Mirza Aaqib Beg
In ‘Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e 3rd Season’ or ‘Classroom of the Elite III‘ episode 2 titled ‘Man is a Wolf to Man,’ Ayanokouji and his peers train with the mixed training tests about to take place. One evening, Kiyotaka helps a student from Nagumo’s class and ends up managing to learn some interesting inside intel from her. Meanwhile, Yukimura feels inadequate as a leader but gets much-needed reassurance from Ishizaki. Since the results of the mixed training are going to rely heavily on the marathon, he comes up with an interesting strategy to ensure that the student’s strengths are better utilized.
Yukimura Doubts His Leadership Abilities
Several days before the mixed exams are officially commenced, the students go for a run in the mountains to build up their stamina. Kouenji is the strongest of all the students and easily manages to reach the top while others are barely making much progress. Yukimura ends up hurting his feet and is mocked by some students. However, Ayanokouji and Hashimoto are there to give him their moral support. The latter even ends up helping him walk up the mountain with him not caring about his own training. Sometime later that same morning, Kiyotaka and Kouenji have an interaction and it appears that the latter could see through the former’s dark aside.
Without any clues, he could sense that it was Ayanokouji who had managed to completely change Ryuuen, who had now lost his drive for competitiveness. That evening Kiyotaka notices a student from Nagumo’s class accidentally dropping her charm on the ground. He keeps it with him until he finds an appropriate time to talk with her in private. Ayanokouji soon manages to figure out that the girl is also interested in seeing the Student Council President lose. Since Kiyotaka was willing to help her, she offered to answer all the questions he may have for her. This is a critical opportunity that Ayanokouji utilizes fully to gather as much intel as he can.
The following night as the students are sleeping in the common room together, Hashimoto recalls his younger days. He talks to Ishizaki and tells him stories of the days when he used to play soccer. However, he felt alienated for some reason and ended up giving up. Although he never saw it as a long-term career, now that he sees the soccer club, and wonders if he too could have been a part of their team. Hashimoto then enquires what his peer’s past is like.
Ishizaki claims that he has nothing much to share as if his life has not really been eventful until this point. But Hashimoto’s inquisitive questions lead to an emotional confession by Yukimura. He reveals that he has only studied until now hoping to get into class A. But he ended up going to Class D instead and now Sudou, whose personality is polar opposite to his is contributing more to the class. He starts crying and apologizes for not acting as a leader.
The Mixed Training Exam And Nagumo’s Twisted Plan
Just before the tests are conducted, Yukimura tells his team that some players will run longer as they are better athletes. This will ensure a distribution of responsibilities based on talent which will allow everyone to contribute. On the day of the test, things go just as planned, and Ayanokouji’s team under Yukimura’s leadership does extremely well. When the results are announced, no one in the boy’s group is below the borderline meaning they are safe from expulsion.
Interestingly, Manabu’s team gets the highest point following which he is quick to remind Nagumo that he has lost. The Student Council President asks Manabu to not get excited too soon as the results are still being announced. It turns out that in the girls, the group led by Ikari of Class 3-B is below the borderline. This means that she will be expelled but also gets to choose one student to get expelled with her. This is where Manabu realizes that he has been tricked so far.
Ayanokouji has already figured out that challenging Manabu has been a mind game from the start. His eyes were always somewhere else. Ikari chooses Akane for expulsion which leaves Manabu in shock. He begins to grasp, how twisted Nagumo can be. Ultimately, no one gets expelled as Akane and Ikari are saved by their classes using points. But now Nagumo has made an enemy and he has openly confessed to getting more students expelled. Ayanokouji knows this too and is ready for the challenge.
Read More: Classroom of the Elite Season 3 Episode 1 Recap: The Mixed Training Arc
