The middle school division of Shuchiin Academy
is five minutes away from the high school division.
Because of short distance,
quite a few younger students visit their elders in the high school division.
In fact, that day, one girl...
Yes?
Excuse me.
Oh, a cute visitor.
What am I thinking?
It's probably rude to call someone cute the first time you meet.
But for some reason, I can't take my eyes off of her. Why's that?
I'm Kei Shirogane, the treasurer of the middle school student council.
Kei Shirogane... Kei Shirogane...
KEI SHIROGANE
Shirogane...
This girl...
She's the president's little sister!
I see it! She has the same scary eyes!
Well, please come in.
Okay, thank you.
KAGUYA WANTS HER TO SAY IT
If you're looking for the president, he's at a club budget meeting.
I think he won't be back for a while.
A club budget meeting? I heard a long time ago...
that a student council president who transferred to the school
PRESIDENT OF THE ASTRONOMY CLUB CAPTAIN OF THE JUDO CLUB PRESIDENT OF THE OCCULT RESEARCH CLUB CAPTAIN OF THE KENDO CLUB PRESIDENT OF THE VOLUNTEER CLUB PRESIDENT OF THE SAHA CLUB
made an insulting remark during one meeting
and found it difficult to live in Japan afterwards.
RUMBLE RUMBLE
That rumor has been embellished quite a bit.
Then, it's not true?
Of course not.
The student's father was just relocated to a remote country.
He was deliberately sent away?
I wonder if he's gotten used to the thin air there.
Will he be okay?
His little sister is worried about him.
It'll be fine.
I swear by the name of Shinomiya
that if anything happens, I'll protect the president.
Shinomiya-senpai...
It'll be all right.
Leave it to me.
To shoot the leader, shoot his horse first.
ACQUAINTANCE SIBLING FRIEND PARENTS BENEFACTOR
TARGET
To force a man to surrender, one should first ensnare the people around him.
ACQUAINTANCE SIBLING PARENTS BENEFACTOR
ACQUAINTANCE SIBLING BENEFACTOR
SIBLING
Making friends with his relatives leads to a relationship with the family.
A situation encouraging interactions with him...
Kaguya, you're like a big sister!
Yes! Yes, that's it!
I'll have this girl call me her big sister!
HEH HEH
GRIN GRIN
So, what can I do for you today?
Um,
I was going to ask my brother to check these student council documents.
In that case, I can give you a hand.
Despite my looks, I'm pretty competent.
The competent woman appeal!
Um, here they are.
Giving the impression of someone who is capable to inspire feelings of respect.
Let's see.
The calculations are correct, but you've got commas in the wrong places.
And the layout isn't very reader-friendly.
He was here?
I see.
Then, I should stretch this out to fill in the blank space?
And while you're at it, I'd set up a macro for here and here.
That makes sense.
Group these. It would be clear where you're supposed to look,
W-Well, it'd be difficult to get closer to her as a competent woman.
so I wouldn't display any of this.
That would only increase the sense of distance between us.
I want all of this part looked at, so...
We should be equals!
The goal should be a relationship in which we hang out as friends!
And then...
Big Sister Kaguya!
You should come over to my house for dinner!
Oh, would that be okay?
You two are so close.
It's like you're real sisters.
We are real sisters, right?
That's because you're like my own daughter, Kaguya.
Why don't you move in here?
Wonderful!
Kaguya was starving for familial love.
Then...
Say, Shirogane...
We're all Shirogane here.
You've got to use first names.
Then,
Miyuki.
Kaguya.
Amazing! How far could this go?
You should probably choose your range and then use a table.
That's it! The feeling of friendship!
A strong friendship would be best!
The formatted table form from Home...
Miss Shirogane, would you like something to drink?
Sure.
Hello.
Kei!
Hello, way of the sword!
Hello, way of the sword back!
What's up? Are you just here to hang out?
Yep, yep. I'm just here for work today.
Huh?
You two know each other?
That's right!
Kei and Moeha are the same year!
I'm Moeha, the third daughter!
Sometimes Kei sleeps over at our house,
and even though we're three years apart,
we're such good friends that you wouldn't know it!
- Right? - Right?
The other day, we played a video game together, right?
Right!
Remember that dance you made up? Wanna do it here?
I'm too embarrassed!
So, you've been carrying on like this behind my back, huh?
Let's do it! You did it for me when we went to karaoke, right?
Is that right? Understood. I get it.
Which karaoke place was that again?
I think I still have the video.
But Miss Fujiwara's position is that of a friend! Nothing more and nothing less!
Cut it out! Don't look for that!
It won't take me long to pull it up!
I'll take the status of "big sister"!
Hey, Sis...
Sis?
Moeha and I are going shopping for clothes in Harajuku soon.
Why don't you come with us, Sis?
Sure, I'd love to go!
Sis?
I love window shopping in Harajuku!
This is how Miss Fujiwara steals everything I want.
Greed.
Okay, as soon as summer vacation starts,
It's people like this that ruin the planet.
we'll do the full course, from morning until night!
A cancer on Earth. How repulsive.
Yay!
Why don't you go with us, too, Miss Kaguya?
Sure!
Jeez.
Miss Fujiwara is a good girl! This is what I love about her!
We'll always be friends!
How was your meeting today?
Well, I got through it.
By the way, Kei, I heard you stopped by our student council.
How was it?
How was what?
Well, as your big brother, I'm naturally curious about what you do.
You're as nosy as a stalker.
But Chika was the same as always.
Your treasurer was pretty gloomy, but nice to me.
And as for the vice president, Shinomiya,
I was so nervous around her that I couldn't carry on a conversation.
- What? - Shut up! Drop dead!
RESULTS OF TODAY'S MATCH:
Results of today's match...
KEI SHIROGANE LOSES
Kei Shirogane loses.
THIRD SISTER: MOEHA SECOND SISTER: CHIKA OLDEST SISTER: TOYOMI
Finals are coming soon.
MIYUKI SHIROGANE CAN'T LOSE
Have you all been studying?
Miss Fujiwara, that's not whistling.
- There's no need to study for exams. - Oh?
They should be no problem if you're studying right along.
Last-minute cramming is absurd.
You'll just wreck your health.
He's lying.
I strongly advise you all to avoid last-minute cramming, as well.
WHHH
This young man has even taken a leave of absence from his part-time job
so he could stay up studying in the ten nights before the test.
Final exams!
At Shuchiin Academy, literature and science exams are given five times a year.
Shirogane has achieved the highest score three times in a row,
solidifying his position as the school's academic leader.
Shirogane began at the academy from high school.
His grades are his biggest lifeline.
To maintain his number one status,
he wouldn't hesitate to strategize or even lie!
Good point.
Tests are a reflection of your own abilities.
Even if you push yourself hard and get a decent score,
that doesn't predict the future.
She is lying.
The best thing to do is take it in a relaxed manner.
It's unusual for her,
RUMBLE RUMBLE
but this young lady is taking the finals extremely seriously.
Normally, being defeated isn't necessarily humiliating to her.
She knows that the occasional defeat is part of the secret of success in life.
But when it comes to studying, that's a different story.
Shinomiya is a genius, but pulling out all the stops,
she hasn't yet beaten Shirogane in that field!
Being a creature of pride, that kind of defeat is an unforgivable disgrace to her!
Ishigami...
If you don't push yourself to the limit this time, you'll be in trouble.
If you fail again...
It'll be fine.
I'm studying hard for finals this time around.
Well, I'm going home to study.
He's lying.
This young man only wants to continue playing the video game he bought recently.
He has the nerve to buy a game right before exams.
He lives fast and recklessly as if he's sensed his own time of death.
And getting failing grades is the norm for him.
This is the way of Yu Ishigami.
I'm hopeless at Japanese, and I know slang from other languages.
RUMBLE RUMBLE
None of that's on the test, so I don't do well.
The way you study foreign languages is kind of unique,
so, maybe studying the normal way wouldn't be efficient for you.
And the amount you study won't necessarily translate into higher scores.
ROAR
Not studying at all is indeed a viable choice.
She's lying.
That's right.
Instead of studying, in the days before a test, I just sit cross-legged
and focus on the subject.
He's lying!
I see.
Understood!
I won't study!
HEH
She's serious.
This young woman has gotten tangled up in Shirogane and Kaguya's sabotage.
As a result, her class rank has steadily dropped.
AVERAGE
Although her grades are average, she has a desire to learn.
Despite her personality, Fujiwara is a fine student.
She has no reason to be suspicious of the words of Shuchiin's top two students.
She doesn't realize that they're playing dirty.
The exam is a battle that begins before the pen is even picked up!
DUN DUN
Not only relying on brains,
but using information, personal connections and assets are all reasonable choices.
A virtual war in which these talented students use every bit of ingenuity they possess...
That is what the final exams are!
FINAL EXAMS
197TH OUT OF 199 STUDENTS (FIRST-YEAR)
EXAM DAY
I'm nervous!
If my grades drop again, so will the amount of my allowance!
Calm down. Panicking now won't have any effect on your scores.
You're not nervous, President?
Of course not.
I have faith in my own ability.
I just have to regurgitate what I've accumulated so far.
He's lying.
This young man is so nervous that he feels like he may vomit.
He's quivering so badly that he can't even hold his pen steady!
I will absolutely not lose.
No one but he could know...
1ST: MIYUKI SHIROGANE 2ND: KAGUYA SHINOMIYA
that the pressure a king experiences
is infinitely greater than that of challengers to his throne.
Only he knows the heavy burden of the eternal quest for perfection.
He knows what it's like to compete with a genius.
And he knows how much he needs to sacrifice.
Studying is his one and only weapon.
If he couldn't at least get better grades than the girl who could do anything,
she would then be far away, someone he could only look up at.
He had to win...
Begin!
I just can't lose!
...to be her equal!
I can't lose to Shinomiya!
1ST: MIYUKI SHIROGANE 2ND: KAGUYA SHINOMIYA
Nice job, Shinomiya.
This could just be a matter of chance.
Next time, who knows?
No, I'm aware of how hard you worked, President.
Luck had nothing to do with it.
I still have a ways to go.
But I accept these results.
She's lying.
This young woman...
is so frustrated that it would be no surprise if blood shot out of her eyes.
If this weren't a public place,
she would stomp her feet and roll around,
STOMP STOMP
ROLL ROLL
but instead, she bit her lip to keep the scream locked up inside.
You must be pleased, President.
This makes four years in a row, doesn't it?
No, actually, there was just too much pressure.
To be honest, I only feel relief.
I don't have it in me to feel pleased anymore.
Is that what it's like?
He's lying.
Oh yeah!
This young man is so pleased that he's begun shadowboxing for no reason.
Did you see that, Shinomiya?
And so, the final exams of lies and deception come to an end.
Okay, okay. It's okay.
RESULTS OF TODAY'S MATCH:
Results of today's match...
SHIROGANE WINS
Shirogane wins.
FIRST SEMESTER RESULTS MIYUKI SHIROGANE 1ST —> 1ST KAGUYA SHINOMIYA 2ND —> 2ND NAGISA KASHIWAGI 4TH —> 7TH CHIKA FUJIWARA 91ST —> 101ST AI HAYASAKA 114TH —> 114TH KASHIWAGI'S BOYFRIEND 139TH —> 84TH YU ISHIGAMI 197TH —> 177TH
Let's back up a bit.
ONE WEEK BEFORE THE TEST
FACULTY ROOM
Ishigami, do you understand your situation?
If you fail any major tests, you'll be in danger of being held back next year.
Yeah.
You managed to get into high school.
Are you willing to let that chance go to waste?
Anyway, just be sure you don't fail the finals coming up.
Got it?
Yeah.
Fail!
At Shuchiin Academy, a grade of less than half the average is considered failing.
There are no remedial measures, such as supplementary lessons.
Two test failures in a subject results in a failing grade.
If a required course is failed, the year is repeated.
Ishigami has already received three yellow cards.
No, really, I haven't even been sleeping.
If he fails another exam, he'll be held back!
This time around, I'm serious.
Well,
as usual, you've got me thinking that maybe I should buy a video game.
Even though he's in hot water, it's as if he doesn't sense the danger.
It's been a while.
YU ISHIGAMI CLOSES HIS EYES
This is unbecoming of a member of the student council.
If you do get held back, you won't be the only one who's inconvenienced.
...so I can play for five hours or so.
Ishigami...
Could you come with me for a minute?
What is it?
We can't talk here?
No. It has to be a place with no one else.
Just you and me.
Forget it!
No way! I'm scared!
No!
What's your problem? Just come with me!
Are you gonna do something terrible to me?
SUPPLY ROOM
This is because you tried to get away.
If you hadn't resisted, I wouldn't have been forced to resort to such drastic measures.
You're gonna do something terrible!
Wh-What are you going to do?
You know what kind of situation you're in, don't you?
Therefore...
CRITICAL SITUATION!! LIFE-THREATENING!!
You're gonna torture and then kill me?
Or, no, maybe she'll just do nasty things to me until my mind snaps!
For starters...
Just don't touch my video games!
I'm confiscating your phone and blip-blopping device.
I really did incur her displeasure!
She's going to take her time destroying my spirit.
Stop it!
Please, anything but making me eat small fish or forcing me to study!
Okay, next...
please eat all of these dried sardines
and then do all of these drills.
Here, open wide.
They're full of docosahexaenoic acid.
Acid? She's gonna melt my internal organs?
HOURS LATER
What kind of torture is this?
This is awful.
But on all of the important points, I can catch glimpses of intelligence.
What did I do to deserve this?
It seems you have promise.
We're going to study tomorrow at the same time.
In the name of Shinomiya, I swear I won't let you fail the finals, Ishigami.
Be grateful.
What's the point of trying to make me smarter?
TO PREVENT HIM FROM FAILING
And so, the days of intensive training continued.
Ishigami made several more escape attempts,
but Kaguya caught him every time,
and eventually he lost the willpower to resist her.
LIBRARY
This reference book should make it easier.
Take your time so you understand it thoroughly.
Really, what's your game here?
What are you talking about?
I heard that if you fail another big test,
there's a good chance you'll have to repeat the year.
I'm making sure you're studying so that doesn't happen.
That's all?
That's all.
No way.
Shinomiya-senpai, you're that caring?
I don't usually do this kind of thing.
If you want the truth, I'd rather be focusing on my own studying.
Then why...
That's Ishigami, isn't it?
For real? Kaguya and Ishigami together?
Why?
Why do you think?
Gross!
That's enough.
I don't really care if I get held back.
Besides, I'm sure you've heard about how I messed up in middle school,
which is why you heard everyone treats me like I'm a time bomb.
I used to be a problem child who refused to go to school.
When other people see us studying together and they start weird rumors,
it'll be your name that gets dragged through the mud.
True, all the noise in here makes it hard to study.
You girls...
The library is supposed to be a quiet place.
Or is there something you want to say to me?
Well, you shouldn't really get mixed up with Ishigami.
We're just worried about you, Kaguya.
Thank you for the warning.
However,
I don't judge someone based on what other people say.
I've already judged Ishigami to be worthy of a relationship with me.
Do you have doubts about my judgment?
I appreciate you standing up for me, but people are gonna get the wrong idea.
That doesn't matter.
Right now, the most important thing is making sure you don't fail.
No matter who gets the wrong idea or what they imagine, it's not going to sway me.
But...
I told you.
In the name of Shinomiya, I vowed I won't let you fail the finals.
So, I won't abandon you, no matter what.
Besides, without you, the president would be troubled.
So, if you understand, start writing.
Okay.
It looks like...
there's nothing I can do here.
STUDENT COUNCIL ROOM
Days later...
We got through finals, everyone!
Shinomiya-senpai, I managed not to fail.
I guess I kind of had the wrong idea about you.
Ishigami...
CRUMPLE
What is this score?
You just barely passed.
After all that time I spent helping you study!
I studied pretty hard.
How dare you make me lose face like this?
Oh no! She's terrifying after all!
That's what Shinomiya is like.
She doesn't lie to herself.
If she makes a vow, count on it.
She has a nobility about her. She'll keep her word, come what may.
At first, I thought she was cold-hearted, too.
But when I realized the truth...
When you realized the truth, what?
Nothing. Forget it.
It's an old story.
Results of today's match...
RESULTS OF TODAY'S MATCH:
SHIROGANE LOSES
Shirogane loses.
ISHIGAMI IN THE PAST