The main gate of ANHS.
They'd passed through it a few times before for off-campus exams, but under normal circumstances, students rarely came near this place.
You couldn't get out anyway; coming here would only make you feel worse. Better to head to the Keyaki Mall and enjoy yourself.
But right now, Manabu was already there.
He stood in the shade of a tree near the gate, a gentle spring breeze brushing past as he stared off into space.
Yukio, leading a mentally tangled-up Suzune, walked over to the entrance. He casually took out his phone and checked the time.
1:20 p.m.
Looked like Manabu had already been waiting at least twenty minutes. That was some patience.
Or rather, it showed just how seriously he took Suzune. Yukio had worked with Manabu before; the man's usual style was sharp and efficient, not the type who enjoyed quietly waiting around.
Sensing someone approaching, Manabu immediately looked up. When he saw Yukio and his sister, that ever-cold face finally softened with a faint smile.
Seemed like asking Yukio had been the right choice. As he nodded to himself, recognizing Yukio's reliability yet again, Horikita Manabu stepped forward to greet him.
"Yukio, I'll be leaving the school to you for the next two years."
Yukio's molars ached a little at that.
Seriously? He'd come with Suzune, and Manabu only talked to him?
Just how long were these siblings planning to stay this awkward?
And it was pretty much as he'd predicted. If Manabu was only talking to him, he was bound to say something like this sooner or later—as if he were making a final effort for his alma mater, hoping the ANHS he'd attended for three years wouldn't be left to rot into some brutal place after he left.
Yukio simply waved a hand, refusing to take the bait.
"I brought the person. You two siblings can talk slowly. I won't get in the way."
"Huh? Y-you're leaving already?"
The first one to object wasn't Manabu, but Suzune.
She clearly panicked at the thought of Yukio turning around and walking off, instinctively blurting out a plea for him to stay. Just that one line was enough to make Horikita Manabu's eyes narrow slightly.
Suzune caught up a second later.
That plea had come straight from her subconscious. Her brain hadn't even had time to process it. Only now did she realize how bad it sounded.
It made her seem overly dependent on Yukio.
Worse, her brother might look down on her for it.
But what could she say? The only reason she'd come to see Manabu off at all… was because Yukio had talked her through it and given her the courage to stand here.
Step by step, under his influence, she'd finally made it to the front gate. And now he suddenly wanted to leave—of course she'd feel scared at the thought of facing her brother alone.
That's why those words had slipped out.
Now that she thought about it, Suzune's anxiety spiked.
Why couldn't she talk without messing up? How was she supposed to explain this to Yukio? To her brother?
This was a disaster.
Yukio gave her a surprised look, but didn't seem bothered. He just turned his palm upward as if asking for something.
"Did either of you bring sunflower seeds? If you did, I wouldn't mind staying to crack some and watch your little family drama."
Suzune's expression stiffened.
She'd let him talk her into coming here in a moment of hot-headed courage. Who had time to grab sunflower seeds on the way out?
So she could only sneak a glance at Manabu, as if silently asking: Bro… you got any seeds?
"…"
Manabu forcibly held himself back, the muscles in his cheeks twitching twice despite his efforts.
Who in their right mind shows up to their own graduation send-off with sunflower seeds?
What, was he supposed to spit a carpet of shells at the main gate as some kind of graduation memory?
That kind of stunt might suit Yukio's graduation two years from now—but it definitely wasn't something he would do.
Still, sunflower seeds weren't really the point here.
Manabu knew he couldn't keep being this stiff forever. There were things he wanted to say to Yukio as well.
"Yukio. And… Suzune."
He paused, making sure to include his sister this time.
"Suzune, wait just a bit. Let me talk to Yukio first."
Oh? Not ignoring his sister anymore?
Now that was more like it. Finally dropping the act. Much better. Yukio raised a brow at him, expression saying spit it out already—he was this close to wanting a fast-forward button.
Next to them, Suzune's face brightened slightly.
So… her brother wasn't upset she'd come to see him off?
Yukio had been right—not running away was the correct answer. Her brother seemed willing to accept her being here.
Then all she had to do was wait patiently, right?
Catching Yukio's micro-expressions, Manabu smiled faintly. He didn't take it as a sign of disrespect—if anything, he found it nostalgic.
Back when he was still student council president, Yukio had looked like this all the time—slouchy, a bit roguish, but very genuine. Manabu hadn't minded it then, and he didn't now.
"Yukio. Even now, right on the verge of leaving ANHS, I keep finding myself wondering… These three years—what did I actually accomplish here? And what did I fail to accomplish?"
"Did I truly show my full strength? Or did I fall short? Is there still room for growth? Or have I already reached the end of my growth in this school?"
"Yukio, do you have an answer to that?"
Yukio smiled faintly and gave a surprisingly simple reply.
"That's easy. Hold it in and stop thinking about it."
To put it bluntly, they weren't standing on the same step of the social ladder.
The things Manabu needed to ponder, and the things Yukio needed to ponder, existed on different tiers of the larger hierarchy.
Manabu blinked. His opening had been "even now, I still can't stop thinking about it," and now he was being told "then don't think about it."
After a beat of silence, he let out a quiet chuckle and relaxed.
"I see. That might be for the best. My thoughts, my reflections—they're ultimately my own. What they lead to, what they inspire… that's for you to think through yourself."
Tch. As expected of Manabu—he understood fast. He had been about to say more, but once he realized that much, he let it go.
Instead, he smiled—an uncommon, genuine smile from the former student council president—and simply held out his right hand.
"Then, one last handshake, Yukio."
"Yeah."
This meant one of them was leaving the school, while the other was staying behind. From here on out, they were no longer senior and junior, but peers.
Yukio gladly accepted, gripping Manabu's hand.
"Safe travels."
It was the best blessing he could offer someone graduating and leaving ANHS—to wish that, on the new journey ahead, everything would go smoothly.
"Good. Until we meet again."
It was the perfect reply from Manabu.
If only one person's journey went smoothly, the chances of crossing paths again would be slim. But if both of them could walk their roads well, then someday, somewhere, they were bound to meet again.
Off to the side, Suzune watched in fascination, eyes fixed on their joined hands.
This was the first time she'd ever seen her brother acknowledge someone of the same age like this—someone who wasn't older or in a higher position than him.
It was also the first time she'd seen Yukio show this level of respect… to someone inside ANHS.
....
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