The "Hamster" with Social Anxiety

Countless information fragments cascaded down like a waterfall: anonymous forum posts, snippets from senior students, vague hints from teachers, even contradictory gossip... The sheer volume of information was immense, with a lot of noise.

Toudou Shizuka tried hard to emulate Shiranami Chihiro's efficient, precise method of summarization. He attempted to categorize by time, type, and source...

[Failure: Categorization was too mechanical, failing to extract the core. The summarized information was superficial and lacked guidance.]

Scene reset.

He tried searching for high-frequency keywords...

[Failure: Misled by high-frequency terms with high potential for misdirection (like "cruel," "elimination"), ignoring more hidden but crucial structural information (like "resource allocation," "teamwork weight").]

After countless times being drowned in information and deriving invalid or incorrect conclusions, Toudou Shizuka gradually grasped the rhythm. He learned how to quickly assess the credibility weight of information (official sources > reliable testimony > anonymous rumors), how to find commonalities or logical anchors in contradictory information, and how to compress vast amounts of information into actionable points using the most concise keywords and logical chains.

When the scene unfolded again, Toudou Shizuka's fingers flew across the virtual keyboard like a precision instrument. He rapidly filtered the massive amount of information by "credible sources," "high-frequency related terms," and "logical conflict points," ultimately extracting three core points:

1. Resource management is key: All reliable information points to the acquisition, allocation, and competition for resources (food, water, tools, information) during the exam as the central element.

2. Teamwork weight is high: Over 70% of the information mentioned "team decision-making" and "division of labor" influencing the final evaluation, far exceeding individual performance.

3. The rules contain hidden traps: Multiple sources vaguely mentioned "differences in rule interpretation" leading to failed cases, suggesting the need to be wary of the deeper meanings beneath the literal rules.

[Success: Core information extraction is accurate, concise, and possesses high action guidance value.]

[Comprehension: Information Synthesis B-Rank: 19.87%... 52.43%... 84.21%... 99.99%!]

Information flow fusion! Countless fragmented knowledge about information filtering, pattern recognition, keyword extraction, and logical compression perfectly merged with his own struggles and insights in the ocean of information!

A clarity like an efficient filter infused his information processing instincts.

[Congratulations Host! Successfully mastered skill: Information Synthesis! Level: B-Rank!]

[Acquired Simulation Points: 20 Points!]

[Current Simulation Points: 90 Points!]

Consciousness returned to reality. In a corner of the old school building, wisteria twined, and sunlight dappled through the leaves. Toudou Shizuka opened his eyes, feeling as though his brain had been thoroughly cleaned and upgraded like a precision instrument.

The three abilities, [Thought Acceleration], [Rational Analysis and Decision Making B-Rank], and [Information Synthesis B-Rank], operated in conjunction, elevating his perception and analytical capabilities of the world to a new level!

He glanced at the system interface:

[Simulation Points: 90] - Not far from [Dynamic Vision (Fine-tuning) 120 Points] or the next talent.

[Shiranami Chihiro Affection: 41 (Familiar)] - Relationship stable.

[Kanzaki Ryuji Affection: 45 (Approval)] - Relationship stable.

[Ichinose Honami Affection: 38 (Friendly)] - Target 50 (Friendly).

[Sakura Airi Affection: 48 (High Gratitude and Trust)] - Target 60 (High Trust).

With two B-Rank skills acquired and abundant points, the key relationships were steadily solidifying. Toudou Shizuka stood up, brushed some fallen leaves from his clothes, and his gaze turned towards the teaching building.

The undercurrents of Class D's loan situation were surging, the lingering effect of Chabashira's card-shuffling still present, Miyazawa-sensei's hints pointed towards a "Major Event," and Ayanokoji's gaze was like a silent shadow. Who knew what he thought of me, anyway, I'm doing my best right now, with this ability, I don't care about the school's social allocation quotas.

He adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting the sunlight filtering through the leaves. New power surged within him, and the chessboard in his mind became clearer.

His next plan: continue nurturing Ichinose's affection to unlock the A-Rank Team Cohesion?

Or save up points to strengthen his own perception (Dynamic Vision)?

Or perhaps... turn his attention to the soil of Class D, thrown into chaos by zero points, and see if he could find a new, unexpected "key" amidst those "desperate" vines?

The answer lay in his steady steps, carrying his newfound rationality and clarity, as he walked towards a complex future.

In the corner of the old school building entwined with vines, the clarity brought by [Rational Analysis and Decision Making B-Rank] and [Information Synthesis B-Rank] was like a spring that soaked his entire body, elevating Toudou Shizuka's perception and analysis of his surroundings to a new level.

He stepped out of that tranquility, his footsteps steady as he merged into the slightly noisy campus of the afternoon. The newly acquired power surged within him, but his goal was clear—Sakura Airi.

He needed to understand the true situation under Class D's zero-point storm, especially the details of the loan undercurrents.

Sakura Airi, this Class D girl with whom he had established a fragile connection out of "softness," was the perfect window. Moreover, this transparent girl with social phobia seemed easy to bully, and she probably wouldn't refuse requests to borrow points at all... Ahhh...

But how to start the conversation without triggering her A-Rank social phobia's stress response? That was the problem. She liked it but still panicked and refused to help?

Raindrops began to fall, fine and gentle.

Toudou Shizuka opened his umbrella and walked towards the teaching building.

At the corner of the corridor leading to Class D's classroom, he "happened" to encounter Sakura Airi, who was hurrying towards him with drawing supplies, her head bowed.

Rain had dampened her bangs, sticking to the edges of her large black-rimmed glasses. A small dark patch had spread on the shoulder of her oversized hoodie. She looked like a startled rabbit trying to avoid all gazes.

"Sakura-san." Toudou Shizuka's voice was gentle as he naturally tilted his umbrella to shield her from the falling raindrops.

Sakura Airi flinched violently and looked up. A flicker of panic flashed behind her large glasses. Seeing it was Toudou Shizuka, she calmed down slightly, replaced by a subtle tremor mixed with gratitude and habitual nervousness. "Tou... Toudou-kun..."

"It's raining quite a bit. Are you heading to the art room now?" Toudou Shizuka's gaze swept over the drawing supplies in her arms, his tone carrying natural concern. "Your shoulder is getting wet."

He skillfully used the "rain" and "drawing supplies" as an entry point, avoiding the sensitive topic of private points.

"Mhm... Mhm..." Sakura Airi replied softly, instinctively shrinking her shoulders. "It... it's fine..."