Despite her words, Kaoru didn't step aside.
Instead, he stated matter-of-factly.
"I'll go with you."
Horikita grew agitated, her voice tinged with anger.
"I don't need your interference! You have no right to meddle in my affairs—please leave!"
"Coming across a distressed beauty and butting in is perfectly normal. Besides, we're rivals to begin with." Kaoru shrugged.
"I think it's necessary to assess your current state—whether you still deserve to stand beside the President or even remain at this school."
"Cut the nonsense! My relationship with my brother has nothing to do with you!" Horikita spat bitterly.
"Why would he take notice of someone like you? You're just a lecherous pervert who toys with women, flirting shamelessly every day. Meanwhile, I've worked so hard, endured so much... and in the end, I have nothing to show for it?"
She had thought that cooperating with Class A would at least preserve Class D's points.
Yet now, even those were slipping away completely.
As the competition progressed, Class D's morale plummeted.
Even the usually oblivious students realized they were in trouble—Class C might be targeting them.
Sudou Ken, unable to tolerate Ryuuen Kakeru's provocations and frustrated by his class's poor performance, had skipped the 200-meter race.
His current whereabouts were unknown.
Upon hearing this, Horikita nearly had a heart attack.
The moment her own event ended, she rushed out to find him.
Not because she particularly cared about Sudou himself, but because Class D couldn't afford to lose him now.
Horikita believed she had done her best—excelling in individual competitions, aiming for higher scores.
The school rewarded top-three placements with Personal Points, which could help settle her debt.
More importantly, she wanted her brother to notice her efforts!
She had even suppressed her emotions daily, strictly adhering to her commitments.
After all this, why was she still failing?
No matter how much she thought about it, Horikita couldn't find a reasonable explanation.
She hadn't done anything wrong—had she?
"Not long ago, you did something terrible to someone, yet now you can say things like 'rival,' 'whether they deserve to stay here,' and 'second place is great too' with a straight face. Are you suffering from a split personality?"
"Isn't Class D losing a good thing for you? Because they lost, this person is getting further and further from Class A. She doesn't even have any Personal Points, so you can keep toying with her at your leisure. And if you get bored, you can just have her expelled later."
"Let her cling to unrealistic fantasies—thinking she can get closer to Class A, thinking she can earn her brother's approval—then crush her hopes and kick her out. Haven't you ever thought of doing that?"
"Anyway, you were planning to have me expelled from the start, weren't you? Enjoying the sight of me struggling, tormenting me in private, relishing my unwilling yet compliant expressions. I've had enough of your two-faced nature—sometimes kind, sometimes cruel. If you've got the guts, go ahead and expel me. Either make me leave or let me go right now."
As if venting the frustration and disgust she had long suppressed, Horikita Suzune poured out the thoughts buried deep in her heart.
She nearly cried, her shoulders swaying like a small boat tossed by turbulent waves.
Her voice crackled like fire in Kaoru's ears.
When she finally finished, Kaoru finally spoke.
"Are you telling me all this because you've given up on yourself?"
"Given up?" Horikita let out a bitter laugh. "No, I just want to see how far you're willing to go!"
"How far I go isn't up to me—it's up to you. The faster you improve, the less I can do to stop you," Kaoru said softly.
"Among the people I know, you're probably one of the quickest to change yourself. You've always known exactly what you want."
"Hah. What I want?" Horikita sneered. "You always look at me like that, as if you understand me. When in reality, you're nothing but a sleazebag."
"Has the student council president ever told you that you're just chasing after his shadow?" Kaoru asked.
Horikita fell silent for a moment.
"What's it to you?"
"The president thinks you only admire him. Because of that admiration, you aspire to become someone like him, and imitation is the easiest way to get close. So, ever since you were little, you've copied his every move—what he studied, you studied; what he did, you did—"
"Enough! What are you trying to say?"
"In your heart, you must have some awareness of what you're doing," Kaoru said with a faint smile.
"But is that really how you see yourself?"
A flicker of confusion passed through Horikita's eyes.
The earlier agitation had quietly faded, and she didn't notice how Kaoru was steering her train of thought.
"A little sister who only chases after her brother?" he asked.
"I… I don't know…" Horikita's voice was subdued.
"I just wanted to stand beside my brother, to have him acknowledge me…"
"And then what? After he acknowledges you, what do you want?" Kaoru pressed.
Horikita grew even more lost.
She didn't have an answer for that.
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