Hearing Suzune say that in the future she would surpass the two of them with her own strength, Manabu finally showed a satisfied smile.
It wasn't that shallow hint of a smile he sometimes showed, but a genuine, open laugh—something that basically never appeared on the former student council president's face.
He was satisfied with his little sister's breakthrough. Satisfied with her resolve. Satisfied that she would no longer just imitate him, but carve out her own path.
Yukio, meanwhile, didn't say much of anything. People should always be allowed a bit of room to dream, after all.
In his eyes, Suzune's limit was… about there. Surpass him? No chance. But having some ambition wasn't a bad thing.
Now that she'd poured out everything in her heart, Suzune was getting nervous again. She looked at Yukio, then at Manabu, and suddenly didn't know what to say.
Everything she'd wanted to tell her brother, every bit of resolve she'd wanted to show him, was packed into those words just now. With things suddenly quiet, she couldn't help feeling uneasy—how would her brother take it? What would Yukio think?
At that moment, even though his ranking in his sister's heart had dropped a little thanks to Yukio, Manabu's mood was still very good.
Because his sister had grown. Because she was no longer chained down by him.
"Suzune," he said, still smiling, "do you know why, at the beginning, I was so cold to you? Why I didn't want you following me into ANHS?"
"Mm?" Suzune blinked, confused, and shook her head.
This had always been her biggest question. A whole year since enrollment, and Manabu hadn't said more than ten sentences to her.
She'd always assumed it was because she wasn't good enough, because she wasn't competent enough. That she had no right to stand in front of him, so he treated her with that kind of indifference—didn't even want to acknowledge her.
Was there really more to it than that?
"You've actually noticed it yourself," Manabu said, keeping that gentle smile, completely different from his earlier poker face. "It's true you weren't living up to expectations—but not because you weren't excellent enough."
"It was because you were completely trapped by my shadow. Everything you said, did, thought… was just simple imitation of me."
"Suzune, you have your own goals. Your own path. You are you. Your life should have its own brilliance—not just be a copy of mine. Throwing away your own self just to imitate me, and not even realizing it… that was what disappointed me the most."
Only then did Suzune finally understand.
So that was it? Because she'd been chasing his back and copying him the whole time, they'd slowly drifted further and further apart, until there was this seemingly unbreakable wall between them?
Yukio nodded silently.
Manabu's explanation was very straightforward. And he did know his sister well. He hadn't gone spouting any nonsense like, "You have hidden, infinite potential, so I kept my distance to help you awaken," or anything like that.
He simply didn't want her to grow just as a copy of him, and nothing more.
With everything laid bare, the rift between brother and sister—on the very day of his graduation and departure—finally began to disperse with their heartfelt conversation.
From now on, it would be completely gone.
After talking things out, the Horikita siblings both had bright futures ahead of them.
If Yukio had to put it in his own words, it all came down to their personalities.
Manabu had a bit of that "I know, you don't, and I won't explain" internet know-it-all vibe. He understood plenty, but didn't say it out loud.
Suzune was even worse—everything was "I think," "I assumed," "I thought that…" and she never found the actual root of the problem. She didn't even consider mustering up the courage to ask her brother directly.
If she'd talked to him earlier, they might have reconciled back in middle school. There'd have been no need to drag it all the way to high school.
And again, it came back to that one line: Admiration is the feeling furthest from understanding.
It was precisely because the sister admired the brother so much that such a deep rift formed between them. If she hadn't admired him to that extent, maybe she would've tried to communicate properly much sooner.
"It seems the way I was before… really did make you feel I wasn't living up to expectations," Suzune admitted.
But this time, she could face that disappointment calmly.
Her eyes, shining brightly, were full of conviction and spirit. She no longer used her brother's former frustration as a reason to deny herself.
Manabu nodded, fully satisfied.
"Being able to recognize that," he said, "means you've already grown a lot. Being able to face it and then make a firm decision on top of that… that's even more impressive."
"As I'm leaving, this is the best parting gift you and Yukio could have given me."
"Y-you… you two?" Suzune was stunned. Then she realized what he meant.
She sneaked a quick glance at Yukio, and her heart skipped a beat.
Wait… if she really thought about it carefully—yeah. It was "you two."
Without Yukio, never mind forming that resolve—never mind saying all this to her brother—in the middle of the day she'd still be stuck in that cycle of self-denial, too scared to even come here.
If she hadn't come… if she'd kept running away… then they would've missed this moment entirely.
On top of that, without Yukio's guidance, she wouldn't have learned so many things. Without him by her side today, she wouldn't have had the courage to stand here and say all this to her brother…
Looking back now, she realized Yukio wasn't just the tallest mountain currently standing in the way of her life.
It was as if that entire mountain was covered in dandelions. Dandelions that were brilliant at spreading out.
With the lightest breeze, countless seeds would lift off and drift through the air, scattering across every part of her path and quietly taking root, eventually turning into an irreplaceable part of her life's scenery.
Those dandelions had long since started blowing through her inner world, and yet she'd only become aware of them now.
Manabu noticed his sister zoning out and gave a slightly bitter smile.
What could he do? Girls were like that. Once they grew up, they didn't really belong to the family anymore.
He lifted his wrist and checked his watch. It was close to 2 p.m. already.
"That's about it," he said. "Time for me to go."
"Phew… Suzune, do your best."
That was the last encouragement an older brother could give before leaving.
Suzune finally came back to herself, forcibly pushing away all those thoughts about dandelions and Yukio. She hurriedly nodded, hard enough to shake her bangs.
"In… in two years," she declared, "when I graduate, I'll show you, Brother—"
"A me who isn't copying anyone. A better me!"
Manabu smiled and nodded.
Then he turned to Yukio.
"Yukio, I've already arranged things. My last twenty million private points have been left in the student council's budget through the proper channels. The school won't reclaim them."
"So then… until we meet again."
Spring wind brushed past.
The branches all around them, which had been dormant through winter, were slowly waking back up. On some twigs, you could already see tiny pale pink early cherry blossoms.
No falling leaves. No drifting petals. Under the clear, gentle spring sunlight, Manabu waved, looking utterly at ease.
It was as though he had completely laid down every burden.
After passing the graduation verification at the school gate, he finally left ANHS.
That lone back, seen off by only two people, walking away from the gates—it marked the exit of this year's third-years from the stage.
And it marked the beginning of a new school year, and a new cycle, about to start once more.
....
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