"Damn it, damn it, damn it! That damn bitch!"
A few seconds later, Kushida Kikyo resumed her previous actions, kicking the railing and cursing Horikita Suzune as if nothing had happened.
'Yare yare, looks like it's been successfully resolved.'
At this moment, Saiki Kusuo had already returned to his spot behind the tree.
'Although I've used this ability before, it was usually just to erase a single sentence from someone's memory. I've never erased a full minute before. Normally, the target's brain would fill in the blank memory... I don't know what kind of memory she'll fill it with, but it seems like the gap was filled with her continued venting.'
Saiki Kusuo muttered to himself in his mind.
Perhaps because Kushida Kikyo's obsession with Horikita Suzune was so deep, the blank memory was filled with related thoughts.
While modifying her memory earlier, Saiki Kusuo had also slipped the phone back into her pocket, effectively resolving the issue.
Saiki Kusuo then left the area near Kushida Kikyo. He didn't want to get entangled with her any further.
'There aren't many normal students in this school. If things continue like this, the consequences after graduation are unimaginable. Well, no point thinking too much about it. Since I'm already out this late, I might as well grab some snacks and drinks before heading back.'
Although it was very late and most shops on campus were closed, there were vending machines scattered around the school, which provided a lot of convenience for students.
Saiki Kusuo quickly walked up to a vending machine and spent a few points to buy a can of coffee—
Just then, he caught a very familiar voice.
"Suzune, you actually followed me here."
"I'm not the useless girl you used to know anymore, Brother. I came here to catch up to you!"
'It's Horikita... and her brother, right?'
Saiki Kusuo's eyebrows twitched slightly. He had only met Horikita Manabu, Horikita Suzune's brother, twice before—once during the opening ceremony and the second time during swimming class when Saiki Kusuo used his X-ray vision to observe him. He had never actually interacted with him.
'Seems like their relationship isn't great, but it's none of my business.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself as he popped open the can of coffee, took a sip, and prepared to leave.
"To catch up to me? Choosing this school was my failure."
"I'll soon rise to Class A, and then..."
"You can't do it."
'Yare yare, the atmosphere seems a bit tense. Although nothing should happen on school grounds, I'll keep an eye on it. Not because I want to watch the drama, of course.'
Saiki Kusuo sipped his coffee while shifting his gaze toward the source of the voices. His vision pierced through several walls, landing on Horikita Suzune and Horikita Manabu not far away.
"I... I can do it..."
Horikita Suzune lowered her head, her voice weakening.
At this moment, she looked completely different from her usual self. In class, Horikita Suzune always carried an air of aloofness, her words and actions exuding arrogance, never hiding her disdain for those around her.
But now, Horikita Suzune seemed almost... humble.
'I remember hearing Horikita Suzune's thoughts on the first day of school. It seems she enrolled in this school because of Horikita Manabu... A brother complex?'
Saiki Kusuo muttered to himself in his mind.
"I will definitely do it..."
Horikita Suzune said, but her voice, like her body, trembled slightly, as if she lacked confidence.
[I... I... I must rise to Class A. Only then can I earn Brother's approval... I came to this school to prove myself in front of Brother... No matter what, I must rise to Class A!]
'I see. No wonder she's so obsessed with rising to Class A.'
"What a stubborn little sister."
Horikita Manabu's expression remained unchanged throughout, but after hearing Horikita Suzune's words, a hint of anger seemed to seep into his tone. He grabbed Horikita Suzune's hand and pinned her against the wall.
"Being placed in Class D is a disgrace to me, even if you've risen to Class C. It's still a failure. Leave this school immediately. You don't have the ability or the right to climb higher!"
From his tone, Horikita Manabu seemed to hold his sister in contempt. However, Saiki Kusuo could clearly hear his inner thoughts.
[Honestly, Suzune, you have the potential to surpass me. Why do you keep trying to imitate me? I deliberately distanced myself from you, hoping it would help you grow, but instead, you followed me to this school... How disappointing. You should've been able to carve your own path. Back then, I lied to you, saying I liked long hair, and you grew yours out... Sigh...]
'Yare yare, so the brother is actually worried about his sister. He looks cold and arrogant, but he really cares about her...'
Saiki Kusuo sipped his coffee while observing the siblings.
'—But why not just tell her directly? If the brother doesn't want his sister to imitate him, just say it. Deliberately keeping quiet and distancing himself only makes things more complicated.'
Saiki Kusuo couldn't quite understand their thought processes, but this was someone else's family matter, so he wasn't planning to interfere. He decided to head back to his dorm and rest.
[No, I need to make Suzune realize where she's going wrong. She needs to understand how far off the mark she is!]
Thinking this, Horikita Manabu raised his fist, ready to strike Horikita Suzune.
"I just want to prove myself in front of Brother... It must be because I'm not good enough that Brother has been distancing himself from me..."
"Suzune, why do you keep imitating me? You could've walked your own path! The more you imitate me, the less you shine. You've completely misunderstood the true meaning of being aloof and isolated. That's why you were placed in Class D... Wait, what did you say?"
"Brother... what did you just say?"