Classroom of the Elite – S3 10 – Out of the Darkness

Yukimura wants to try recruiting 1-A’s Katsuragi as an informant, offering him a transfer to their class once they reach Class A. Suzune turns the idea down as unrealistic considering the vast amount of points needed (2o million). Ayanokouji agrees to at least accompany Yukimura. Katsuragi doesn’t agree to their terms, but he still wants Sakayanagi to lose, so he gives them some broad strokes and best guesses as to Class A’s exam subjects.

In the time they’ve known each other, Ayanokouji has gotten much better at avoiding Suzune’s bad side, at least when he’s not trying to access it. His reward this week is getting a classy home-cooked meal from her as she discusses class analytics. He’s content to leave everything in her clearly capable hands, but does request that she participate in the chess competition. He’ll be her coach.

Two days before the exam, Suzune tries to get Yousuke to at least commit to giving the bare minimum effort if group activities when the day arrives, but he ignores her. Mei once again tries to get him to talk to her, but she shoves her down. Kouenji witnesses the violence and swoops in as her shining white knight, his way of rattling Yousuke’s cage and get him to understand how his pathetic uselessness is hurting those around him.

Ayanokouji observes this exchange, and determines the time is right to truly bring the hammer down on this “broken” Yousuke. He approaches him and asks him simply to tell him why he is being the way he is. When Yousuke asks him what purpose that would serve, Ayanokouji says him he’ll have told him, which can be a purpose in and of itself.

Yousuke acquiesces, and we learn how his inaction in a class bullying regime almost led to the suicide of a classmate. He vowed never to let something like that happen again, and decided to rule the class with an iron grip, meting out punishment to anyone who fell out of line. The result was a broken class, in which everyone acted like cowed automatons. He thought he’d learned his lesson, only for this latest situation with Yamauchi to unfold.

Ayanokouji doesn’t mince words with Yousuke: Yamauchi’s expulsion wasn’t Suzune’s fault, nor was it his; it is solely Yousuke. While he wanted to save everyone, he didn’t do everything possible to make it happen, the way Hounami did in Class B. His belief was nothing more than a fantasy.

If he truly did everything he could, and still failed, it’s incumbent upon him to take all of the blame, and keep walking forward. If he’s struggling, he can ask those same classmates for help. He’ll get out what he puts in. By showing he’s doing everything he can for the class, they’ll do everything they can for him. They can walk forward together.

As Ayanokouji calculated, this cage-rattling did the trick, snapping Yousuke out of his personal pity party. The next morning he’s cleaned himself up, apologizes profusely to Mei and the entire class, and promises going forward he’ll help the class succeed in the coming exam. And while he doesn’t regret opposing Suzune’s methods in the previous exam, he acknowledges she wasn’t wrong, and offers a hand of friendship, which Suzune takes with a smile.

With the return of amity and cohesiveness to Class C, they’re in as good a position as any for this final exam. The day before it begins, Suzune plays 54 online games against Ayanokouji losing all but three, but he assures her she’s made extraordinary progress.

The next morning, Class D’s Captain Kaneda doesn’t show, and Ryuuen arrives in his place to take on Honami and Class B. They head one way, while Ayanokouji and Sakayanagi head another, to finally have their big season-ending showdown.

Classroom of the Elite – S3 03 – Purely for the Thrill

Sakayanagi Arisu is on the move. She informs President Nagumo that she’s mounting an attack against Class B’s Ichinose Honami. Kei is just getting done announcing that she and Yousuke are done-zo, Arisu visits Kiyotaka’s class asking to speak to … Yamauchi, of all people. Suzune smells a trap, very tactlessly pointing out the obvious: Arisu has no use for Yamauchi, unless she thinks she can use him.

Word of Yousuke being single spreads fast (an omen for what’s to come), and Wang Mei Yu, friend of Shiina Hiyori, contacts Kiyotaka to ask him about Yousuke. He gives her some pretty decent if boilerplate advice about taking it nice and slow since Yousuke probably feels bad about having failed to make Kei happy. Wang is surprised how approachable and easy to talk to Kiytaka is. I have to think Wang will serve a meatier purpose down the road.

That night, Suzune meets Kiyotaka down by the water to report that there are some scandalous rumors now circulating about Ichinose Honami. Arisu is one of the prime suspects, and Kiyotaka further posits that if there’s a kernel of truth to the rumors, it increases its plausibility among the students. Kiyotaka advises no action; they’ll see how this plays out.

Suzune is less patient, and invites Honami over to strategize. While Honami appreciates “their” concern, she’s decided to remain silent about the rumors and simply weather the storm. She doesn’t want them or anyone else getting involved, lest it harm Class B or C.

After Honami excuses herself, Suzune insists they have to help Ichinose because Arisu is their mutual enemy right now. Kiyotaka dismisses her sentiments as “pure idealism.” If Class A can destroy Class B without any cost to Class C, that’s just fine with Kiyotaka.

When Kiyotaka leaves Suzune’s, he finds Honami is still hanging around. She wasn’t listening in on him telling Suzune doesn’t care what happens to her, because she again expresses her gratitude to him, but doesn’t want him to worry about her.

Honami insists she’ll be fine, but the next day every locker has a note stating Ichinose Honami is a criminal. It’s a bold escalation, but at least in the moment Ichinose refuses to respond or take any provocative action. That said, her friends urge her to get an adult involved, which is possibly part of the rumormonger’s plan.

Kiyotaka is Mr. Popular this week, bouncing from one conversation to another, culminating in a girl he’s never met approaching him outside his apartment. Introducing herself as Class A’s Kamuro Masumi (and voiced by Sakura Ayane), she rejects his offer of coffee or tea and asks for—and receives—cocoa instead. Noting how wary he seems of her, Masumi correctly observes he’s nothing like Yamauchi, the potato-kun Arisu spoke to.

Masumi works for Arisu, but she doesn’t know she’s here talking with him. She ended up under Arisu’s employ when she was caught shoplifting a beer, not to drink but for the thrill of it. Arisu blackmailed her, and now keeps her  busy so she doesn’t have time to shoplift. Apparently, Honami has a history of shoplifting too.

Masumi tells Kiyotaka he’s the one Arisu is “most worried about” and wants Kiyotaka to stop Arisu. Kiyotaka rightfully suspects this is all a ruse, and that Arisu simply sent Masumi here to compel him to drag Class C into the fighting. Masumi says she’ll prove she’s telling the truth … by lifting him a beer.

Of course, this just proves she’s good at shoplifting. I’m not sure why Kiyotaka suddenly decides to trust her … and maybe he doesn’t, and simply says he will. In any case, whatever he does next will be equally informed by news he receives from Manabu: Kikyou has made contact with President Nagumo.