One-Point Suppression (Part 2)

"Impossible!" Horikita's voice came from the crowd, carrying a rare trace of trembling.

Tang Yu walked toward the bulletin board and saw his own name at the very top of the grade list:

Tang Yu: Math 95, Physics 93, Chemistry 94, English 90, Modern Literature 88, History 89

Horikita Suzune: Math 94, Physics 92, Chemistry 93, English 89, Modern Literature 87, History 88

In every single subject, exactly one point higher than Horikita.

[Shock from Horikita Suzune +300]

[Surprise from the whole class +200]

[Current Emotion Points: 20000/30000]

Horikita stood rooted to the spot, the notebook in her hand nearly crushed. Tang Yu activated Emotion Perception and saw the Emotion Cloud above her head churning violently—deep red anger, purple frustration, and black self-doubt intertwined to form a small emotional storm.

"Just a coincidence," Tang Yu said nonchalantly. "Next time might be different."

This sentence acted like a fuse. Horikita whipped her head around, her eyes burning with a fury never seen before: "Stop acting so smug!" Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was like ice. "Next time, I will show you my true strength."

[Anger from Horikita Suzune +200]

[Current Emotion Points: 20200/30000]

Tang Yu remained silent, watching Horikita's retreating back. The first step of his plan was perfectly achieved, and this was only the beginning.

Over the next month, Tang Yu pushed this "One-Point Suppression" strategy to the limit. From pop quizzes to the Midterm Exam, and even physical education theory tests, he controlled his scores with precision every single time, landing exactly one point above Horikita.

After the fifth "One-Point Suppression," Horikita finally broke down.

Tang Yu found her in a corner of the library—her usually meticulous black hair was disheveled, a torn test paper lay before her, and her hands were stained with ink.

Her breathing was ragged, her shoulders trembling slightly; she looked nothing like the calm, self-possessed honor student she usually was.

"Horikita-san?" Tang Yu called out softly.

Horikita looked up, the chaos in her eyes giving Tang Yu a jolt. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she only let her shoulders slump powerlessly: "Why... why is it always one point..."

[Breakdown from Horikita Suzune +500]

[Emotion Points exceeded 25000!]

[Unlocked "Group Emotion Influence" ability (Beginner)]

This unexpected gain left Tang Yu both pleasantly surprised and somewhat guilty. He had only intended to apply constant pressure to collect Emotion Points, never expecting to push Horikita to this extent.

"Sometimes," Tang Yu said, sitting down across from her, "being overly obsessed becomes an obstacle."

"You don't understand," Horikita's voice was barely audible. "I have to... prove myself..."

Tang Yu activated "Emotional Link" to feel the depths of Horikita's inner world. In an instant, countless fragments of memory flooded in—a childhood spent being compared to her brother, studying alone in an empty house until late at night, and the teacher's words upon her enrollment: "Oh, you're Horikita Manabu's younger sister."

After the link severed, Tang Yu was silent for a moment: "You want to prove that you can succeed without relying on your brother's name."

Horikita looked up sharply, her eyes full of shock: "How did you...?"

"Observation," Tang Yu pointed to his own eyes. "Your micro-expressions when mentioning your brother, your complex attitude toward the name 'Horikita'... it wasn't hard to deduce."

Horikita's defenses seemed to collapse entirely. She lowered her head, her voice choked with sobs: "No matter how hard I try... I will always live in his shadow. And now... now even you..."

At this moment, Tang Yu suddenly realized how cold his plan had been. To collect Emotion Points, he had exploited Horikita's most vulnerable part. The system notifications kept chiming, but the joy of victory had completely vanished.

"Next exam," Tang Yu said softly, "I won't suppress you by one point again."

Horikita looked up, her red, swollen eyes filled with confusion.

"Not out of charity," Tang Yu continued, "but a challenge—defeat me while I'm giving it my all."

A glimmer of light reappeared in Horikita's eyes. She slowly sat up straight and smoothed her messy hair: "I won't go easy on you."

"Of course," Tang Yu smiled. "That is the Horikita Suzune I know."

As he left the library, Tang Yu encountered Ayanokoji Kiyotaka leaning against the hallway wall. The other boy's grey eyes appeared exceptionally deep under the lights.

"Playing with fire," Ayanokoji commented flatly.

Tang Yu raised an eyebrow: "Concerned about me?"

"Just observing," Ayanokoji stood up straight. "You knew she was on the verge of a breakdown, yet you kept applying pressure. Why?"

Tang Yu couldn't tell the truth, so he gave a half-truth: "Pressure creates diamonds."

"Or crushes them completely," Ayanokoji's rebuttal was sharp. "Human endurance has a limit, even for a strong person like her."

The two stared at each other for a moment. Tang Yu suddenly realized there was more to Ayanokoji's words—this wasn't just about Horikita; it was a warning to him as well.

"You have more empathy than you look," Tang Yu probed.

Ayanokoji's lips curled slightly: "You are colder than you look. An interesting contrast."

[Interest from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka +300]

[Current Emotion Points: 25500/30000]

Back in his dorm, Tang Yu examined the newly unlocked Group Emotion Influence ability. Unlike the single-target Emotion Manipulation, this ability could exert a slight influence on multiple people within a small radius; though the effect was weaker, its strategic value was immense.

[Group Emotion Influence (Basic)]

[Influence Radius: 5 meters]

[Duration: 1 minute]

[Implantable Simple Emotions: Calm/Mild Excitement/Basic Alertness]

Tang Yu planned to test this ability at the next class meeting. As the system continued to upgrade, his advantage in this Meritocracy school would become increasingly apparent.

However, his conversation with Horikita today made him realize that over-relying on system abilities might cause him to lose something more important—genuine interpersonal relationships and self-imposed moral constraints.

Outside the window, moonlight bathed the quiet campus. Tang Yu stood before the glass, contemplating his next course of action.

Horikita Suzune was no longer just a simple source of Emotion Points, but had become a true rival and a potential ally. This shift was perhaps more valuable than any system reward.

[Special Notification: Interpersonal relationship change detected]

[Horikita Suzune Favorability: 60/100 (Respect)]

[Ayanokoji Kiyotaka Attention: 90%]

[Honami Ichinose Favorability: 70/100 (Trust)]

The system prompts flickered in the moonlight, and Tang Yu knew that the game in this school was entering a new phase. And he was already prepared.