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

Click.

It looks like something else has broken.

Chapter 227: The Final Chapter of First Year

"Brother, what strange things are you saying? I cut my hair short because Amane said she prefers girls with short hair, so I cut it short to look like Sakayanagi. What does that have to do with you, brother?"

Horikita Suzune's words dealt the final blow to Horikita Manabu's already fractured heart.

When Horikita Manabu saw that Horikita Suzune had changed to the short hair he remembered from long ago, he felt incredibly proud that his younger sister could finally stand on her own.

Without the shadows of his past, Rin would surely become an even more outstanding talent than him, right?

With that, he could finally leave with peace of mind.

To his utter surprise, this proud 'farewell to the past' wasn't specially prepared for him, but rather cut short to make Tianyin happy.

The continuous blows completely broke down Horikita Manabu's defenses. Although he was somewhat despondent, he still maintained a calm facade. Horikita Manabu didn't want Horikita Suzune to see him looking so pathetic at this moment.

Once he calmed down, Horikita Manabu began to recall the various changes that Horikita Suzune had undergone at the school. Then he discovered something that had been overlooked before: while Horikita Suzune had indeed been developing in a positive direction, it was all due to the influence of Amane. Although it was originally Horikita Manabu's responsibility to get rid of Amane, Horikita Suzune's changes were indeed a bit too extreme.

Now, Horikita Suzune has completely changed from relying on her brother to relying on Amane. Moreover, unlike herself, Horikita Suzune has a closer relationship with Amane than she does, which makes the impact on Horikita Suzune even more profound.

no doubt.

Horikita Suzune has transformed into the shape of Amane.

Why did he, the older brother, become the loser in the end? This was something Horikita Manabu couldn't understand no matter how hard he tried. However... there was one thing Horikita Manabu did understand: if Horikita Suzune continued to develop like this, she would definitely no longer need her older brother after graduating.

This was something Horikita Manabu could not accept no matter what, so... he had to find a way to correct Horikita Suzune's mistake!

"Ju, I suddenly want to repeat a year at this school."

"Huh?! Why did you suddenly say something like that?"

Akane Tachibana's eyes widened in surprise at Horikita Manabu's statement.

“I suddenly realized that I still have many shortcomings. It is too early for me to embark on the journey of society, so I plan to repeat a year of high school.”

Horikita's serious demeanor not only convinced Tachibana Akane, but even Horikita Suzune, who was standing next to him, showed a surprised expression.

"Horikita-senpai, are you sure you're not thinking of repeating a year because you're resentful about being abandoned by your sister?"

Amane also moved closer to Horikita Manabu and asked in a low voice.

The result was Horikita Manabu's expression, as if he were looking at a paramecium.

"How could I repeat a year for that reason? I just simply feel..."

"But I feel that if my brother were to repeat a year of high school, it would seem superfluous."

"Extra...redundant?"

Horikita Manabu never expected that one day he would hear Horikita Suzune say that he was superfluous.

"Brother, think about it. You've already had your graduation ceremony and even attended the closing ceremony. If you repeat a year, won't you be the one going on stage again next year to repeat what you learned this year? Just thinking about it makes me so embarrassed that I want to stop thinking... In order not to affect your reputation, you should just graduate as soon as possible."

Horikita Suzune's point is indeed a problem. Generally speaking, the representatives selected for such large-scale events are usually very famous figures in that grade. However, there are not many famous people among the second-year students. If there is, it would probably be Kiriyama, the current student council president. But if Horikita Manabu chooses to repeat a year, Kiriyama's reputation is absolutely no match for Horikita Manabu's. This will inevitably lead to Horikita Manabu giving a speech as the graduate representative again when the new third-year students graduate.

Just thinking about that scene is incredibly awkward.

Especially when a student below asks a crucial question: "I remember Horikita-senpai said the same thing last year, didn't he? Speaking of which, why is Horikita-senpai still at this school?"

"But I'm worried about Lingyin..."

"It's okay. I'm not the same Horikita Suzune I used to be. I don't need my brother anymore, and I have Amane with me. I won't be lonely."

As Horikita Suzune spoke, she turned back and gave Amane a gentle smile.

When Horikita Manabu saw this scene, his heart sank, as if something important had been stolen from him.

"I still think..."

"Brother, you've become so long-winded today. It's almost lunchtime, and I was planning to cook a big meal for Tianyin. If there's nothing else, brother, you should hurry up and go. You've said enough of your goodbyes, haven't you?"

……

"Then... Lingyin, please take care."

"Hey~ Hey~ But brother, please take care of yourself. You don't look too well."

After hearing that Horikita Manabu had given up on the idea of ​​repeating a year, Tachibana Akane secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She had secretly applied to the same school as Horikita Manabu but told him that she planned to find a job at a well-known company to help support her family. She originally intended to surprise Horikita Manabu. If Horikita Manabu suddenly decided to repeat a year, they would not be able to be classmates at the new school. In that case, Horikita Manabu might be snatched away by a cute female college student in the same year. Just thinking about this made Tachibana Akane's heart jump.

Fortunately, Horikita Manabu ultimately chose to leave with her.

This ending is undoubtedly the most perfect one for her.

"Oh, right, I just remembered that I also prepared a graduation gift for Horikita-senpai."

When Amane saw Horikita Manabu turn to leave, she suddenly spoke up.

"no need."

If he hadn't met Horikita Suzune, Horikita Manabu might have accepted the graduation gift from his junior. However, after seeing Horikita Suzune embrace Amane and abandon him, her older brother, Horikita Manabu felt fear towards Amane's gift.

Yes, it was fear. The thought that every time he saw Amane's gift in the future, he would be reminded of everything that happened today made Horikita Manabu determined not to accept Amane's 'vicious' gift no matter what.

"Eh!! This gift is very valuable, and I also prepared the same gift for Secretary Tachibana... Senior Tachibana. If you don't accept it, wouldn't it seem strange for me to give Senior Tachibana a gift separately?"

As Tianyin spoke, she began searching her body for something.

"Huh? There's even a gift prepared for me?"

Akane's curiosity was piqued.

During her three years at school, besides staying by Horikita Manabu's side to help him with the complicated affairs of the student council, she spent her time studying in the library so that she could get into the same university as Horikita Manabu.

Therefore, she didn't have a very good relationship with her classmates. People wouldn't think of her when giving her gifts. Horikita Manabu was also someone who had absolutely no romantic sense, so it was impossible for him to prepare any exciting gifts for her.

So when Amane suggested giving Tachibana a gift, Tachibana was very happy, as this was the first time she had received a gift from a junior.

Horikita Manabu initially wanted to refuse, as their relationship wasn't that close yet, and if the gift was too expensive, it would be difficult to repay the favor. However, seeing Tachibana Akane's expectant gaze, Horikita Manabu ultimately didn't say no.

This was the first time Horikita Manabu had seen Akane smile so happily, aside from when he celebrated her birthday, so he couldn't bear to interrupt her.

"There's no need to prepare anything too expensive as a gift; something that serves as a keepsake is enough."

Horikita was somewhat relieved to see Amane searching for gifts on her person. How valuable could a gift that could be carried around be?

The most expensive items would be small pieces like jewelry made of precious metals, but these shouldn't be the gifts that Tianyin prepared.

Since Tianyin said she prepared the same gift for him and Juqian, and since it was the same gift, it couldn't possibly be jewelry that was geared towards women. So, the preciousness Tianyin mentioned must refer to the sentiment behind it. If it was just a small token of affection, there was no problem accepting it.

After searching for a while, Tianyin finally found two folded pieces of paper in her pocket.

"Found it!! Here it is, this is my gift to you all."

Amane happily stuffed the paper into Horikita Manabu's and Tachibana Akane's hands.

"What is this? Is it a letter? But if it's a letter, there shouldn't be an envelope."

Akane Tachibana took the paper, looked at it again and again, and asked with some curiosity.

Tenon's face flushed slightly at Tachibana Akane's question.

"It is indeed a letter of blessing. I didn't have much time to prepare an envelope, but I hope you like it."

"Eh?! It really is a letter. I thought it would be... Ah, thank you so much for the letter of blessing, Miyako-san."

Although it wasn't a small, memorable gift, a letter of blessing still expressed Tianyin's feelings, and it would be really unreasonable to be picky about the gift.

"Tianyin, isn't this gift a bit too simple? You should at least have prepared an envelope."

Horikita Suzune felt a sense of shabbyness as she looked at the simple piece of white paper. Normally, it wouldn't matter what kind of envelope was used to write such a letter, but this was a farewell letter to someone. If there was an envelope, the person might keep it. Without an envelope, it might be thrown away one day.

"I can't help it, I just wrote this while you were chatting with Horikita, where am I supposed to find an envelope?"

Amane whispered quickly in Horikita Suzune's ear.

Horikita Suzune opened her eyes wide as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only twitched her lips a few times before letting out a long sigh.

It's truly a wonder that Tianyin could send such a heartfelt letter.

But my brother probably wouldn't mind... right?

"May I see the contents?"

"Tame! Let's wait until you leave before we look at it."

"Is there any important information in the letter?"

Horikita Manabu noticed something unusual about the letter. Generally speaking, someone like Amane wouldn't send such a meager gift. Although sentiment cannot be measured by money, and he wasn't particularly concerned about the value of the gift, Amane's behavior was very unusual. Therefore, Horikita Manabu believed that the contents of the letter must be quite important.

"I suppose so. If you encounter any difficulties, take a look at the blessings in my letter; maybe they will help you overcome them. If you don't need them, just keep them as souvenirs."

Amane's words made Tachibana Akane laugh happily.

"It sounds like a fairy tale. I don't know what it's about yet, but I'm still very grateful. It's a pity I didn't bring anything with me today. How about this, when you graduate, Miyako-kun, come find me and Gaku, and we'll treat you to a big meal as a return gift?"

"Tachibana-san..."

"It's a deal!!!"

Horikita Manabu's expression changed upon hearing Tachibana Akane's suggestion. Just as he was about to explain to Tachibana Akane how terrible this promise was, Amane quickly interrupted him.

"Okay, it's a deal. Shall we repeat what you were about to say?"

"No, there's none left. It seems I have to start saving from university."

"Savings?"

Akane Tachibana tilted her head, seemingly unable to understand the meaning behind Horikita's words.

Treating Tianyin to a lavish meal is a promise that could bankrupt someone.

The personal points issued by the high school can be exchanged for cash at a certain ratio upon graduation. However, Horikita Manabu has left all of his personal points to Horikita Suzune, which is the last thing he, as her older brother, can do for his sister.

Akane Tachibana originally planned to save money for her dowry, but when she saw that Horikita Manabu had given all his points to his younger sister, she inexplicably transferred her own points to Horikita Suzune as well.

In other words, the personal points that these two had saved up over three years through frugal living all went to Horikita Suzune.

'Isn't it normal to give your younger sister some pocket money?'

That was exactly the thought that led Tachibana Akane to transfer the money.

"Alright, it's getting late, it's time to say goodbye. Miyako-kun, Suzune, I hope you graduate from this school safely. I'll prepare a big meal to reward you when you graduate."

After finishing his speech, Horikita Manabu turned and strode towards the waiting vehicle in the distance.

"Good luck, Miyako-kun and your sister! Bye-bye!"

Akane Tachibana, abandoning her shyness, happily waved to the two of them.

"Goodbye, Senior Orange."

"Sister? Why does Secretary Ju call me that?"

Horikita Suzune looked on in bewilderment at Tachibana Akane, who was pulling her suitcase and running after Horikita Manabu.

"Well, we'll have to change how we address each other sooner or later anyway, so it's normal to get used to it beforehand."

Amane waved to their backs, then turned and reached out her hand to Horikita Suzune.

"We should go too."

"Okay, let's go back. I'll prepare a big meal for you at noon, Tianyin."

"Great!!!"

……

Sitting in the car, Horikita Manabu took out the piece of paper that Amane had handed him, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly unfolded the folded paper.

"what?"

Horikita Manabu let out a low gasp.

Akane Tachibana, who was sitting next to him, quickly turned to look at Manabu Horikita.

"What's wrong with your studies? Is there a problem with the letter? Huh? It's blank? How could this be..."

After seeing the blank letter in Horikita Manabu's hand, Tachibana Akane understood why Horikita Manabu exclaimed in surprise. So she quickly opened the paper that Amane had given her, and it was also blank.

"This... Miyako-san's gift is a bit... Could it be that he took the wrong one? That child really does look a bit worrying."

Akane didn't think it was a joke Amane was playing on them. After all, no one would joke about graduation gifts. So Akane subconsciously thought that Amane had mixed up the gifts. After all, it's possible to mix up just a piece of paper. Considering that Amane often seemed a bit silly and not very bright, Akane became even more convinced of her guess and started to worry about Amane's future. After all, the second year is when the real battle begins. Is it really okay for Amane to be like this?

"No, if it were a mix-up, there shouldn't be a signature at the bottom."