The following contains spoilers for Episode 6 of Classroom Of The Elite Season 2, "Adversity is the first path to truth," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Episode 6 of Classroom of the Elite second season unveiled a fair share of character growth and sensational developments. Although the main theme of the episode, the Sports Festival, didn't turn out too well for Class 1-D, it pushed characters like Sudo and Suzune into doing some soul searching to avoid repeating their past mistakes.
To top it all off, the true hidden motives of Kikyo Kushida were finally revealed for viewers to see. Although this discovery wasn't all too shocking, as Classroom of the Elite's first season already foreshadowed Kushida's true nature. Regardless, the episode still packed quite the punch, reminding viewers of why Classroom of the Elite is one of the best titles in the psychological anime genre.
Ken Sudo & Suzune’s Character Development
In episode 5, Ken Sudo fell prey to Ryuen’s nasty plans and provocations in the Sports Festival activities, stumping Team Red’s efforts in the process. Frustrated by his inability to prove himself and Hirata's advice, Ken decided to quit the Sports Festival for good. This would have been the best strategy if Class 1-D had many excellent athletes. But unfortunately, Ryuen was the pillar that held Class 1-D together with his excellent talent in sporting activities. To prevent the team from receiving a huge loss, Horikita took it upon herself to convince Ken to return to the team since his role was pivotal to the team. Still, Ken refused Horikita’s requests, wallowing in his self-absorbed pity, stating that he was becoming like his parents, who he considers "scum." On hearing this statement, Horikita tried to convince Ken that people decide what they choose to become, prodding the boy into making a good decision for himself. Sadly, after listening to Horikita’s advice, Ken still chose to not help the team. Surprisingly, Horikita wasn’t deterred by this development. Instead, she waited outside the elevator for Ken to have a change of heart.
Horikita's waiting soon paid off since Ken stepped out again to buy a drink. As expected, she tried a new strategy to convince Ken this time. By showing Ken that they were more alike than they thought, Horikita won Ken over to her side. On a closer look at the comparison between the two characters, one would discover that both characters are really similar. For instance, Ken Sudo wants everyone to see how amazing he is when it comes to sporting activities. To do this, he doesn't care much about working with people. On the other hand, Horikita seeks her brother's recognition and tries to achieve this goal on her own, leading her to isolate herself from others. This didn't work out too well, which she pointed out to Ken Sudo, earning his admiration and apology. The character growth between these two characters in episode 6 is commendable and well-paced for viewers to see.
The change in Ken’s behavior boosted Class 1-D’s morale, allowing them to perform optimally in the last relay race of the Sports Festival. In this race, the episode partially hinted at Ayanokoji’s impressive athletic ability and thought processes. Even though he didn’t win the race due to some complications, he earned the trust of some of his classmates, which might have been his intended goal in the first place. Class 1-D ended up in last place in Sports Festival; however, the class couldn’t have been more happier and progressive.
Who Is Kikyo Kushida, Really?
The episode unfurled some hidden details regarding Kushida. First off, in the first few minutes of the episode, Ayanokoji confronted Kushida by telling her she was the traitor who showed Class D's submission form to Ryuen. At first, Kushida intelligently denies this accusation, with well-guarded and innocent responses. Regardless, Ayanokoji goes further to even state that Kushida also betrayed Class 1-D in the Cruise Ship test. Finally, after unveiling undeniable information, Kushida admits to committing the acts. Regardless, she reminds Ayanokoji of the leverage she has over him from the first season of Classroom of the Elite, reminding him that he can't report her even if he wants to. Above all, she also mentioned the reasons behind her actions: to ensure Horikita is expelled. However, her reason for wanting Horikita expelled wasn’t revealed until the end of episode 6.
Towards the end of episode 6, Horikita met up with Ryuen and Horikita to get down to the bargain they made earlier, involving Horikita transferring 1 million points to Ryuen and groveling at his feet. Interestingly before doing this, she manages to get Ryuen to reveal some of his questionable deeds while recording him secretly to blackmail him later. Unfortunately for Horikita, Ryuen predicted this and prepared a counterattack. The golden part of this meeting, however, was Kushida showing her true self. Apparently, Horikita and Suzune knew each other in middle school, meaning Horikita was aware of Kushida’s true nature behind her fake, innocent personality. To prevent this info from spreading, Kushida intends to expel Horikita, hence her team up with Ryuen. Sadly, the duo's efforts were unsuccessful as Ryuen was blackmailed with a voice recording of him hatching his evil plans. This allowed Horikita to walk away from Ryuen unscathed, with her dignity intact and out of Kushida's reach.
Presumably, the mastermind behind this development is Ayanokoji, but if he isn’t, it will make the story even more interesting.