Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
Horikita Manabu still maintained his calm demeanor on the surface. His words were less praise and more neutral commentary. But those who knew him understood that this was already a rare affirmation he could give his sister.
He knew his sister's personality better than anyone.
She seemed cold and aloof, but it was actually just because she was stubborn and soft-hearted, and didn't know how to interact with people. This gradually led her to push people away.
She always prided herself on being excellent, yet she couldn't even have a natural conversation with people. Her social skills were probably worse than an elementary school student's.
He recalled meeting elementary school students who'd smile and call him "big brother" when he took the bus to school three years ago, completely unafraid.
But could Horikita do that?
Even when facing her own brother, she always seemed to tense up for no reason, like she was meeting some important figure, extremely reserved.
No matter what she did, she'd take him as her benchmark, always trying to copy him.
Her opening line when they met was always the same: "Brother, I'm no longer the me of the past."
Hearing this too many times, Horikita Manabu only felt a throbbing pain in his temples.
He really couldn't understand where the deviation in his sister's upbringing had occurred.
Actually, he'd been very good to her when she was little.
Occasionally, he'd take her out to eat. Whether it was barbecue or hotpot, he almost never let her do anything, always personally grilling meat and mixing sauces for her.
But for some reason, what he got in return was her complete imitation.
If she imitated him seventy or eighty percent, that'd be fine, but when did he ever act like her, putting on a cold face all day and keeping classmates at arm's length?
He could clearly communicate normally with students from all classes. Everyone respected him, and he'd occasionally even take special care of students without points. Why did she specifically not learn these good things?
Especially every time he saw his sister, she'd inadvertently show that look of "Brother, don't you think I've become very much like you?" with a hint of expectation and hidden eagerness, like she was seeking praise.
This almost foolish attitude always made him unable to resist the urge to scold her a few times.
He never had any tolerance for "adorable clumsiness."
In his opinion, foolishness was foolishness, completely unrelated to appearance.
Even setting aside her excellent appearance, which was identical to his own, all that remained was a foolish person who couldn't grasp the main point.
Not to mention, her imitation, in his eyes, was almost like silent mockery. More like deliberately copying him to provoke him.
Of course, Horikita Manabu knew in his heart that his sister wasn't trying to provoke him. She was just purely foolish.
Even so, he couldn't help but feel annoyed. Just looking at her irritated him.
This is how an older brother feels when faced with an incompetent younger sister.
No one would like a clumsy imitation of themselves, a low-quality knockoff.
Last month, the two met again after two years, and his sister hadn't improved at all. He was so angry he almost couldn't stop himself from teaching her a lesson.
In fact, when he saw her long, straight black hair, his temper flared up again.
If he remembered correctly, it was he who'd once told her to try that hairstyle.
He'd waited two whole years, and what was the result? She was still the same, completely unchanged.
However, what was interesting was that just as he was about to erupt, the underclassman named Shimizu Akira happened to appear.
His own sister seemed particularly concerned about him. What surprised Horikita Manabu even more was that what the guy said was also very interesting, carrying the same disdain for Horikita in his words as he did.
Later, Akira proposed the plan to rent surveillance cameras and immediately earned 12 million points, an operation that made Horikita Manabu look at him with new respect.
Horikita Manabu had a high opinion of this underclassman. His intelligence and emotional intelligence were both outstanding.
Initially, he subconsciously compared him to Nagumo. Both of them possessed wisdom far beyond their peers.
But upon closer examination, he felt they were completely different.
Nagumo's sharpness was like a drawn sword, always carrying deliberate aggression, as if he was ready to gain the upper hand in any confrontation.
But Akira was different. His cleverness was hidden beneath a gentle exterior, like a stone wrapped in cotton. He appeared harmless, but was capable of striking a vital point when he applied force.
Just like the surveillance camera rental. If it were Nagumo, he'd probably use a more flashy method to force the other party to concede, perhaps even deliberately leaving flaws to embarrass his opponent.
But Akira handled everything flawlessly from beginning to end, earning enough points without offending anyone, since he'd used a dummy account throughout.
This underclassman understood "hiding" better than Nagumo.
After all, he was only a first-year student, starting in Class D, so knowing how to bide his time wasn't a bad thing.
And today, seeing him bring his sister here. After their meeting last month, Horikita Manabu could clearly feel that his sister had truly changed.
It was a visible change. Her personality was much more straightforward. At least she could honestly state her shortcomings, and she'd listed three right away.
For someone who was always awkward and stubborn, this was already a gratifying improvement.
Horikita Manabu took a sip of tea and generally understood. If he wasn't mistaken, these changes were mostly the indirect result of Akira's influence.
It seemed that being assigned to Class D wasn't entirely a bad thing for his sister.
In a sense, she should even be grateful she was thrown into this environment. It was this severe blow to her self-esteem that finally made her willing to look at herself.
Otherwise, he couldn't imagine what kind of personality his sister would've developed by graduation three years later. She'd probably still cling to that pitiful pride, unable to learn even a single honest word. Letting her graduate and become a recluse who harms others would be worse than having her drop out directly.
"So, Shimizu." Horikita Manabu temporarily set aside his thoughts about his sister, looked up at the underclassman across from him, and his tone returned to businesslike calmness. "What's your second matter?"
Last time he came with a plan to rent surveillance cameras. What would it be this time?
"It's similar in nature to last time," Akira replied calmly.
"Is that so?" Horikita Manabu genuinely felt a bit of anticipation.
However, at the moment, he had more urgent matters to attend to.
"Horikita Suzune, you go back first." Horikita Manabu's gaze turned to his sister, his tone carrying an undeniable command. "Shimizu and I have important matters to discuss."
He was actually quite satisfied with his sister's recent performance. At least it was much more pleasing than her previous haughty demeanor.
But since Akira specifically came to see him, they were likely discussing something not suitable for others to hear, so his sister naturally shouldn't stay here.
"Okay, Brother." Horikita didn't hesitate at all and immediately stood up.
As she reached the door, her steps slowed for half a beat. She couldn't help but glance back into the counseling room. Her brother was looking at Akira, who was holding a teacup. The atmosphere between them was oddly harmonious.
Of course, she didn't dare voice any objection to her brother, but the moment she turned to close the door, she subtly glared at Akira.
She gave him a look, letting him figure it out for himself.