Tang Yu leaned aside to dodge. His right hand struck the nerve cluster in Ryuen's wrist with a precise knife-hand chop, while his left palm hit Ryuen's elbow joint. Ryuen grunted, and his entire right arm went limp.
"Everyone, get him!" Ryuen roared.
Four Class C students lunged at once. Tang Yu weaved among them like a fish, each strike landing precisely on a vulnerable spot—the Jianjing point, the intercostal nerves, the ligaments at the sides of their knees... In less than a minute, all five were sprawled on the ground, groaning, while Tang Yu hadn't even lost his breath.
"What the hell kind of fighting style is that?" one of the Class C students asked in terror.
"Chinese Wing Chun." Tang Yu straightened his collar. "And, by the way, the entire thing was just recorded by the surveillance camera on the corner. If I were you, I wouldn't cause any more trouble."
In reality, Tang Yu had temporarily blocked the surveillance camera with an Electromagnetic Jammer (cost: 100 points), but the threat was enough to intimidate them.
[+500 fear from Class C members] [+300 shock from Ryuen Kakeru] [Current Emotion Points: 30900/40000]
As Tang Yu left Akihabara, he was in an exceptionally good mood. This encounter had not only earned him a considerable number of Emotion Points, but also let him test out his newly acquired martial arts skill.
In Ryuen's eyes, alongside the anger, Tang Yu had seen a trace of fear unlike anything he'd shown before. This kind of high-quality emotional fluctuation was especially valuable.
Toward evening, Tang Yu arrived at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro. In a large bookstore, he "happened" to run into Horikita Suzune, who was browsing for reference books.
"What a coincidence." Tang Yu walked up beside her naturally. "Getting ready for summer vacation?"
Horikita looked up, surprise flashing in her eyes before she quickly regained her composure. "Yeah. You too?"
"Just looking around." 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 grades and winning."
"People have many sides to them." Tang Yu smiled. "Just like you—you're more than just 'the honor student' and 'Horikita Manabu's little sister.'"
Horikita's fingers tightened slightly, but this time she didn't get angry. She was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Why did you say those things after the last exam?"
"What things?"
"About... no longer keeping me one point behind you." Horikita's voice was soft. "Was it pity?"
Tang Yu returned the book to the shelf. "It was respect. Real competition should make both people better, not destroy one of them."
Horikita looked at him intently, then did something unexpected. She put the copy of Advanced Calculus she'd been considering back on the shelf and picked up Selected Works of Nietzsche instead.
"I've always wanted to read this," she said softly, "but I kept thinking it was a 'waste of time.'"
The two sat down in the bookstore's café area and unexpectedly found themselves in a deep discussion about existentialism and self-worth.
Horikita talked about her complicated relationship with her older brother, the pressure of being a "genius's little sister," and how she'd tried to prove her own worth by constantly winning.
"But every time I win, I feel empty again." Horikita stared at her coffee cup. "It's like I'm just repeating a script that someone else expects me to follow."
Tang Yu activated Emotional Link, sensing Horikita's inner world on a deeper level. This time, he wasn't trying to collect Emotion Points. He simply wanted to understand this once-proud girl, who was gradually opening up to him.
"Maybe," Tang Yu said softly, "true victory isn't about defeating others. It's about finding the way you want to win."
Horikita looked up, a strange light in her eyes. "Sometimes you really don't sound like a high school student."
"Likewise." Tang Yu smiled.
As they left the bookstore, the setting sun stretched their shadows long. Horikita suddenly asked, "You're going to attend the Special Summer Class, right?"
"Of course."
"My brother's in charge of it." Horikita's voice was tinged with mixed emotions. "He's... looking forward to meeting you."
"That's a lot of pressure." Tang Yu joked, though in his mind he was already considering how to deal with the legendary Student Council President.
[Horikita Suzune's affection increased to 75 (Trust)] [Special Achievement Unlocked: "Ice Wall Melting"]
This unexpected gain left Tang Yu deep in thought. Compared with simply collecting Emotion Points, these genuine connections with other people seemed to bring a different kind of satisfaction.
As night fell, Tang Yu arrived at his final stop: the observation deck at Tokyo Tower. Standing on the glass floor 250 meters above the ground, he took in the lights of all Tokyo below.
He reviewed what he'd gained that day: nearly ten thousand Emotion Points, tests of several abilities, a dramatic shift in his relationship with Horikita, and a show of force that had intimidated Ryuen.
[Current Emotion Points: 31800/40000] [Emotion Points Earned Today: +1350]
Just as Tang Yu was about to leave, his Emotion Perception suddenly picked up a familiar fluctuation—calm as still water, unfathomable. He whipped around and caught sight of a figure disappearing into the crowd.
Grayish-white hair, a neat school uniform, and a perfectly composed stance—Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
"Is he following me?" Tang Yu narrowed his eyes. "There's no way Ayanokoji's here by coincidence. He must be observing something."
Even more alarming, he sensed another familiar emotional fluctuation in a different direction—cold and calculating, with a hint of official scrutiny.
Using the reflection in the glass, Tang Yu recognized the figure: Kiriyama Ikiteru, the suspended Student Council Vice President.
"Interesting," Tang Yu murmured to himself. "The Special Summer Class hasn't even started, and the game is already quietly underway."
Back in his school dormitory, Tang Yu went over what he'd gained and discovered that day. The System Interface displayed:
[Ability Test Complete] ["Group Emotion Suggestion" proficiency +25%] ["Emotional Link" proficiency +15%] [New Martial Arts Skill: Wing Chun (permanent exchange available, costs 5000 points)]
Outside the window, stars dotted Tokyo's night sky. Tang Yu lay on his bed, thinking about his next steps. Five days would be enough to collect more Emotion Points, test more abilities, and prepare for the upcoming Special Summer Class.
But more importantly, he needed to figure out Ayanokoji and Kiriyama's motives, and whether there was some connection between them. This trip exploring Tokyo had given him far more than just Emotion Points.
[Special Notice: Multiple observers detected] [Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's surveillance level: 80%] [Kiriyama Ikiteru's surveillance level: 60%] [Suggestion: Stay alert and counter discreetly]
Tang Yu closed the System Interface and shut his eyes. Tomorrow, he would explore another side of Tokyo—the undercurrents hidden beneath its bustling surface might offer higher-quality emotional fluctuations.
In this city that never slept, the daytime performance was over, but the real game had only just begun.
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