The fragile peace Kiyotaka Ayanokouji fought to build at the Advanced Nurturing High School is about to be shattered by a ghost from his past. Just as he enters his second year, a new crop of elite first-years arrives with a hidden agenda that goes far beyond mere grades. Among these fresh faces lurks an operative from the White Room, the very nightmare Ayanokouji tried to leave behind, specifically tasked with hunting him down and dragging him back. The pressure mounts as the first special exam of the year forces Ayanokouji into a high-stakes partnership with these unpredictable juniors, where his survival depends on a written test he cannot entirely control. If his partner underperforms, Ayanokouji faces immediate expulsion, and his hard-won chance at a normal life vanishes forever. He is forced into a deadly game of cat and mouse, sussing out a hidden enemy while navigating the treacherous social hierarchies of his own class. In a battle of wits where everyone has a motive and no one can be trusted, Ayanokouji must prove he is still the ultimate mastermind or face the crushing reality of returning to the shadows he escaped. His freedom has never been more vulnerable, and the cost of losing is a fate worse than failure. This must-read volume also includes six exclusive extra chapters that pull back the curtain on the school’s most dangerous secrets.

psychological thriller, school life, mastermind, white room, mystery, survival game, expulsion, strategy, manipulation, light novel