Perfect Ending

The last week before summer break, an air of restlessness hung over the campus. The cherry blossoms had long since fallen, replaced by lush green leaves rustling in the summer breeze. Tang Yu stood on the rooftop of the classroom building, looking down at the students playing on the sports field as the System Interface appeared before him:

[Current Emotion Points: 28750/30000]

[Only 1250 points until the next ability unlocks]

For the past month, Tang Yu had continued his "One-Point Suppression" strategy. With every exam and every assignment, he controlled his scores precisely, ensuring he was always exactly one point ahead of Horikita Suzune.

This almost cruel psychological tactic had brought him a rich harvest of Emotion Points, but it had also left Horikita increasingly on edge.

"Final exams are tomorrow," Tang Yu murmured. "One last chance to reap the rewards."

Footsteps sounded faintly behind him. Tang Yu knew who it was without turning around. There was only one person in the whole school who walked so quietly.

"Enjoying your psychological games?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's voice was so calm that it gave nothing away.

Tang Yu turned and saw Ayanokoji leaning against the railing, his gray-white eyes especially indifferent in the sunlight. He wore the standard school uniform, even the top button fastened impeccably. He looked like a lifeless statue.

"I don't know what you mean," Tang Yu said, feigning confusion.

"In six consecutive exams, you scored exactly one point higher than Horikita in every subject." Ayanokoji stared into Tang Yu's eyes. "Statistically, the odds of that are less than one in ten million."

Tang Yu activated Emotion Perception, but Ayanokoji's Emotion Cloud showed an eerie calm—no anger, no accusation, not even curiosity. Only pure observation and analysis.

"Just a coincidence." Tang Yu shrugged. "Maybe we have similar study habits."

"An interesting theory." Ayanokoji's lips curved slightly. "But I'm more inclined to think this is some sort of psychological experiment. You're testing Horikita's breaking point."

The words pierced Tang Yu's disguise like a small, precisely aimed blade. He forced himself to stay calm. "Why do you say that?"

"Observation." Ayanokoji pointed to his eyes. "After every set of results is posted, the first thing you look at is Horikita's reaction, not your own score. What are you collecting? Her pain? Her frustration?"

Tang Yu's heart beat a little faster. Ayanokoji's insight was far beyond what he'd expected, bringing him perilously close to the truth. He had to tread carefully.

"Horikita is an interesting opponent." Tang Yu chose to be partly honest. "I admire her fighting spirit."

"Until you destroy it." Ayanokoji spoke softly. "Be careful not to get burned, Tang Yu. A person's mind can break in an instant."

After delivering that warning, Ayanokoji turned and left, leaving Tang Yu alone on the rooftop, a fine sheen of sweat beading on his forehead.

[Warning from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka +300]

[Current Emotion Points: 29050/30000]

Ayanokoji was right. Tang Yu was playing with fire. But the fire had already been lit. Now all he could do was wait for the final flare-up.

On the day of the final exams, the classroom was so quiet that the hum of the air conditioner could be heard. Tang Yu sat at his desk, lightly tapping his fingers on the desktop as he occasionally glanced at Horikita Suzune, seated diagonally ahead of him.

The month of pressure had taken its toll on her. Her once-glossy black hair had grown dull, dark circles were visible beneath her eyes, and even her trademark ramrod-straight posture seemed stiff. But her gaze remained sharp, and her fingers gripped her pen with steady determination.

"Begin the exam." The proctor handed out the papers. "You have two hours."

Tang Yu quickly scanned the test. It was extremely difficult, almost at competition level. That was just what he had hoped for. The harder the exam, the more likely Horikita was to make a mistake, allowing him to control the gap between their scores with greater precision.

As he worked through the questions, Tang Yu kept an eye on Horikita from the corner of his eye. She was solving the problems more slowly than usual. When she came across a difficult one, she unconsciously bit her lower lip—a nervous habit she'd never shown before.

Tang Yu deliberately adjusted his pace, making sure he could respond to Horikita's progress.

When Horikita got stuck on the third major problem, he deliberately spent an extra two minutes on the same question. When she finally broke through the impasse and moved on, he immediately picked up speed as well.

This subtle psychological synchronization would give Horikita the illusion that they were locked in a close contest, with the outcome hanging on the tiniest of margins.

The final question was an advanced topology problem. Tang Yu saw Horikita's pen remain still over it for a full five minutes. He quickly assessed its point value, then deliberately left a tiny flaw in his own solution—enough for Horikita to spot when reviewing her work, but not enough to cost her too many points.

When the bell rang, Horikita handed in her paper with a slight delay, her fingertips trembling faintly. Tang Yu, by contrast, stretched and flashed a relaxed smile.

"How do you think you did?" He walked over to Horikita and asked deliberately.

Horikita paused while packing up her stationery. "About as well as usual." Her voice was lower than normal.

"Good." Tang Yu replied meaningfully. "I'm looking forward to seeing the results."

Three days later, the final exam results were posted on the bulletin board. Tang Yu stood at the edge of the crowd. He didn't need to push his way in to know what they said—he had calculated the score for every question precisely.

A sudden burst of exclamations erupted in front of the board. Tang Yu saw Horikita shove her way through the crowd and rush out, her face as pale as paper and her lips pressed into a thin line.

An emotion Tang Yu had never seen in her flickered in her eyes. It wasn't anger, but a bewilderment close to despair.

Tang Yu approached the bulletin board and saw the following scores clearly marked beside his name:

Tang Yu: Mathematics 100, Physics 100, Chemistry 100, English 100, Modern Literature 100, History 100

Horikita Suzune: Mathematics 99, Physics 99, Chemistry 99, English 99, Modern Literature 99, History 99

Perfect Score in All Subjects, while maintaining "One-Point Suppression."

[Horikita Suzune's Breakdown +600]

[The whole class is shocked +400]

[Emotion Points exceed 30000!]

[Ability unlocked: "Group Emotion Suggestion"]

The system notifications flooded in like a rising tide, but Tang Yu's attention was fixed on Horikita as she fled. Her reaction was stronger than ever before. His plan had worked, but the taste of victory was a little bitter.

Tang Yu found Horikita in a corner of the library. The sight made his heart jolt. Horikita Suzune, who was always so meticulous, was now tearing up her exam paper in a frenzy, scraps scattered all over the floor.

Her breathing was ragged and her shoulders shook violently. She was nothing like the calm, composed top student she usually was.

"Horikita?" Tang Yu called softly.

Horikita looked up, and the turmoil in her eyes made Tang Yu's heart tremble. Her voice was hoarse. "Why... why is it always one point... in every subject... every single one..."

[Horikita Suzune's Despair +400]

[Current Emotion Points: 30450/40000]

Tang Yu crouched and slowly picked up the scraps of paper from the floor. "You're too fixated on winning and losing."

"You don't understand!" Horikita suddenly raised her voice, drawing the attention of nearby students. "I have to... I have to prove..."

"Prove what?" Tang Yu looked directly into her eyes. "That you can succeed without relying on your brother's name?"

Horikita froze as if struck by lightning. "You... how did you..."

"Observation." Tang Yu pointed to his eyes. "The microexpressions you make whenever you hear Horikita Manabu's name, how much you hate being called 'the genius's little sister'... It wasn't hard to figure out."

Tang Yu activated "Emotional Link," sensing Horikita's inner world more deeply. In an instant, countless fragments of memory flooded in: doing homework alone late into the night in an empty mansion as a child; teachers praising her brother at parent-teacher meetings; classmates whispering, "She's Horikita Manabu's little sister," when she first enrolled.

After the link broke, Tang Yu fell silent for a moment. He had seen Horikita as nothing more than a source of Emotion Points, but he had inadvertently touched the most vulnerable part of her.

After talking with Horikita Suzune for quite a while, I left the library.

Just as Tang Yu was planning how to use his new ability, someone knocked on the door. Chabashira Sae stood outside, a folder in her hand.

"The School Board is very interested in you, Tang Yu." Chabashira got straight to the point. "Seven consecutive exams, precisely outperforming the same student, and then a perfect score in every subject... It's difficult to explain that as coincidence."

Tang Yu remained calm. "It's just the result of studying hard."

Chabashira gave him a meaningful look. "There's a special assignment over the summer. The School Administration has designated you to participate. The details are in here." She handed him the folder. "Prepare well. Next semester will be... more interesting."

After Chabashira left, Tang Yu opened the folder. Inside was information about the Summer Special Training Class. It would be held at a remote mountain lodge, with top students from each class taking part. The person in charge was none other than Student Council President Horikita Manabu.

"Interesting..." Tang Yu's lips curved slightly. This was both a challenge and an opportunity. He had an entire summer to test his new ability and move closer to the heart of the school's power.

Outside the window, the summer sunset bathed the entire campus in gold. Tang Yu stood by the window, thinking about his next steps. The Special Summer Class, a face-to-face meeting with Horikita Manabu, and further exploration of the System's potential... He looked forward to it all.

The System's notification sounded again:

[Special Reminder: Increased activity detected from multiple factions]

[Student Council Attention: 50%]

[School Board Attention: 60%]

[Ayanokoji Kiyotaka Attention: 95%]

The numbers flickered before his eyes. Tang Yu knew next semester's game would be even more complicated. But for now, he just wanted to savor the satisfaction of a perfect ending—both in his studies and in terms of the System.

On the last night before summer break, Tang Yu had a strange dream. In it, he stood before a gigantic chessboard, facing an opponent whose features he couldn't make out.

The pieces on the board weren't ordinary shapes, but familiar faces: Horikita, Ayanokoji, Ichinose, Ryuen... When he reached out to move one, he discovered that his own hand had become part of the board.

When he woke, the sun was already up. Tang Yu packed his bags and took one last look at the dorm where he had lived for a semester. Whatever challenges lay ahead, he was ready.

At this school, where strength was everything, a new game was about to begin. And he would no longer be just a piece on the board.