On a small street not far from Tokyo University, Manabu coldly stared at the high school girl he had cornered.
He raised his hand to adjust his glasses. His tall figure radiated an overwhelming pressure as he spoke in a low voice:
"Suzune, I don't recall ever saying you were allowed to come to campus to look for me."
The girl he had cornered had long black hair reaching her waist. Her fox-like eyes gave off a seductive allure. She wore a high school uniform, her long legs wrapped in black over-the-knee socks.
At first glance, she seemed to exude a "stay away" aura, but now, standing before Manabu, she looked like a helpless girl being bullied.
"It's just… Brother, ever since you went to university, you haven't come home, and you haven't come to see me either. I… I came because Dad and Mom asked me to."
Suzune turned her head slightly, looking uneasy.
"Lies."
Manabu cut her off sharply.
"Suzune, you're bad at lying. The moment you lie, you can't make eye contact. Dad and Mom wouldn't care about things like this. You came on your own."
His words made Suzune fall silent.
"You still haven't changed? That's not good. You don't understand how to interact with others, you don't know how to cooperate, you're just arrogant and willful. What looks like a 'cool' personality is just childish behavior."
His brutal dissection of her thoughts made Suzune's expression turn stubborn.
"There's nothing wrong with admiring someone stronger than yourself. It's natural that you've admired me since you were little, because among the people you know, no one's stronger than me."
Manabu praised himself without hesitation. "...But chasing my shadow won't lead you anywhere. You learned from the wrong person."
"Even academically, you didn't learn the right things. Even when I was in high school, I had to unite everyone I could in order to become Student Council President."
"But you? You just started your first year, and I bet you don't even know the names of your classmates."
Suzune lowered her head, fists clenched tight.
Manabu frowned. "If I remember correctly, Advanced Nurturing High School doesn't allow students to leave campus. How did you get out?"
"The system at Nurturing High changed shortly after you graduated."
"Although Nurturing High has a high college acceptance rate, the number of students getting into top universities is no better than other schools."
"And the mandatory expulsion rule caused backlash from the parents of expelled students. Some of them had real influence and sued the school on behalf of the Japan Parent Committee, leaving the school scrambling."
"And the school's point system, which uses public funds, drew complaints from other schools about wasting taxpayer money."
"Plus, the sponsors weren't seeing returns, so they withdrew their support. The school had no choice but to change its policy."
Manabu listened quietly. He nodded and said, "That was to be expected. Nurturing High looked like it developed students in all areas, but universities only care about grades. The school wasted too much effort elsewhere."
"If they'd followed Shuchiin Academy's model and only recruited children from wealthy families and those with strong academic ability, they could've still maintained performance."
"Rich kids don't need to worry about college. Grades aren't very useful to them. What they should learn is how to improve their character and capabilities."
"Students with academic ability, even from ordinary families, raise the school's university acceptance rate."
"But Nurturing High accepts anyone and then splits them into classes by ranking, turning the lower-ranked into stepping stones. The educational philosophy was flawed from the beginning."
"The law of the jungle shouldn't look like that."
Suzune didn't speak. She didn't really understand any of this. She had applied to Nurturing High simply because her older brother had gone there.
Manabu shook his head. "Forget it. What the school becomes has nothing to do with me. Suzune, don't come looking for me again. Chasing a shadow will only make you lose yourself."
"Though it might destroy your hopes, I have to tell you this. I'm not as great as you think. The reason you idolize me is because your world is too small. You're like a frog in a well."
"Suzune, what you need to do is look at the people around you, learn to change your awkward personality. You have no right to look down on others. All it does is make me find you laughable."
With that, Manabu turned to leave.
But Suzune couldn't accept that.
To her, chasing her brother's back had always been the motivation behind her efforts. If that path was now closed off, how could she accept it?
"The reason I became like this is precisely to keep up with you. I don't need anything else. Being proud of myself is enough. I don't care what others think."
Her stubborn response enraged Manabu.
"Ridiculous! Don't you get it yet? You're just using 'chasing my back' as an excuse. You're afraid of change. Afraid of facing yourself."
"You know deep down you're not as good as you think. You really are lacking in social skills. You're just running from the truth!"
"Chasing my back? You really think you can get into Tokyo University? You think your elementary and middle school grades are enough to get you in here?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Suzune. You don't have that ability. Do you know what kind of monsters are at Tokyo University? Even I, the one you think is so amazing, am just average here."
"What makes you think you can catch up to me?"
Manabu, furious with her lack of growth, raised his hand, about to hit her.
Just then, a hand reached out and caught his wrist. Manabu was stunned. When had someone gotten behind him?
He instinctively tried to shake the hand off, but it didn't budge. That grip was like a mountain.
"Fujiwara-kun?"
Manabu saw who it was. His face changed, and his voice trembled slightly. His chest still faintly ached.
That kick in the Karate Club had left him sore for days.
Later, he'd seen online reports of Toru single-handedly fighting and killing a group of armed thugs.
That was when Manabu realized Toru had held back in the Karate Club. If he hadn't, Manabu might have died from a single kick.
Since then, he'd developed a quiet fear of Toru and came to admire just how many monsters Tokyo University housed.
Suzune had closed her eyes, preparing to take the hit, but the pain never came.
She cautiously opened her eyes and saw her brother's wrist held by another tall man, even more handsome than Manabu.
But why… why did her exceptional brother seem so fearful and hesitant in front of this man? Why was there even a hint of awe in his eyes?
In that moment, Suzune felt her world collapse.
"Horikita, I'm not against men hitting women. I actually support gender equality. Some women really do deserve a slap."
"But if you're going to hit her, can you at least do it somewhere else?"
Toru pointed toward the end of the alley, then toward the road across the street. "There are cameras over there. People are watching you from across the street."
"If you hit her here, you'll be bringing shame to Tokyo University."
Manabu spoke awkwardly, "Sorry you had to see that, Fujiwara-kun. I was just mad at my sister for not putting in effort and wanted to teach her a lesson."
"So she's your sister?"
Toru understood now.
He gave the girl a once-over. She did resemble Manabu a bit. Definitely related by blood. She was a cold beauty.
Suzune couldn't accept what she was seeing. Her brother, whom she had always admired, was now speaking in such a humble tone.
But more than that, it gave her a terrifying feeling that her life's goal had completely collapsed.
She knew her brother was right. She really was using chasing him as an excuse to avoid confronting her own shortcomings.
And now, seeing her brother so subdued in front of this man, she couldn't lie to herself anymore.
Something in her mind snapped. Overwhelmed with fear, she lashed out.
"This is between me and my brother! What business is it of yours, outsider?!"
Toru froze for a moment, then shook his head.
Slap!
A crisp sound rang through the alley.
Suzune staggered and nearly fell. She clutched her cheek in disbelief. Her beautiful face was swollen, with blood at the corner of her mouth.
Humiliation, pain, disbelief, and a flood of emotions overwhelmed her, and tears streamed down her face.
I... I was slapped?
Toru said to Manabu, "Your sister really needed that. She doesn't know when someone's doing her a favor. I was helping her, and she bit back instead."
Manabu's lips twitched.
Although I was about to hit her earlier, I would've gone easy. Fujiwara-kun, that slap was really something else.
The way she got hit… she probably can't go to school today.
She was still his sister, and Manabu felt a bit angry.
But looking at Toru's calm expression and remembering his strength, all that anger faded.
Forget it. Hopefully this will teach you a lesson, Suzune. Don't speak without thinking. Learn to read the room.
Not everyone will go easy on you. I go easy because I'm your brother, but others won't.
"Alright, Horikita, keep working on yourself. I'm heading off."
"Um, Fujiwara-kun, about that camera at the intersection…"
"I was kidding. There's no camera there. If there were cameras everywhere, Tokyo wouldn't have such a high crime rate."
"Then the people watching us from across the street?"
"From that distance? You think they can see clearly? Tokyo University doesn't have uniforms. How would they even know we're from there?"
Right. You've said it all.
Manabu felt helpless.
(To be continued.)
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