An Accidental Encounter with Suzune Horikita

Tang Yu dodged to the side, his right hand forming a blade to strike precisely at the nerve plexus on Ryuen Kakeru's wrist, while his left palm slammed into the man's elbow joint. Ryuen Kakeru let out a muffled grunt, and his entire right arm went limp.

"All of you, attack!" Ryuen Kakeru roared.

Four Class C students lunged forward simultaneously. Tang Yu wove between them like a fish in water, each strike hitting a vital point with pinpoint accuracy—the shoulder well point, the intercostal nerves, the lateral knee ligaments... In less than a minute, all five were groaning on the ground, while Tang Yu hadn't even broken a sweat.

"What kind of hellish martial art is this?" one Class C student asked in terror.

"Chinese Wing Chun." Tang Yu straightened his collar. "By the way, the entire process was captured by the security camera at the corner. If I were you, I wouldn't look for trouble again."

In reality, the camera had long been temporarily blocked by Tang Yu using an Electromagnetic Jammer (costing 100 points), but the threat was enough to intimidate them.

[Fear from Class C members +500]

[Shock from Ryuen Kakeru +300]

[Current Emotion Points: 30900/40000]

As he left Akihabara, Tang Yu was in an exceptionally good mood. This encounter had not only yielded a considerable amount of Emotion Points but also verified his newly acquired martial arts skills.

In the last look Ryuen Kakeru gave him, besides anger, there was a trace of unprecedented fear—this kind of high-quality emotional fluctuation was particularly precious.

In the evening, Tang Yu arrived at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro. In the large bookstore, he "ran into" Horikita Suzune, who was picking out reference books.

"What a coincidence." Tang Yu walked up to her naturally. "Preparing for the summer break?"

Horikita looked up, a flash of surprise in her eyes before she returned to her calm demeanor: "Yes. You too?"

"Just browsing." Tang Yu picked up a copy of Cognitive Psychology. "I've been interested in this lately."

Horikita's gaze shifted between the book and him: "I thought you only cared about scores and winning."

"People are multifaceted." Tang Yu smiled. "Just like you; you aren't defined solely by the labels of 'honor student' and 'Horikita Manabu's younger sister'."

Horikita's fingers tightened slightly, but she didn't get angry this time. She was silent for a moment before suddenly asking: "Why did you say those things after the final exam?"

"Which things?"

"About... not holding back a single point against me." Horikita's voice was very soft. "Is it pity?"

Tang Yu placed the book back on the shelf: "It's respect. True competition should make both sides better, not destroy one."

Horikita looked at him deeply, then did something unexpected—she put the Advanced Calculus book she had been holding back on the shelf and picked up a copy of Selected Works of Nietzsche instead.

"I've always wanted to read this," she said softly, "but I always felt it was a 'waste of time'."

The two sat down in the bookstore's cafe area, unexpectedly engaging in an in-depth discussion about existentialism and self-worth.

Horikita talked about her complex relationship with her brother, the pressure of being the "genius younger sister," and how she had tried to prove her worth by constantly winning.

"But every time I win, I feel empty." Horikita stared at her coffee cup. "It's like I'm just repeating a script that others expect of me."

Tang Yu activated "Emotional Link" to perceive Horikita's inner world on a deeper level. This time, he had no intention of collecting Emotion Points; he simply wanted to understand this girl who had once been arrogant but was now gradually opening her heart.

"Perhaps," Tang Yu said softly, "true victory isn't about defeating others, but finding the way of winning that you truly want."

Horikita looked up, a strange luster flickering in her eyes: "Sometimes you really don't sound like a high school student."

"Likewise." Tang Yu laughed.

When they left the bookstore, the setting sun stretched their shadows long. Horikita suddenly said: "You'll be attending the Special Summer Class, right?"

"Of course."

"My brother is in charge." Horikita's voice carried complex emotions. "He... is looking forward to seeing you."

"That's a lot of pressure." Tang Yu said half-jokingly, but in his heart, he was already calculating how to deal with the legendary Student Council Vice President.

[Horikita Suzune's favorability increased to 75 (Trust)]

[Obtained special achievement: "Ice Wall Melting"]

This unexpected gain left Tang Yu deep in thought. Compared to simple Emotion Point collection, this kind of genuine human connection seemed to bring a different kind of satisfaction.

As night fell, Tang Yu arrived at his final stop—the Tokyo Tower observation deck. Standing on the 250-meter-high glass floor, the lights of all of Tokyo were laid out before his eyes.

He reviewed the day's gains—nearly ten thousand Emotion Points, multiple ability tests, the qualitative change in his relationship with Horikita, and the deterrence of Ryuen Kakeru.

[Current Emotion Points: 31800/40000]

[Today's Emotion Points gained: +1350]

Just as Tang Yu was about to leave, his "Emotion Perception" suddenly caught a familiar fluctuation—calm as water, unfathomable. He turned his head sharply, catching a figure quickly disappearing into the crowd.

Gray-white hair, standard school uniform, meticulous posture—Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"Tracking me?" Tang Yu narrowed his eyes. Ayanokoji's appearance here was by no means a coincidence; he must have been observing something.

What made Tang Yu even more alert was that in another direction, he sensed another familiar emotional fluctuation—cold and calculating, carrying a hint of official scrutiny.

Through the reflection in the glass, Tang Yu recognized the figure—Kiriyama Ikiteru, the suspended Student Council Vice President.

"Interesting." Tang Yu whispered to himself. "It seems the game has already begun quietly before the Special Summer Class has even started."

Returning to the school dormitory, Tang Yu organized the day's gains and discoveries. The system interface displayed:

[Ability test complete]

["Group Emotion Suggestion" proficiency +25%]

["Emotional Link" proficiency +15%]

[New martial arts skill added: Wing Chun (permanently redeemable, price: 5000 points)]

Outside the window, the night sky of Tokyo was filled with twinkling stars. Tang Yu lay on his bed, contemplating his next plan. Five days was enough time for him to collect more Emotion Points, test more abilities, and prepare for the upcoming Special Summer Class.

But more importantly, he needed to figure out the motives of Ayanokoji and Kiriyama, and whether there was some kind of connection between them. This exploration of Tokyo would yield far more than just simple Emotion Points.

[Special Alert: Multiple surveillance sources detected]

[Ayanokoji Kiyotaka surveillance level: 80%]

[Kiriyama Ikiteru surveillance level: 60%]

[Recommendation: Maintain vigilance, implement moderate countermeasures]

Tang Yu closed the System Interface and shut his eyes. Tomorrow, he would explore another side of Tokyo—the undercurrents hidden behind the prosperity, which might provide higher-quality emotional fluctuations.

In this city that never sleeps, the daytime performance had already ended, but the real game was only just beginning.