Preparing to Make Horikita Suzune Apologize

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, tree-lined path.

Amasawa Reigetsu and Ayanokoji Kiyoko had just finished dinner. With their bellies full and spirits high, they were ready to head back to the dorms to get a game going. Time was tight and the task was heavy, so the two didn't plan on taking the usual route, opting instead to cut directly through the small grove—

*Sounds of a violent argument.

The two stopped their rapid advance, instantly switching into stealth mode as they approached the source of the noise.

In a corner of the campus under the night sky, the air seemed to freeze. Horikita Manabu stood with one hand adjusting his glasses, looking down at his younger sister from a position of superiority. His gaze held no warmth, as if he were evaluating a defective product.

Yo, yo, isn't that what's-her-name, Horikita Suzune? So it turns out it's not that Horikita Manabu is a sis-con, but that Horikita Suzune is a bro-con!

"To catch up to me, you are still far off. As you are now, you cannot do it."

Horikita Manabu's voice sounded devoid of emotion, like a verdict delivered to Horikita Suzune.

Horikita Suzune was certainly unwilling to accept this, even though the person before her was the brother she admired most and whose back she had always chased. Her underlying code still made her gasp:

"That's not true! I have already entered this school, and I will catch up to your footsteps soon! I have grown a lot!"

"Growth? Are you referring to being assigned to Class D, the first class since the school's founding to receive a zero in the first month? Don't embarrass yourself!"

Horikita Manabu seemed to have heard something laughable; he stepped forward, exerting even greater pressure on Horikita Suzune.

"It must be because there was a mistake in the class assignments! How could I possibly be the same as that group of defective products—"

Horikita Manabu suddenly grabbed Suzune's wrist, cutting off her struggle and slamming her hard against the wall. The dull thud of the impact was jarring in the silent night; Suzune let out a soft groan of pain but could not break free.

"Enough! Having a sister thrown into Class D is a disgrace to me."

Horikita Manabu said coldly into his sister's ear, even raising his fist, ready to strike.

"Before you have the ability to climb higher, it is best you don't let others know you are my sister. In this school, you are nothing more than a piece of trash who entered Class D. Recognize that fact first."

*Slap!

So he really is a sis-con after all.

The moment Horikita Manabu's palm was about to descend, a hand reached out from the shadows like a ghost, precisely locking onto his wrist.

The air seemed to solidify in that second.

Horikita Manabu's brows furrowed slightly. The physical instincts honed from years of practicing karate and aikido allowed him to immediately perceive the strength of the newcomer.

He turned his head, his sharp eyes meeting a pair of murky gray pupils.

"For the Student Council President to use violence against his own sister in the middle of the night on campus—that probably wouldn't sound very good if it got out, would it?"

Amasawa Reigetsu's voice was calm, without a ripple, and a faint, elusive smile hung at the corners of his mouth.

Horikita Manabu's eyes sharpened, and he exerted sudden force with his wrist, attempting to break free. However, Amasawa Reigetsu did not choose to engage in a head-on test of strength. The moment Horikita Manabu's power erupted, Amasawa released his grip, shifted his feet slightly to the side, and used a minimal movement to neutralize the brute force. Immediately following, his fingers slid like flowing water along the inside of Horikita Manabu's forearm, his fingertips lightly tapping and pressing precisely onto a specific pressure point.

Horikita Manabu felt a sudden wave of soreness and numbness surge through his entire right arm, and a tiny, infinitesimal lag appeared in his otherwise fluid movements.

Induction activated.

A flicker of amusement flashed through Amasawa Reigetsu's gray eyes; just from that single strike to the pressure point, Horikita Manabu was forced to lose his center of gravity.

The feeling of my body control being obstructed... it's the same as that time...!!

Taking advantage of the lag in his opponent's movements, Amasawa Reigetsu's figure cut into Horikita Manabu's defensive circle like a black afterimage. He didn't use any flashy techniques; he simply pressed his palm against the center of Horikita Manabu's chest.

"You've lost your balance, Senior."

Before the words had even faded, an irresistible pushing force erupted. This was not mere muscular strength; it utilized the inertia of Horikita Manabu's forward momentum as he lost his balance, combined with a burst of short-range power.

Horikita Manabu let out a muffled grunt, retreating three steps before barely stabilizing his stance. When he looked up again, another expressionless woman—no, a woman radiating a dangerous aura—stood between him and Amasawa.

She held her position, recording with her device, looking at him without a trace of emotion.