The Mall

Zhuge Linghao crouched down and started muttering as if he were possessed.

"What laws might be violated by students provoking trouble because they dislike each other, insulting one another, fighting, or brawling in groups?"

"Article 234 of the Criminal Law: intentional injury."

"Article 235 of the Criminal Law: causing serious injury through negligence."

"Article 238 of the Criminal Law: unlawful detention."

"Article 246 of the Criminal Law: insult."

"Article 292 of the Criminal Law: brawling in a crowd."

"Article 293 of the Criminal Law: picking quarrels and provoking trouble."

"Article 294 of the Criminal Law: organizing, leading, or participating in an organized criminal group."

"Article 233 of the Criminal Law: causing death through negligence."

When he finished, Zhuge Linghao, overwhelmed with embarrassment, straightened up and raised an index finger, shouting with all his might, "Go ahead, try laying a finger on me!"

Seeing the trio take half a step back, Zhuge Linghao realized they probably wouldn't dare make a move.

After all, they'd been at this school for another year and knew its rules pretty well.

The frightened trio could only leave after making a few threats, slinking away before the crowd grew any larger~

Just then, Horikita Suzune approached Zhuge Linghao, frowning. "That was a truly foolish way to handle things."

"You helped a classmate you didn't even know. You defused the crisis in such a crude way, but now some people hold a grudge against you, don't they?"

Horikita Suzune was bewildered.

What on earth? What did you get out of doing that?

[The benefit? Obviously, I earned emotion points!]

[You didn't seriously think I was some big-hearted doormat who lets people push me around, did you?]

[Ding. 38 people nearby generated 38 emotion points.]

[Wait, System. There should've been nearly 100 people around us. There are students from several classes here! Why are there so few emotion points?]

[Ding. That's because the host's shout just now wasn't loud enough or outrageous enough! Only 38 people witnessed the entire incident!]

[Ding. As for everyone else, they had no idea what happened, so they generated no emotion points.]

[So it's already Chapter Seven, and the handsome and beautiful readers and I still don't know what these emotion points are even for!]

[Ding. Emotion points can be used to exchange for identity skills in the mall.]

[What the heck, why didn't you say so earlier?]

[Ding. Why didn't the host ask earlier?]

Zhuge Linghao was left speechless.

Just as Horikita Suzune was about to lecture Zhuge Linghao with her usual air of superiority, the red-haired boy walked over awkwardly.

He hesitated for a long while, but finally said quietly to Zhuge Linghao, "Ahem. Thanks for earlier."

Zhuge Linghao waved a hand. No need to thank me. You just have to generate emotion points for me regularly.

Zhuge Linghao took the opportunity to remind him, "Why not clean up the trash can now? I don't know if this school has surveillance, and maybe the mastermind is quietly hoping you'll be the first to get expelled."

Ken Sudō clicked his tongue, looking thoroughly unwilling, but he still did as he was told.

"I'm doing this because you helped me once. Consider the debt repaid," Ken Sudō said impatiently.

With the matter settled, Zhuge Linghao returned to his luxurious single dormitory and thought, [System, open my status panel.]

[Ding...]

School: Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School

Class: Class 1-D

Name: Zhuge Linghao

Alignment: Neutral (Good or Evil?)

Emotion Points: 92

Academic Ability: B- (Temporary, one day)

Intelligence: S (Temporary, one day)

Emotional Intelligence: E (Temporary, one day)

Physical Ability: S (Temporary, one day)

Judgment: S- (Temporary, one day)

Identity or Skills:: Fitness Athlete, Crime Boss, Perverted Lawyer, Triple Slide-Kneel Kowtow (Comes with the system, abilities assigned at random.)

Personality: Not much of a fighter but loves to argue, hopelessly blunt, prone to overthinking.

[Uh, Crime Boss and Lawyer must've balanced out Academic Ability a bit, raising it from E to B-. Looks like lawyers aren't bad at studying.]

[At the same time, Perverted Lawyer greatly increased Intelligence but also seriously lowered Emotional Intelligence. This proves that any profession could have both benefits and drawbacks. I'll have to be careful when choosing an identity next time.]

[Oh, right, System. Check the personal mall.]

[Ding... Opening the mall for the host.]

[Let's see what identities I can choose from.]

[In the one-day trial card section: Warrior? Knight-Errant? Sword Master? Wing Chun Grandmaster... These should boost my fighting skills, right?]

[Nani? The cheapest trial card costs 50 emotion points? That's way too expensive!]

[Let's check the permanent skills section too: Strategist? Straight-A Student? Top Student? Professor? Astronomy Expert?]

[Looking closely, Straight-A Student costs 1,000 points, while Top Student only costs 750. I can guess why—Straight-A Student probably gives more skills.]

[Sigh, I worked hard all day and only earned 92 points. Getting a permanent skill is going to be a long road!]

[System, can I check other people's status panels now?]

[Ding. The system must be upgraded to Level Two to view other people's status panels.]

[How do I upgrade it?]

[Ding. 500 emotion points!]

[Damn.]

As night grew late, the tired Zhuge Linghao lay on his soft bed, gazing at the ceiling and thinking about what to do tomorrow.

[The system keeps forcing me to do all kinds of weird things, but I guess I've brought some people a bit of amusement?]

[Or maybe I've let the system absorb some people's positive and negative emotions?]

[Oh, right, System. What's my alignment right now?]

[Ding. The status panel updates automatically at midnight every day. Please check it then.]

Zhuge Linghao glanced at the time: ten thirty.

[Whoever wants to wait can wait. The most important thing is to enjoy the present!]

[And the most important thing right now is to get a good night's sleep!]

Soon, Zhuge Linghao was fast asleep, snoring away.