Suzune Horikita's Grand Confession Scene (Continued)

She is a genuine straightforward woman.

So she was the first girl he knew who didn't look at him strangely today.

But.

Hachiman looked at her and realized something.

"When you met your brother at the vending machine before, what was the reason for your argument?" Hachiman asked.

This Suzune Horikita is just a Horikita's little sister.

She is the younger sister of Student Council President Manabu Horikita.

Generally speaking, nepotism can be a useful tool for getting things done, but if used improperly, it can become a weakness.

For example, even though she is siblings of someone in power, the greater the brother's power and authority, the more careful she must be. Otherwise, if she is exploited by someone with ulterior motives, it could bring trouble to her brother and implicate her as well, causing her great distress.

This is also where Hachiman sometimes needs to provide assistance.

She even had to hide the fact that she was Manabu Horikita's younger sister to avoid being taken advantage of.

Therefore, the multiple roles of the current Student Council President are currently just a gimmick.

But.

Hachiman wanted to confirm was that her weakness had been exposed during the fight with Sudō.

In front of her brother, she was just a little sister.

Cowardly.

If this issue isn't addressed, she'll be largely useless.

Even if she conceals her sibling relationship with the Student Council President, she may still have to appear at Matoba involve the Student Council.

If you behaved strangely at that time, it would attract some people's attention.

The Hachiman class already has enough bombs; they don't want to detonate another one.

So today he decided to become a bomb disposal expert.

In this way.

Even if she feels he's trying to probe her inner thoughts, he has to do it. "If you hate it, then you don't have to answer."

"... Let me think about it." Suzune Horikita didn't refuse; rather... she also needed someone to confide in, "... my brother—"

She slowly began, "My brother hates me, or rather, he doesn't respect me at all..."

Oh.

Oh, I see.

So that's how your sibling relationship is.

Um.

Um?

But.

What the hell is this? Are you sure you know the truth?

Isn't your brother Sister Complex?

Hachiman looked surprised.

Because your brother spent 1 million points to teach you, and he even received a transfer of 100,000 points.

And then you just blurted out... your brother hates you? And doesn't care about you?

"My existence will lower everyone's opinion of my brother, that's all." Suzune Horikita felt as if she had sentenced herself to death.

So when the Student Council President saw her, did she immediately feel incompetent?

Then he showed such a cowardly expression.

Because I feel weak.

So, is Suzune Horikita really weak?

This is a question that needs to be considered. If we simply use Academic Ability performance and athletic ability as the standard, her stats are not bad.

But Hachiman also knew that this guy had always stuck to his own path.

For example, bringing your own lunchbox every day.

This earned him his praise.

His future goal is to be a stay-at-home dad, so he has a soft spot for people who can cook.

Moreover, this guy is a bookworm, studying for 10 hours a day.

Hachiman visited her dormitory; her wall had a schedule posted on it.

The arrangement is roughly like this.

Besides the time spent studying in the classroom, she also needs to make up for an extra 4 hours each day.

That means you have to study for 10 hours a day!

And it happens day after day.

They can persevere; their perseverance is definitely worth noting.

Today, I was reminded of my junior Hachiman days by Sakayanagi, which made Hikigaya a little sentimental. But now, I suddenly feel that maybe I can help Suzune Horikita.

"Horikita, what exactly do you want to do? Or rather, what do you want your brother to do?"

Hachiman felt that Suzune Horikita had reverted to her Horikita's little sister, becoming incredibly timid when the topic of her brother came up.

As an older brother Hachiman looked over.

"You asked me what I want to do..."

However, Horikita suddenly clenched one hand into a fist, "I... I want my brother to accept me..."

"From childhood, my brother has always been there for me. No matter what I wanted to do, he had already done it all before I could, which made me feel inferior. And because of this, I know that I am not in that person's field of vision. So, I want him to look at me, I want him to acknowledge me, I want to see what is in that person's, brother's, field of vision."

"Is that so... In other words, you're imitating his way of life," Hachiman said.

Rather, he has now come into contact with Suzune Horikita's inner world.

It turns out that this seemingly aloof woman is actually quite innocent at heart.

Like many others, she has a capable older sister and a capable younger sister, and because of this comparison, she feels like she has no place to stand.

Then, I envy and want to become as capable as my older and younger sisters.

But.

Do you really have to be that smart? Do you really have to be that outstanding? Is it so hard to acknowledge that you are not as good as them?

Why force yourself to accomplish a mission that is almost impossible?

So your brother can be Nobel Prize winner, but no one is forcing you to win Nobel Prize too.

Moreover, human nature is a strange thing.

You may envy others, but perhaps they are also envious of you, without you even realizing it. However, while it's true that people envy the wealthy, the wealthy certainly don't envy the poor.

Suzune Horikita, however, was somewhat different.

She wanted to be like that, to become like her outstanding older brother Manabu Horikita.

This was her choice.

It wasn't someone else's request.

But.

"I'm telling Horikita ... you're all alone. Your brother, on the other hand, is very sociable and has many friends. If I hadn't forced you to associate with Kushida, you wouldn't have any friends." Hachiman crossed his arms. "You can't learn that."

"...ha?"

"Hachiman Hikigaya, did you come here to argue with me?!"

Suzune Horikita was taken aback by Hachiman's words. "I just like being alone, not that I'm lonely. I've liked being alone since elementary school, no, kindergarten, but I don't feel lonely. I just look a little lonely."

Um.

Hachiman had already heard this.

And he had thought about it.

Is being alone really bad?

But those are the strong. Only the strong can live alone, while the weak need to band together to survive.

But.

He did not completely dismiss Suzune Horikita.

Because.

Suzune Horikita wasn't closing herself off; rather, she didn't want to waste time interacting with others, or rather, she didn't feel that interacting with others could bring her anything.

So.

She doesn't feel anxious about not having friends.

And you won't feel ashamed because of it.

They wouldn't even feel rejected or bullied.

Because.

She actually enjoys being alone.

She felt happy.

If she feels happy, then why not?

So.

Loneliness cannot be described as her loneliness. Loneliness is how outsiders judge others, but doesn't she feel it herself?

However, this world is not entirely gentle.

Hachiman had a feeling that Suzune Horikita had definitely come to the wrong school, because as he gradually came to understand the true nature of the school, he realized that her type was not suited to survive here.

But.

"I'm not arguing. I mean, you might have some misunderstandings," Hachiman said. "You and your brother are two different people, starting with your personalities. He has many friends, do you? Aren't you trying to become exactly like him?"

"... Hachiman Hikigaya, don't misunderstand me. I hope I can..."

"Do you want to be like him?" Hachiman interrupted her.

"After all, my brother has always been my role model, so I used to hope to be like him, but if you ask me whether I should become like him... I don't know..." Her expression became confused.

That makes it quite obvious.

Suzune Horikita had actually gone astray.

"Wanting to become like your goal is problematic. You can treat him as your goal, but there's no need to follow the same path as him. Because you are you, not Manabu Horikita. And Manabu Horikita doesn't have a name called Suzune Horikita."

"..." Suzune Horikita suddenly felt much weaker. She had followed in her brother's footsteps into the same junior high and high school, and now she no longer knew what she was doing. "So... didn't you ever think about what kind of person you wanted to become?"

"Well..." Hachiman gently raised his head, "I want to become a stay-at-home husband."

"You don't need to think about making money; you can just stay home and do housework."

"Then someone will take care of me."

Noticing Suzune Horikita's strange gaze, Hachiman knew that his thoughts were somewhat difficult for ordinary people, so he added, "These are my thoughts. If you don't want to support me, then you have no right to criticize me."

"..." Horikita.

"... In short, although I haven't thought about what kind of person I want to become, the only thing I know right now is that I want my brother to approve of me." Horikita didn't respond to his adoptive father's words, but instead fell into his own thoughts, "However, my brother won't approve of me as I am now."

"In order to gain my brother's approval, I had to move up to Class A, but I knew that I couldn't accomplish it on my own."

"And I'm still very weak right now," Suzune Horikita said. "And my brother hopes I can learn from you."

"Then..."

She mumbled something, as if she found it difficult to say.