Light Novel Volume 7/Summary

Below is the long summary of volume 7 of the You-Zitsu light novel series.

Prologue
Ryuuen reminisce his past of how he noticed himself being different from others since he was in middle school when he killed a snake while his class was cowering in fear. He wasn’t afraid of being bitten nor was he trying to be a hero as he felt that there is no reason to feel trepidations. That's when he realised that whenever his enemies meets their demise, he feels a strong rush of adrenaline and pleasure. He thinks that the world is ruled by violence. That, of course, means that the one that is the most violent, is the strongest to him. However, after people started bowing to him and he risen to the top, it became more difficult for him to experience that 'pleasure'. His dearest wish to be overthrown was not met and he became increasingly disappointed. Thus, he began to believe that only death could match and defeat him.

Chapter 1
It's Mid-December. In one of the Ayanokōji Group meeting - Yukimura reveals that no one from the first years got expelled. Sakura shares that she wants the all the classes to be equal so that everyone can graduate from Class A. Although it may seem like a salubrious proposition, Miyake interjects by saying that there's a rumour that a special test will be conducted to determine their ranking if the classes all end up with the same amount of points. Airi shares how she doesn’t want to see anyone expelled, even if it is someone from another class. Both Haruka and Keisei shares the opposite opinion and explains how the design of the school is run by a class meritocracy system, and that it is impractical for everyone to win, with Keisei saying that it's eat or be eaten. Although disheartened, Airi accepts their explanation. Ayanokōji notes on how Sakura has become more talkative and expressive recently.

They then began making small talks with a riveting topic being brought up. Haruka decides to confirm with whether Airi has a digital camera with Keisei chiming in that photography is a girls' hobby and sharing that he doesn’t understand the fuss with apps like Instagram. Haruka being slightly peeved at the sexist comment disagrees as they turned their attention to Kiyotaka. He explains that he also doesn’t use the app as they continued bombarding him with questions pertaining to his pastime. Both Haruka and Keisei found common ground in which both dislikes putting themselves on display, much less doing in online. Much to the obviousness of both, Airi was stung by their remarks as it was still her hobby despite currently taking a break from it. Kiyotaka decides to interpose by saying that it's a ubiquitous hobby. It was mentioned that Airi never fails to react whenever Kiyotaka helps her, with the other two also picking up the signal and rephrasing their earlier comments, much to the relief of Airi.

Changing the topic, Miyake brings up the fact that Class C seems strange recently. He realised that Ryuuen's pawns have been following them around lately namely Komiya and one other henchman. However, they can't confront them due to the lack of evidence and their fear of being painted as the bad guy. They began brainstorming for the reason as to why they were specifically targeted with the most likely outcome being that Ryuuen wanted to improve his reputation considering how he lost to their class many times. Ayanokōji notes that another class has also been spying on them, which Miyake hasn't noticed.

Kiyotaka starts rationalising that Ryuuen has already narrowed the suspected people down into a small group that contains him and Karuizawa. He states that it's a matter of 'when' and not 'if' Ryuuen would use Karuizawa to figure him out.

The others reveal that there's now only an 80-point gap between Class D and C and that Class C had an incident, where they lost 100 class points. The group suspects that Class C is self-destructing internally due to their seemingly stagnant and even regressive growth.

Ayanokōji suspects that Ryuuen received private points in return for him using their S-points for partying and giving Katsuragi the leftovers. After being inquired, Ayanokōji decides to give Horikita all the credit pertaining to the result of island exam with Haruka teasing that 'Kiyopon's girlfriend is incredible'. They start talking about relationships with Hasebe teasing the boys. As they talk about their plans for Christmas, Sakura starts laughing and crying from happiness for being able to talk like this to people. They then decide to go out for dinner.

While the group goes out for dinner, Ayanokōji excuses himself to go to the toilet, but actually goes to confront the girl tailing him, Class A's Kamuro. He starts openly thinking of reasons as to why she'd tail him, threatening to report her bad job to Sakayanagi. He gets her to reveal that Sakayanagi is using her weakness to make her tail him. After she threatens to tip-off Ryuuen that he's X, he compromises by saying that she can continue tailing him but to only report to Sakayanagi, in exchange, Ryuuen isn't tipped off or anyone else for that matter. Kamuro accepts and leaves. Ayanokōji surmise that whatever Sakayanagi has over Kamuro is an incredible potent kryptonite.

Chapter 2
Sudou was furious as he enters the class. He tells Horikita, that he's pissed at Class C for tailing him. Sudou tries not to make a big deal out because of Horikita's orders not to be violent. It was said that the Class C students were name-calling and purposefully antagonising Sudou, though he was able to ignore them, a major improvement considering their past engagement. Horikita once again warned him not to take any physical actions which he promises, even if they were the ones throwing punches first. Both Ayanokōji and Horikita mused how Sudou has grown with Horikita saying that he’s ready for the next step. She then begun scribbling on her notebook while Ayanokōji contemplates of how she has grown much more independent from him with increasing frequency as she closed her book to forbid him from reading.

They then begun speculating for the motives of Ryuuen and how he likes to create conflict when there was no special exams. Ayanokōji tells them about what happened to Miyake. Horikita brings up that this time is different from the other times Ryuuen has messed with people, and that he's most likely trying to find the mastermind of Class D. She then asserts that Ayanokōji can no longer use herself to avert Ryuuen's attention and that it is likely that he's lost interest in her. Ayanokōji mordaciously asked if she misses his attention before she threatened to kick him. Their thoughts then turned to Kushida and how even as a traitor, she allowed herself to reveal Ryueen's attack pattern.

As they talk about Ryuuen's past actions Horikita brings up the fact that it's weird no one from Class C dropped out during the Paper Shuffle Exam, with the likely possibility of there being a strong support from the smarter students. She voices how she would make due with being Ayanokōji's decoy, surprising him of how accepting she was at that fact. She then questions why he interacts with people from the Ayanokōji Group despite the exams being over with his reply being that he’s comfortable with them. Ayanokōji contemplates that if she was not solely focusing on ascending to Class A whenever they interact and talked about other topics, maybe then could he bring himself to treat her the same as Keisei and the others. She then asked if she could have his cooperation, which he allows 'as much as he can', with the reply being unconvincing.

During lunch, Horikita makes a request to Ayanokōji, which he would ignore if it became a hassle. She volunteers to lend him a book called 'Farewell, my lovely' by Raymond Chandler (that he couldn't get his hands on because it was so popular). She tells him to return it in her stead as it was due today. It would also be efficient for both party as Ayanokōji could ensure that he was the first to borrow it. He then wonders if it was her warped way of showing kindness as he took the book to the library. At the library, Ayanokōji decides he might as well lend one more book. He goes to the mystery section to find more of Raymond Chandler's books. As he reached the section, he sees a struggling girl and decides to help her. As he grabs the book called Wuthering Heights from Emily Jane Brontë and gave it to her, he notices that it's Hiyori Shiina from Class C.

As they greeted one another, Ayanokōji asks if she enjoys the author's works, which Hiyori replies saying that she neither likes nor dislikes it, and that she’s only returning it to the proper place after realising it was placed wrongly. Hiyori's eyes sparkled as she asked if Ayanokōji was holding 'that' book. It appears to be very popular with the 2nd years, as she mentions wanting to reread it again. Ayanokōji apologies for being unthoughtful with Hiyori saying it's alright since she already read it. As Ayanokōji attempts to leave, Hiyori asked if he was looking for another book since he could had just return the initial book at the service desk.

After nonchalantly recommending books to Ayanokōji such as 'Whose body' and many others, Ayanokōji was perplexed by her behaviour as he struggled to respond. Hiyori apologies for rambling though Ayanokōji answered he was just surprised. She was extraordinarily joyful as he invited him to eat together. Surprised once again by the unexpected invitation, he suspects that it is due to Ryuuen's orders. Shiina brushes it off as her own will, as she answered that no one in Class C enjoys reading, thus, she has no one to talk to. Adding on that she only does the bare minimum so Ryuuen won’t disturb her. Ayanokōji remarks that Hiyori may be even creepier than Ryuuen in some prospects as she was an entirely enigmatic existence to him and that it was too risky to extrapolate information using his tools. Hiyori asks if there was a problem which he replies saying he has no personal issues with her as they head off for their lunch.

Ayanokōji chose the daily special while Hiyori had a hard time selecting her meal. She eventually settled on the same meal and apologied for her indecisiveness. Ayanokōji notices that Shiina can't take both the tray and her bag at the same time, and so he offers a hand. When he grabbed the bag, he notes that it's unusually heavy which she apologises for. Ayanokōji was mesmerised by how elegantly she handled her chopsticks as she ate. She comments that despite being her first time, she wouldn’t mind returning again.

After talking about how it is the first time Shiina has come to the cafeteria and such, she brings up 4 books by (Willian Irish, Ellery Queen, Lawrence Block & Issac Asimov) and asks if he's read them before. He compliments her great tastes but soon realises that these weren’t from the library. She explains that it's from her personal collection and that she kept them so she could lend it to someone who had similar tastes. She tells him to not hold back and take anything he likes. He then takes the book by Ellery Queen since he never read his works before, but subconsciously still finds the situation a little suspicious. He doesn't rule out that she could just be a massive book lover and was pleased that he was able to make an unexpected connection with her due to their shared taste and interest.

After school, Ayanokōji gets a message from Hasebe saying to come to the usual place at the mall. Horikita observes and comments that his grin was creeping her out. Ayanokōji doesn't recall grinning which she explains that it was his inner self that was alarming. As she leaves, she lectured him for not having a basic level of self-awareness and needing her to point it out. Ayanokōji reasons that it was natural to feel good after being contacted by a friend and ponders if Horikita wanted them to continue being loners.

As he arrives at the designated area, he sees that even Miyake is there, after taking a leave from his club. Hasebe patronise Ayanokōji and reveals that he was seen together with Hiyori, during a time when they were with conflict with her time. Furthermore, Airi was greatly perturbed and bagun making careless mistakes. Ayanokōji suspects it was their reason initiating the meeting. The group suspects them to be dating, with most of them thinking it was the natural process for being a high school student. Ayanokōji denies and explains the entire situation, adding on that she could also be spying for Ryuuen. Airi was greatly relieved after hearing his explanation though Hakura added that he was having a great time with Hiyori. As for Yukimura, he speculates that Ryuuen is probably doing it to find the mastermind behind Class D and questions Ayanokōji, but he brushes it off. Ayanokōji makes a note of Miyake's keen observation skills. They then discuss who X may be. They suspect Hirata and Horikita before Sakura also suggested that it may be Ayanokōji which he denies, though it was also understandable as he was a target due to his close proximity with Horikita.

After school the next day, Satou nervously approached Ayanokōji and asks if he is able to hang out between just the two of them. Horikita was apathetic and soon left while the Ayanokōji Group watched on with extreme interest, finding it peculiar that a popular girl like Satou is asking out the taciturn Ayanokōji. Ayanokōji eventually turns her down but found it an extremely hard decision to make as she asked if it was a bad time. The main reason was 'someone' causing him great discomfort. That someone was revealed to be Chabashira who had stayed behind and had been staring at him from time to time the whole day. She pretended to do paper work as she looks for a way to approach him. After seeing Satou off, he tries to escape from Chabashira, but she calls out to him. He notices that she has a vulnerable expression despite being usually emotionless. She takes him to the headmasters’ room and sees two men. One was a man in his 60s who was the principal, while the other was in his 40s. The principal was sweating profusely as he excused himself, bowing repeatedly at the other man as so did Chabashira. Before doing so, she gave Ayanokōji a nervous look.

(Kiyotaka is son, Ayanokōji is dad)

It has been a year and a half since Kiyotaka last heard his voice. Kiyotaka voices his intention to not stay for long as he promised some friends. Upon hearing that particular word, the man sneered that someone like Kiyotaka could make friends. The man is revealed to be Kiyotaka's father, who wants his son to drop out and has already prepared the necessary documents, only needing Kiyotaka's consent to go through with it.

Irrespective of his son's reason, he has his own reasons as well, which he made abundantly clear by staring directly at Kiyotaka's eyes for the first time. Kiyotaka felt the same gaze that had wounded many people before, almost like a sharp blade that could slice through all the way to your heart. Kiyotaka then asks if a 'parent' should ruin their child's life due to their own selfishness which he rebukes, saying that he never recognised him as a father before. Kiyotaka concurs since the man in front of him has never regarded him as his son before. In essence, their relationship was father and child only in the most technical of senses.

In his opinion, because of Kiyotaka's selfishness and blatantly disregarding his orders to remain on standby, it was reasonable for him to drop out immediately. Kiyotaka countered his words are absolute that in the White Room, however, as they currently stand outside, he has no need to heed them. Ayanokōji was unimpressed as he quipped that Kiyotaka became rather talkative due to the school's absurd influence while looking at him as something lesser than filth. He declares that Kiyotaka is his property and whether he lives or dies is entirely up to his discretion. The fact that he could make such a statement displays clearly the power he holds. Kiyotaka remains undaunted as his decision to stay is of his own volition.

Ayanokōji then brings up ‘Matsuo’, who gave Kiyotaka the idea to enrol at the school. Kiyotaka instantly recalled his face as Matsuo was hired as a butler to manage him, although he defied his employer’s will. He reveals that Matsuo was severely punished for it. Kiyotaka recalls, that he was an amicable near 60 year old man, often bragging about his son, who was around the same age as him. Matsuo's punishment was eternal unemployment in addition to his son being unable to get into any high school. Kiyotaka agrees that it's an appropriate punishment if someone were to rebel against their employer and that considering his nature, his punishment was rather mild. Ayanokōji then reveals that Matsuo begged him to leave his boy alone and soon after, committed suicide recently due to guilt and also to 'save' his son, who's now working low paying jobs and virtually has no future, hope or security in sight.

He blames it all on Kiyotaka and claims that Matsuo would be regretful that the person who he cared, saved and sacrificed everything for showed no reaction whatsoever upon hearing the terrible fate that eventuated because of him. Similarly, the boy would bear an inexorable grudge against him that even death won’t dissipate. Kiyotaka thinks that the purpose for him coming here is to show that Ayanokōji takes no mercy on those who betray him. He defends himself by stating, that if he's truly died, that brought forth more reason for him to stay and honour his will.

Ayanokōji states that he's changed. Kiyotaka understands this since he's always been following the ‘White Rooms’’ orders, but he had a ‘blank year’, which he describes as his father's biggest mistake. Kiyotaka acknowledges the White Room's outstanding teaching methods but notes that they're unethical. He states that his knowledge is far greater than the amount learned in an average lifetime. Learning fascinates him which fuelled his desire to study the common, mundane world that his father turned his back on and deemed frivolous. When asked if that was the reason he deserted, Kiyotaka replied that the nature of the White Room would never allow him to feel the words of 'freedom' and 'unconstrained', something even Ayanokōji couldn’t deny. Kiyotaka was told before that this school was the only place even Ayanokōji could not reach.

Ayanokōji reveals that he had temporarily closed down the institution operation and that it was a mistake on his part. Kiyotaka suspects something big is going on, more than what Ayanokōji is letting on as even a temporary suspension would have unseen ramifications. Ayanokōji states that he could still make Kiyotaka forcibly quit, however, he refutes that statement since the school was backed by the government and points to the fact that his bodyguards, who attends to him everywhere, are nowhere in sight. Furthermore, if he really wanted to expel him, he would had done so already.

Lastly, Kiyotaka reveals that he’s aware of the delicate state he’s in, and that if he had taken any action against the school, his hopes of making a comeback would be destroyed in the public eye. Ayanokōji was irked that even in death, Matsuo still impedes him and asked whether he planted that idea in his head. Kiyotaka explains that it was from his own deduction and no matter how fastidious he was in training him, a rebellious phase was bound to occur.

Ayanokōji asked for the reason he veered off the path in front of him, with him answering that his insatiable curiosity, inquisitive spirit and most importably, ability to decide for himself were all factors. Ayanokōji was exasperated and couldn’t understand why someone like Kiyotaka who was suppose to surpass him and guide Japan forward in the future wouldn’t accept the only path laid ahead of him. The only thing they agreed is how he is unable to get through to him.

He informs Kiyotaka that the facility has resumed their operations and this time, nothing would inhibit him. Kiyotaka inquires why he is fixated on his and wouldn’t use the other contingencies as future successors. The simple reason given was that even though it's been smooth, no one has exhibited the talent Kiyotaka has displayed. Ayanokōji sternly asked his last question to him on whether he wants to leave freely or forced by him. After a long silence, he concluded Kiyotaka's answer. Moreover, he states that he still has much to learn here and questions whether any help could save the man before him.

Ayanokōji was disgusted and asked how a school of common rubble, with worthless bottom-feeders and no salvation in sight, ever hope to teach him anything. In his words, how could incompetent morons stand on par with geniuses. Kiyotaka reveals his hopes of that happening someday and it may also teach him whether human beings are made equal.

Just then, a man in his 40s named ‘Sakayanagi’ enters and respectfully greets Ayanokōji. He refers to him with the term sensei and behaves like a subordinate addressing a superior. Ayanokōji comments that he hasn’t seen Sakayanagi in 7-8 years and it leaves him with immense nostalgia. The reason being that during that time, Sakayanagi had succeeded his father as the school board chairman. Sakayanagi then turns to Kiyotaka and addressed him by his first name and asked for the both of them to take a seat. Kiyotaka notes that this man is the reason Matsuo chose the school for him. Chairman Sakayanagi's father also founded the school. Kiyotaka couldn’t turn down the invitation due to his position and sat beside Sakayanagi.

He then turned his attention to Ayanokōji and asked whether he really intends for Kiyotaka to withdraw from the school. Ayanokōji replies just so and that the school must take immediate action. Sakayanagi stared undauntedly at his infamous eyes and replied that despite parents having much say in the matter, the reason is equally as important. Ayanokōji then bring up the fact that Kiyotaka enrolled without his permission. Sakayanagi interjects saying that High School isn’t compulsory and that all fees incurred in this school are covered by the government, stating clearly that students' autonomy is their top priority. Kiyotaka finally understood Matsuo's words as Sakayanagi defended him with no ounce of fear, trepidation or cowardice unlike the principal.

Ayanokōji asks for the disappearance of the old, agreeable Sakayanagi, with his reply that he still respects him, though he equally intends to carry out his father's vision for the school. Taking another route, Ayanokōji asks why Kiyotaka was accepted. Sakayanagi replied that he was qualified however Ayanokōji caught his bluff, stating that he knows the process the school does is only for show. The pleasant smile Sakayanagi wore disappeared and after some wordplay, it was revealed that he was accepted due to Sakayanagi's judgment. The chairman then declares firmly that Kiyotaka's a valued student and he would personally protect him. Even if it was a request by Ayanokōji, he would refuse as long as Kiyotaka doesn’t wish for expulsion as he turned to him. Ayanokōji was infuriated and announce that he'll find another way. Before Sakayanagi could warn that extreme measures would have repercussions, Ayanokōji assures him that he wouldn’t pressurise the chairman and would play by the school rules. Sakayanagi then reassure Ayanokōji that no special treatment would be shown to his son.

With that, Ayanokōji says they certainly won’t meet again here and rejected his offer of sending him off. Kiyotaka quipped that he should visit more often as a parent with his reply being that once is quite enough. After he left, Sakayanagi lets off a sigh of relief and empathised with Kiyotaka for always having to deal with being on pins and needles whenever his father is around. Both of them used a rather casual and informal way of speaking as Sakayanagi looked at him with kind eyes. Sakayanagi reveals that he'd known of him for awhile and how he always had a eye of him, mainly due to his father high praises. Kiyotaka asked if he knew a Class A student as they both began talking about Arisu. Kiyotaka didn’t doubt that she got there through her own abilities and understood why she had known about him.

Sakayanagi clarifies that indeed people were admitted beforehand and even someone who aced their exams and interviews could be turned away while troubled students being admitted. He confidently assures Kiyotaka of the school's nurturing policy and that he couldn’t reveal more due to their respective positions. He reminds Kiyotaka that as the undisputed person in charge, he could only protect him whilst it remain in the rules and anything else would be out of his jurisdiction. Kiyotaka took his warning to heart and excused himself. Sakayanagi encourages him to keep doing his best. After Kiyotaka leaves, he saw Chabashira waiting for him. Initially trying to walk pass her, she began walking with him. She then asked for the incident with his father. He informs her that he’s aware everything she's said were lies (backing it up with his conversation with Chairman Sakayanagi). Even now, her body postures are indicative of her attempting to conceal her discomposure. He knows that Ayanokōji neither contacted nor assigned her to expel him due to his prior actions suggesting otherwise. She pathetically tries to excuse herself however Kiyotaka reveals that the chairman told him everything. With that, she knew her mistake and asked if he tricked her.

He explains how he knew that on the surface, Chabashira had no desire to rise up the class ranks unlike other teacher, yet in reality, her desire to reach Class A was far higher than anyone else. The chairman unaware of this fact chose to put Kiyotaka in Class D so he could lay low and not attract unwanted attention. Upon his arrival, she began hoping that her dream could come to fruition, despite many setbacks from subpar students being assigned to Class D. More credence was added when he compared Hoshinomiya's comments about her. She attempts to deny it all as pure speculation on his part but was unable to meet his eyes.

When she blackmailed him, she hadn't accounted for the fact that Kiyotaka's father would make contact with the school. As it stands, she warns that she’s entirely at his mercy. The fact that she’s forever bound to an inferior class that had no hopes of overthrowing other classes forced her hand and made her careless. Horikita in her eyes was nothing but a pawn to corner Kiyotaka, yet as a twist of fate, she was the one against the wall. She praised his extraordinary abilities and admitted that he's right.

However, she tries to threaten him by saying that she could still expel him at any moment by claiming he did something egregious, but Kiyotaka begs to differ (through all of this he'd acted agitated to draw out her true intentions). He was disappointed that she still had the audacity to threaten him and decides to tell her off. He then tells her to be more optimistic and there are still people with potential that is laying dormant. Even without him, there is still a chance they would reach Class A.

She asked if he would still pursue their class goal though he neither confirm nor denied it, purposefully making her cling to the tiniest ember of hope. He advised her to not attempt to manipulate him again, otherwise the other students would be in the crossfire. If she does continue, he guarantees her that she would never see her dream come true. Lastly, if their class points dropped significantly in the future, he welcomes her to come at him, though as an added precaution, he reveals that her position as a teacher is not rock-solid either. With that, he leaves her behind as Chabashira silently stood, seemingly out of ammo.

Kiyotaka thinks to himself that his reunion with Ayanokōji wasn’t pleasant but allowed significant progress to be made. He is no longer obligated to reach Class A nor have to entertain himself with Ryuuen's actions. Even if Karuizawa was attacked or had betrayed him, the worst case would be the revelation of his identity. No matter what Ryuuen does from then on, he would achieve nothing. Class D would still win narrowly, irrespective of his presence.

(Kiyotaka is back to being addressed as Ayanokōji)

At dusk, Ayanokōji reflects on how winter has arrived and how the previous year, he would had been stuck indoors. He accidentally overhears a phone conversation between a 2nd-year student and student council president Nagumo whom she address as Miyabi. She comments on how their relationship flatlined once he got promoted and that she'll forgive him if he treats her. Nagumo attempts to coerce her to join the council and confessed to her, however she rejects him even though he argued making passes with many girls. She mentions that Nagumo still hasn't settled things with Manabu and that she'll consider if he defeats him. After the call ended, she soliloquies that Manabu was useless and eventually Miyabi will win. She accidentally slips and that was when she notices Ayanokōji. She smiled embarrassingly and took off in the direction of the 2nd year dormitories.

Ayanokōji starts thinking if he should continue to assist the class to reach Class A. He reflects on how if the class continues flourishing, unwanted attention would inevitably be drawn to him, regardless of the safety measure he produced in the form of Horikita. Currently, Sakayanagi already knew of his past while Ichinose probably had her doubts as well. As for Ryuuen, his scrutiny would intensify and eventually also show results. Seeing as how he was the main issue, Ayanokōji decides to act. He contacts Karuizawa who uncharacteristically responded immediately. She knew he has a reason for calling and cuts off his attempts at making small talk.

Soon after, he notices that the 2nd year girl had dropped her amulet and he decides to go give it to the dorm manager. Karuizawa then asks why he decides to conceal his intellect especially in a class full of morons, adding that people would like him more if he was as forthcoming as Yousuke. His reputation would increase as well, possibly attracting the school's attention. Ayanokōji notices the strange excitement in her tone but replies that she should understand his character enough. Furthermore, he only helped Class D as he was forced and would have 'hung back' if he could. Ayanokōji candidly states that he would never take control so that people won’t pester him further in the future.

He vaguely admits to being X, but he also reveals to her that his reason for helping Class D has disappeared so he'll stop using her and that they should cut off contact. Honestly, he was pleasantly surprised at how helpful she was as she exceeded his expectations. Despite finally being free, she was still apprehensive of one aspect. Ayanokōji reiterates that he would honour his promise of helping her in the case of an emergency since it was a promise and told her to erase all traces of contact between them. Karuizawa asks if this really was the last time and how their relationship is quite cold. Ayanokōji frankly states that since she isn’t against this action and that she despised being used by him, there is no issue whatsoever as he ends the call.

Ayanokōji knew that by attaching herself to him like a parasite, she felt a sense of peace, but after he deliberately tossed her aside, naturally she would be shaken after being separated from her host. Her anxiety and loneliness after being abandoned would only increase, especially if Ryuuen attacks her now, she would most certainly crumble. Regardless, he felt no emotion or sentimentality for his actions, be it Sakayanagi, Horikita, Karuizawa or Ryuuen. They are now irrelevant as he could finally continue his way of life upon first arriving at the school.

As he was finishing his chores in his room, he finds himself scrolling aimlessly through the school app. Ayanokōji reflects on his life in the White Room and states that he wasn’t dissatisfied by it, however, it also was devoid of basic human rights. That place provided the best possible education which shaped his abilities to what it is now. Despite being praised as the greatest masterpiece and someone at the apex of their species, he felt discontented and wonders if that was truly something worth being proud of.

In his internal monologue, to ensure his goal of living out his three ordinary high school years as much as possible whether in Class D or A, he has no advantage in helping the class. Perceptive people like Ichinose and Sakayanagi already had an interest in him but it would slowly fade as long as he stepped back. The issue was Ryuuen and how long it would take him to find out the truth. The uncertainty with Karuizawa's vulnerability was vexing to him as Ryuuen would undoubtedly create an uproar.

As he makes a cup of tea, he gets an unusual notification from the first floor. Considering how the person he wished to see himself soon, made his way here himself, Ayanokōji invites him into his dorm since it would create a commotion if they were seen outside chatting.

It turns out that Manabu has come to warn Ayanokōji about the new president Nagumo and says that he's changing the rules of the system so much it might cause an unprecedented amount of expulsions. Manabu states that only mistake he made as the president was repeated failures in training his successor. Despite understanding his potential, their ideology differed too greatly. Nagumo also brought most of the Second years under his control as well.

Manabu divulge some inside information of the reality behind the student council. Talented students applied for it this year such as Katsuragi and Ichinose, but he decides to turn them away since Nagumo would snatched them up. However, Nagumo decided to go behind his back and induct Ichinose forcibly. Manabu's purpose was to get Ayanokōji to do something about Nagumo, and him permission to use the siblings (Manabu for the council and Suzune as the face). Ayanokōji voices his dispassionate attitude and explains that tradition changes with the time. He recognised that Manabu saw his own powerlessness and decided to turn to him after swallowing his pride. As Manabu apologised for the intrusion, Ayanokōji asks for his contact information so that he could think about what he should do. Manabu was surprised, fully expecting that he'll reject the offer. Ayanokōji ponders on how to use Suzune as he asks for more time. Manabu voices on how he expects nothing but will be waiting for his call. Ayanokōji sighs as even he was slightly concerned about this precarious situation.

On Sunday, Ayanokōji went to hang out with the Ayanokōji group which they went on to eat, shop and go Karaoke. On their way back, they come across a particular duo of Ichinose and Sakayanagi, the respective leaders of Class A and B. Ichinose remarks that he was with an unusual group since she usually only sees him with Horikita. She went on to congratulate them on their victory over Class C and reveals that Class B has lost to Class A by a measly two points. Sakayanagi comments that their class is about equal and that Class D might become Class C in the future.

Keisei felt insulted when Ichinose said that she'll have to be careful otherwise they would be next, and so, he declared that they’ll overtake them including Class A eventually. Sakayanagi chuckled while Ichinose sensing the tense atmosphere due to their presence, decides to leave after apologising. Haruka and Akito reveals that they don't particularly like Ichinose since she seems way too perfect and flawless till the point it feels creepy. Airi defends Ichinose as they wonder that unbelievably kind people may truly exist. Keisei advise that they shouldn’t get too close to her otherwise, the future would be filled with uncertainties.

Kiyotaka ponders of the ideal world where Class B and D would get promoted to Class A and B respectively. From then on, they would end their alliance and become enemies. He wonders if their class could have the heart to crush Ichinose if it comes down to it. Unlike Ryuuen who leaves an awful impression, she would make a tougher opponent for them to oppose, especially with her personality and ability to make friends. However, Ayanokōji doubts that everything would be as smooth sailing as that.

Chapter 3
As homeroom ended, some Class C students strode into Class D. Chabashira left after seeing as it just a visit and not a brawl awaiting to happen. The ones who showed up were Ryuuen, Ishizaki, and Yamada Albert (also Komiya and Kondou). Seemingly changing into a more direct approach, Ryuuen says he's only here to visit. Sudou was uncharacteristically defensive and stood from the need to protect Horikita. Hirata stood in-between them as a buffer. In the palpable atmosphere, Sudou began mouthing insults while Ryuuen ignored him. His gaze landed on a particular person.

The only one able to move as if nothing's happening is Kouenji, who leaves. Ryuuen chuckles at Kouenji as he sends his men after him. Ayanokōji notes that Kushida's role has become far less present but not faded, as the class gossips. Fearing that a physical confrontation was soon happening, some people decided to go after them. Ayanokōji asks Hirata to stay so he could calm those who stayed in class.

Ayanokōji, Miyake, and Keisei decides to check on Kouenji. Sudou was adamant about following as well much to the displeasure of Horikita who thinks that a 'troublemaker 'like him would only further escalate the incident. As they head towards the dorms, they see Class C surround Kouenji from all sides. Class D decides to just observe for now. As Ishizaki blocked his way forward, Ryuuen voices his intention of 'picking his brain'. With a hubristic and annoyed tone, Kouenji remarks that he hasn’t done anything to warrant his attention as they exchanged insults. When Ryuuen called him a freak, Kouenji explains how that word was baffling to describe him but decides to let it go. He wanted to wrap things up quickly as he has a date soon and suggests they moved to a rest area which they obliged. This also caused the Class D group to follow blindly as Ryuuen said they took the bait. Ryuuen acknowledges three of the boys and asked about Hirata, completely disregarding Sudou in the process. Ayanokōji suspects that this was just a ploy to narrow down the suspects who could be X. Ryuuen congratulates Kouenji for having the lead role today as he reminds him of his actions of the Zodiac test which limited Class C points collections.

Kouenji apologies and asked Ryuuen to hold his mirror while he does his hair. Ryuuen smiles as he throws the mirror onto the ground and grabbed Kouenji's arm. Kouenji remarks that he really was a scoundrel and that the mirror was expensive, but decides to play it off. Horikita warns Ryuuen not to go any further, but he replied that he was just playing. She began picking up the glass shards before Sudou took over for her.

At that moment, Sakayanagi, Kamuro and 2 others boys shows up on the scene. Ryuuen found her timing to be extremely suspicious though she said it was just a coincidence. She remarked that it must be a quite a party and that she would love to join in. Ryuuen tells her not to intervene if she decides to stay as he reverted his attention. She sat down on a nearby bench as the three Class A students immediately took up defensive positions.

Kouenji says he wants to leave, but Ryuuen's lackey stops him. Ryuuen suspects him due to the results from the Zodiac Exam. Kouenji denies and says if he came to that conclusion he must be a moron. He explains how he has absolutely no interest or sentimentality for Class D and has contributed nothing noteworthy thus far and has no intention to change in the future. He inquires whether it was wise for him to make an enemy of such a person.

Ryuuen couldn’t deny his statement and agrees that if what he said was true, he would be utterly harmless. However, he mentions that he wasn’t above beating him up due to the result of the Zodiac test. Horikita was disturbed but Kouenji caught his bluff as he knows that Ryuuen wouldn’t do something with an audience this big. Though if he still does so, he explains that he would single-handily knock out everyone who comes at him. With that statement, Ryuuen knew resolutely that Kouenji wasn’t X as he was completely nuts, a separate case from him.

Ryuuen then asks Kouenji for his opinion on who X is, hinting that he suspects it was one of the boys who tailed them. Kouenji wasn’t against telling him but before he finishes his sentence, he was cut off by Sakayanagi, who points to the possibility of Ryuuen just being sour he lost to Class D. Ryuuen admits X has disrupted his plans though he intends to pay him back indefinitely, even if he had to use extortion, blackmail or violence. Sakayanagi states a method such as that is rather pathetic for him and would only further amplify his incompetence as he allowed personal vendettas to take precedence. She explains how she’s aware of their entire ordeal and through fastidious elimination, it’s apparent that Kouenji wasn’t involved and X might not even exist.

Ryuuen wasn’t affected by her provocations as he explains that he already used Katsuragi. Sakayanagi was aware and divulge that the deal was something akin to allowing Class C to support Class A in exchange for monthly paid private points. She wasn’t aware of the specifics, though with minute details, she pieced their plan perfectly. Ryuuen was slightly surprised, though he remarked that he isn’t liable if details of this were leaked. Sakayanagi mentions that he would have leaked it if he wanted to, and since it was Katsuragi who suggested it, it doesn’t really matter. After all, this escapade helped cement Sakayanagi position as head of her class while Katsuragi was nowhere to be seen.

Ryuuen soon tries to kick Sakayanagi after he called him Dragon boy but it was swiftly blocked by Hashimoto though he did fall to the ground as a result. Horikita shouted for them to stop however, Sakayanagi interjected and asked if there was a problem. Hashimoto answers that he just fell over as Sakayanagi turned her gaze back to the exasperated Horikita. Even in such a palpable situation, Sakayanagi was unfazed while the others were equally ready to trade blows. Kouenji goes on to call Sakayanagi a little girl which amused her as she explains his english requires improvement. He retorted that he isn’t a slave to common practices after she explained that term.

Kitou steps forward and removes his gloves, seemingly ready to engage Kouenji for going against Sakayanagi. Kitou asks for her permission to correct Kouenji's behaviour before he once again mention his desire to leave, stating his tastes for both gender are towards older people. Kiyotaka wonders if lunacy was a kind of power after Kouenji openly insulted two leaders of their respective classes. Ryuuen tells him to get lost, after which, he warns Sakayanagi about the approaching third semester. She welcomes his challenge as long as he was successful in defeating Class D.

Ryuuen soliloquies that Kouenji isn’t X as their thought process were too different. He then asks for Class D inputs as he stares as Kiyotaka. He assert that 'the show' will be over soon and the 'grand finale' is close approaching as he glance back at the retreating form of Sakayanagi.

Chapter 4
It's the last day of the second semester and Ryuuen states that it's time to strike (using Karuizawa). Ryuuen reveals that he only tailed the more prominent people in Class D to mostly signal that he's watching them. That still leaves him with 10 possible candidates though one stood out the most since the beginning. No matter how much he tried to fish out X's identity, they were still tactfully hidden behind Suzune with no signs of trepidation. The suspense of the revelation quicken his pulse as it was the first time anyone had entertained and fascinated him for such a prolonged period of time. Most importantly, they thought the same way he did, which ignited a feeling almost akin to something like a first love in Ryuuen.

Ryuuen reveals that he's kept his plan for the day secret even from his lackeys, due to fear of it leaking out. Hiyori recognising the change in atmosphere asked if Ryuuen was planning something. He confirms her suspicions and asked if she wants to join. Hiyori rejects the offer and tells him to consult her at the library if there was any trouble. She left without a trace of fear and wished him a nice winter vacation. Ryuuen sees her an a very intelligent individual but her pacifistic nature isn’t suited for his methods, and so, he finds those who follows him obediently much easier to use. Ishizaki, Ibuki & Albert followed after him as they carried some indispensable items that would shake this civilised school to its core.

He plans on taking Karuizawa to the rooftop and ‘blackmailing’ her into giving the identity of X away. He felt no need to give away the identity of the traitor in Class D that provided Karuizawa's email as he sent her a message. The others were concerned she might not show up, however, Ryuuen knew she wouldn’t allow her past to be revealed. She couldn’t inform the school either as her social life was on the edge of being destroyed, thus, Ryuuen made the only way forward abundantly clear. He also told X of his plans but is surprised that he hasn't made a move. Ryuuen only recently realized that Karuizawa was a pawn, because of the Karaoke incident during the Paper Shuffle Exam.

He shares Karuizawa history of being bullied in the past and that those who suffered from traumatic experiences tend to lose themselves when put in similar situations. His suggestion caused some of his followers to reflect and become more apprehensive as Ibuki mentions the fact that there are security cameras up there, though Ryuuen replied that there are only a limited amount up there. He then takes a black spray and sprays it on the camera preventing any vision. He revealed that the reason for Class C's incident was because he already tried it on a camera and after reporting it to Sakagami, his punishment was to only clean it up. Since the cameras chosen were not displaying footage in real time, he was given ample duration to set up as they waited patiently for Karuizawa. At around 2:00 PM Karuizawa shows up. Karuizawa feigns ignorance as she tries to figure out Ryuuen's intentions, with the latter remarking that she's a horrible actress. Ibuki becomes restless as she suspects Karuizawa has another card to play but Ryuuen reassured her that X is the sole card holder. He silenced Ibuki who was still worrying of the repercussions to them. Ryuuen reveals to her of the way X manipulated Manabe and was surprised that X had kept many details from Karuizawa when she showed her obliviousness.

Ryuuen stops the cycle of frivolous arguments and ignorance by getting Ibuki to restrain Karuizawa. He was impressed by her stalwart attitude and although it wasn’t a bad option to rebel, it was far from the best as well. He then orders Ishizaki to fill 2 water buckets. As she's screaming at Ryuuen, he teases her by saying that he's aware that X had 'promised' to save her in the case of an emergency and that she previously used Hirata as a shield.

In the interim, he goes on to explain how the exam and rules are different every year to prevent cheating from using the 2nd year students. He explains how they've been silenced with a threat of expulsion if anything is said. He starts talking about his past actions to tiptoe the line of what he can't and can do, this incident being one of those experiments. Additionally, he was also aware of how Hirata was her pseudo-boyfriend through prior experiences with like-minded people. Ishizaki pours a water bucket on Karuizawa which makes her start trembling much to Ryuuen's enjoyment. They've then continued pouring water on her 4 times, which continues to slowly break apart her heart as Ryuuen recorded the entire process. Ibuki averts her eyes as Ryuuen praises Karuizawa self-made identity in Class D as something most easily achieved despite being weak. Ishizaki went to get more water as Ryuuen declare that something like this probably isn’t registered as bullying to her and she’s likely used to it. He then yanked her arm as he announce the fun is just beginning.

Despite the physical abuse, the most petrifying thing for her was occurring internally. She thinks about her options and concludes that the only thing she could do now was to just to believe in Ayanokōji. She states that the Karuizawa that had been holding on died. She recalls that she was a competitive young girl which made enemies out of similar girls, and that caused her all sorts of bullying. She states the only thing she could do in the situation was accept it. As she's recalling her bullying, she wonders if Ayanokōji really had abandoned and used her.

Ryuuen reveals to her that the incident on the ship with Manabe wasn't just a coincidence and Ayanokōji had set her up. She starts considering the option of just telling his name to rid herself of their assault, but after verbalising ‘taka’, she stopped herself from going further. Karuizawa starts feeling proud that although she was betrayed by him, she on the other hand, made the active choice not to betray him and states that the things she did for him were fun.

Chapter 5
2 hours before Karuizawa and Ryuuen, Chabashira lectures the class that all club activities will be suspended, some buildings closed for renovation, and to head back as soon as possible. She scans the class for a few seconds and congratulates them for their promotion to Class C, provided they don't make any mistakes in the vacation. The class as a whole was amazed by her peculiar praise as she dismisses them.

After class, Ayanokōji agrees to go to the mall with Yukimura today. He had received and ignored Karuizawa's emergency text earlier in the morning regarding the situation with Ryuuen, though it was unsurprising as he had already been notified beforehand. Interestingly at present, she showed no signs of anxiety or trepidation as she leaves the class. Satou timidly calls out to him and asks if he was busy today which he answered honestly. Satou becomes dejected as she remark it was bad luck. Feeling guilty that he'd turned her down twice, he asks if she was free over winter break. She immediately becomes elated as she gave him a big hug which left him overwhelmed as people in the class turned to look. He tells her that the details of their date will be sent soon as Satou happily rejoined her group.

He then goes to his group, with Airi having a downcast expression and Haruka grinning creepily. He was instantly grilled of the likelihood that Satou and him are dating which he declines to answer, instead downplaying her invitation though most of them sensed that something was going on. Haruka was impressed that he already found romance in time for Christmas as Keisei angrily comments that Ayanokōji was a playboy with Horikita being the first. Changing the subject, Keisei wonders where they intend to go as they talked about their families. (Hasebe probably has some family issues). After being together until about 2:00 PM, Ayanokōji excuses himself. After he leaves he calls Chabashira and arranges to meet her in the classroom.

In the classroom, he asks her why she's so desperate to rise to Class A (to see if Chabashira is useful to him). He proceeds to humble her by saying that they might not even reach Class C. Ayanokōji knew that she was apprehensive of the capabilities of Class D to advance and that if she was serious, she wouldn’t had withheld valuable information from them since the beginning. She attempts to leave which leads to Ayanokōji to inform her about the situation with Ryuuen and Karuizawa, much to her surprise.

He explains that the incident might cause Karuizawa to drop out. From Chabashira's facial expression, he deduce that expulsion will have a big penalty. He then inquires what she'll do as a teacher. Sensing his ulterior motive of abusing her authority, she was against cooperating with him since a teacher had no need to intervene in squabbles between students. He proceeds to warn her that he may very well sabotage their class in the future and that her dream may never see the light of day. She didn’t take too kindly to his threats, and thus, Ayanokōji changed his tone and told her to merely observe.

The two of them stood a safe distance from where Albert is guarding as they observe Ishizaki. Ayanokōji notices that Ishizaki has already made a few trips to the bathroom to get water and that Karuizawa hasn’t spilled the beans. He notes that Ryuuen's probably making Karuizawa relive her past, but he didn't expect her to not give up his identity which was better than what he envisioned. Chabashira asks how long he intends to wait which he tells her to be patient as there was no rush. It was better for the events to escalate and even though being late is risky, it was necessary and could also be more productive to him.

While Karuizawa is being tortured, Ayanokōji and Chabashira talk about the private points system. Ayanokōji makes the hypothesis that there are pre-made price tags for everything you can buy for private points (including test marks). He recalls how she arbitrarily made up a number when he once saved Sudou from expulsion and asks if the same process could be repeated. She attempts to bring the conversation back to Karuizawa but was quickly cut off by him. He gave her an ultimatum and asks how much private points is needed to buy one mark of the mid-term exam. Failure to answer his question would result in him asking from another teacher, which would lead to a report by him addressed to the school of her discriminatory attitude towards her own class.

Her silence was already an answer as she asked if he was finding a gap in the rules. He bring up examples like Ichinose and Ryuuen who are both accumulating private points through a process of trial and error. She states that the key to beating the system is to figure out the rules around private points usage and that school have already predetermined prices for everything like expulsion, violence and the selling and buying of points. However, even as a teacher, she had her limits to what could be revealed and that some information is not known to them. Ayanokōji concludes that there are certain requirements that needs to be met before she could disclose more. He decides to end this 'friendly chat' and put a stop to the 'game' after she questioned his inaction.

At 2:40 PM, he messaged a person to come to them. He announces that he's going up, which surprised Chabashira since his identity would be revealed and his peaceful life would vanish. Furthermore, it limits her chances of using him as the class' secret trump card and her leverage over him would virtually be meaningless. Chabashira tells him that Chairman Sakayanagi had explained once of how Ayanokōji is a talented and special student, who they needed to protect. His background of being detached from a loving family also played a factor for them to make him stay here. Ironically, her mistake in blackmailing him into ‘liking’ the school backfired as her lie regarding his father has seemingly become reality. She resigned and admitted her careless mistake and how her ambitious dream blind-sighted her judgement as she outwardly gave up.

Ayanokōji states that they still have a chance to become Class C with Horikita at the helm. Chabashira was sceptical and only saw her as a tool to manipulate Ayanokōji. Ayanokōji was sure that Horikita will be able to attain Class C but was less confident when talking about Class A. He declared his intentions of bringing her here, which was to show that he's stepping back. Someone was approaching nearby as he thanked her for accompanying him. He no longer had any use for her and gave her the active choice to leave.

Horikita Manabu appears and apologises to Ayanokōji for being late. Chabashira was shocked by his appearance and asks if he was going to handle the situation on top. Ayanokōji clarifies that all Manabu has to do is stay on the stairs and make his presence known to the students returning from the roof after he was done with them. Manabu tells him not to take too long and to remember their arrangement. Chabashira asks what he would have done if Manabu wasn’t here with his reply being that he would had enlisted the help of Sakayanagi Arisu since she was already well aware of him. He tells them that it’ll be done in ten or twenty minutes.

He meets Albert and considers him a perfect gatekeeper. After addressing and reassuring him in Japanese and then in English, Albert allows him to continue on. He then sees Karuizawa cowering in fear and acknowledges the surveillance cameras were vandalised. Ishizaki and Ibuki were shocked with the latter being especially incredulous. The first to respond was Ibuki who vehemently rejects the notion of X being him and reasons it with his actions on the Deserted Island Exam whereby he stood up for her. She was adamant that X sent Ayanokōji here and argues that he’s much too soft and good-natured to be guilty. Ryuuen reveals that after the Manabe situation he knew it was either Hirata or Ayanokōji. Ryuuen asks Ayanokōji of how he's going to overcome the predicament, but Ayanokōji questions if it's a predicament at all and tells him to wait until the next exam to find out if it's really him. Ryuuen warns that terrible things would occur tomorrow if he leaves and not do as he says. Ibuki continues to voice her disbelief as Ayanokōji shoots her down by revealing that he was the one who broke her camera during the Deserted Island Exam and how he knew of their surreptitious plans without it ever being told.

Ryuuen asks if that was enough evidence for the two who were still in disbelief as he become more exasperated. Ryuuen proclaims how he holds all the cards and that Ayanokōji is powerless to stop him. Ayanokōji shrugs it off and concur with him, asking if they could leave now since he’s satisfied. Ryuuen then yanks Karuizawa's arm and tells Ayanokōji to show his prowess. His smiles fades as Ayanokōji remains unconcerned and seemingly submitted to Ryuuen. Ayanokōji warns of a potential war between their factions if his identity is revealed and that he isn’t above sacrificing Karuizawa.

Ryuuen praises Ayanokōji for entertaining him and that it’d be best if it could last till the end. Ibuki knows that Ryuuen will use violence to assert his dominance over Ayanokōji like he did with Ishizaki, Komiya, Kondou and even Albert. She attempts to stop him but Ryuuen violently slaps Ibuki and tells everyone to keep it a secret for the best interest of both parties. Ryuuen understands but felt like it was a bad plan for Ayanokōji to reveal himself at this particular moment so no one would find out.

Ryuuen remarks how war isn’t just about wits and that violence is still the most powerful force to beat someone into submission. He glees as he imagines Ayanokōji beaten body and how Ichinose would be next the following semester. Ayanokōji agrees that violence is a powerful tool though it only applies when one is stronger than their opponent. Ryuuen bends over with laughter before giving his next commands.

He then orders Albert to close the door and Ishizaki to beat up Ayanokōji, much to Ishizaki's apprehension. Ishizaki asks for there to not be any hard feelings as he was just following orders, while Karuizawa shouted for them to stop in the background. Ryuuen tells her to show some gratitude towards Ayanokōji before grabbing her hair and tossing her aside. She was about to leap at him but stopped when Ayanokōji tells her not to worry.

Ishizaki threw a lazy punch at Ayanokōji which he deftly blocked as he swiftly brings Ishizaki to the ground. Ayanokōji tells him that if they’re doing this, it would be better for him to take it more seriously as he applied more pressure on his face. Ishizaki's face went taut as his legs gave way, causing him to frantically attempt to claw his way out. Albert understood the gravity of the situation and started swinging at Ayanokōji's free side, assuming he would dodge and take a defensive position. However, his punch was instead caught by Ayanokōji's hand which sent something like an electric shock all the way to his shoulder. Ibuki was frozen in disbelief while Ryuuen ordered Albert to continue.

Albert charged and swung his powerful fists. Ayanokōji allowed him to land the first blow but he knew that he couldn’t withstand much more of those hits. He then dodged the next attack and went in for a frontal attack at his gut, paying no heed at holding back his strength since it was unwise to underestimate an opponent. Ayanokōji judged that it only did minimum damage since Albert still wore a flat expression. He decides to work a little harder and aim for vulnerable spots that the human body's can’t strengthen no matter the training. Albert saw him aiming at his solar plexus and twisted to avoid it but soon realised it was only a faint as Ayanokōji jabbed his throat with his palm.

Albert gurgled in pain as he fell to the ground. Ishizaki charged while shouting at Ayanokōji which exasperated him as he mutters that he should at least be quiet if he was going at him. He was easy to read and so, Ayanokōji kicked his left knee and sent him to the floor. He then spins and kicked Albert's face while using that same momentum to punch Ishizaki in the jaw on the return. With that, both of them went silent as the rooftop became soundless.

After swiftly defeating Ishizaki and Albert, he reveals to the others that he had known this situation would take place a long time ago, which shocks Ryuuen who initially thought Ayanokōji was the one playing into his hands. Ryuuen acknowledges that he’s at the disadvantage while complimenting Ayanokōji for outsmarting him. A frustrated Ibuki launches a kick at Ayanokōji whom calmly evaded and inadvertently saw what’s underneath her skirt, much to her obliviousness.

Ayanokōji notes how she's a skilled fighter who could take down Suzune even if she was at her peak back in the Island. Ayanokōji wasn’t against playing with her but he decided not to drag it out. Ayanokōji surprised her by closing their distance and grabbing her by the neck before slamming her down. He was careful not to slam her head as it may had been deadly as she became motionless. Karuizawa watched in silence while Ryuuen clapped and praised him once again. Ryuuen then initiated his fighting stance and assert that one must be tough on the inside as well and that physical strength alone doesn’t determine an outcome. A fight between Ayanokōji and Ryuuen begins. Ayanokōji deliberately takes a few strikes from him, but soon gets bored and starts retaliating, beginning a one-sided beat down of Ryuuen. Ryuuen adjusted his stance to have a more stable centre of gravity and rushed for Ayanokōji's abdomen. Ayanokōji leapt backwards and was pursued by Ryuuen who continued with a jab. Ayanokōji calmly says that he won’t allow him to hit him while he grabbed Ryuuen's hair. Ryuuen reacted instantly and brushed his hand aside, however, he was met with a follow-up kick on his side and was forced to put some distance.

Ayanokōji praised him for being stronger than Ishizaki in strength but he is still unable to see him beating Albert. Ryuuen laughed and shouted that this is fun and he needed more from Ayanokōji. He then charged at Ayanokōji again holding nothing back. From his style, Ayanokōji knew that it was self-taught after countless brawls and not that of a trained martial artist. Ryuuen claims that he might win the battle but not the war as he will go after him at the least expected moment even if he lost today.

Ayanokōji asks if Ryuuen wasn’t afraid of losing which he replied that he hasn’t felt fear before. That was when Ayanokōji understood where Ryuuen's overconfidence and hubris came about. Ayanokōji tells Ryuuen to teach him the meaning of pain that he’s been preaching about which he gladly accepts. Ryuuen grabs Ayanokōji, kneed him in the stomach and repeated the actions as Ayanokōji guards his face. The strongest blow came as it caused Ayanokōji to stagger back, however, he states that he still doesn’t get what Ryuuen is preaching. Ryuuen asks if Ayanokōji is the same as him, someone who doesn’t feel fear which he denies.

Ayanokōji has seen many people being destroyed from terror, misery and consequence for being a loser. Eventually, he stopped feeling fear and instead felt cold since no matter how much others suffer or despair, the same would never happen to him. As long as you can protect yourself, you win. With that, Ayanokōji stopped his experiment of trying to feel the 'pain' Ryuuen was referring to, his condescending attitude enraging Ryuuen. Ryuuen inquires where Ayanokōji attain that abnormal strength from and why he's kept it hidden for so long, commenting that he probably found pleasure in looking down on others. Ayanokōji disagrees and readied his stance, countering Ryuuen's attack and delivering a devastating right hook.

His face swelled up as he began having difficulty forming words. Even still, Ayanokōji repeatedly punched him, paying no heed to the blood flowing internally and externally. Ryuuen continues talking, attempting to find a vulnerability during the onslaught and deliberately trying to fish a reaction out of Ayanokōji with sardonic words. Ayanokōji doesn't really care and proceeds to knock him out as "Unfortunately for him, there was nothing there. I had no heart for him to manipulate." He then goes up to Karuizawa and asks if she's disillusioned by him. She affirms that thought since she knew he betrayed her from the beginning. He tells her to think about it later and assures her that no one can use her past against her anymore. Ayanokōji says that he isn’t looking for forgiveness but he reassures her that he would save her again if something similar happened again. He then tells her to go get help from Chabashira and Manabu who are waiting below.

He goes and wake the Class C people up. Ryuuen wakes up and states he'll do anything to win against him, even if he has to use the lame route of reporting to the school. Ayanokōji advice against this as many third-party witnesses just below them. He goes on to list the reasons he lost, particularly how he chose poorly and would had stood a better chance if he was able defeat Ichinose and Sakayanagi. Ayanokōji tells him that although he's open to a rematch, he had enough drawing unwanted attention and tells Ryuuen to target someone else. Ryuuen smiled bitterly as he admits he lost and that his own battle is finished.

He asks if Class C was doomed as long as he was in-charge as he prepares to transfer all the points to Ibuki and be the sole person to get expelled as a consequence, but Ayanokōji spares him (because it'd be less work for him if Ryuuen is able to take out Ichinose and Sakayanagi for him). Furthermore, they might even deduce that X was him all along, spelling more trouble than its worth. Ryuuen doesn’t trust Ayanokōji's word and leaves the rooftop, much to the discontentment of the other Class C students.

Epilogue
Ryuuen reminisces of his past and how life doesn’t have a reset button. As he recollects the past, he suspects that the number of times he lost should had been in the three digits in the present. The events of yesterday wasn’t even the first time he lost to Ayanokōji. He then decides to go to the school, expecting that he was probably the only student making his way there.

On his way there, he sees Ibuki and tries to ignore her. She explains that she is just there to return his phone. She then starts trying to convince him to stay, but Ryuuen mocked her by asking wasn’t she just there to return his phone. She retorts by saying that he'll have to fight her to drop out. She then grabbed his arm and questions his drastic change after only just losing to Ayanokōji. He laments that he misread the situation and lost, above all, 'that guy' was a big deal after all if he could make him feel this way. Ibuki is disappointed that he'd given up so easily and forsake their shared goal of reaching Class A. She then knocks him to the ground and leaves, taking advantage of his weaken body after his fight the day before.

Ryuuen then meets up with his homeroom teacher Sakagami, who suggests that they go to the counselling room. Before they get there, Ishizaki and Albert tries to stop Ryuuen but fails. Sakagami asked if they had anything to do with the destroyed surveillance camera, which he denies. Lastly, the teacher asked if they really had a fight which Ryuuen took all the blame. Remarking that it’ll be a quick event, Ryuuen kicked Ishizaki after he tried to shed light on the whole situation. A violent outburst in front of a teacher while soon to be expelled was virtually meaningless in the mind of Ryuuen. The news Sakagami received was that a student of Class D was the one responsible for destroying the camera and that it has already been reimbursed. Ryuuen was shocked as Ayanokōji was probably behind it and chose not to expose them. Before Ryuuen starts filling out his withdrawal forum, Sakagami reveals that Albert and Ishizaki plans on dropping out with him. He then decides against it, as making them drop out with him would make his action frivolous. He then thinks to himself of the purpose for him remaining.

Soon afterward, rumours begins to spread about Ryuuen no longer being the one in charge of Class C. Additionally, he no longer has an entourage and spends all his time alone, talking to no one. Ayanokōji felt like he was looking at his past self upon first entering the school. Ayanokōji wonders if there'll come a time where he'll gain what he lost. Though one thing was indisputable, he shares some similarities with him and most importantly, he could still be used.

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