Nothing has really changed.
That's what I told myself at first.
The same house.
The same routine.
The same brother sitting across from me at breakfast, pretending everything is normal.
Rei hasn't changed either.
He still avoids unnecessary conflict.
Still hides behind that calm expression.
Still chooses silence when words would be easier.
…That's why this is so unfair.
Because I know him.
I know the way he thinks.
The way he hesitates.
The way he pretends not to care… even when he does.
And now, I have to use that against him.
"Only one of you will inherit everything."
Mother's words weren't a suggestion.
They were a decision.
There was no space for refusal.
No space for compromise.
Only results.
Only superiority.
…
I don't hate this.
That's the strange part.
A world where everything is decided clearly…
Where effort, ability, and outcomes define your worth.
It makes sense.
It's clean.
Predictable.
But…
There's one thing that doesn't fit into that logic.
Rei.
He's the only variable I can't reduce to numbers.
The only one I can't treat like an opponent.
And yet…
If I hesitate, I lose.
If I hold back, I lose.
So I won't.
Rei…
I will surpass you.
Not because I want to take everything from you—
…but because if I don't,
you'll do the same to me.