Calm Down? How Am I Supposed to Calm Down?

"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down?!

Why does their group get so many points!" A furious, blurry projection immediately cut him off, spittle almost spraying into his face.

"Exactly! This isn't fair!" Voices of agreement rang out all around them.

Shizuka Toudou's smile froze. His prepared speech was stuck in his throat, his mind went blank, and all he could hear was his heart pounding like a drum.

[Failure: Your speech was rudely interrupted, and you failed to establish authority and trust. Evaluation: Insufficient presence, flustered response, and failure to identify the core grievance.]

Scene Reset. The chaotic classroom appeared again.

Shizuka Toudou forced himself to stay calm. He tried to raise his voice and put on a sterner expression. "Everyone, stop arguing! Listen to me!"

Instead, the looks directed at him from below grew even more resistant and contemptuous.

"Who are you? Why should we listen to you?"

"Exactly! Who are you trying to impress?"

[Failure: Your approach was too blunt and provoked an even greater backlash. Evaluation: Forcefulness without a foundation of affinity is ineffective and counterproductive.]

Once, twice, ten times... The scene reset countless times.

Shizuka Toudou tried different tones and different ways of starting the conversation. He tried lowering his posture and listening to one of the projections that complained the loudest, but ended up being led off track and dragged into an endless argument over details, neglecting the other groups. He tried reasoning with them and analyzing the pros and cons, only to be accused of "talking from a position of comfort." He tried to imitate Ichinose's sincere empathy, but his expression and tone were off, making him seem phony and affected and drawing even more ridicule.

Every failure gave him a deeper understanding of how terrifying A-Rank Leadership Charisma was. It wasn't just a gentle smile or knowing how to speak. It was a presence that radiated from within, making people instinctively willing to listen and trust; an intuition that could instantly identify the heart of a conflict amid chaos and find the gentlest way in; an art of balance that could take into account the feelings of different groups at once and make everyone feel valued. It required tremendous inner composure, profound empathy, and exceptional communication skills.

After an unknown number of failures—being drowned out by spittle, blamed, and ignored—when the chaotic scene unfolded once again, Shizuka Toudou didn't speak immediately. He forced himself to be like Ichinose and slowly, attentively let his gaze pass over every agitated, blurry projection, trying to convey understanding and respect through his eyes. He pinpointed the heart of the argument: the resource allocation plan did have obvious flaws, and the disadvantaged group felt seriously overlooked.

He stepped down from the podium and went to the projection complaining the loudest, the one representing the "wronged party." Instead of looking down at him, he met his gaze at eye level and spoke in a low, sincere voice. "I understand why you're angry. If I'd worked hard to prepare and still didn't get what I deserved, I'd feel it was unfair too. I'd feel let down." First, he acknowledged the heart of the other person's feelings.

The furious projection froze for a moment, his momentum clearly faltering.

Shizuka Toudou seized that brief moment of softening and shifted his approach, but still spoke with understanding and a sincere desire to solve the problem. "Arguing won't solve anything. It'll only hurt all of us in Class B. Can we take a look together at what's wrong with this plan? We can find the problems and revise it together, so we can reach a result that's fairer to everyone. What do you say? I promise we'll listen carefully to everyone's opinions this time." At the right moment, he introduced the ideas of "the group's interests" and "solving the problem together," and made a concrete promise.

[Success: The core grievance was understood, and tensions were partially eased. Hostility decreased significantly.]

[Training Objective: Guide the discussion and build consensus (in progress)...]

This time, the situation didn't spiral out of control. Shizuka Toudou painstakingly guided the discussion and tried to balance everyone's demands. The process was halting and clumsy, nowhere near as smooth as Ichinose's, but in the end, a compromise plan was finally accepted—reluctantly—by most of them.

[Comprehension: Leadership Charisma (Affinity) A-Rank: 21.45%... 48.92%... 79.31%... 99.99%!]

When his comprehension reached the threshold, an enormous flow of information once again crashed into his mind! Countless fragments of knowledge about cultivating presence, guiding emotions, resolving conflicts, expressing empathy, and managing promises fused with his experience of repeatedly hitting dead ends and making clumsy attempts in that chaotic classroom! A gentle force seemed to flow into the core of his mind, subtly adjusting the subconscious presence he projected when interacting with others.

[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully mastered the skill: Leadership Charisma (Affinity)! Rank: A-Rank!]

[Simulation Points Earned: 50 Points!]

[Current Simulation Points: 200 Points!]

[Simulation Points have reached 200. Talent Shop unlocked!]

His consciousness instantly returned to reality.

In the Class B classroom, the applause had just died down. Teacher Hoshinomiya was smiling as she congratulated Ichinose Honami and Kanzaki Ryuji.

With the joy of being trusted and a hint of responsibility on her face, Ichinose was saying something like, "Let's work hard together." The sunlight was still warm, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

Shizuka Toudou sat by the window, wearing the same gentle smile as his classmates after applauding the Class Leader and Vice Class Leader, as if he'd never left. Only he knew that in that brief moment, he'd played the role of a clumsy leader countless times in a simulated storm of chaos, experiencing the frustration of being questioned over and over.

At that moment, the [Simulation Points: 200 Points] text in the upper-right corner of his vision glimmered enticingly. More importantly, the [Talent Shop] icon, which had been gray all this time, had lit up and now radiated a faint golden glow, like a dusty treasure chest finally opening a crack.

What skill should he aim for next? Or... should he see what the shop had to offer?

Shizuka Toudou's gaze swept calmly over the radiant Ichinose Honami at the podium, then over Kanzaki Ryuji beside her, who was coolly adjusting his glasses, and finally came to rest on the golden icon in his field of vision.

The sunlight in Class B was warm, while the "Xunxue Liequan" within him calmly assessed the next "prey" or "tool" worth investing in.

Points were precious, so he needed to be cautious when choosing something suited to him.

After announcing the Class Leader and Vice Class Leader, Teacher Hoshinomiya briefly went over a few more things to keep in mind, then announced that everyone was free to explore the campus or get to know one another. Warm sunlight spilled across the desks, and the relaxed atmosphere in the classroom slowly rippled outward like lukewarm water.

Shizuka Toudou remained quietly seated by the window. His gaze seemed to rest casually on the neatly trimmed lawn outside, but a storm was brewing within him.

Two hundred Simulation Points! The Talent Shop was unlocked! He couldn't wait to focus his thoughts on the icon in the upper-right corner of his vision, glowing with a pale golden light.