Chapter 4: From a Brother to a Sister
Intro
The second day, 31st of March.
For me, this was a special day that had finally arrived.
That’s right, it was the day when the elder Horikita embarked on his next journey.
We agreed to meet at noon. I was early, as usual, and reached the main entrance of the school.
He seemed to have kept his word and hadn’t told anyone else that he was leaving then. There was no one around, except for me.
My eyes were drawn towards the figures of the students who were headed to Keyaki Mall as I quietly waited for his arrival.
A year ago, I came to this school through this very entrance.
Although you might hang out near here occasionally, this was not a place people went to often.
If it was a club activity or a special exam, you could take the bus that passes through here. Still, if you wanted to walk out of the entrance, it had to be because you graduated, or you were expelled.
Since you couldn’t repeat a year, one of those two situations would inevitably occur within the 3 years.
“I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently.”
It was almost the start of the second year.
I reflected on my own change in attitude, and it was like I turned into a different person.
Just 20 minutes before the agreed time, Horikita’s brother finally arrived.
After confirming it was me, the elder Horikita lightly looked at the area around me. It was obvious what he was looking for.
“Unfortunately, your sister isn’t here yet.”
“That seems to be the case.”
The time now was 11:40 AM.
It wasn’t too late. But considering that there wasn’t much time left, she should really have arrived earlier.
I thought about the talk with Ichinose yesterday.
I remembered what Horikita looked like as she did what she needed to during then.
Was there something going on?
“I’ll call her.”
I suggested this. If it was me who was calling her, the elder Hroikita would agree to it.
Although, that was what I thought…
“That’s alright, there’s no need.”
The elder Horikita gently stopped me with his hand, stopping me from doing so.
“If she wasn’t feeling well, she would have contacted me in advance.”
“She might just be oversleeping.”
Although that was unlikely, I still mentioned that possibility.
“If that’s the case, there’s no need to wake her up.”
He was saying that if she had overslept on such a momentous occasion, then she wouldn’t be worth acknowledging.
Even though it was his last day, his attitude was the same as ever.
“Oh well! There shouldn’t be a problem. After all, there’s still time.”
She might be nervously staying in her room until the last moment, because of the fact that it was her brother that she was going to meet.
“Let’s not talk about that for the time being. I didn’t expect you to come so early.”
“I thought that you would come early as well.”
We agreed to meet at noon.
There was more than enough time before the bus departed.
But for their final farewell, I expected the Horikita siblings to have a long talk here.
And so unsurprisingly, the elder Horikita came 20 minutes early.
What both of us did not expect was that the younger Horikita, who should have been the central character here, had not arrived yet.
Anyways, since she hadn’t arrived yet, we could only talk about things relating to both of us.
It was just a waste of time if nothing was said, and if we just waited for the time to pass.
After thinking a bit, I mentioned something that I started to care about recently.
“Sorry. If only I could have done more for you when you were on the student council.”
The elder Horikita had discussed with me how to stop Nagumo from doing whatever he wanted.
However, at that time, due to my wish to live a peaceful life, I did not agree to his request.
Although he introduced me to Vice President Kiriyama, our relationship ended there.
As a result, Kiriyama still had no plan to act to this day.
“That was my responsibility. It was my fault to impose it all on you, so don’t mind it.”
For the elder Horikita, this school was now a thing of the past.
What the school would look like later, Horikita did not need to care.
“But even so, I’ll give you this last piece of advice. I’ve always adopted an assured attitude towards the rules of the school. Although it’s a meritocracy, the lower-ranked classes still have a chance for victory. It’s by no means an easy fight for any class.”
“I don’t think that’s very reasonable considering the fact you’ve stayed in Class A for three whole years.”
“Yet, I think most of the students haven’t noticed the essence of that fact. Of course, many things can be improved on the school’s side. But you just need to look at the past to understand that no matter if it was the unmanned island test or the end of year exam, there is always an opportunity for the lower classes to beat the upper classes.”
Competence was needed not only in written exams, but also in special exams.
In the unmanned island test, as long as we were united, defeating Class A and B wasn’t difficult.
The same was true at the end of year exam. Although luck was a factor, it was also proof that a lower class might take wins.
“Luck largely determines victory or defeat for the immature first years in the lower class to defeat the upper class. But… it’s also difficult for the upper classes to accept that. That’s one of the elements that’s irritating.”
If the school was too considerate for the lower levels, the upper levels would be dissatisfied.
Without mentioning the method of using 20 million private points to move up, the system at the school was based on the classes fighting as a whole in order to move up the rankings, and as such, was a structure that didn’t ignore the students with low abilities.
No matter which class, there were outstanding students, as well as students on a lower level than them.
Nagumo, who had experienced a year of these examinations, came up with an idea.
That was to create a system that favoured the powerful, allowing people to with their own personal strength.
The strong would keep climbing, while the weak would keep falling.
“Perhaps what Nagumo wants to do isn’t necessarily wrong.”
There would be people who would be dissatisfied by it, but there would also be a lot of students who would approve.
Most of the current 2nd years would agree with it.
Of course, not everyone actually agreed from the heart.
Driven by their surrounding trends, the number of students who agreed because they had no other choice would not be small.
If every person had strong abilities, then all the classes would be engaged in fierce competition.
“Is there a big gap between the 2nd years? I mean in terms of class points.”
“There is. Nagumo’s Class A had 1491 points in March, Class B had 889, Class C had 280, and Class D had 76 points.”
Considering there was only one year left, Class A was already in a stable situation.
And so under those circumstances, Nagumo was bold enough to go forward with a proposal to help the lower classes.
With only 76 points to their name, Class D’s situation would be impossible to reverse.
“There are a lot of people who agree with him. If they can’t win with the whole class, people who want to go to Class A can only hope for a system that would allow them to win with their own power.”
“That might be the case. But Nagumo’s approach would leave many people misfortunate.”
If you become too powerful and individualistic, your classmates would become overly suspicious towards you.
And then everyone around you would turn into enemies.
The elder Horikita, no, Horikita Manabu still believed that the cooperation within the system known as a class was still necessary.
This was the type of system that had been selected after clearly considering what the future would hold.
“Isn’t it the same with the current system? The three classes outside of Class A are all unfortunate.”
What Nagumo’s ideal system would be, we could only imagine.
If the system of personal victory was implemented and successfully established, it may be beneficial for classes that didn’t have 40 students in them any more.
“Exactly. So it’s like-“
As soon as I started speaking, the elder Horikita cut in.
“Using the collective private points of Class B and below, and use them to gamble on who gets the right to move up to Class A.”
As he had the same thoughts as I did, I nodded.
If we ignore the expelled students, there were 120 students from Class B to D.
If they pool up their personal points, they would easily exceed 20 million points.
It was even possible to reach 40 or even 60 million private points.
Of course, not everyone would agree to participate in that gamble.
Although I don’t know how the system had changed now, we were able to cash in these private points at graduation until recently.
Even if you were in Class D, as long as you had enough cash in hand after graduating, there would exist some students who didn’t care anymore.
If there really were people with money who met the conditions, it would be better for them to choose participation.
Anyway, if the class’s victory couldn’t be achieved, gambling with the points as a last resort wasn’t a bad thing.
It would increase the number of students getting into Class A.
For the academic year that had the largest gap between Class A and the classes below, this was realistically the last chance to achieve that dream.
“Didn’t that happen in your year?”
“It would be a bit deceptive if I say that this idea didn’t arise. But it didn’t happen. Because Class A and B were constantly competing, Class C and D didn’t gain enough points.”
I thought about the time I came into contact with the 3rd year Class Ds just after I enrolled, when they were in an awkward position in terms of points.
If a class lost continuously, it would get harder and harder to gain personal points. It wasn’t good at all to spend several months with 0 personal points.
“If it’s only to this extent, it won’t have that much of an impact. However, if Nagumo’s plans mean that even his own Class A will be affected by, his classmates will also be at risk.”
This way, students who lacked strength in Class A had the risk of falling behind. This was the obvious risk.
In Class A, if only Nagumo was within the safe range, then the meritocracy wouldn’t be supported by his own classmates.
All classes should be treated fairly, whether it was Class A or Class D.
“Although I don’t know what he intends to do, it’s a decision that requires courage.”
“That bastard is bored with what it takes to win as it is now. That’s probably the reason for all this. Joining the student council was probably just to kill some time.”
Noone would have the right to express any dissatisfaction towards him and his ability which was the foundation for him gaining support.
“A class is a community with a shared destiny. I don’t think this system should be broken.”
“So you don’t agree with Nagumo’s approach.”
Although he did not nod in response, the elder Horikita accepted what I said just like that.
Although I understood what he wanted to say, neither side could be considered correct. However…
“I plan to observe what Nagumo wants to do. If he really plans to change the entire grade, no, the entire school into a meritocracy, I’ll have to witness it first before making any judgements.”
I decided to tell him about my future plans without hiding it.
“So that’s it, huh. You’re advancing to a higher level than me.”
“You flatter me.”
It just meant that I had no intention to stop Nagumo, as well as having no means to stop it.
It wouldn’t be so bad if I merely observed what Nagumo would do to this school.
After all, the elder Horikita’s efforts in defending against Nagumo’s attacks in his final year had already cut deep in his body.
“I’m not the person you think I am.”
“No, I’m sorry, but I don’t think so.”
Facing my modesty, the elder Horikita strongly rejected it.
“In any case, it seems like your evaluation of me won’t drop.”
“If my evaluation would drop, it would already have done so.”
Speaking of this, the elder Horikita hadn’t changed his evaluation of me for about a year now.
No matter what he knew and what he didn’t, his evaluation didn’t change.
“I can’t seem to understand. What part of my body, what essential factor of it that allowed me to gain your approval.”
Why did he think I was different from other students?
The elder Horikita had data, which was my joke-like score from my entrance exam, as well as the brief confrontation we had when I tried to intervene to save his sister.
In addition to those encounters, my running speed had been revealed to this man when I ran against him in the relay race.
But in reality, he didn’t know the true extent of my academics and athletics.
“I think that using my own perception and intuition, I can figure out the skill of my opponent to some extent.”
Rather than say this was specific, this was more of an abstract way of expressing it.
It was amazing that I could be judged to this extent through that method.
“Relying on what you call perception, what do I look like? I want to hear your answer, as a parting gift.”
Because this was interesting to me, I decided to ask him.
In fact, I wanted to find out how similar his evaluation of me was to my own self-evaluation.
The elder Horikita probably would answer honestly.
“Yes. In my eyes…”
After a pause, Horikita recalled what he thought of me during the previous year.
“You have greatly surpassed my prediction based on my experience in life so far. There are no flaws in your strategies. Aside from your strategic ingenuity, you are not someone I can beat in terms of physical strength. Of all the opponents I faced, you are that one person I don’t want to fight.”
Another exaggerated evaluation. If this were just his perceptual evaluation of me, then it would be truer.
“So you’re saying that you concede defeat to me?”
“That is a different matter. Even facing a perfect opponent, there are still chances to win.
I felt relieved after hearing the elder Horikita’s response.
“Not to mention that the students compete along with their classes. No matter how outstanding the individual is, there must be a limit.
“Yes. This is the exact reason I find it interesting.”
“Ayanokouji. What kind of environment did you grow up in? These abilities are certainly not inherently possessed. Even if you were educated thoroughly by your family, it’s not an easy task to reach that territory.”
“Didn’t you grow up in an unordinary family environment as well?
An elite capable of even being president of the student council should be able to understand how the climb upwards worked.
“No matter what it was, nothing would be given to you, just like that. There was also a period of time when I was distressed, because I was making no progress. However, I’ve made unremitting efforts to overcome all of this. No matter if it’s from childhood to now, or from now to the future. “
He stood on top of all of his accumulated efforts. That was what the elder Horikita was saying.
“Based on your theory, I should’ve put in more effort than how much you’ve put in.
“…Yes.”
To beat a hardworking person, more effort was needed.
Although this was not all, it was still an answer.
Horikita took out his phone and showed me the screen which displayed a phone number.
Then he switched the screen to show another number.
“Remember these two numbers. One is mine, and the other is Tachibana’s. If you have any problems after you graduate, you can always talk to us. If you can’t remember these numbers, you can save it now, but it has to be deleted later.”
Contact with people outside the school was prohibited. If I noted the number down carelessly, it would only hurt me.
I nodded slightly to indicate that there was no problem, and saved the 11-digit number in my brain.
Although it was impossible for me to imagine a day where those numbers were needed, I wouldn’t lose anything just by memorizing them.
“I haven’t asked you yet, where do you plan to go afterwards?”
Because he told me Tachibana’s number, I now knew that they would keep in touch after graduation.
“About that-“
Horikita, who was about to speak, stopped after confirming the time on his phone.
“I’ll tell you about it after you graduate, it’s almost time.”
It was almost noon.
In other words, it was the appointed time to meet the younger Horikita.
However, Horikita was nowhere to be seen. Even if the elder Horikita’s expression was the same as usual, I felt a little lonely.
“I’ll contact her.”
I don’t think that that person would go against her feelings and not show up now.
If she hadn’t overslept, it is more realistic to think that she was involved in some sort of incident.
“No, that still isn’t necessary.”
Even if an incident did occur, the elder Horikita had already prepared in the case that she didn’t show up.
Although I understood that he did not hate his sister from the events that had happened up until now, but this was a bit…
“There’s no need to be so stubborn, there’s no harm if you sometimes be the one to initiate contact.”
“I’m afraid that temporarily showing emotion could hinder my sister’s growth. It’s fine if she was late because she was caught in some sort of accident, but if she decided that she would experience growth by not seeing me here, then that’s even better. If that’s the case, my behaviour here will only be an obstacle.
“Just by avoiding you, she’ll grow? Is this what you think your sister believes?”
“Suzune will decide on that.”
This was not something that an outsider could make thoughtless remarks about. The elder Horikita said that, allusively.
“I haven’t seen you indulge her at all.”
“I was just judging on what situation in which I should indulge her.”
I think that this was the right situation for him to do so.
A minute had passed after reaching noon.
I thought that he would immediately head towards the main gate, but he did not start walking.
Although it didn’t seem like he indulged her by doing so, this could be considered something like that.
“I also have something to confirm with you. I also want you to answer me, as a parting gift.
The elder Horikita looked at me and said that.
I nodded my head, going along with the very last time he was going to show this side of his.
“It’s fine if you can’t answer this fully.”
After this exchange happened, perhaps the elder Horikita would finally head towards the main entrance.
“Why do you hide your abilities?”
Although I wasn’t surprised, this really was a question that got straight to the point.
“I simply just don’t like attracting attention to myself.”
“Even if you truly want to conceal your true self, is this something you can stick by?”
“How do I say this, I haven’t thought of that.”
I wanted to enter this school and live a normal student’s life.
But having been asked this question, I had a bit of doubt creep up on me.
“I decided to live the life of a normal high school student that you can find anywhere. I had to solve some problems by myself to keep that life a reality.
“Do you plan to continue doing this in the future?”
“It’s hard to say. There’s been an increase in things that attracted my attention. I won’t have to get serious for most of these things, but it’s still more than before.”
To be honest, there were still many parts I wasn’t sure about, so I bluntly told him what I was feeling now.
Hearing that, what kind of answer would the elder Horikita have?
“What I accomplished at the school, and what I couldn’t. I’ve been thinking about those things recently.”
With that said, the elder Horikita looked in the direction of the school for a while.
“Have I completely shown my strength, did I still have room to grow, those kinds of things.”
In other words, he lived in almost completely opposite circumstances to mine.
It was for this reason that he climbed to the position of student council president.
“Do you really think that continuing like this will have any meaning in the future?”
“If you look at it from my perspective, wanting to live a comfortable life, I’d say that has meaning.”
“Maybe so. But don’t you want to leave something here while at this school? If that’s the case, then I think the question “Do you really think that continuing like this will have any meaning in the future?” is something you should think about carefully.
“Leave something behind… that’s something that only someone that stands out as much as you can do.”
I denied the possibility, but the elder Horikita did not agree with me.
“If you can’t imprint your legacy at the school itself, you just need to do it to the students. Let the student known as Ayanokouji Kiyotaka be carved into the minds of the students, and they will not forget your existence.”
Carve my existence into someone’s mind. I’ve never thought of doing such a thing.
“I’m very grateful to you for helping my sister to grow. You have hidden your great power, and throughout the year, I have come to fully understand that. You are not a man who would stop at just this level. And that’s why… don’t disappoint me.”
This was a strong piece of encouragement from the former president of the student council of the Advanced Nurturing highschool.
“If you are truly going to pursue yourself despite the restrictions, then in these three years, you will be an existence that will be remembered by others.”
“Becoming an unforgettable existence? It’s still possible for me to be expelled during the second and third years.”
“Even if you were involved in some number of incidents these three years and face the fate of dropping out, you will still remain in the memory of others. As long as there are students looking back at the three years and thinking that “The existence of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka is truly great,” I think it can already be considered a success.”
The elder Horikita said it once more, and I felt his words slowly sinking into my heart.
“I understand….yeah. I will think about this more carefully.”
That was the best answer I can give right now.
“That’s alright. The answer to this question is not something I have to reach, it is something you, Ayanokouji, have to figure out yourself.”
No matter if it was about issues of the student council led by Nagumo, the younger Horikita, or the school itself.
The final decision was mine.
This world was full of ingredients which would allow growth. Wherever it is, there are always reminders to improve yourself.
This was also the case with the elder Horikita. Even if I spent my school life silently, there would undoubtedly be something I left behind.
I wanted memories.
Random memories which could make me feel happy.
At the beginning, I was satisfied with what I was. So in the past year, I’ve tried my best to live a quiet life.
But this might not be the correct answer. There had to be a meaning for me to come to this school. And so because of this.
“For our final moments, I spoke about a lot of weird stuff. Sorry.”
“No, I think these are the most meaningful words an underclassman has spoken to me.”
You leaving, it made me feel a bit lonely.
I swallowed this sentence as soon as it reached my lips.
“Ahh… It seems like we’ve both seen a side of each other we hadn’t before.”
We both understood the distance between us, allowing us to talk to each other.
Moreover, some things can be understood even if they were not expressed in words.
“It’s almost time to go.”
The elder Horkita was probably saying that he didn’t think the younger Horikita would show up after 12:10.
He then reluctantly looked towards the school, in the direction of the first year’s dormitory.
The sister who should have arrived didn’t. Noone expected it to be like this.
Was that your answer? Horikita. I couldn’t help but ask that.
I admit that the relationship between those two siblings was indeed a bit different.
However, you had suffered for many years in order to break this relationship.
And now it was almost time for the final answer to be revealed.
I reached into my pocket and grabbed my phone. I’ll use forceful methods if I had to, if it meant getting her here.
Even if it was just for a moment, even if it was just a glance, as long as this can serve as food for Horikita’s psyche, then being forceful…no-it would only be counterproductive.
It might even create a rift between this relationship between siblings that had just begun to heal.
It didn’t matter if I wanted the meeting to happen or not, in the end, it was based on the thoughts and feelings of those two people.
It wasn’t something that an outsider should interfere with.
“I’m really sorry. My sister is still causing you trouble at the very end.”
As if he saw through my feelings, the elder Horikita quietly apologized.
“It’s not like I’ve lost anything from this.”
As he turned around, the man who was at the forefront of the school for 3 years prepared to leave.
“I can say that these three years, I have continuously walked at the forefront of the school itself.”
This was his conclusion. The elder Horikita’s final words after reviewing his past 3 years.
“Halfway through, I’ve lost a lot of classmates. Other students in other classes have the same experiences.”
The elder Horikita didn’t show joy in graduating from Class A.
Even so, he was not pessimistic. Just a solemn reflection of past events.
“There were 24 dropouts before our graduation. There were 13 in our 3rd year alone.”
I didn’t know if that number was particularly large compared to previous years.
In Nagumo’s 2nd year, there should be 17 dropouts in the winter semester.
“In your first year, only 3 have dropped out so far.”
It wasn’t difficult to imagine that as the school years passed, the situation would become more and more serious.
“Of course, students who cannot complete a task will be expelled.”
“True. The students who get left behind are the ones with low-level abilities. However, sometimes, an excellent student gets left behind as well.”
In order to protect someone, or being trapped by a more powerful opponent.
How an excellent student could get expelled wasn’t hard to conceive.
“Now, I also have some doubts about how the school approaches this. But I’m still thankful towards the school.”
Occasionally, fellow classmates would drop out unexpectedly, but the elder Horikita did not criticize the school’s way of doing things.
“The students of this school are educated for the future of Japan. In a hundred people, not all of them will be able to adapt. The same is true for finding a university or finding a job in a company.”
It was not only about passing or failing, but there could be various influences which decided whether a person was qualified.
“I’ve come to understand this concept. I can feel it from my skin, after leaving this place, I won’t fail in any future selections due to any tactlessness or impulsiveness.”
It seems like he had achieved this amount of growth. How many students in the same year have reached the same heights?
“Let’s call it a day here.”
The main entrance. Elder Horikita looked at the main entrance, which was a few meters in front of him. Then-for the last time, he looked back at me.
“Although this is a one-sided request, I’ll leave Suzune in your care.”
While saying this, elder Horikita stretched out his hands toward me.
“Can I shake your hand?”
“Sure.”
I shook the hand he held out.
Shaking hands was the act of gripping the other’s hand with my own hand.
The elder Horikita’s grip contained incredible power.
Afterwards, both hands naturally let go.
“Until we meet again, Ayanokouji.”
After leaving this farewell message for me, the elder Horikita headed towards the main entrance.
If he was going to leave now, then no one can do anything about it.
The shortest time would be 2 years until I could see the elder Horikita again, or if I took the path of dropping out.
But I will never see this man again.
“Brother——!”
A shout came from behind me.
As for whose voice it was, there was no doubt it was that person.
After hearing this voice, the elder Horikita stopped walking.
It seems at the very end, she was able to catch up.
Part 1
Even though the elder Horikita had disappeared from our sight, we still looked at that direction for some time.
But we couldn’t just stay immersed within this downhearted atmosphere.
So I used my words to get rid of the resolute unbudging state of Horikita.
“So you’re alone now.”
“…Yeah.”
Although it wasn’t the last time they’ll see each other, for the next 2 years, she won’t be able to hear his voice, let alone see his figure.
But Horikita’s face tightened, and a severe expression appeared.
“Thank you, Ayanokouji-san… you’ve really helped me a lot today.”
“Really? I feel like I’m just getting in the way of you two.”
“That’s not the case. If you haven’t talked with my brother, I wouldn’t have been able to catch up. Thank you very much.”
Horikita expressed her gratitude to me who really shouldn’t have been here.
But her line of sight didn’t reach me, and she looked away.
“And this was the day my brother embarked on his journey. It would have been sad if no one but me came to see him off…”
Although this was her brother’s decision, it would indeed feel a bit lonely.
There should have been more people seeing him off originally.
The fact he didn’t do that must be because he was trying to make it easier for his sister.
In order to make it easier for Horikita to come and talk to him, he decided to send away the other people.
This was probably all part of the elder Horikita’s calculations.
“Your brother and I have a sort of relationship together, so I just wanted to talk to him again.”
Although I wasn’t too close to him at the start, I now wanted more opportunities to talk with him more, but it’s too late for that now.
The two of us walked back to the dormitory.
“About your hair, you really decided to cut it, huh.”
Considering how she was acting normal yesterday, as well as her lateness today, it’s not hard to believe that she suddenly resolutely decided to cut her hair this morning. It must’ve been a last-minute choice.
“I’ve always liked this hairstyle. But it feels a little weird.”
Even so, if she just randomly cut it, ruining the wonderful stage her brother prepared for her was not a good thing.
If you wanted to dress up nicely to see him off, there was a risk of arriving late.
But in the end, the gamble paid off.
“But, wouldn’t it be better to have just talked to me first? If you were afraid of not seeing your brother, you could’ve used me to stall and increase the chances of seeing him.”
As long as I knew that she would come, I would definitely help.
If it meant talking more to stall the time…
“Would you help me if I asked for your assistance?”
“Today, no matter what, I’ll help you.”
“I wasn’t sure… is what I’d like to say, but I was planning to ask for your help back then.”
Horikita replied in this way, but when I looked at my cell phone, there was no record of anything.
“Because I was too anxious back then, I left my phone in the dormitory before leaving to cut my hair, but when I finally realized I didn’t have it on me, my hair was already being cut. Really! My thought process is too slow.”
In other words, she felt helpless at that time. Rather than returning to the dormitory to retrieve her phone, she decided to run straight to the main entrance.
“Way too stupid.”
Horikita said as she laughed at herself.
“It also tells me that the firm resolution you had this morning was extremely important to you, Horikita.”
It was a bit funny, imagining what Horikita looked like as she rushed into the shop right after they opened.
But it was because Horikita always acted according to plan, it was understandable that making simple mistakes like that would shake her up.
“Cutting my hair was a way to differentiate myself.”
“What your brother liked, did you think about it then?”
“Of course. I wanted to go back to becoming the old me, and it coincided with wanting to catch up to my brother, that’s all. In another sense, it was the best way to convey my feelings.”
So this strategy was just all a coincidence.
Because I was used to looking at her long hair for a year now, I had strong feelings about this change.
“How does it feel, returning to yourself after all these years?”
“Even if you asked me that, I have no idea how to express it. Sure, I liked this short hair when I was a kid, but I’ve been used to having long hair for so long. My feelings now are quite complex, to tell the truth.”
The short hair that she liked, and the long hair that she’d come to accept.
The past and the present self. No matter which, they were still both Horikita Suzune.
“Now I feel, no matter which version of myself, I can accept it.”
As she said that, Horikita touched her short hair with her fingertips.
“So I want to think about this from the start. The me right now should have something I haven’t seen before. For the next two years, should I leave it to grow, or should I not? If I do leave it to grow, then it’ll take around 2 years for it to grow to the length that it was before…just in time for when we graduate.”
Both her past and present self have been accepted by Horikita.
“What I can understand now, is that it has nothing to do with how long my hair is, as I’m already able to straightforwardly face my brother already.”
I looked forward to how this short-haired Horikita would develop in the future.
In Horikita Manabu’s final moments at the school, he left his sister with many assets. Before, I’d always thought that I needed to help Horikita for her to grow, but it seems like I’ve judged wrong at the end.
“Are you still feeling unwell?”
To be honest, an hour-no, even if you gave me a day, I wouldn’t be able to say what I wanted. There was so much I wanted to say these past years, that I wanted to say, but I couldn’t, that it could be piled up as high as a mountain.
“There… there’s no helping that.
Horikita nodded, accepting that.
“Besides, the wall obstructing my brother and I had already been removed. I just need to complete these next two years, and then I can talk to him as much as I want, right?”
“That’s true. After all, he said he’ll be waiting for you when you graduate.”
After graduation, she should be free to get into touch with the outside world.
And by then, she would be able to meet her brother again, and speak without any limits.
“It’s been a rewarding day today, but let’s not be too greedy, or it might come to bite us.”
Her attitude changed too quickly.
That’s right, she seemed to have switched over again on the surface.
And in her mind right now, she was probably doing everything she could to pretend to be calm, wanting to switch over to that state.
But switching attitudes just like that wasn’t that simple.
“But- it’s fine if it’s just this.”
Horikita, who stopped and did not turn around, said this while standing still.
Her face wasn’t facing me.
No, it was more accurate to say that she couldn’t face me.
“What is it?”
Although I understood within, I pretended to ask anyway.
If it was the usual calm and collected Horikita, she would have noticed that I was playing dumb.
But, today’s Horikita couldn’t see through my facade.
“I… I want to walk around a bit before going back.”
She had an expression that basically said she secretly wanted me to go back to myself without her first.
“Walk around?”
I asked her where she wanted to go, but she couldn’t answer.
“No, I want to go, take a walk or something.”
There was a slight trembling as she vaguely answered.
“Should I come with you?”
“There’s no need.”
As she spoke those vague words, Horikita stepped away from me.
Not towards the Keyaki mall, or the convenience store.
She was trying to find a place where she could be alone.
If she walked to the dormitory with me, it would probably be too late.
I caught up with Horikita in this state.
“Why… are you following me?”
Horikita didn’t look back as she whispered that at me.
“Yeah, I wonder why.”
“If there’s no reason, don’t follow me.”
Despite the rejection from her, I wasn’t planning on going back.
Because during this one year, she’s done some undesirable things to me many times.
“Then let me explain why. It’s because I wanted to tease you.”
“…What are you saying, I don’t understand.”
“Oh, so let me tell you then.”
“You really don’t need to.”
“No, I insist.”
I opened my mouth slowly, in order to break that resolute defence of hers.
“When you’re sad, you shouldn’t suppress those feelings. Wouldn’t it be better to just cry?”
I only said that one sentence.
“…You, didn’t you hear what I said?”
“I heard. Aren’t you happy you were able to reconcile with your brother?”
“Yes. That’s why I’m satisfied. Where, where can you see any sadness in me?”
“There’s no way you’re satisfied. It’s true that you finally can talk to each other after 2 years, but humans aren’t creatures that can be so easily satisfied.
The girl who dreamed of that day had no choice but to endure 2 more years.
Although it wasn’t like she wouldn’t have any happy feelings, this couldn’t be just it.
“I’m… satisfied. I’m satisfied.”
“If that’s the case, would you mind turning this way to face me?”
Horikita still had her back to me.
She didn’t listen to my request, and shook her head from left to right.
“I refuse. Why must I do such a thing?”
“Yeah. I wonder why.”
Faced with Horikita who was walking fast and trying to escape, I said that to her from behind.
“It doesn’t matter if you want to cry.”
After 2 years she reunited with her brother, only to be rejected.
Fighting alone with a high fever on an uninhabited island.
Becoming the object of hatred because of the Class Vote.
But even at those times, Horikita did not cry.
“I, I…”
She stopped walking forward.
After working so, so hard, she finally was able to communicate her feelings with her brother.
If tomorrow came, then they would certainly return to talking and laughing with each other.
However, the elder Horikita had already passed through this gate, starting a new journey.
The next meeting they’ll have would be in 2 years.
“Don’t… Don’t want…”
Horikita’s voice started to tremble slowly.
During these 2 long years, Horiikta would have no choice than to fight, here at this very school.
“But, isn’t there no other way…!”
Within the unyielding Horikita’s eyes, something that was held back for so long finally flowed out
Now, she thought about her brother that had just left.
“But——!”
“I finally…finally realized the errors of my ways…!”
Horikita collapsed, and fell to her knees.
Both hands covered her face, trying to hold back the tears that kept flowing out.
“Yet I’ve separated from my brother again…!”
If it was possible, Horikita would definitely want to walk out of that entrance together with her brother.
The sister that solemnly saw her brother off silently.
“Yeah. You’ll be alone now.”
“Alone…Alone…!”
The loudly weeping girl was like a child.
Letting the tears flow out, but even so, Horikita wanted to endure.
If it weren’t for the school, Horikita would follow her brother to the ends of the earth.
They could see each other, and talk to each other whenever they wanted.
“Now, you just need to cry as much as you want. After that, you’ll need to show your brother in the future how much you’ve grown in. From now on, nothing is restricting your growth.”
There was no need to worry. There were still 2 years left, and during then, Horikita will definitely grow tremendously.
Her brother had to be looking forward to it.
“So that’s it….Manabu.”
My voice, which could no longer reach him, was sucked into the blue sky which ushered in the spring.
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