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

When Tenon saw that Horikita was speechless, she slowly got up.

"If you really want Lingyin to grow, then you must personally destroy the image you left in her heart. Otherwise, she will always follow the path you left in her heart and eventually lose herself completely. Even if she can't find a path that suits her in the end, then she can continue to look at my back and move forward. Looking at a back that is stronger than yours will definitely take her further than she has now, won't it?"

Amane exudes confidence and arrogance in every gesture. Horikita Manabu doesn't like dealing with such an overbearing Amane, but there's no denying that Amane, when serious, has the absolute right to say such things to Horikita Manabu based on her strength.

Correcting the growth trajectory of someone about to become an adult is no easy task. Rather than tormenting her with setbacks time and time again, it's better to let her gradually see herself clearly through failures, and then shatter everything she once had with a powerful blow.

Losing the past does not mean being unable to move towards the future, because she is the present, the future of the past, and the past of the future. Only the 'present' has the courage and determination to change everything.

When the future arrives, she will be worn down by life and reality, losing her edge and courage. At that time, let alone change, she may already be numb, completely lacking the energy, time, and most importantly, the courage to make a desperate change for herself.

This is the only chance to correct the past and the future.

"I promise you, but I need you to promise... never mind, this is enough. I'll return the points to you when I graduate."

Tianyin smiled silently.

Seeing Amane's meaningful smile, Horikita Manabu switched to the mode of the association president and put on a serious expression.

"If you don't believe me, I can write it down, or even find someone you trust to act as an intermediary."

"No, no, no, I didn't distrust Horikita-senpai. I just think you're quite interesting. You were just asking me to promise not to hurt Suzune or anything like that, right? Why did you stop halfway through your sentence? If it were me, I definitely wouldn't let go of such a good opportunity to tie my sister and Miyako Amane together."

Despite her many incomprehensible behaviors, Amane has the best reputation in the entire school and has never broken her promise to anyone, except for Airi.

Therefore, considering Amane's good reputation, it would be very easy to take this opportunity to get Amane to say that she would not harm or abandon Horikita Suzune.

This would provide Horikita Suzune with an extra layer of security for her future. If Horikita Manabu, as her older brother, truly cared about his sister, he should have done so even if it meant resorting to any means necessary. As it turned out, Horikita Manabu did want to do this, but in the end, he chose to give up.

This unusual behavior aroused Tianyin's curiosity.

Horikita Manabu laughed when he heard Amane's question.

"That's why you're called Miyako Amane instead of Horikita Manabu. I certainly hope that Suzune will have a better life in the future, but who can say for sure what the future holds? If one day she feels that she no longer needs to rely on your wing and hopes to spread her wings and fly on her own, then the guarantee I'm asking of you will become a heavy chain that prevents her from soaring in the sky. Besides... given how chaotic your private life is, it's possible that Suzune will see your true colors one day and dump you."

After Horikita finished speaking, he looked at Amane, who made a face at him.

"That kind of thing won't happen. Only you, who can barely walk anymore, would be left behind by Rin. Let me guide her from here on out."

"I thought you genuinely wanted Suzune to grow, but it turns out you just want to become the next Horikita Manabu, right?"

Horikita Manabu mercilessly exposed Amane's little scheme.

In response, Amane rolled her eyes at Horikita Gaku.

"If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all. Is there anything wrong with me wanting to be a little selfish? By the way, if you don't need those points, you can keep them for yourself. After you graduate and cash them out, the rest can be considered my donation to Lingyin."

"You're dreaming."

……

Horikita Suzune had no idea what Horikita Manabu and Amane had done behind her back, but she wasn't stupid. She saw through both Horikita Manabu's coldness and his deliberate attempts to provoke her. Even in that race that almost destroyed all the confidence she had built up since middle school, Horikita Suzune didn't blame him for his ruthlessness. In the end, she came to understand everything Horikita Manabu had done for her.

However, she didn't quite understand why Horikita Manabu would give her more than 30 million personal points at once when he graduated, and even secretly told her not to touch the 20 million personal points until graduation, and to transfer them to Amane. The rest could be used at will.

Because Horikita Manabu did almost everything an older brother could do, Horikita Suzune gave him a perfect score in her heart.

But how is she supposed to face Tianyin then?

If Horikita Manabu was her faith when she first entered this school, then without a doubt, her faith now belongs to Miyako Amane.

Whether in her daily life or in her thoughts, that figure would always jump out of her memory and linger in front of her, making it impossible for her to concentrate on thinking about problems. Instead, she would involuntarily think about every little thing she did with Tianyin.

She was too embarrassed to ask others about such things, but the constant images of Amane in her mind were really bothering her, so one day Horikita Suzune pretended that a friend of hers was in trouble and went to Ichinose for help.

At the time, Horikita Suzune was eager to understand what was wrong with her. She knew that during the special training period, there was a lot of physical training every day. If she couldn't get a normal night's sleep, it would affect her training the next day and might even slow down everyone's training progress. So, in order to solve this problem, Horikita, even though it was a little embarrassing to talk about, still went to Ichinose.

But to her surprise, Ichinose almost exposed her as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Fanbo, I only have one very tricky thing to ask you for your opinion on today, that, to be precise, is about my friend."

Horikita sat upright with her head slightly lowered. Her long, jet-black hair, like a waterfall, covered half of her beautiful face, while the other half of her face was flushed red, as if she were shy.

"Horikita-kun's friend? Really? Could it be that you have some embarrassing problem that you'd like me to offer some advice on?"

Ichinose knew that the only ways to get a girl like Horikita, who was a bit of a tsundere, to open up and confess was to be direct or to go along with what they said. Ichinose decided to try being direct and hoped that Horikita would be honest with her directly. Otherwise, Ichinose always felt a little strange chatting with her using such a nickname.

Unfortunately, Horikita Suzune's reaction to Ichinose's directness was far too strong.

"That's not how it is! A friend of mine is really in some trouble and I want you, Fanbo, to help me analyze the situation. Let me make it clear, it's not about me!"

Ichinose's smile was a little stiff. If possible, Ichinose really hoped that Horikita wouldn't emphasize this kind of thing with such a bright red face. The classic opening line was "I have a friend," and anyone could guess that it was about her.

"Then let Horikita-kun tell us what he thinks, but let me make it clear first that I may not be able to give you the answer you want."

"It's okay, I just wanted to talk to someone. My friend has been having trouble sleeping and spacing out lately."

Insomnia? Distracted thoughts? Is it a problem with sleep quality?

"I guess so. It's just that I see Tianyin every time I close my eyes, and then I can't fall asleep..."

That's roughly how it came to light. After listening to the patient's condition, Ichinose decisively issued a 'diagnosis report' to Horikita.

"It's lovesickness, Horikita-kun."

lovesickness?

Why would she get this seemingly niche illness? Longing… longing for whom? It can't be Tianyin, can it? That guy's always in front of her, she's sick of him…

It seems that there's only a tiny bit of longing for Tianyin, just a tiny bit.

A little bit.

A smile unconsciously appeared on Horikita Suzune's face. In her mind, Amane was undoubtedly a perfect score.

It would be quite difficult to choose between Horikita Manabu, who scored a perfect score, and Amane, who scored a perfect score.

After a brief moment of thought, Horikita Suzune concluded that using evasion was the best option. Even after using evasion, she would still have enough points to defeat Airi, so there was no need to dwell on this issue.

but……

Is it really fair of me to do this?

Horikita Suzune's open mouth slowly closed.

She understood that choosing either of them in this situation would be somewhat disrespectful to the other's efforts, because neither of them had asked Horikita for anything in return; they were simply trying to help her grow. Amane would occasionally be bullied by her. In any case, the ultimate beneficiary was Horikita Suzune.

A person who enjoys the selfless dedication of others has no right to criticize their contributions. So-called avoidance may seem fair, but it is actually just a way of not wanting to face the contributions of others.

Escaping is an effective way to solve problems, but... how many times can she escape? If she chooses to escape every time she encounters this problem, what will Horikita learn to think?

How will Tianyin view her?

"Fifteen seconds left, please be aware of the time limit."

On one side is her brother, and on the other is Tianyin.

Who can she see in her eyes now?

……

"Hello, my name is Miyako Amane. Nice to meet you."

"Oh dear, I can't go back to my room. It looks like I'll have to sleep in the hallway tonight. It's so cold at night... I wish there was a kind person who would let me stay overnight."

"Oh! You want to hold my hand? Hehe, I'm quite happy to hold Lingyin's hand for the first time. What? You want to pay for the accommodation? How many points does Lingyin need for one night? Can I pay for a year?"

"Lingyin's cooking is so delicious! Can you make me that egg roll again next time? Eh? I'm not just flattering you."

"Abandoning those who should be abandoned might be the right choice now, but it also means you're denying their future. But... as long as you like it, Rin, then it doesn't matter."

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Lingyin, couldn't you be a little gentler? I just finished eating!"

"That's so unfair! I'm not some kind of cow, I'm just a lot older than you, Suzune, hehe~"

"Likes? What kind of hobby is that? My hobby is Horikita Suzune! Wait, don't hit me!!"

"I'll tell you a little secret! Kissing can boost your body's immunity! The reason you're sick is because you haven't been properly boosting your immunity, but don't worry, I'll make up for it for you."

"Don't be afraid, aren't I here? You think you're from Longyuan? Come at me if you dare."

"Rin-yin, Rin-yin~ I saw a piece of clothing that suits you perfectly today, so I just bought it on a whim. Ta-da~~~ A teacher's uniform! What do you think? Doesn't it suit Rin-yin's temperament perfectly? What? How did you know my body measurements? Of course, I secretly... Ouch... Ouch... Ouch."

"Hey!! Look at that man's eyes, they're sparkling like little stars! I won't let you look at that man! Even if he is... eh? Your brother? He's so tall already? Anyway, you have to look at me with those sparkling eyes from now on~! Look, look."

"I like Rin-ne the most."

……

"My answer is, Miyako Amane."

Chapter 160: Marina's Intuition

With the countdown nearing its end, Horikita Suzune gave her answer.

Chabashira, who was holding a stopwatch and timing himself, showed an "I knew it" expression after hearing Horikita's answer.

Horikita Manabu may have played a crucial role in the first half of Horikita Suzune's life, but the real qualitative change in Horikita Suzune occurred after he graduated.

As for who could cause such a big change in Horikita Suzune, Chabashira really couldn't think of anyone other than Amane. Miyako Amane was undoubtedly a special existence for Horikita Suzune, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was the only one.

"With all ten questions answered, the special challenge has now ended. The final scores of the participants will be announced shortly and the results of the challenge will be revealed."

After Chabashira finished speaking, she turned off the microphone. After confirming that no one outside could hear her conversation with Horikita, she went to Horikita's side.

"You still chose her in the end. Aren't you afraid that your brother will be heartbroken when he hears about your decision?"

Chashu looked at Horikita Suzune with amusement. Horikita Suzune now gave her a feeling that she couldn't see through her. It was as if even her speech, behavior and temperament were moving closer to Amane.

“My brother wouldn’t be such a petty person. If he could see that I didn’t blindly choose him as the most important person in my heart, he might even be happy about it, because I have finally embarked on my own path as he wished.”

Horikita Suzune paused for a moment, recalling the words Horikita Manabu had said to her when he graduated.

At first, she thought it would be very difficult for a person to make a complete change, especially for someone like her who was about to become an adult. Her lifestyle and way of thinking had been fixed over time, and even if she realized that she had gone astray, there was basically no possibility of turning back.

Because the cost of changing the path is enormous, and it's not quite the same as correcting a mistake. If someone was on the wrong path before, then as long as they move towards the right path, there will always be some change. Every little change is undoubtedly huge for them or those around them.

But the path taken by Horikita Suzune is merely a matter of direction. Even if she continues to emulate Horikita Manabu throughout her life, she will not harm society or others, nor will she cause any serious consequences.

For her personally, it's just a matter of gradually forgetting the original personality and habits of 'Horikita Suzune'.

In this situation, the cost of changing the path is so high that it is unacceptable to most people, because you don't know if the change is right or wrong, how you will get along with your classmates and the people around you after the change, and what if the changed path is just another imitation?

However, Amane took on all the high costs of making mistakes, thus providing Horikita with unlimited opportunities to make mistakes. As long as Horikita is willing, she can fully display her abilities and ideas in this school, and then gradually realize her problems through constant battles and failures, and finally make small corrections to her path based on the experience she has accumulated.

Horikita naturally knew everything that Amane had done for her, but even though her relationship with Amane had become so close, she was still too shy to say thank you. In order to thank Amane for her help, Horikita actually used another method, but Amane always looked dejected after each thank-you, which made Horikita quite distressed.

"Besides, if I think my brother is the only important person to me, then I'm ignoring what Amane has done for me. I admit that I, Horikita Suzune, am not a saintly person, and I'm not capable of empathy with others, but I don't think I'm ungrateful. I have more right than anyone to talk about how Amane has done for me. But that's why anyone can be dissatisfied with Amane's behavior, but I have no right to criticize Amane on this matter, because she has given me almost everything she could."

Horikita couldn't help but smile even more happily whenever he thought of Amane.

Chashu, standing to the side, couldn't reconcile the current sunny and cheerful Horikita Suzune, who possessed both the authority of a class leader and the gentleness unique to girls, with the aloof and icy beauty she was at the beginning of the school year.

"Love really can change people."

Chazhu couldn't help but sigh.

Using the term "love" to describe the feelings between the two girls made Chabashira feel a little awkward, but when Horikita showed her her most authentic self, even Chabashira Sae, who considered herself a conservative, had to admit the changes that Amane brought to Horikita Suzune.

"I think so too."

The two smiled at each other and sat quietly in the room, waiting for the final announcement of the results. In fact, the result was obvious. If it weren't for the need to go through the formalities, Chabashira could have announced the end of the special challenge on the spot.

After waiting for about five minutes, Chabashira finally announced the results of the first special challenge to all the first and second-year students via the loudspeaker.

"According to the competition points, Sakura Airi from Class 2A answered four questions and earned 4 points, while Horikita Suzune from Class 2A answered nine questions and, with two remaining dodge chances, earned a total of 11 points. Therefore, the winner of this special challenge is Horikita Suzune from Class 2A."

Neither Horikita nor Airi had any objections to the result, and even the students watching around them were not surprised by it. However, because Airi used the dodge option three times in a row to give up the competition, everyone still insisted that there was some inside story.

"Horikita-kun is really amazing."

Shiina commented with a furrowed brow.

In the previous special exams, Shiina had not seen Horikita Suzune display much of her strength, and her impression of Horikita Suzune had always been that of an excellent student who was good at both academics and sports.

Actually, compared to Horikita's current role as the temporary leader of Class 2-A, the reason why Horikita Suzune is known to everyone is because she was Miyako Amane's first publicly acknowledged lover.

The reason Shiina is confident enough to declare war on Horikita Suzune is that she finds it hard to accept the reality that Amane has many lovers. As Amane's lover in public, Horikita Suzune may also be unable to accept Amane's promiscuity. In this way, even if Horikita has the advantage of getting ahead, Shiina is confident that she can make Amane discover her good qualities through her efforts.

However, to Shiina's surprise, an ordinary match exposed the true relationship between Amane and Horikita, even their daily interactions...

This is no longer just about answering questions or trying to make others envious. Some people are so jealous of Amane and Horikita's relationship that their eyes turn red, which shows how terrifyingly powerful Horikita's few words are.

If Shiina hadn't known that Horikita was merely answering an embarrassing question posed by a girl named Sakura, she would have even thought that Horikita Suzune was deliberately trying to intimidate her, a potential rival.

Thinking about how Horikita and Amane had done everything they should and shouldn't have done, even when Horikita was asked at the end who was the most important to her, her older brother or Amane, Horikita answered Amane.

What's the difference between this behavior and confessing your love in public?