The Queen in the Corner

On the third afternoon of the Summer Special Training Class, Tang Yu slipped away from the group discussion to find reference materials in the villa's library. The project was progressing smoothly—perhaps too smoothly.

Horikita Suzune provided a rigorous theoretical framework, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka contributed sophisticated data analysis, and Tang Yu was responsible for integration and polishing. The three of them performed their respective duties with almost no disagreement; this unnatural harmony actually made Tang Yu feel a hint of unease.

The villa's library was much smaller than the school's, but its collection was quite refined. As Tang Yu searched for books in the political science section, he suddenly heard a faint sob coming from the depths of the bookshelves.

The sound vanished instantly, as if it were merely an illusion, but Tang Yu's Emotion Perception caught a trace of intense emotional fluctuation—fear, shame, and loneliness intertwined.

He softened his footsteps, rounded two rows of shelves, and discovered Karuizawa Kei in a corner untouched by sunlight. The "queen" of Class D was curled up on a window seat, her long golden hair having lost its usual luster, her eyes red-rimmed, and her hands clutching a crumpled note.

Karuizawa sensed someone approaching and jerked her head up, instantly switching back to that arrogant expression: "What are you looking at? Haven't you ever—" Her voice cut off abruptly when she saw it was Tang Yu.

"Sorry to disturb you." Tang Yu took a half-step back, making a gesture to leave.

"Wait!" Karuizawa suddenly called out to him, her voice carrying a trace of panic Tang Yu had never heard before. "You... don't tell anyone you saw me like this."

Tang Yu activated Emotion Perception. Karuizawa's Emotion Cloud presented a strange, mixed state—the surface was a pink defensive posture, the core was a deep gray of fear, and hidden in the deepest layer was a wisp of blue longing for help.

[High-quality emotion source detected]

[Suggestion: Deep interaction can yield rare Emotion Points]

"Of course." Tang Yu sat down opposite her naturally, pretending not to notice the tear stains on her face. "I just came to find a book."

Karuizawa quickly wiped her eyes, forcing herself to stay calm: "What book? Maybe I know where it is."

"Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert Cialdini." Tang Yu made up a title on the spot.

"Psychology section, third shelf." Karuizawa answered subconsciously, then frowned. "Wait, aren't you preparing for that power structure project? That book is completely irrelevant."

Tang Yu smiled slightly: "Just testing your state. It seems your cognitive abilities aren't impaired, just your emotional stability."

Karuizawa's face turned pale instantly: "You... stop being so self-righteous!" Her voice was trembling, less out of anger than the panic of being seen through.

Tang Yu didn't press his advantage, instead changing the subject: "Is someone from Class C giving you trouble again?"

Karuizawa's fingers tightened around the note: "How did you kn—" She stopped abruptly, realizing she had let something slip.

"A guess." Tang Yu pointed to the note in her hand. "Ryuen's style, a crude and direct threat. What does it say? 'We know your secret'? Or 'Do as you're told if you don't want to be exposed'?"

Karuizawa's pupils contracted violently, and she trembled like a startled deer. At this moment, Tang Yu's Emotion Perception captured a high-quality emotional fluctuation like never before—pure, unadulterated fear.

[Deep fear from Karuizawa Kei +800]

[Current Emotion Points: 41500/50000]

"Don't be nervous." Tang Yu lowered his voice. "I'm not your enemy. In fact, I might be able to help you."

Karuizawa stared at him vigilantly: "Why? What do you want?"

"An information exchange." Tang Yu said frankly. "You tell me the movements of Class C, and I'll help you solve this trouble."

"You can't solve it." Karuizawa gave a bitter smile. "No one can. This is... this is my own problem."

Tang Yu activated "Emotional Link," briefly entering Karuizawa's emotional world. In an instant, countless memory fragments flooded in—bullying during middle school, the facade after transferring, the fear of her secret being exposed... the most intense was a blurred male figure, seemingly threatening something.

After the link disconnected, Tang Yu already had an idea: "Something from middle school?"

Karuizawa looked as if she had been struck by lightning, freezing in place: "You... how much do you actually know?"

"Not much, but enough to help you." Tang Yu said calmly. "How about this, I'll show my sincerity first—tell me who is following you, and I'll resolve this trouble right now."

Karuizawa hesitated for a moment, then finally whispered: "Two Class C boys, just outside the library... Ryuen sent them to monitor me."

Tang Yu nodded and stood up, walking toward the window. Through the glass, he indeed saw two Class C students standing furtively in the courtyard, glancing toward the library from time to time.

"Give me five minutes." Tang Yu straightened his collar. "You go to the restroom to tidy yourself up, and we'll meet in the west corridor."

Without waiting for Karuizawa's response, Tang Yu strode out of the library. As soon as he stepped outside, he immediately activated the "Emotion Mirror" ability, storing the fear he had just sensed from Karuizawa.

The two Class C boys saw Tang Yu come out alone, exchanged a look, and followed him. Tang Yu deliberately walked behind a bush in a blind spot for the security cameras, creating a "perfect" ambush opportunity for them.

"Hey, transfer student." One of them blocked Tang Yu. "I heard you've been getting pretty close to Karuizawa from Class D?"

Tang Yu pretended to be nervous: "Just happened to run into her... what's wrong?"

"Don't play dumb!" The other boy pressed in. "Boss Ryuen said no one is allowed to interfere with Karuizawa's business. If you know what's good for you—"

The moment he reached out to push Tang Yu, Tang Yu activated "Emotion Mirror," reflecting the stored fear back at them twofold. The two boys' faces suddenly changed drastically, as if they had seen something terrifying, and they stumbled backward.

"No... don't come over!" One of them suddenly screamed, waving his hands wildly at the air. "I was wrong! I won't dare to do it again!"

His companion was even more exaggerated, collapsing directly to the ground, his pants wet. "Spare me... please, I beg you, spare me..."

Tang Yu watched this scene calmly. The ability's effect was stronger than he had expected—the two not only felt Karuizawa's fear but projected it onto the things they feared most.

[Emotion Mirror effect exceeded expectations]

[Ability proficiency +20%]

[Fear from Class C boys +500]

[Current Emotion Points: 42200/50000]

Five minutes later, when Karuizawa arrived at the west corridor as agreed, she saw the backs of two Class C boys fleeing in panic, and Tang Yu standing against the wall.

"You... what did you do to them?" Karuizawa asked in disbelief.

"Just had a chat." Tang Yu said nonchalantly. "They promised they won't bother you again."

Karuizawa's eyes widened further: "Impossible! Ryuen's people would never—"

"Special circumstances call for special measures." Tang Yu interrupted her. "Now, it's your turn. I need to know all of Class C's recent movements, especially those targeting Class D."

Karuizawa bit her lip: "Can you really protect me? Not just from Class C, but... other things too?"

"As long as your information is valuable." Tang Yu looked straight into her eyes. "I keep my word."

Karuizawa took a deep breath, seemingly having made up her mind: "Ryuen plans to launch a full-scale attack on Class D after the summer break ends. He has bought off several people in our class, including... including Kushida Kikyo."

This information made Tang Yu raise an eyebrow. He had long sensed Kushida's dual personality, but direct collusion with Class C was new intelligence.

"Specific plans?"

"I don't know the details." Karuizawa shook her head. "But I heard they intend to use some 'dark history' to take down key figures, including Horikita Suzune and Hirata Yosuke."

Tang Yu nodded: "That's enough. In return, your secret will remain safe forever. Furthermore, if anyone threatens you, you can come to me at any time."

Karuizawa's expression softened, and a flash of long-lost relief crossed her eyes: "Why help me? Is it really just for the information?"

"Partly." Tang Yu was honest. "Besides, I admire your survival strategy. Pretending to be strong is also a form of wisdom."

This sentence seemed to touch something deep within Karuizawa. Her eyes welled up again, but this time she didn't hide it immediately: "...Thank you."

[Sincere gratitude from Karuizawa Kei +600]

[Emotion Points exceeded 45,000!]

[Unlocked "Emotion Weaving" ability]

[Can mix multiple emotions to create brand-new emotional states]

This new ability made Tang Yu's eyes light up. Not only could he rebound or influence emotions, but he could now create entirely new emotional combinations, which held immeasurable strategic value.

"Our conversation is confidential." Tang Yu cautioned her at the end. "On the surface, we are still just ordinary classmates."

Karuizawa had already recovered her "queen" persona and tossed her long hair: "Of course, I wouldn't want people to misunderstand that I have some special relationship with a transfer student." But there was less pretense and more sincerity in her eyes now.

The two returned to the main building one after the other. Just as Tang Yu was about to turn toward the study room, his Emotion Perception suddenly caught a familiar fluctuation—calm as water, unfathomable. He turned his head sharply to see Ayanokoji Kiyotaka standing in the shadows of the second-floor corridor, though he didn't know how long he had been watching.

Their gazes met in the air; Ayanokoji gave a rare, proactive nod before silently disappearing into the shadows.

[Deep interest from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka +500]

[Current Emotion Points: 43,300/50,000]

This unexpected gain left Tang Yu deep in thought. How much had Ayanokoji seen? What would he think of his intervention with Karuizawa? More importantly, how would this affect the delicate relationship between them?

In the study room, Horikita Suzune had already organized most of the materials. She looked up at Tang Yu: "Did you find the books you needed?"

"I gained something," Tang Yu replied meaningfully, while noticing that Horikita's emotion cloud was a rare orange—satisfaction with the progress of the project.

Ayanokoji subsequently appeared at the door without a sound, his gray eyes sweeping over Tang Yu without mentioning what he had just witnessed. But Tang Yu knew that this chance encounter had already been recorded in Ayanokoji's unfathomable mind palace.

During the group presentation in the evening, their project received an evaluation of "sufficient but lacking innovation" from Horikita Manabu—which was already the highest score among all groups. Nagumo Miyabi applauded from the side, his smile carrying a trace of imperceptible gloom.

At dinner, Karuizawa Kei returned to her group of girls, chatting and laughing as if the breakdown that afternoon had never happened. But Tang Yu noticed that her gaze swept toward him from time to time, her eyes carrying a new light.

[Karuizawa Kei favorability: 70 (Dependency)]

[New intelligence source: Class C movements]

[Obtained special achievement: "Shadow Alliance"]

As night fell, Tang Yu stood by the dormitory window, reviewing the day's gains. The accidental encounter with Karuizawa not only brought high-quality emotion points and key intelligence but also unlocked a powerful new ability.

More importantly, he had established a secret foothold within Class D, which would provide great convenience for future layouts.

In the distant woods, a blurry figure stood quietly, seemingly monitoring every move in the villa. Tang Yu activated his Night Vision, barely identifying the slender silhouette—Kiriyama Ikiteru? Or some other member of the School Board?

Regardless of who it was, the game had leveled up. And Tang Yu was moving step by step from a pawn to a player.

[Special reminder: Multiple surveillance networks detected]

[Suggestion: Use new abilities with caution]

[Next stage goal: 50,000 points to unlock "Emotion Field" ability]

The system prompts flickered in the darkness. Tang Yu drew the curtains, preparing to face tomorrow's challenges. In this villa full of calculations, everyone had their own secrets, and secrets were the most powerful weapons of all.