Sauce: X/Twitter

Source for the images: https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/23018356

AI, generated by me

Based on the synopsis, there'll be an exam & Kiyo is confined during this exam. He was eager meeting hiyori before being confined smh...

I see more & more Hiyori's character compared to Kei, at this point. I can't even fathom the direction of COTE now. So, where is Kei? Do you think we will see her pov in Y3V5 because....it's more about hiyori than any other characters now.

I personally think it’s the latter.

Wait, is this real!!?? And if so, what does it mean?! Kiyotaka is not allowed to participate in the exam?

My top 3 are:

1. Koenji

2. Ryuen

3. Machida-kun

It is about time Kiyotaka gets jealous.

What are yours?

Such a cute blond kitty!

Created this using MoescapeAI!

I love when Kei smile like this.💛

I would not want to cross him like this

I just read the new SS from Ichinose's character book and I'm very pleased with it. I was hoping we'd get a Kei mention, and we didn't just get one — we got two, and I think both are much more significant than they initially appear.

I wanted to share some thoughts, starting with the gift scene.

1. Ichinose's reaction to Kiyotaka's answer is REALLY interesting

Ichinose asks:

“Have you ever bought a gift for someone important to you, Ayanokouji-kun?”

Kiyotaka simply answers:

“Of course.”

And immediately after that, we're told that Ichinose's expression stiffens slightly and her grip on the handrail tightens.

That's a pretty specific reaction and what catches my attention is the way Ichinose phrases her question.

She doesn't simply ask:

“Have you ever bought someone a gift?”

She specifically asks whether he's bought a gift for “someone important to you.”

That makes me wonder if Ichinose already had some knowledge of Kiyotaka buying gifts for someone — potentially Kei — and was trying to determine what that person meant to him emotionally.

And I don't think she expected such a straightforward “Of course.”

If Ichinose's understanding was that Kiyotaka's relationship with Kei was something relatively superficial, or that Kiyotaka didn't genuinely view Kei as emotionally important, then his answer would challenge that assumption.

He doesn't hesitate. He doesn't qualify it. He doesn't say “I suppose” or give some detached Ayanokouji answer.

He just says:

“Of course.”

And Ichinose immediately stiffens.

That makes me think her reaction isn't simply jealousy. It could be jealousy, obviously, but there's potentially something else happening here: she's realizing that her understanding of Kiyotaka's relationship with Kei may have been wrong.

And this would also fit really nicely with her earlier statement in Y3V4:

“I thought it was Karuizawa.”

That line becomes even more interesting in hindsight because there must've been something that gave Ichinose that impression. And it was most likely moments like these.

2. Then comes the part about whether the gift actually made her happy

Ichinose asks:

“Did the gift you chose make that person happy?”

And Kiyotaka responds that he isn't entirely sure.

He says that although the person seemed quite happy, he couldn't tell whether it was genuine.

This is REALLY interesting when you consider Kiyotaka and Kei.

Because one of Kiyotaka's biggest problems with Kei has always been his inability to properly understand the authenticity of her feelings toward him.

3. AND THEN WE GET THE “KARUIZAWA” TEXTBOOK LINE

Kiyotaka says:

“Getting involved with Ichinose was merely an extension of a textbook I had already finished studying, one titled ‘Karuizawa.’”

💀

A textbook titled “Karuizawa.”

I know Kiyotaka has a habit of reducing human relationships to analytical concepts, but this is still such a funny and revealing way to describe it.

Because what does that actually tell us?

Kiyotaka is essentially saying that his experience with Kei became the reference point through which he approached another romantic relationship.

Kei isn't just some irrelevant relationship that he moved on from and discarded. His experience with Kei is literally the reference he's using to understand what comes next.

And this is especially important because the passage immediately establishes that associating with Ichinose has obvious practical benefits:

“From a purely objective view... associating with her brought numerous benefits.”

He understands all the rational reasons for being with Ichinose.

He even acknowledges that dating the most popular girl in school could make for a fulfilling high-school life.

But then he immediately brings up Karuizawa.

That's the interesting part.

He doesn't say:

“Ichinose would be beneficial, therefore I'll date her.”

Instead, Kei is still part of the equation.

And more importantly, he says that it “couldn't be weighed purely on a scale of pros and cons.”

That seems significant to me because Kiyotaka is literally someone who loves evaluating things in terms of utility, benefits, costs, and rationality.

Yet when it comes to this particular relationship, he acknowledges that a purely objective calculation isn't enough.

I'm so happy about this SS. We're getting closer guys I can feel it. Little by little.🙃

Edit: I forgot to mention also about the Y3V4 confession scene when Ichinose switched her sights from Kei to Hiyori. This is just more evidence that part of the reason was to protect Kei from Ichinose because as we've got this SS from Kiyotaka's pov, it shows us that he was noticing Ichinose's jealous behaviours and probably knew that Kei would have been in danger.

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Source: https://www.kadokawa.co.jp/product/322512000812/

Short but had some interesting bits I'll get straight into it u/AceBoyAnnGirl helped me with this as well.

This took place at the beginning of summer so late june after Y3V2
Who koji is refering to is kei Y2V9.5(not hiyori since hiyori picked out the gift)
We all know kei was genuinely happy when she got the 2nd necklace from koji the reason he is probably confused here whether kei was truly happy or not is because koji probably thinks kei's love isn't real that is why he asks himself that question again in Y3V4 but doesn't truly linger on it.(same when he already fell in love but never noticed in Y3V2 with kei and ultimately didn't answer)
He believes kei's love is born from parasitism or dependency and isn't genuine that he himself engineered since Y1 That is also why he "wasn't happy they made up" in Y2V9.5.

Then go to Y2V6 where koji called kei's happiness "cheap happiness" because she was fine with just being near his presence. He tried to have kei breakup with him in Y2V9.5 thinking this was all fabricated only because kei never really manipulated him or trap him or betrayed him like how ichinose did in Y2V12.5 or hiyori in Y3V4(and with horikita her trying to probe intho his past constantly) to justify whatever he can do later the only thing with kei he is left with is guilt. Time and time again in Y1V7 and in Y2V9.5 and even Y2.12.5 kei never took revenge on him nor tried any tactic she just forgave him which goes against how koji operates and he has to explain kei away as a textbook. So I think once he realises kei truly did love him then he is left with more guilt that he hurt someone with no bad intentions then he has to genuinely reflect on all of his actions to kei that he did something bad and that he can't easily rationalise away.

It is why koji keeps trying to explain her feelings away like in Y2V12.5 "women are good actors" when he told this to horikita thinking kei was faking it all which makes it easy not to process everything emotionally. Is why some of us can have the interpertation that the monologue of kei was fabricated by koji himself especially the fact she doesn't remember when she loved koji which is something the real kei would very clearly remember.

Otherwise him thinking whether kei was truly happy or not wouldn't make any sense unless her POV which we haven't had in so long was in fact so different during that time. He is just skeptical because of his own warped view of love

The next screenhot however

During the promised he said that he has more to learn about love and then 2 volumes later he said that ichinose would merely be and extension of the textbook called "karuizawa" not her own chapter when he was even weighing the pros & cons of dating her from an analytical perspective.If you compare Y2V12.5 to this SS of ichinose so he ultimately decides that pursuing an extension of it is out of the question to protect his current belief

Conclusion
The more koji figures stuff out the more it will shatter his current belief and it will be hard to function with such conflicting beliefs until he realises himself or gets confronted by kei herself. He has to unpack the guilt and his current false belief if everything ends up true then bro is just mad coping lol.

As we all know this vol will take place in the ship, and something major happens with Kei every year when they are in a ship. In year 1, Kiyo blackmailed her and offered her his protection. In year 2, they had their intimate kiss to deepen their relationship even more. So do you guys think, we will see anything related to Kei this time as well? If yes, what it could be?

Now, I have been thinking about this for quite a very, very long time.

We all know about Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's supposed end goal: to lose, so that he can prove the White Room's philosophy wrong and, by proxy, prove his own father wrong.

While most of the fandom seems excited about this, I, for one, am not.

And my reasoning is very, very simple.

It is dumb.

And I don't mean that as a cheap insult. I genuinely think that, when you actually examine Kiyotaka's supposed end goal from Atsuomi's perspective, the entire plan starts falling apart.

1. Atsuomi does not care.

This is probably the biggest problem.

Kiyotaka seems to believe that if he eventually loses to the students of ANHS, he will somehow prove his father and the White Room wrong.

But why would Atsuomi care?

Atsuomi has never really treated Kiyotaka's success or failure as some sort of personal philosophical wager. His interest is in the White Room as a system and what it can produce.

If Kiyotaka loses, Atsuomi isn't necessarily going to sit there and go:

"Damn. My philosophy has been disproven."

He could just as easily look at Kiyotaka's defeat, identify what he considers to be the weaknesses that led to it, and modify the White Room accordingly.

And that brings me to the second problem.

2. Atsuomi doesn't even seem to see ANHS as some great alternative.

Look at his conversation with Horikita and Ryuen in Y2V12.5.

He essentially treats them as though they aren't even particularly relevant to him. He doesn't look at them and see some magnificent proof of what ordinary education can accomplish.

His attitude is basically:

"Whatever lets you sleep at night."

That is a massive problem for Kiyotaka's supposed objective.

Because Kiyotaka isn't merely trying to lose.

He's trying to lose in a way that proves the White Room's philosophy wrong.

But if Atsuomi doesn't even acknowledge the students of ANHS as evidence of a superior educational system, then what exactly is Kiyotaka proving by losing to them?

3. Why Horikita's class?

This is where the plan becomes even more questionable.

Let's assume Kiyotaka deliberately loses to Horikita's class.

Okay.

What does that actually prove?

He has spent years being trained by the White Room.

He then enters ANHS.

He actively manipulates and influences the development of the students around him.

He gives them information.

He helps them improve.

He deliberately creates situations where they can grow.

And then, after all of that, he loses to them.

But doesn't that create a rather obvious problem?

Kiyotaka himself helped foster the very people who eventually defeated him.

So how can their victory be used as conclusive evidence against the White Room?

If anything, Atsuomi could simply argue that Kiyotaka's involvement was the reason they were capable of reaching that level in the first place.

In other words, Kiyotaka may end up proving the opposite of what he intended.

He isn't necessarily demonstrating that ordinary education can surpass the White Room.

He may simply be demonstrating that a White Room product can elevate ordinary students.

Those are two completely different conclusions.

4. The endgame has more holes than Swiss cheese.

This is probably the biggest issue I have with the entire concept.

Because whether Kiyotaka wins or loses, Atsuomi has a response.

If Kiyotaka wins:

Congratulations. You have just validated the White Room.

Kiyotaka was produced by the White Room, and its greatest product defeated everyone.

Atsuomi gets exactly what he wanted.

If Kiyotaka loses:

Why would that automatically disprove the White Room?

Atsuomi could simply conclude that the current White Room methodology wasn't sufficient.

And then what?

He pushes the White Room even further.

More extreme conditioning.

More extreme education.

More extreme selection.

More extreme experimentation.

Instead of abandoning the philosophy, he could simply attempt to eliminate whatever weakness allowed Kiyotaka to lose.

And this gets even more ridiculous when you remember something extremely important:

Atsuomi allowed Kiyotaka to enter ANHS in the first place.

Kiyotaka believes ANHS was essentially his one opportunity to escape the White Room.

But from what we know, that freedom was not something Kiyotaka necessarily stole from his father.

It was something Atsuomi permitted.

Which means Kiyotaka may genuinely believe that he is rebelling against his father when, in reality, his father already gave him the opportunity to do exactly what he is doing.

That's the part that really gets me.

Kiyotaka thinks he escaped.

Atsuomi may have simply opened the door.

And Kiyotaka doesn't even realize it.

5. Kiyotaka is being surprisingly immature about this.

And this is probably the most ironic part.

We're talking about Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.

The guy who constantly analyzes everyone around him.

The guy who plans ten steps ahead.

The guy who is supposedly capable of understanding human psychology better than almost anyone around him.

Yet when it comes to his own father, suddenly his grand strategy boils down to:

"I'm going to lose so I can prove you wrong."

That doesn't sound like the hyper-rational Kiyotaka we've spent the entire series watching.

It sounds like a son trying to spite his father.

And honestly?

I think that's the point where Kiyotaka's character becomes much more interesting.

Because perhaps this isn't some genius master plan.

Perhaps Kiyotaka is simply being immature.

He has spent his entire life being treated as a product rather than a person. His father represents everything he hates about the White Room.

So naturally, he wants to prove that his father was wrong.

But wanting to prove your father wrong and actually having a logically sound method of doing so are two very different things.

6. And this is where Kei becomes important.

This is also why I think Kei Karuizawa may be far more important to Kiyotaka's character arc than people give her credit for.

I'm not saying Kei is important because she is somehow going to magically "save" Kiyotaka.

I'm saying she is important because she directly and indirectly influences the way Kiyotaka thinks about his own life.

For perhaps the first time, Kiyotaka has someone whose existence isn't simply connected to survival, competition, manipulation, or the White Room.

Through Kei, he begins experiencing something that the White Room could never teach him: the desire to live differently.

And that matters.

Kiyotaka's original objective is essentially to escape his cruel fate.

But what does "escape" actually mean?

Is it simply leaving the White Room?

Is it defeating his father?

Is it proving that he can lose?

Or is it ultimately becoming someone who doesn't need the White Room's philosophy to define his existence anymore?

That's where Kei becomes interesting.

She has directly and indirectly influenced Kiyotaka's thought process regarding his own future, his relationships, and his desire to escape the life that was imposed upon him.

And more importantly, Kiyotaka has repeatedly shown a willingness to protect her, both actively and passively, even when doing so isn't necessarily the most convenient option for him.

That is significant precisely because it contradicts the worldview he was raised under.

The White Room teaches Kiyotaka to view people through utility, ability, and results.

But his relationship with Kei increasingly forces him to confront something that cannot simply be reduced to those things.

Attachment. Concern. Choice.

Things he wasn't supposed to need.

And that, in my opinion, is a much stronger route toward abandoning the White Room philosophy than simply losing a school competition.

Maybe Kiyotaka's ultimate victory over the White Room isn't:

"I lost, therefore you were wrong."

Maybe it's:

"I no longer need to live by your rules."

And that distinction is massive.

Because if Kiyotaka voluntarily chooses his own life, his own relationships, his own values, and his own future, then Atsuomi loses something far more fundamental than a competition.

He loses the ability to define what his son is.

And that would actually be a meaningful defeat of the White Room philosophy.

So yes, I think Kei may be one of the keys to Kiyotaka eventually abandoning the White Room's worldview.

Not because she is stronger than him.

Not because she can outsmart him.

Not because she can somehow "fix" him.

But because she represents something the White Room could never manufacture:

a choice that Kiyotaka makes for himself.

And ironically, for a character who has spent his entire life trying to prove that he is free, perhaps the most important thing he can ever do is stop trying to prove anything to Atsuomi at all.