deemed he said something unnecessary. She mentions how Ryūen may be dissatisfied and Manabe had to leave in his place. Even if weren’t close, things became more lonesome. He tells her to keep fighting which she declares she will, with all her classmates in tow. Kiyotaka felt that those who thought Honami was a hypocrite could no longer say that after this incident.

She was especially glad that she didn’t have to go through with dating Nagumo, surreptitiously hinting at her growing feelings for Kiyotaka. She reveals that she tried to convince herself it was a small price to pay but after Kiyotaka gave her an alternate route, she felt relived from the bottom of her heart. Kiyotaka asks what she’ll do if he and Nagumo weren’t present. She answers that there were two ways. One, as their leader, she would leave first and two, they would hold a lottery to with the latter most likely occurring. After listening to her staunch words, Kiyotaka admits that he’s impressed and slightly bowed his head as a form of respect to her, despite her unable to see it. Her plan wasn’t extraordinary but only with an absolute leader like her could this even hope to happen in a class. Not many people could create an atmosphere whereby everyone could wholeheartedly agree on a result. She thanks him one last time before ending the call.

From then on, she began ingratiating herself with Kiyotaka whenever he was around.

Kiyotaka then goes to meet Arisu, who has told him via email to meet in the special building. They talk about the additional exam that has just finished. She apologies for the disorderly mess she created and was worried that Kiyotaka may feel uneasy, though that concern was soon alleviated. He reassures her that she didn’t null their agreement nor did she lie since he wasn’t disadvantaged. Hearing that, Arisu bowed her head slightly in gratitude.

Arisu soon reveals her reason for postponing their battle, as she has received a mail from the person that suspended her father temporarily. She suspects that it's the same person plotting for his expulsion, thus, the original exam had changed to the one they just went through. Originally, students could only cast censure votes which meant that even people like her and Ichinose could be expelled. The school staff were vehemently opposed and managed to change that part of the exam.

She shares how she would never cooperate with 'that' person to expel him which would had sapped her fun. Thus, to ensure his safety, she ordered Class A to give him their praise votes. On the other hand, she disclosed how Yamauchi was targeted after he had knocked her over back in the Mixed Training Camp and because he's an unnecessary student for his class. Kiyotaka concurs, reflecting that the end result would be the same even if Arisu hadn’t extended her hand.

A man dressed in a suit suddenly appears in front of them and asks where the staff room is. He introduces himself as Tsukishiro, who will be acting on behalf of the board of directors. Arisu comments on how he has a horrible sense of direction and probably decided to pay a visit to them after spying on the security camera. Kiyotaka recalls how she had eyed the camera suspiciously during their last visit together and internally praised her for planning and luring Tsukishiro out.

After exchanging some words, he starts walking past them and suddenly kicks Arisu's cane. Surprised by the sudden action, Kiyotaka quickly catches her as another strike swiftly followed after him. He decides to take the blow while holding onto Arisu. After withstanding his superhuman strength, he gently lowered Arisu onto the floor only to be pinned against the wall. Arisu thanks Kiyotaka and criticise Tsukishiro for his violent behaviour.

Arisu asks if he thinks acting violently against students would go unnoticed, to which Tsukishiro replies that the surveillance camera has been replaced with false footages. Tsukishiro then gives Kiyotaka a message from his father, threatening him to come back and to blink twice if he understands. Tsukishiro continues provoking Kiyotaka but he does not retaliate, in case the camera is actually still recording. Seeing he has no intention of fighting back, Tsukishiro releases Kiyotaka and leaves, announcing that he'll formally start working at the school in April.

Arisu praises Kiyotaka for not retaliating since the director position could had abused his authority if he did. She asks if he's alright which he responds that he was use to stuff like this. Kiyotaka propose for them to settle their match in the next exam, since he cannot afford to be her opponent for a long time, especially when April comes. Arisu was surprised and thanked him for the privilege of being his opponent, announcing she won’t need a second or third time.

On the Monday after the exam, the total number of Class C's students has decreased by one. The majority of students had a solemn expression as even the desk was removed. Chabashira begins announcing their final special exam of the year.

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