Confrontation Under the Night

The night deepened, and the streetlights on campus flickered to life one by one, stretching the shadows of the school buildings into long, thin lines. The lights inside the Student Council room gradually dimmed; Manabu Horikita had finished his day's work, yet the exhaustion did not dilute the cold sharpness in his eyes. He pushed up his glasses with a light touch and walked slowly along his established route toward the meeting spot he had agreed upon with his sister.

He arrived earlier than scheduled, leaning his back against the railing and gazing out into the night. While he appeared to be calmly admiring the scenery, his nerves were already quietly coiled tight.

Footsteps approached from the distance.

Suzune Horikita stopped at the designated spot and called out softly, "Brother?"

Manabu Horikita turned slowly, his expression devoid of ripples, though his spirit remained taut.

Unable to suppress the unease in her heart, Suzune Horikita spoke directly: "Will you be presiding over the hearing in three days?"

Manabu Horikita lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling upon her. In those eyes, so strikingly similar to her own, there was not a shred of sibling warmth, only bone-chilling indifference and severity, as if he were scrutinizing an unrelated student.

"Yes," he said, his tone flat. "The Student Council's hearings are governed solely by the rules. There will be no special treatment just because you are my sister."

Suzune Horikita's fingertips curled slightly. She forced herself to steady her mind and met his gaze: "I don't want your special treatment. I only want to ask you: Kakeru Ryuen provoked the situation, and Ken Sudo only acted because he was baited. Will you deliver a fair verdict at the hearing?"

"Fair?" Manabu Horikita's voice rose slightly, carrying undisguised disappointment. "In this school, there is no such thing as fairness—there is only strength. Ken Sudo is impulsive and hot-headed; he couldn't control his emotions and took the bait the moment he was provoked. He is the weak. The weak must bear the consequences of their weakness."

"He was framed!" Suzune Horikita couldn't help but raise her voice. "Class C designed this on purpose. Sudo only acted on impulse; he shouldn't have to shoulder all the responsibility!"

"Impulse?" Manabu Horikita looked down at her from his height, his tone growing increasingly caustic. "Impulse is the cheapest excuse of the weak. Do you think this is some ordinary high school on the outside? Here, a single moment of impulse can destroy you and drag down your entire class. Look at yourself, look at the class you're in—Class D—a bunch of rabble, a fool who can't control his temper, and you—"

His gaze pierced her like an icicle, each word striking her heart:

"Do you think you're excellent? You think you can gain a foothold in this school and catch up to me just because of a few grades? You don't even have true companions, you can't unite the people around you, and you can't even restrain one impulsive person. You simply don't belong here."

Suzune Horikita's face turned deathly pale, her body trembling slightly. The stubbornness in her eyes shattered layer by layer, leaving only an incredulous, hollow confusion. She had followed in her brother's footsteps, even enrolling in this cruel school, yet in his eyes, she was nothing but pathetic.

"I..." She opened her mouth, her throat choked, unable to produce a complete sound.

Manabu Horikita watched her pale expression, a flicker of heartache crossing his eyes for a split second before being forcibly suppressed by a deeper coldness. He stepped forward, cornering Suzune against the wall, and gripped her right hand firmly, his tone remaining icy and sharp:

"I advise you to withdraw from this school voluntarily while you can. This is not a place for you. If you stay, you will only be used, devoured, and eventually forced out in disgrace, bringing shame upon me. Leave this school now."

"Withdraw?" Suzune Horikita looked up abruptly, her eyes rimmed with red, her voice filled with an unyielding stubbornness. "I won't withdraw! I came here to catch up to you, and I won't give up just like that!"

"Catch up to me?" Manabu Horikita sneered, filled with disappointment. "In your current state, you can't even protect yourself, and you want to catch up to me? Let me tell you, Suzune Horikita, your pursuit is nothing but an overestimation of your own abilities. In an ordinary high school, with your grades, you could get into a good university and live a stable life. That is the path that suits you."

His words were wounding in every syllable, yet they concealed the most obsessive form of protection. He knew better than anyone the darkness of this school—no warmth, no mercy, only endless struggle and calculation. His sister was naive and aloof; she did not understand the malice of human hearts, and if she stayed, she would only be crushed. He would rather use the most caustic language to force her to leave than watch her fall into the abyss step by step.

Manabu Horikita watched her refusal to yield, his heartache deepening even as his expression grew more rigid. He raised his hand, his posture clear; he truly intended to use force to wake her up once and for all.

At that very moment—

A figure stepped forward silently.

Yoshikage Kira.

He was not intentionally following them; he was simply passing through on his fixed route, just as he had once accidentally encountered Kikyo Kushida venting her emotions, and had now stumbled upon this unknown confrontation.

He reached out and firmly clamped onto Manabu Horikita's descending wrist, his tone calm but carrying an unquestionable power of restraint:

"You truly intend to use violence."

"Stop, Yoshikage Kira," Suzune Horikita said, holding back tears, choosing to call for an end to his intervention first.

Manabu Horikita instinctively exerted force, attempting to break free.

But Yoshikage Kira's grip was as steady as a rock, not moving an inch.

The three of them remained in the night, locked in a strange and tense posture.

(ー_ー)つ━┓ ヽ(◣д◢)ﾉ⊂(;′⌒`)

Silence spread.

It was eventually broken by Manabu Horikita. His mind flipped through files at high speed, instantly matching the information:

Yoshikage Kira, entrance exam scores ranked second in the grade, second only to Honami Ichinose, with Suzune ranking third.

Interviewer's evaluation: Excellent ability, low-profile performance, low cooperativeness, lacks motivation for advancement, assigned to Class B.

In the moment of stalemate, Manabu Horikita seized an opening, lunged sideways, and delivered a side kick to force a gap, compelling Kira to let go. He immediately stepped forward, attempting to subdue the other with a grappling hold, but was deflected by a casual move from Kira. The two quickly widened the distance, standing in confrontation.

Manabu Horikita's eyes darkened slightly: "Good technique. Have you had training?"

Yoshikage Kira did not answer, merely stepping forward to stand firmly in front of Suzune Horikita, shielding her behind him.

"Student Council President, intending to use violence against your own sister?" He said in a calm tone. "Everything that happened here has been recorded. Are you sure you want to continue?"

Manabu Horikita frowned and took a half-step back: "A recording? You want to use this to threaten me?"

"It is not a threat," Yoshikage Kira said faintly. "This is a record belonging to Suzune Horikita. Whether she chooses to forgive is up to her; it is not meant to satisfy my demands."

Manabu Horikita stared at him, then looked at his sister behind him, who was holding back tears but still refusing to lower her head. His tense shoulder line slowly relaxed.

This statement from Yoshikage Kira forced Manabu Horikita to make a judgment.

"Suzune, I am truly surprised that you would have a friend."

He coldly withdrew his gaze, leaving behind one final sentence, his voice hard but hiding an undeniable exhaustion:

"Suzune Horikita, I will give you one last chance. If you want to ascend to a higher class, then struggle with everything you have."

The choice is yours.

Whether to stay and be shattered in your so-called pursuit;

"Or quit now and return to the stable life you were meant to have."

Having said that, Horikita Manabu did not linger, turning and vanishing into the depths of the night.

Under the streetlamp, only the two of them remained.

Suzune Horikita leaned her back against the cold wall.

Her brother's hurtful words echoed in her ears over and over, piercing through all her pride.

Yoshikage Kira offered no comfort and asked no questions; he simply stood quietly to the side, maintaining an appropriate distance to give her space to compose herself.

After a long while, Suzune finally spoke, her voice somewhat hoarse:

"Thank you... for stopping him just now. I've embarrassed myself in front of you."

Yoshikage Kira glanced at her and spoke calmly:

"If you want to stay, you must become strong.

Not just stubborn in words, but possessing the power to truly protect yourself and hold your class together, so that no one can sway you at will."

He paused, then added a final sentence, his tone still flat, yet it sounded like a silent acknowledgment:

"Your brother... is more aware of how weak you are than you think."

And he is more afraid of you getting hurt than you realize.

Yoshikage Kira said nothing more, gave a slight nod, and turned to walk away along his original path, as if the heart-stopping confrontation from moments ago had never occurred.

Suzune stood alone under the streetlamp, watching his retreating figure, remaining motionless for a long time.

The night breeze was slightly chilly, drying the faint moisture at the corners of her eyes.

She suddenly understood.

Her brother's harshness was a form of protection.

And this boy before her, who was so calm he bordered on indifferent, was not truly devoid of warmth.

On this night, she lost her innocence.

And from this moment on, she truly began to awaken.