As night deepened, the campus streetlights flickered on one by one, stretching the shadows of the school buildings into long silhouettes. The lights in the Student Council Room gradually went out. Horikita Manabu had finished a full day's work, but fatigue had done nothing to dull the sharpness in his eyes. He adjusted his glasses and followed his usual route, walking slowly toward the place where he had arranged to meet his younger sister.
He arrived before the appointed time and leaned back against the railing, gazing into the distant night. He seemed to be calmly admiring the view, but every nerve in his body was already taut.
Footsteps drew closer.
Suzune Horikita stopped at the meeting place and softly called out, "Brother?"
Horikita Manabu slowly turned around. His expression was perfectly calm, but he remained tense.
Unable to suppress the unease in her heart, Suzune Horikita asked outright, "Are you going to preside over the hearing in three days?"
Horikita Manabu lowered his head slightly, his gaze settling on her. His eyes, so much like hers, held not a trace of sibling warmth—only a bone-chilling coldness and sternness, as if he were scrutinizing some unrelated student.
"Yes." His voice was flat. "The Student Council's hearing will follow the rules, and nothing else. You won't receive any special treatment just because you're my sister."
Suzune Horikita's fingers curled slightly. Forcing herself to remain composed, she met his gaze. "I don't need special treatment from you. I just want to know: Ryuen Kakeru provoked him on purpose, and Sudo only lashed out because he was angered. Will you make a fair ruling at the hearing?"
"Fair?" Horikita Manabu's voice rose slightly, undisguised disappointment in his tone. "There is no such thing as fairness at this school. Only strength. Ken Sudō is impulsive and hot-tempered. He can't control his emotions, and anyone can bait him into taking the hook. That makes him weak. The weak have to bear the consequences of being weak."
"He was framed!" Suzune Horikita raised her voice despite herself. "Class C set him up on purpose. Sudo acted rashly in the heat of the moment. He shouldn't have to bear all the blame!"
"Rashly?" Horikita Manabu looked down at her, his tone growing more cutting. "Rashness is the cheapest excuse the weak have. Do you think this is some ordinary high school? Here, one impulsive mistake can ruin your life and drag your entire class down with you. Look at yourself. Look at your Class D—a mob, an idiot who can't control his temper, and you—"
His gaze pierced her like an icicle. Each word struck her heart:
"Do you think you're exceptional? You think a few good grades will help you make it at this school, or catch up to me? You don't even have any real friends. You can't bring the people around you together, and you can't even rein in someone who acts on impulse. You don't belong here."
Suzune Horikita's face went deathly pale. Her body trembled faintly, and the stubbornness in her eyes crumbled away, leaving only bewildered disbelief. She had followed in her brother's footsteps all this time, even entering this cruel school, yet in his eyes, she was so utterly pathetic.
"I..." She parted her lips, but her throat tightened, and she couldn't manage a complete sentence.
Horikita Manabu looked at her pallid face. A flicker of pain flashed through his eyes, but he forcibly buried it beneath an even deeper coldness. He stepped forward, backing Suzune against the wall, and gripped her right hand tightly. His voice remained icy and harsh:
"I'm telling you to withdraw before it's too late. This school isn't where you belong. If you stay, people will use you and devour you. In the end, you'll leave in disgrace and bring shame on me, too. Leave this school now."
"Withdraw?" Suzune Horikita jerked her head up, her eyes reddening. Her voice was stubborn and unyielding. "I won't withdraw! I came here to catch up to you. I'm not going to give up like this!"
"Catch up to me?" Horikita Manabu scoffed, his voice full of disappointment. "You can't even protect yourself in your current state, and you think you can catch up to me? Listen, Suzune Horikita, your pursuit is nothing but arrogance. At an ordinary high school, with your grades, you could get into a good university and live a peaceful life. That's the path that suits you."
Every one of his words hurt, but beneath them lay the most stubborn kind of protection. He understood better than anyone how dark this school was: there was no warmth, no mercy, only endless conflict and scheming. His younger sister was naive and proud, and knew nothing of how cruel people could be. If she stayed, she would only be crushed. He would rather drive her away with the cruelest words than watch her fall, step by step, into the abyss.
Horikita Manabu watched her refuse to yield. The pain in his heart deepened, but his expression grew even harder. He raised his hand, making his intentions plain: he truly meant to use force to knock some sense into her.
At that very moment—
A figure silently stepped forward.
Yoshikage Kira.
He hadn't deliberately followed them. He was simply passing by along his usual route, just as he had once happened upon Kikyo Kushida venting her emotions. Now he had stumbled across another confrontation that no one else knew about.
He raised a hand and firmly seized Horikita Manabu's falling wrist. His voice was calm, but brooked no argument:
"You really intend to hit her."
"Stop, Yoshikage Kira." Suzune Horikita fought back her tears and was the first to tell him to stay out of it.
Horikita Manabu instinctively exerted force, trying to break free.
But Yoshikage Kira's grip was as solid as stone. He couldn't move it at all.
Beneath the night sky, the three of them remained locked in a strange, tense tableau.
(ー_ー)つ━┓ ヽ(◣д◢)ﾉ⊂(;′⌒`)
Silence spread.
Horikita Manabu finally broke it. His mind raced through the records, and in an instant, he recalled the details:
Yoshikage Kira had ranked second in the year on the entrance exam, just behind Honami Ichinose, while Suzune had ranked third.
Interviewer's assessment: Excellent ability, understated, low capacity for cooperation, lacking in ambition. Assigned to Class B.
In the span of a brief standoff, Horikita Manabu seized an opening and abruptly pivoted, driving a side kick into the gap and forcing Kira to let go. He immediately stepped forward, attempting to subdue him with a hold, but Kira casually deflected the move. The two quickly put some distance between them and faced off.
Horikita Manabu's gaze darkened slightly. "You're pretty skilled. Have you had training?"
Yoshikage Kira didn't answer. He simply stepped forward and stood squarely in front of Suzune Horikita, shielding her behind him.
"Student Council President, are you planning to use violence against your own sister?" His voice was calm. "Everything that happened here has been recorded. Are you sure you want to continue?"
Horikita Manabu frowned and took half a step back. "Recorded? Are you trying to use it to threaten me?"
"It's not a threat," Yoshikage Kira said coolly. "This is a record that belongs to Suzune Horikita. Whether she forgives you is up to her. It's not something to use to get what I want."
Horikita Manabu stared at him, then looked at his younger sister, who was fighting back tears but still refused to bow her head. His tense shoulders gradually relaxed.
Yoshikage Kira's words made Horikita Manabu reach a decision.
"Suzune, I'm surprised you actually have a friend."
He coldly turned his gaze away, leaving them with one final sentence. His voice was hard, though an unmistakable weariness lurked beneath it:
"Suzune Horikita, I'll give you one last chance. If you want to advance to a higher class, then fight like hell for it."
The choice is yours.
Stay and be broken in your so-called pursuit of me,
or leave now and return to the peaceful life you were meant to have.
With that, Horikita Manabu didn't linger. He turned and disappeared into the depths of the night.
Beneath the streetlight, only the two of them remained.
Suzune Horikita leaned against the cold wall.
Her brother's hurtful words echoed in her ears again and again, piercing all her pride.
Yoshikage Kira didn't comfort her or ask questions. He simply stood quietly nearby, keeping a respectful distance and giving her room to compose herself.
After a long while, Suzune finally spoke, her voice a little hoarse:
"Thank you... for stopping him. I'm sorry you had to see that."
Yoshikage Kira glanced at her and spoke calmly:
"If you want to stay, you have to get stronger.
Not just stubborn words—you need the strength to protect yourself, hold your class together, and keep anyone from pushing you around."
He paused, then added, his tone still even, though his words sounded like a silent acknowledgment:
"Your brother... understands how weak you are better than you think."
And he's more afraid of you getting hurt than you think.
Yoshikage Kira said nothing more. He gave a slight nod, turned, and slowly continued along his original route, as though the harrowing confrontation from moments ago had never happened.
Suzune stood alone beneath the streetlight, gazing after him long after he had disappeared.
The night breeze was cool, drying the faint moisture at the corners of her eyes.
Suddenly, she understood.
Her brother's cruelty was a form of protection.
And the boy before her, so calm he seemed almost cold, wasn't truly without warmth, either.
That night, she lost her naivety.
And from that moment on, she truly began to awaken.
Before you continue