Chapter 14: He is my brother, not your brother!
______
Rin Matsuoka took a quick look at the three other classes and concluded that, in terms of looks, the girls in these classes combined could barely compete with those in his own Class D!
There were only two attractive girls in Class A: a tall girl with long lavender hair and a petite silver-haired girl who walked with a cane. *Is she really a high school student?* Rin wondered.
Class B had only one pretty girl, a blonde with a great figure.
Class C also had just one standout—a sweet and cute girl with a light and graceful demeanor. The rest of the girls in Class C, however, were, in Rin's opinion, unattractive.
"Given the circumstances, I'm really lucky to have been placed in Class D," Rin muttered happily to himself.
There were plenty of beautiful girls in Class D: his deskmate, Horikita Suzune; Hasebe Haruka the blue-haired girl sitting in front of him; and Sakura Airi, who might seem a bit like a country girl now but, Rin was convinced, would become stunning with a little effort.
Additionally, there were three other beautiful girls in Class D: Karuizawa Kei, Kushida Kikyo, and Chiaki Matsushita.
By a simple count, there were six attractive girls in Class D. In terms of both quantity and quality, Class D easily outshone the other three classes.
At that moment, all the freshmen from the four classes had assembled in the gymnasium. With no teachers or staff to control them, a steady hum of conversation and laughter filled the space.
Rin glanced over at the four teachers standing on one side of the gym. There were two men and two women, who seemed to be the homeroom teachers of each class.
Tomonari Mashima, the homeroom teacher of Class A.
Hoshinomiya Chie, the homeroom teacher of Class B.
Kazuma Sakagami, the homeroom teacher of Class C.
Chabashira Sae, the homeroom teacher of Class D.
At exactly eleven o'clock, a figure emerged from the side of the podium. The boy walked with steady and dignified steps toward the lectern.
He wasn't particularly tall, around 170 cm, with a well-proportioned build. Wearing the standard high school uniform, his calm expression, clean black hair, and black-framed glasses gave him a composed and intellectual appearance.
This senior student's appearance caused Horikita Suzune's face to show a very complicated expression, a mixture of surprise, joy, nervousness, and hesitation.
Rin, too, looked surprised at the sight of this boy. He nudged Horikita Suzune's arm with his elbow. "Horikita, that must be your brother!"
"Hmm..." Horikita Suzune replied softly, still looking conflicted. She then glared at Rin, who seemed far too delighted. "Why are you so happy?"
"He's my brother, not yours"
"It's all the same," Rin waved off her comment dismissively.
"Hmm!" Horikita Suzune widened her striking fox-like eyes. *What does he mean by 'all the same'?* she thought.
*You can only call my brother 'brother' if you marry me or join my family. So, do you want to marry me or join my family?*
Rin quickly realized that "all the same" might not have been the best choice of words, so he explained, "I mean, your brother took such good care of me before, it felt like he was my own brother."
"Hmph." Horikita Suzune snorted coldly.
"Hehe."
"Hehehe."
"Ha~"
Rin chuckled, and Horikita Suzune fell silent. Her fists clenched, and she wanted to punch Rin right then and there. But with her brother standing on the platform, observing the scene below, she didn't dare make a move.
Kushida Kikyo, standing in the back, glanced curiously at Rin Matsuoka as he whispered to Horikita Suzune. With a puzzled expression, she murmured to herself, "How come those two are so close? They're even closer than most couples. But didn't those girls back in junior high say that Rin Matsuoka didn't have a girlfriend?"
"Could it be that the two of them got together after graduation?" she wondered.
Meanwhile, on the podium, Horikita Manabu stood calmly in front of the microphone, his expression neutral as he gazed down at the first-year students.
He was scanning the new students this year, and when his eyes fell on Horikita Suzune, a slight frown creased his brow.
"Suzune? It must be Suzune... Why did she apply to this school? Has she still not given up her admiration for me?" Horikita Manabu pondered silently.
From a young age, Horikita Manabu had been remarkably accomplished, the kind of person people often referred to as a "model child." As his younger sister, Horikita Suzune admired him deeply. She had a dream of becoming "as outstanding as her brother," which led her to respect and strive to emulate him.
She even grew her hair long simply because Horikita Manabu once mentioned that he liked long hair, even though she preferred it short.
Horikita Manabu was well aware of his sister's shortcomings and felt troubled by the fact that she only imitated him without having goals or making decisions of her own.
For this reason, he had enrolled in this particular school, where contact with the outside world was restricted. He hoped that by distancing himself from Suzune, she would stop mimicking him and develop her own identity.
But now, he could see her among the new students…
His sister had applied to the same school. Wasn't this just another attempt to imitate him?
Horikita Manabu, maintaining a stoic expression, felt a headache coming on.
"I wonder how Suzune and Rin Matsuoka have been getting along during the two years I've been away," he thought.
His focus remained entirely on Suzune, so much so that he didn't notice that Rin Matsuoka, the very person he was thinking about, was standing right beside her.
Minutes ticked by. Under Horikita Manabu's stern and intense gaze, the freshmen gradually fell silent. The noise in the gymnasium slowly faded, and soon, even the air seemed to hold its breath.
Rin Matsuoka leaned over and whispered to Horikita Suzune again, "Horikita, knowing your brother, if everyone keeps making noise, he'll just keep staring at us like this."
"The entrance ceremony might not start until after dark."
"My brother wouldn't do something like that. And stop talking to me!" Horikita Suzune hissed, her expression tense.
"Snort."
"..."
Horikita Suzune now felt torn—part of her wanted to grunt in annoyance, while another part wanted to punch Rin Matsuoka. But with her brother's intimidating presence on the stage, she didn't dare make a move.
Once the room had finally settled into complete silence, Horikita Manabu began to speak.
"I am Horikita Manabu, a student in Class A of Senior Year 3, and the president of the Student Council," he announced.
After introducing himself, Horikita Manabu gave a brief and standard speech about the school's history and campus scenery, welcoming all students to their new academic journey.
"That's all."
Within three minutes, Horikita Manabu had concluded his speech. Just as he was about to let the homeroom teachers lead their students out, an elderly man with silver hair walked out from the side of the podium.
Chairman Sakayanagi?
Both Horikita Manabu and the four homeroom teachers were momentarily stunned, as was Rin Matsuoka, watching from the audience.
________
Give me some power stones