The transfer went through, and another 300,000 private points appeared on Makoto Nishikado's Personal Terminal.
Horikita Manabu gave him a slight nod, then turned to leave.
He didn't even glance at Horikita Suzune beside him. He headed straight for the dorms and soon vanished into the night.
The evening breeze was bleak, carrying a hint of detachment.
"You siblings are something else. It was such a tiny issue, yet you managed to blow it up this much."
Makoto tapped his terminal to confirm the payment had arrived, then looked up in the direction Horikita Manabu had gone. He couldn't help shaking his head, his voice full of confusion.
Since he'd taken the money, he was willing to say a few more words about something personal.
Honestly, Makoto found it hard to understand.
Given how much the Horikita Siblings cared about each other, it was remarkable they'd let things get this bad.
Especially since the problems between them were little things that could be resolved just by talking them through.
[Horikita Suzune's emotions stirred; gained 6,132 emotion points.]
"What do you know? What goes on between my brother and me isn't something an outsider like you can judge!"
Horikita Suzune was indignant.
In her heart, her brother, Horikita Manabu, was like a towering mountain, yet that mountain was always cold and distant toward her.
She tried hard to imitate her brother's composure, rationality, and even coldness, but all she got in return was an even more distant attitude from him.
How could an outsider like Makoto Nishikado understand the conflict between her and Horikita Manabu?
"You seem to be imitating your brother. Do you know that Class 3-A is the only upper-year class that hasn't had anyone expelled?"
Makoto asked in reply.
"People get expelled from this school?"
Horikita Suzune froze, her anger replaced by shock.
During her first week at Advanced Nurturing High School, she'd felt that it was practically a student paradise.
The facilities were luxurious, the class schedule was flexible, and the teachers were exceptionally "lenient" with the students.
She hadn't failed to notice the school's vaguely unsettling atmosphere, like its bizarre point system and the way the teachers turned a blind eye to what the students did.
But she'd never imagined that this seemingly gentle school had such a cruel policy as expulsion.
"That's right..."
Makoto told Horikita Suzune some of the information he'd recently gathered.
[Horikita Suzune's emotions stirred; gained 4,287 emotion points.]
[Horikita Suzune's emotions stirred; gained 2,745 emotion points.]
[Horikita Suzune's emotions stirred; gained 2,658 emotion points.]
The more Horikita Suzune heard, the more shocked she became. By the end, she was looking at Makoto like he was some kind of monster.
"Did you gather all this information yourself?"
A sense of defeat welled up in Horikita Suzune.
She could understand Horikita Manabu's attitude toward Makoto now.
Unlike her, who knew nothing, this boy had already begun delving into the school's system.
"Most of it, yes. But I was able to gather some of it thanks to the combined efforts of Class B."
Makoto reminded her.
Class B worked as a whole, and it had a social butterfly like Honami Ichinose.
As long as they had a clear goal, they could show remarkable talent for gathering information.
Makoto wasn't going to take all the credit for that.
Class B was a team.
Unfortunately, Horikita Suzune didn't understand what he meant.
"Class B performed so well because you were leading them. You just barely deserve your position as vice president."
Horikita Suzune was reluctant to admit it, but she praised Makoto all the same.
If only she had Makoto's abilities.
Then her brother would acknowledge her, too.
"That's not the point. How can you know so little about your own brother?"
Makoto saw the envy in her eyes and sighed, his voice tinged with helplessness.
If he had a little sister like Horikita Suzune, she'd give him a headache.
"..."
Horikita Suzune opened her mouth to argue, but realized she couldn't say a word.
Makoto knew how Horikita Manabu handled his class at school. He knew his was the only class that hadn't had a student expelled.
Yet she, his own little sister, knew nothing about her brother.
She was his little sister. Why had things turned out this way?
"You've been chasing your brother's shadow, trying to turn yourself into another Horikita Manabu."
"But the truth is, you've been imitating him all wrong. Do you have an answer for why things turned out like this?"
Makoto asked as he thought it over in light of the story's events.
Perhaps it was easier to see as an outsider. He soon figured out the answer.
"I..."
Horikita Suzune's lips moved, but no sound came out.
Her brother had worked hard to protect his classmates.
She knew she wouldn't do the same.
Even after learning important information about the school from Makoto, she hadn't thought of telling her classmates.
Why had things turned out this way?
She had been chasing after Horikita Manabu, hadn't she?
"Is it because I couldn't earn my brother's approval?"
That was the answer Horikita Suzune thought she'd found.
But now, she wasn't sure.
"The Horikita Manabu you've been chasing is someone you pieced together from appearances. You could even say he's a Horikita Manabu you made up in your imagination—not the real Horikita Manabu."
"You're the one who denied and rejected your bond as siblings, not him."
Makoto pointed a finger at Horikita Suzune.
"You're wrong! I've always looked up to my brother more than anyone!"
Horikita Suzune jerked her head up. Tears glimmered in her eyes, and her voice sharpened with emotion.
How could she reject her bond with her brother? It had always been her emotional support!
"I already told you: you've been looking up to the Horikita Manabu you imagined in your mind. That's why you went wrong."
"Put yourself in his shoes. Imagine watching your little sister imitate an imagined version of you and grow more and more like a stranger."
"To her, even her real, living brother doesn't seem to exist. How do you think that would make him feel?"
Makoto's voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable force.
Once again, Horikita Suzune couldn't argue back. She fell silent.
"After you entered this school, you assumed your brother didn't accept you as his sister, so you deliberately distanced yourself from him. You didn't learn about his life, didn't care about his work, and didn't even know what he did at school."
"Over time, all that remained in your mind was the brother you'd imagined, while the real Horikita Manabu was long forgotten."
"You poor kid. How did you end up treating your own brother like some idol?"
Makoto paused after he finished.
Going over it like this, he almost felt sorry for Horikita Manabu.
Horikita Suzune lowered her head, her expression hidden from view.
But her trembling shoulders revealed the storm raging within her.
That was right. Makoto hadn't been wrong.
It wasn't her brother who had distanced himself from her. She had distanced herself from the brother who actually existed, all to get closer to the brother she'd imagined.
Seeing her expression, Makoto offered her one more piece of advice.
"Admiration is the emotion that lies farthest from understanding."
Seeing that he'd gotten through to Horikita Suzune, Makoto knew the tasks that followed would be much easier.
"Since your brother entrusted you to me, I won't take the money without doing anything in return."
"From now on, when you see me, remember to address me respectfully as Teacher."
"I'll show you how to be a good class leader."
"And I can also teach you how to get along with the people who matter most to you."
"Give me your Personal Terminal. I'll add you as a contact."
Makoto held out his hand after he finished speaking.
Horikita Suzune looked up and handed him her Personal Terminal, her voice barely audible.
"I look forward to learning from you, Teacher Nishikado."
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