Brother and Sister

"Ah, it seems I just fell asleep." Morishita Ran finally woke up, sitting upright on the bench. She tugged at the hem of her skirt and muttered softly, "What a pity. I was so close to eliminating the class traitor, Amasawa Yuto."

She must have meant she was close in her dream.

"Have you had dinner, Morishita-san?" Yuki asked her with concern. "Did you catch a cold?"

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

"So, why were you waiting here for us to come out?" Amasawa Yuto asked.

"I want to observe you, Amasawa Yuto." Morishita Ran stood up and brushed the dust off her skirt. "I want to use my own eyes to confirm just how far your strength truly goes."

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

"No, Katsuragi Kohei is a man who pours all his energy into defending against others while remaining completely helpless when it comes to attacking. If we leave Class A to him, we're truly doomed."

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

"Besides, in just the first month, Class A's lead over Class B has shrunk to only 20 points. I have to take action now." Morishita Ran's tone sounded inexplicably tragic; perhaps she could have been an excellent voice actor.

"Then why not just support Sakayanagi? If you support her now, you'd be considered a founding member."

Morishita Ran shook her head. "I can't fully trust Arisu Sakayanagi either. There is a dangerous aura about her."

"What kind of dangerous aura?"

"An aura of indifference toward everything. There's no guarantee whether Arisu Sakayanagi wants to lead everyone to graduate from Class A, or if she just views Class A as her own personal playground."

"Then why come to me? I'm practically a member of the Sakayanagi faction. Plus, I have a close relationship with her."

Using a phrase like "close relationship" in front of Yuki didn't seem entirely appropriate, but Amasawa Yuto noticed out of the corner of his eye that Yuki didn't seem to mind.

"That is why I must observe you and make my own judgment, all so that I can graduate from Class A."

"Do whatever you want."

Morishita Ran's goal was already clear. She was smart enough to realize that both Katsuragi and Sakayanagi were unreliable, so she was searching for other potential forces to help Class A.

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

"Then I'll follow you back."

"Isn't that just pure stalking? Will you be able to figure anything out that way?"

"I have the pride of a detective."

"Fine, you can follow us back, but you are forbidden from telling any cold jokes on the way."

"I'll do my best." As she said this, Morishita made a zipping motion across her lips with her hand.

The three of them walked toward the dormitory building together. Surprisingly, Morishita Ran didn't say a word, silently trailing behind Amasawa Yuto and Tsubaki Yuki.

As they neared the dormitory, Amasawa Yuto suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Morishita Ran, who seemed lost in thought, didn't notice and bumped straight into Amasawa Yuto's back.

Amasawa Yuto stood as steady as a mountain, while Morishita Ran stumbled backward.

She looked displeased. "Amasawa Yuto..."

"Morishita-san... shh." Tsubaki Yuki turned around and gestured for her to be quiet.

Morishita Ran covered her mouth and followed the direction of Tsubaki Yuki's finger.

Horikita Suzune felt quite unsettled.

She firmly believed that the school had made a mistake with her class placement; she belonged in Class A.

Because of this, she had gone to the teachers' office after school today to argue her case with Chabashira-sensei.

"Isn't Sakayanagi in Class A a defect? Why does she deserve to be in Class A while I am stuck in Class D?"

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

"That is how the world works. Some people's talents can mask their defects, while others' defects bury their talents. Sakayanagi belongs to the former. Unfortunately, Horikita Suzune, you belong to the latter.

If you want to prove yourself, then strive to promote your class. Accomplish the unprecedented feat of leading your current class to Class A."

She felt lost. Were her defects really that significant? Even her brother was annoyed by her incompetence, yet she had been at the top of her class throughout middle school.

She went downstairs, intending to buy a can of coffee from the vending machine by the dormitory.

But as soon as she stepped out, she saw a figure in the shadows beside the dormitory building that made her heart stop.

"Brother... is that you?"

"To think it really is you... you actually came to this school." The person standing in the shadows was none other than the student council president of Class 3-A, Horikita Manabu, Horikita Suzune's own brother.

"Brother! I am not the same person I was three years ago! I followed in your footsteps to this school, and I will definitely graduate from Class A. I won't bring shame to you!"

Horikita Suzune's voice trembled; even she didn't know how much confidence those words held.

Horikita Manabu's sharp gaze pierced Horikita Suzune's nerves like a blade. "You haven't changed at all, Suzune. Just like three years ago, you haven't made any progress. You truly bring me shame."

Amidst her intense fear, Horikita Suzune inexplicably summoned some courage. "I... I will lead my class to Class A. I definitely will—"

"No, you can't do it." Horikita Manabu denied her without a shred of mercy.

Horikita Suzune looked like a child who had done something wrong, her voice weakening: "I, I will definitely graduate from Class A..."

Her voice trailed off, but Horikita Manabu seemed to have no intention of leaving her even a sliver of hope. He moved.

Horikita Suzune felt a powerful force grip her wrists. Before she could react, she was forcibly pinned against the wall by her brother.

Using only one hand, Horikita Manabu clamped both of her wrists together, forcing her arms high above her head and leaving her in a dangerous, completely vulnerable position with no way to resist.

"Bro...ther..." Horikita Suzune winced, an involuntary groan escaping her lips.

"Do you still not understand, Suzune?" Horikita Manabu looked down at her, spitting out cruel words: "The mere fact that my sister is in Class D is humiliation enough for me. You lack the qualifications and the ability to climb any higher. If you have any sense, you'll drop out right here and now!"

"Bro...ther... I beg... you..."

Horikita Suzune saw her brother's free hand curl into a claw, aimed directly at her abdomen.

"Give me one chance... Ugh!"

She insisted on finishing her sentence, but Horikita Manabu's response was a heavy, powerful strike that brought tears to her eyes.

If she weren't pinned against the wall with her arms restrained, she would have curled up on the floor right then and there, clutching her side to dull the pain.

"Keep struggling in this school if you must. Sooner or later, you'll leave this place of your own accord."

With those words, Horikita Manabu turned and walked away, leaving Horikita Suzune alone on the floor, clutching her stomach in agony.