Siblings

"Ah, so I fell asleep just now." Morishita Ran finally came to her senses. Sitting upright on the bench, she tugged at the hem of her short skirt and muttered, "What a shame. I was so close to wiping out the class traitor, Amasawa Yuto."

She must have meant she'd almost done it in her dream.

"Have you had dinner, Morishita?" Yuki asked with concern. "Did you catch a chill?"

"Tsubaki Yuki, you really are a kind, good girl," Morishita Ran said. "Don't worry about me. I ate a sandwich for dinner before coming here to sleep, and I'm fine."

"So what were you doing here, waiting for us?" Amasawa Yuto asked.

"I wanted to observe you, Amasawa Yuto." Morishita Ran stood and brushed the dust off her backside. "I want to use my own eyes to see just how strong you really are."

"Why come to me? Sakayanagi and Katsuragi are the class leaders, aren't they? Especially Katsuragi—he has so many people gathered around him, and the teachers favor him more, too."

"No. Katsuragi Kohei is a man who spends all his energy guarding against others and has no idea how to attack. Leaving Class A in his hands would be a disaster."

Amasawa Yuto noticed that Morishita had a habit of calling everyone by their full name.

"Besides, after the first month, Class A was only twenty points ahead of Class B. I need to take action now, too." There was a strange air of tragic resolve in Morishita Ran's voice. Perhaps she'd make a fine voice actor.

"Then why not support Sakayanagi? If you support her now, you'll be one of her original followers."

Morishita Ran shook her head. "Sakayanagi Arisu isn't someone you can trust too much, either. There's something dangerous about her."

"What do you mean, dangerous?"

"She seems indifferent to everything. There's no guarantee Sakayanagi Arisu wants to help everyone graduate from Class A, rather than treating Class A like her own playground."

"Then why come to me? I'm part of the Sakayanagi Faction, too. And I'm close to her."

Talking about being close to her in front of Yuki seemed a little inappropriate, but Amasawa Yuto noticed out of the corner of his eye that Yuki didn't seem to mind.

"That's why I want to observe you and make up my own mind, so I can graduate from Class A."

"Suit yourself."

Morishita Ran's goal was clear. She was clever enough to realize that neither Katsuragi nor Sakayanagi could be relied on, so she was searching for another potential source of strength to help Class A.

"Yuki and I are heading back to the dorm now. What about you, Morishita?"

"Then I'll come with you."

"That's just following us around. What do you expect to learn from that?"

"I have the pride of a great detective."

"Fine, you can come with us, but no telling bad jokes on the way back."

"I'll do my best." As she spoke, Morishita made a zipping motion across her lips.

The three of them headed for the Dormitory Building together. To Amasawa Yuto's surprise, Morishita Ran really didn't say a word. She silently followed him and Tsubaki Yuki.

When they were nearly at the Dormitory Building, Amasawa Yuto suddenly stopped.

Morishita Ran seemed lost in thought and didn't notice. She bumped right into Amasawa Yuto's back.

Amasawa Yuto stood firm as a rock, while Morishita Ran stumbled backward.

She sounded a little annoyed. "Amasawa Yuto..."

"Morishita, shh—" Tsubaki Yuki turned and made a shushing gesture.

Only then did Morishita Ran cover her mouth and look in the direction Tsubaki Yuki was pointing—

Horikita Suzune felt deeply unsettled.

She was convinced the school had made a mistake with her class placement. She should have been in Class A.

So after class that day, she had gone to the Teachers' Office to argue with Chabashira-sensei.

"Sakayanagi in Class A isn't a flaw? Why does she get to be in Class A while I'm stuck in Class D?"

Chabashira-sensei's words still echoed in her ears:

"That's how the world works. Some people's talents can cover their flaws, while others' flaws bury their talents. Sakayanagi belongs to the former group. I'm sorry, Horikita Suzune, but you belong to the latter.

"If you want to prove yourself, then work hard to move up a class. Accomplish an unprecedented feat and lead your current class all the way to Class A."

She felt lost. Were her flaws really that serious? Even her brother was sick of her incompetence, yet she'd always ranked first in middle school.

She went downstairs, planning to buy a can of coffee from the Vending Machine below the Dormitory Building.

But as soon as she stepped outside, she saw a figure in the shadows beside the Dormitory Building that made her heart stop.

"Brother... Is that you?"

"So it really is you... You actually came to this school." The person standing in the shadows was Horikita Manabu, a third-year student in Class 3-A and the Student Council President. He was Horikita Suzune's older brother.

"Brother! I'm not the same as I was three years ago! I followed in your footsteps and came to this school. I'll definitely graduate from Class A. I won't bring shame on you!"

Horikita Suzune's voice trembled. Even she didn't know how much confidence she had in those words.

Horikita Manabu's sharp gaze pierced Horikita Suzune like a blade. "You haven't changed at all, Suzune. You're just as hopeless as you were three years ago. You're an embarrassment to me."

In the grip of her fear, Horikita Suzune somehow managed to summon a little courage. "I—I'll lead my class to Class A. I definitely will—"

"No, you won't." Horikita Manabu bluntly rejected her.

Horikita Suzune sounded like a child who'd done something wrong, her voice weakening. "I—I'll definitely graduate from Class A..."

Her voice grew quieter and quieter. Unfortunately, Horikita Manabu seemed determined not to leave her even a shred of hope. He moved.

Horikita Suzune felt a powerful force seize her wrist. Before she could react, her brother had pinned her against the wall.

With just one hand, Horikita Manabu clamped both her wrists together, holding her arms above her head and leaving her completely exposed and unable to fight back.

"Bro...ther..." Horikita Suzune whimpered involuntarily from the pain.

"Don't you understand, Suzune?" Horikita Manabu looked down at her and spat out his cruel words. "The fact that my little sister is in Class D is already humiliating enough. You don't have what it takes to climb higher. If you know what's good for you, drop out right here!"

"Bro...ther... Please..."

Horikita Suzune saw his free hand curl into a claw, aimed at her stomach.

"Give me one chance... Ngh!"

She forced herself to finish speaking. Horikita Manabu answered with a powerful blow, and tears sprang to her eyes from the pain.

If her brother hadn't pinned her to the wall and restrained her arms, she would have curled up on the ground right then, clutching her bruised side and rolling around to ease the pain.

"Struggle all you want at this school. Sooner or later, you'll leave on your own."

With that, Horikita Manabu turned and walked away, leaving Horikita Suzune kneeling alone on the ground, clutching her stomach in agony.