"Because..."
Hearing this, Horikita Suzune's emotions surged, as if she were about to pour out all her grievances.
"Ever since a long time ago, my brother has kept distancing himself from me. I thought you must have started to hate me."
"Hm?"
Horikita Manabu froze for a moment, then explained bitterly, "I never imagined it would cause such a misunderstanding. That wasn't it. From the time we were children, I saw a raw, unpolished brilliance in you. But later, I realized that you'd lost all your shine trying to imitate me. That was when I understood I couldn't let things continue, so I chose to leave, hoping you'd be able to shine with a light of your own again."
"Is that so?"
A burst of joy welled up in Horikita Suzune's heart, but something else mattered even more. She asked softly, her voice tinged with excitement, "So that means I've earned your approval now, and that's why you came to see me?"
"..."
Horikita Manabu looked at the adoration in Horikita Suzune's eyes, then at her waist-length hair. He sighed to himself and said gravely, "No..."
"Hm?"
Horikita Suzune froze, even more confused. "Then why did you come to see me?"
"Because..."
Horikita Manabu's voice turned bitter as well. "Yesterday, I met someone. He's also a first-year—Kijima Tsukur!"
Horikita Suzune's Airheaded View of Kijima Tsukur
"Kijima Tsukur?"
Horikita Suzune froze.
She hadn't expected to hear that name from Horikita Manabu!
"Mm..."
Whenever he thought of Kijima Tsukur, Horikita Manabu felt a pang of bitterness.
"You might not know this yet, but at this school, only students who graduate from Class A have the freedom to choose their careers."
"I hadn't planned on coming to see you. If I'd stayed away, you probably would've worked hard to reach Class A to prove yourself. By then, you should've been able to shine with a light of your own."
"..."
Horikita Suzune pressed her lips together but didn't argue.
Horikita Manabu was right. If he had continued to distance himself from her, she might well have resolved to reach Class A and prove herself.
"But..."
Horikita Suzune was even more confused. "Then why did you suddenly change your mind, brother?"
"Because he came to the Student Council yesterday."
Horikita Manabu took a sip of coffee and looked at Horikita Suzune with a helpless expression.
"The moment I saw him, I understood that with him around, there was no way you'd reach Class A. There was no point in continuing to distance myself from you, so I thought we might as well mend things between us before graduation."
"Hm?"
Horikita Suzune stared at him in shock, unable to believe it.
Only now did she realize that Horikita Manabu might have had some special talent ever since childhood—an ability to judge, more or less, how capable someone was. That was how he'd noticed the raw brilliance in her.
And now,
He'd only taken one look at Kijima Tsukur!
Yet Horikita Manabu had concluded that she was bound to lose.
He hadn't even learned all the first-years' names, yet he'd already made the sweeping judgment that none of them could win!
How was that possible?
In Horikita Suzune's eyes,
Her older brother, Horikita Manabu, had always been the most outstanding person in the world—and the strongest.
And yet now,
Horikita Manabu had made such an irrational judgment?
If they weren't siblings, Horikita Suzune might have wondered whether the brother in front of her had lost his mind.
"Actually, brother..."
Horikita Suzune hesitated. "That Kijima Tsukur you mentioned revealed a lot of information to the entire first-year class this afternoon..."
Soon,
Horikita Suzune recounted all the information in detail.
As it happened,
After school, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji had added her to the class group chat. She'd also learned about this from Hirata Yosuke and the others.
If Hirata Yosuke, Kikyo Kushida, and Karuizawa Kei hadn't vouched for it, neither she nor the rest of the class would have been likely to believe any of it.
After all...
It was just too outrageous...
Could this really be the person Horikita Manabu thought they couldn't stand against?
"Is that so?"
Horikita Manabu paused, then smiled. "It's just like what I told him. Looks like he has no intention of hiding anything."
"Hm? You were the one who told him all that?"
"Mm. Most of it. They must have figured out the disciplinary investigation themselves."
Horikita Manabu nodded, looking a little surprised too.
It seemed Kijima Tsukur really was striving to make everything ALL-A.
Thinking of that,
Horikita Manabu looked at his younger sister and smiled with relief.
"Congratulations, Suzune. If that's the case, you can graduate from Class A without having to make an enemy of him."
That was right!
Horikita Manabu had never doubted Kijima Tsukur's abilities for even a moment.
Even though Kijima Tsukur had done something that seemed foolish, like publicly revealing information, Horikita Manabu had no doubts about his abilities.
Hearing him say that,
Horikita Suzune was genuinely dumbfounded.
Had her brother been possessed? Just how much did he believe in Kijima Tsukur's abilities?
In Class A's eyes,
Kijima Tsukur was a complete pain in the ass.
In Ichinose Honami's eyes, Kijima Tsukur was somewhat dangerous.
In Horikita Manabu's eyes,
Kijima Tsukur was an utterly invincible, terrifying presence.
But in Horikita Suzune's eyes,
He was someone who'd thrown away a huge advantage, laid all the information bare, treated former students and everyone around him like idiots, and naively hoped to get the entire year into Class A.
This... was just an airheaded sweetheart!
Of course,
They were in different classes,
And Horikita Suzune didn't dislike an airheaded sweetheart like that at all.
"Brother..."
Horikita Suzune hesitated. She didn't quite dare to contradict Horikita Manabu, but after thinking it over, she still asked, "Do you really think that guy named Kijima Tsukur is that strong?"
"Mm..."
Horikita Manabu's voice was full of bitterness. "He's the strongest person I've ever seen. In fact, I can say with near certainty that unless some extraordinary opportunity comes along, I'll never meet anyone that strong again."
"..."
Horikita Suzune could hardly believe it.
Just how highly did her outstanding brother rate Kijima Tsukur? It was beyond the bounds of rational thought, wasn't it?
"Is he really stronger than you, brother?"
"Me?"
Horikita Manabu gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"I'm not even qualified to be his opponent. If I had to face him, I'd choose to forfeit."
"How is that possible..."
Horikita Suzune clearly didn't believe him. "You're being too modest, brother. There's no need to put yourself down like that, is there?"
"..."
Horikita Manabu didn't answer. He simply picked up his coffee and took a sip.
In his eyes,
Kijima Tsukur was just that kind of person.
Horikita Manabu had the courage to fight anyone, even when he knew he would lose. But when it came to Kijima Tsukur, he simply didn't have that courage.
The gap was too vast. There was no point in fighting him.
Seeing her brother so lacking in confidence, Horikita Suzune couldn't help worrying. At the same time, she felt a little angry. She knelt on the floor, looking anxious.
"Brother, what happened over these three years? How could you start thinking like this?"
"Hm?"
Horikita Manabu was clearly taken aback.
Only then did he realize that Horikita Suzune probably thought he'd suffered too many setbacks over the past three years and had completely lost his confidence.
"No, it looks like I gave you the wrong impression."
Horikita Manabu shook his head, his smile once again full of confidence.
"Though I've faced a few challenges over these three years, I've kept winning. I've grown tremendously compared to how I was before, and I'm more confident than ever. Kijima Tsukur is simply different."
"..."
Horikita Suzune studied Horikita Manabu's expression.
He didn't look like he was lying. He truly believed what he was saying...
At that moment, for some reason, Horikita Suzune felt the joy of being reunited with him, yet also a little disappointment, followed by a touch of anger.
In the end, all those complicated emotions became just one phrase:
"I see..."
"Mm."
Before you continue