: He is unexpectedly joined by first-year student Nanase Tsubasa , who insists on tagging along despite there being no clear benefit for her.
Horikita has spent the entire series trying to "save" Kushida, believing that friendship and trust could reform her. In this volume, Horikita is forced to confront the truth: Kushida will never stop. She literally prefers the destruction of the entire class over allowing Ayanokoji to remain. Kushida tries to sacrifice Horikita to the first years, proving that she is a true sociopath. Classroom of the Elite Year 2 Vol. 3
Volume 3 picks up with a seemingly innocuous plot hook typical of the genre: a school trip. In the hands of a lesser author, this would be a volume of filler—hot springs, awkward romantic tension, and slice-of-life antics. In Kinugasa’s hands, a school trip is a battlefield. The destination is set, but the rules of engagement are obscured by the looming threat of Class 2-A and the enigmatic new first-year students introduced in previous volumes. : He is unexpectedly joined by first-year student
marks the high-stakes beginning of the "Uninhabited Island Special Exam," a grueling two-week survival challenge that pits all three school years against each other. This volume, a fan favorite, shifts from psychological mind games in the classroom to a physical and strategic endurance test across a massive island. The Uninhabited Island Survival Exam She literally prefers the destruction of the entire
But Vol. 3 reveals that Nanase carries a deep, personal grudge against Ayanokoji—specifically, against the "White Room" and what his existence represents. In a stunning confrontation, Nanase physically attacks Ayanokoji. Her combat skills are near-superhuman, forcing Kiyotaka to reveal a sliver of his true physical prowess to defend himself.
The traitor is .
The volume concludes with the first week of the exam ending and the "seeds of unrest" growing.