I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

Even if the result is being smashed to pieces.

Because they can't catch up, they want to surpass even more.

This may sound contradictory, but that's exactly what Horikita Suzune was thinking.

Horikita Suzune quickened her pace. She gradually lost the pain in her throat, and even the heaviness in her legs began to dissipate.

She felt an unprecedented sense of excitement.

call---.

A sharp whistling sound flashed past her ears, and at that moment, Horikita Suzune finally managed to slightly touch the hem of Horikita Manabu's clothes.

Horikita Suzune clenched her teeth, her eyes flashing with determination.

A flame ignited in her heart, driving her to pursue Horikita Manabu with all her might.

With each step she took, she was filled with unwavering determination, and she felt the breath of victory drawing ever closer.

She recalled all the efforts she had made so far to catch up with Horikita Manabu, the countless days and nights she spent in the dark and the countless drops of sweat she shed on the playground and training grounds were all proof of her hard work.

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

Horikita Suzune let out another hysterical, almost insane scream.

The consequence of speaking loudly while running was that she was forced to experience the cold and stinging sensation of the wind entering her mouth again.

But at this moment, the cold wind seemed to carry an invigorating power, flowing into Horikita Suzune's body. Gradually, Horikita Suzune began to forget her fatigue, and every step she took became so exhilarating.

"what?"

Amane looked at Horikita Suzune with surprise as she accelerated for the second time. As the saying goes, one should strike while the iron is hot, but the momentum will wane and eventually be exhausted.

From the moment Horikita Suzune first let out a loud shout, Amane judged that Horikita Suzune should be about to lose heart.

To her utter surprise, Horikita Suzune, instead of giving up after shouting, gradually caught up with Horikita Manabu.

Then, after shouting a second time, he suddenly accelerated and rushed to within a body length of Horikita Manabu.

"Did she break through her limits in a moment of despair? Rinne's luck is pretty good, but that's probably not all..."

Before Tianyin could finish speaking, the two sides were already less than thirty meters from the finish line.

Despite how close Horikita Suzune is to Horikita Gakuen now, she has only managed to get this far by pushing her body to the limit.

They immediately lose heart at the slightest disturbance.

Horikita has not yet exerted his full strength... no, Horikita's taut muscles are already showing signs of exertion, but because he managed his facial expressions so well, he almost fooled even Amane.

What choice will Horikita Gakuin make at this crucial moment?

With only the road ahead in her eyes, Horikita Suzune stomped her feet rapidly along the innermost circle of the path.

Gradually, her figure began to align with Horikita Manabu's on the outermost circle in a straight line.

At last.

Horikita's body paused abruptly at the moment he crossed the finish line, and only when Horikita Suzune crossed the finish line did Horikita Manabu follow closely behind.

"Congratulations on your ringtone."

After taking a deep breath to calm his agitated chest, Horikita Manabu immediately sent his congratulations to Horikita Suzune.

At that moment, Horikita Suzune seemed to have all her strength drained away in an instant, her legs went weak, and in a panic, her first reaction was to quickly close her eyes.

It's as if closing your eyes will prevent you from feeling the pain of falling to the ground.

However, the sensation that followed was not the cold ground, but a softer body.

"Heavenly Sound..."

Amane grabbed Horikita Suzune and hugged her tightly before Horikita could finish.

"It's just a game, there's no need to push yourself so hard."

Amane gently patted Horikita Suzune's head, glancing meaningfully at someone.

Horikita Manabu knew that this competition seemed to have gone a bit too far, but with Horikita Suzune watching him, he could never admit that this competition was just a spur-of-the-moment thing.

"If it's nothing, my legs are just a little weak. Who won between my brother and me just now?"

Horikita Suzune was more concerned about the outcome of the previous match.

"Of course my Rinne won~ I knew Rinne was the best! Mua~"

"Hey! Tianyin! Brother, brother is still here..."

Hearing Horikita Suzune say that, Amane gave Horikita Manabu an annoyed look.

Horikita Manabu knew that Amane was urging him to leave quickly, but there were still some things he wanted to say to Horikita Suzune.

"You've become stronger, Rinne."

For a fleeting moment, Horikita Manabu's poker face broke into a smile, but before Horikita Suzune could get a good look, he turned away, picked up his slippers, put them on, and headed towards the dormitory building.

"elder brother!!!"

"You've surpassed me. From now on, no one can guide you. You need to learn to protect yourself, understand?"

After finishing his speech, Horikita waved goodbye to the two of them and then strode into the dormitory building.

This conversation might be the last one between Horikita Manabu and Horikita Suzune before Horikita graduates.

"Heavenly Sound..."

"I'm here."

Did I really beat my brother?

Horikita Suzune looked at her hands in disbelief.

She seemed unable to believe that what she had longed for would come so easily.

"Yeah, didn't Horikita-senpai himself say that you won?"

"Then why can't I feel joy?"

Horikita Suzune raised her head, and only then did Amane realize that Horikita Suzune was silently shedding tears without even realizing it.

Logically speaking, Amane should have given Horikita Suzune some time to express her feelings.

However, Amane took out a tissue and wiped away Horikita Suzune's tears.

"I've said it before, I don't like seeing you cry."

"I just couldn't control myself..."

"That won't do either. As punishment, tonight..."

"Ah."

Even though Amane hadn't said anything yet, Horikita Suzune, lying in Amane's arms, seemed to already know what Amane was thinking, and simply responded with a soft "hmm".

Seeing Horikita Suzune smile again, Amane finally felt relieved.

This money was well spent.

……

"Tianyin, wake up!"

"Let me sleep a little longer..."

"You'll be late if you keep sleeping! Hurry up and get ready, you can still make it to breakfast."

Unfortunately, no matter how much Horikita urged her, Amane remained lying on the bed, looking listless and weak.

Having no other choice, Horikita Suzune could only give Amane a light kiss on the forehead.

"Okay, now it's time to get up obediently."

Having no other choice, Tianyin rolled all the way from the bed to the floor.

It's not that she doesn't want to remember; well, she just doesn't want to.

Yesterday, I don't know if it was because she defeated Horikita Manabu that Horikita Suzune was in such high spirits.

He was actually willing to play with her even though he used to be hesitant and awkward, and they didn't finish until almost five o'clock.

It's only seven o'clock and I have to get up to go to class again.

This was absolutely terrible for Tianyin, who always loved to sleep in...

Amane looked at Horikita's radiant face; she couldn't tell at all that he had only slept for two hours, and he didn't even have dark circles under his eyes!

Even Tianyin had to admit that people's physical constitutions cannot be generalized.

"Alright, hurry up and eat. After school... I'll give you a good reward!"

What will the reward be?

"I plan to buy a few pairs of white over-the-knee socks after school this afternoon."

A hair that looked like a cowlick stuck out from Amane's head. Horikita pressed it curiously but found that the cowlick was quite stubborn, so he ignored it.

Just as Horikita was about to continue coaxing Amane to go to school, Amane suddenly scrambled up from the floor and rushed to the bathroom to wash up.

Horikita Suzune then went to the mirror and began to examine herself.

"I always feel that black suits me better, so why is Tianyin so fond of white?"

Horikita Suzune looked at her legs and was puzzled.

Whether considering the overall appearance or the femininity, black over-the-knee stockings would suit her better.

She needs to ask Tianyin properly when she has time.

Of course, under normal circumstances, Tianyin would not tell the truth; you can only ask him in another place.

Horikita Suzune glanced at the messy bed, her gaze instinctively becoming somewhat evasive.

Her cheeks also turned slightly red.

……

As soon as she entered the classroom, Tianyin ran quickly to her seat, put down her books, and collapsed onto the desk.

Tianyin prefers to use class time to catch up on sleep rather than listen to lectures, even though doing so may cause dissatisfaction among some people and may result in the deduction of class points.

However, so far, most of the class points for Class B have been earned by Amane. In yesterday's special Q&A exam, they decisively defeated Class A. If Horikita hadn't made a small mistake, the two classes would probably have switched places yesterday.

Therefore, even if others know that Tianyin's behavior violates school rules, they won't say much. As long as Tianyin can bring them personal points and help them graduate from Class A, even being a dog is not an unacceptable thing.

After climbing from the bottom of the valley to Class B, which was only nine points behind Class A, everyone in Class B became quite realistic.

It's also impossible for a situation like when she was just starting out in school, where someone stood on a moral high ground to criticize her for sleeping in class.

Goodnight, Maca...

"oops!"

A sudden scream from behind startled Tianyin, instantly waking her up.

"Lingyin, what's wrong?"

Many students in the class looked at Horikita's seat because of her scream, but Horikita looked a little embarrassed. She hesitated for a moment, covering her buttocks with her hands, before sitting back down.

After all, standing there would be too conspicuous.

At the same time, Horikita glared fiercely at Amane.

Tianyin blinked innocently, not knowing what she had done wrong.

Seeing this, Horikita became even angrier.

Tianyin actually went to such extremes!

Because she slept on her side, Horikita Suzune didn't feel any burning pain in certain areas.

The sharp pain I felt when I suddenly sat down on the bench was... indescribable.

Just as Horikita was struggling with the pain with a conflicted expression, Chabashira-sensei walked into the classroom with a poker face that looked ominous.

As soon as I entered, I saw Horikita looking like he had a stomachache.

"Horikita, what's wrong? You look terrible. Do you need to go to the infirmary?"

Faced with Chabashira-sensei's concern, Horikita had no way to express his bitterness.