Cherry blossoms fell across the grounds of Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School in the early spring breeze, their pale pink and white petals carpeting the tree-lined path to the main building. Tang Yu stood at the school gate and took a deep breath. The air carried the delicate fragrance of the blossoms, mingled with the chill of early spring.
"Is this my new beginning?" He looked down at the admission notice in his hand. The gold-embossed school crest gleamed in the sunlight.
Three days ago, he had been an ordinary high school student in Huaxia. Then, after a car accident, he had somehow crossed over into this familiar anime world. More incredible still, a mysterious power called the Emotion Collection System had awakened within him.
[Beep! Host has entered a key scene. System activation increased to 30%.]
The translucent System Interface unfurled before Tang Yu. Numbers flickered on the left—Current Emotion Points: 150/1000. On the right were his basic attributes:
Strength: 6 (average person)
Agility: 7 (slightly above average)
Intelligence: 9 (genius level)
Charm: 8 (eye-catching)
"Tang Yu, please come with me." A female teacher interrupted his thoughts. "I'm Chabashira Sae, Class D's homeroom teacher. I'll take you to the entrance exam."
Chabashira-sensei walked briskly, her black heels clicking sharply against the marble floor.
Tang Yu followed behind her, discreetly taking in the legendary school: wide, bright corridors, advanced teaching equipment, and an atmosphere of elite education everywhere he looked.
"I heard you're a transfer student specially recommended from Huaxia." Chabashira spoke suddenly, her voice edged with curiosity.
"Yes, ma'am." Tang Yu answered in fluent Japanese, one of the perks he'd gained after crossing over: the ability to master languages automatically.
Chabashira gave him a meaningful look. "I hope you can adapt to the way we teach here."
The entrance exam took place in an empty classroom. When Tang Yu received the test paper, his brows rose slightly. The questions were far beyond ordinary high school level, even covering university material.
[Challenging situation detected. System assistance mode activated.]
In an instant, Tang Yu felt a cool rush of energy flood his mind. Every question became crystal clear. His pen barely paused as he completed the entire test at astonishing speed.
"You finished with half the time left?" The proctor checked his paper in disbelief.
Tang Yu smiled faintly. "The questions were interesting."
In fact, he'd noticed the Emotion Points on the System Panel soaring. The proctor's astonishment had earned him +50 points. His heart raced at the discovery. Collecting other people's emotions was that easy.
Three days later, the class assignments were announced. Despite his near-perfect test results, Tang Yu had been placed in the worst class, Class D.
"Interesting." He stood before the assignment notice, the corner of his mouth curling upward. The system showed that he'd accumulated 600 Emotion Points, enough for a minor upgrade.
[Intelligence attribute increased to 10 (human limit)]
A warm current flooded his mind. Tang Yu felt his thoughts sharpen, and the knowledge in his memory seemed to have been reorganized into perfect clarity.
"You're the new transfer student?" A cool female voice came from behind him.
Tang Yu turned and saw a girl with long black hair studying him appraisingly. She stood ramrod straight, her eyes sharp, and her entire bearing warned others to keep their distance.
"Horikita Suzune?" Tang Yu called her by name. She was one of the characters who'd left a strong impression on him in the original anime.
A flicker of surprise crossed the girl's eyes. "You know me?"
"You're famous in Class D. I've heard a little about you." Tang Yu answered casually, noting the system notification at the same time: [Confusion from Horikita Suzune +20].
Suzune furrowed her brow. "We've never met. But it doesn't matter. If you were assigned to Class D, you're no better than the rest of us." She turned to leave, then paused. "Just don't hold the class back."
Watching her walk away, Tang Yu chuckled. Her taunt barely fazed him. If anything, it had earned him valuable Emotion Points.
What interested him more was the seemingly ordinary boy watching from a short distance away: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
"Is the protagonist keeping an eye on me? Interesting." Tang Yu made a mental note and headed for the Class D classroom.
On the first day of school, the atmosphere in Class D was less than friendly. The students had gathered in small groups, clearly divided into cliques. Tang Yu chose a seat by the window and discreetly observed the class.
"Quiet." Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom, and the chatter immediately stopped. "We have a transfer student today, Tang Yu, from Huaxia. I hope you'll all get along."
After a brief introduction, Tang Yu felt dozens of eyes turn toward him—curious, appraising, contemptuous... System notifications rang out one after another, and his Emotion Points quickly surpassed 800.
"Our first class is math." Chabashira-sensei brought up the electronic whiteboard. "Since the new student might have trouble keeping up, let's start with a little test."
A complicated calculus problem appeared on the screen, prompting a chorus of groans.
"Even college freshmen might not be able to solve that." An orange-haired boy named Yamauchi Haruki complained.
Tang Yu glanced at the question. With the system's help, the solution became clear at once. But he didn't pick up his pen right away. He waited for the right moment.
"Anyone want to give it a try?" Chabashira-sensei scanned the classroom, her gaze shifting between Horikita Suzune and Tang Yu.
Suzune raised her hand and went to the board. Her solution was rigorous, but she worked slowly, taking nearly ten minutes to finish.
"Correct." Chabashira nodded. "Anyone else want to try a different approach?"
The classroom fell silent. Just as Chabashira was about to continue the lesson, Tang Yu stood up. "I'd like to try."
He went to the board and picked up the electronic pen. Without pausing, he wrote out his solution. Unlike Suzune, he used a simpler, more elegant approach, arriving at the answer in just three minutes.
"This..." Chabashira-sensei looked astonished, an expression rarely seen on her face. "That's a method used in advanced mathematics competitions."
[Shock from Chabashira Sae +50]
[Astonishment from Horikita Suzune +40]
[Disbelief from the entire class +200]
System notifications surged like a tide, and Tang Yu's Emotion Points maxed out in an instant. He suppressed a grin and calmly returned to his seat.
"Tang, have you studied advanced mathematics before?" Chabashira-sensei asked.
"I've studied a little on my own." Tang Yu answered modestly, noticing that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was watching him with an odd look. It wasn't simple surprise, but the wariness of someone who'd found another of his kind.
The bell rang, and the classroom immediately grew noisy. Several students gathered around Tang Yu, firing questions at him from all sides.
"You're incredible! I couldn't even understand the question!" Kushida Kikyo, a cheerful girl with a sweet smile, spoke first.
[False enthusiasm from Kushida Kikyo +30]
The system notification put Tang Yu on his guard. He remembered Kushida's double personality from the original story and decided to keep a suitable distance.
"I just got lucky and recognized the type of question." Tang Yu replied warmly.
"Hmph, solving one question doesn't prove anything." Horikita Suzune stood at the edge of the crowd and spoke coldly. "Real ability is measured over time."
Tang Yu turned to her. "You're right, Horikita. Why don't we make a bet? Whoever gets the lower score on the next Monthly Exam has to grant the other person a request."
A combative glint flashed in Suzune's eyes. "Are you sure you want to challenge me?"
"Are you afraid?" Tang Yu deliberately provoked her.
[Anger from Horikita Suzune +50]
[Interest from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka +30]
"Fine, I accept." Suzune turned and walked away as soon as she'd given her firm reply.
The onlookers gasped in amazement, while Tang Yu was secretly delighted. The bet would let him keep earning Emotion Points, and give him a legitimate excuse to get closer to the aloof girl.
At lunchtime, Tang Yu sat alone on the rooftop and ate his bento. The system notified him that he had enough Emotion Points for a major upgrade.
[System upgraded to Level 2]
[New feature unlocked: Emotion Perception]
[Can sense the emotional fluctuations of others within a 10-meter radius in real time]
The new ability caught Tang Yu's attention. It meant he could not only collect Emotion Points, but also "read" other people's emotional states directly—a boon to socializing and planning strategies.
"May I sit here?" A calm male voice sounded.
Tang Yu looked up and saw Ayanokoji Kiyotaka standing before him with a bento. He nodded. "Go ahead."
After sitting down, Ayanokoji ate in silence for a while. Using his newly acquired ability, Tang Yu sensed that beneath the boy's calm exterior lay a mixture of wariness and curiosity.
"Your method of solving that problem was unusual." Ayanokoji spoke suddenly. "It wasn't something you'd learn from ordinary self-study."
Tang Yu smiled. "Likewise. The way you look at me isn't something you'd expect from an ordinary high school student."
Their eyes met, and invisible sparks seemed to fly between them. Tang Yu felt the system's numbers surge: [Strong interest from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka +100].
"Class D is more interesting than I expected." Ayanokoji finally said, his tone still flat.
"Yeah, especially when you meet interesting people." Tang Yu replied pointedly.
During PE that afternoon, Tang Yu deliberately performed only averagely in the sprints—not too poorly, but not well enough to stand out. He noticed the PE Teacher, Sakagami Kazuma, watching him several times, as if evaluating him.
"System, show me my current overall abilities." Tang Yu thought to himself.
[Current Attributes: Strength: 6 (can be increased to 7 for 200 points) Agility: 7 (can be increased to 8 for 200 points) Intelligence: 10 (current limit reached) Charm: 8 (can be increased to 9 for 300 points)]
Considering the upcoming fitness test and his day-to-day needs, Tang Yu decided to improve his agility first. After spending 200 Emotion Points, he felt his body grow lighter, and his muscle coordination noticeably improved.
After school, Chabashira-sensei called Tang Yu to her office.
"Your entrance exam score was in the top three in the whole school, yet you were assigned to Class D. Do you know why?" Chabashira asked bluntly.
Tang Yu pretended to think it over. "The school has its reasons?"
"Because you lack a cooperative spirit and displayed an extremely individualistic attitude during the exam."
Chabashira adjusted her glasses. "This school values more than individual ability. It also values what you contribute to the group."
Tang Yu nodded to show he understood, while sensing that Chabashira had more to say. She seemed to be testing him.
"However," Chabashira continued, changing tack, "if you can lead Class D to a higher ranking, you'll earn a substantial amount of personal points. Think it over."
After leaving the office, Tang Yu fell into thought. In the original story, Class D's rise had relied mainly on Ayanokoji's covert maneuvering. With him as an additional variable, the situation would grow even more complicated. But that also meant more opportunities to earn Emotion Points.
"System, what's the ultimate goal?" Tang Yu asked suddenly.
[Ultimate mission: Collect one million Emotion Points to unlock the system's complete form] [Current progress: 1250/1000000]
One million... Tang Yu narrowed his eyes. He'd have to keep creating "incidents" that stirred people's emotions. And this closed little society, Advanced Nurturing High School, was the perfect stage.
Back in his dorm, Tang Yu listed several key figures in his notebook: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyo, Hirata Yosuke... Every one of them was a potential source of Emotion Points.
Ayanokoji in particular—the inscrutable product of the White Room. If Tang Yu could provoke an emotional reaction from him, the rewards would surely be enormous.
"Starting tomorrow, the game begins for real." Tang Yu closed his notebook. Outside the window, the stars glittered across Tokyo's night sky.
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