At six in the morning, Tang Yu opened his eyes, and the System Interface unfolded in his field of vision right on time:
[Current Emotion Points: 61200/∞] [Today's Goal: Break 70000 points] [Special Reminder: A high-intensity social day can be arranged]
Tang Yu sat up and quickly planned out his schedule in his mind. This was the final stage of preparations before the new semester began. He needed to strengthen his connections with key people while gathering more Emotion Points. After a few minutes of precise calculations, a perfect schedule took shape:
8:00 a.m. - Sakura Airi (help her resolve Photography Club troubles)
10:30 a.m. - Kushida Kikyo ("run into" her at the library)
12:00 p.m. - Horikita Suzune (sparring at the Kendo Club)
3:00 p.m. - Karuizawa Kei (a private conversation at a café)
6:00 p.m. - Honami Ichinose (a walk around campus)
"System, display the current affection levels of the five targets."
[Sakura Airi: 55/100 (shy trust)] [Kushida Kikyo: 40/100 (outwardly friendly)] [Horikita Suzune: 75/100 (competitive respect)] [Karuizawa Kei: 70/100 (gratitude and dependence)] [Honami Ichinose: 65/100 (sincere admiration)]
Tang Yu nodded slightly. Aside from the two-faced Kushida Kikyo, the others' affection levels had all reached a safe threshold. Today, his goal was to deepen those relationships further while uncovering more information.
At 7:30, Tang Yu arrived early at the meeting place he'd arranged with Sakura Airi: a small garden in the northwest corner of campus. Few people ever came here. It was known around school as a "confession spot," but for shy Sakura, it was actually a place where she could relax and talk.
At exactly eight, a petite figure appeared timidly at the garden entrance. Sakura Airi wore her signature black-rimmed glasses. Her long brown hair nearly covered half her face, and she gripped a professional camera tightly in her hands.
"G-good morning, Tang Yu." Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
"Sakura, thanks for coming." Tang Yu gave her a gentle smile and deliberately kept two meters between them so as not to pressure her. "Could you tell me more about the Photography Club trouble?"
Sakura twisted her fingers together. "Um... the upperclassmen... they want me to take some... inappropriate photos..."
Tang Yu's gaze instantly turned cold. He activated Emotion Perception. Sakura's Emotion Cloud showed dark gray fear mixed with pink embarrassment. She had clearly been harassed badly.
"Their names?" Tang Yu asked curtly.
"T-third-years Imai and... and Sato." Sakura's eyes brimmed with tears. "They said... if I didn't take the photos, they'd expose what happened when I was in middle school..."
Tang Yu raised a hand to gently stop her. "That's enough. Leave this to me." He activated Emotional Link, sending Sakura a sense of security. "You're very talented at photography. They shouldn't be taking advantage of you like this."
Sakura raised her head, her eyes widening behind her glasses. "Y-you've seen my work?"
"The Sakura Rain series posted anonymously on the school network. Your compositions and use of light and shadow are both very professional." Tang Yu correctly named her handle on the photography forum. "You have real talent, Sakura."
[Sakura Airi's shock +300] [Sakura Airi's gratitude +400] [Affection level increased to 65/100]
Sakura's face flushed bright red, and tears finally spilled from her eyes—but this time, they were mixed with joy. Tang Yu offered her a handkerchief while silently committing the two third-years' names to memory. They would soon get a taste of the fear reflected back at them by Emotion Mirror.
At 9:45, Tang Yu ended his conversation with Sakura early to make sure he had enough time to get to the library. On the way, he exchanged 500 points for the Presence Reduction skill, making himself less conspicuous in a crowd.
On the third floor of the library, Kushida Kikyo sat alone in the psychology section, with Group Psychological Manipulation open in front of her. Tang Yu deactivated his skill and pretended to be passing by.
"Kushida? Fancy seeing you here."
Kushida looked up and instantly switched to her signature sweet smile. "Tang Yu! What a coincidence~" She deliberately raised her voice a few decibels, drawing the attention of several boys nearby.
Tang Yu activated Emotion Perception. Beneath the pink friendliness on the surface of Kushida's emotions, dark gray calculation and wariness churned. This two-faced girl was always wearing a mask.
"Studying psychology?" Tang Yu naturally took a seat across from her. "Is it so you can help your classmates better?"
Kushida's eyelashes fluttered slightly. "Yeah~ I want to understand what everyone's thinking so we can all get along better." She lowered her voice. "Actually... some of the girls have been having a hard time lately. I want to help them..."
Tang Yu immediately saw through her ploy: she was pretending to care while fishing for information. He decided to play along. "You mean Karuizawa?"
Kushida's pupils contracted. "You... know something?"
"It's just a guess." Tang Yu pretended to hesitate. "I've noticed she's been acting a little strangely lately, too. If you find anything out, could you tell me? I want to help."
This invitation to "conspire" was exactly what Kushida wanted. Her smile grew brighter as she leaned forward, adopting a more intimate posture. "Of course~ We're both just looking out for our classmates."
Tang Yu activated Emotional Link, briefly peeking into Kushida's true thoughts. She was figuring out how to use this alliance to control both Karuizawa and Tang Yu.
[Kushida Kikyo's feigned enthusiasm +200] [Current Emotion Points: 62500/∞]
At 10:25, Tang Yu excused himself early, claiming he had another appointment. The conversation, with both sides scheming against each other, hadn't yielded much. But at least he'd confirmed that Kushida really was targeting Karuizawa—and that it might have something to do with Ryuen's plans.
At 11:45, in the Kendo Club locker room, Tang Yu changed into his training uniform and activated Muscle Memory Enhancement, spending 800 points to prepare for his sparring match with Horikita Suzune.
Since the Special Training Class, the proud girl's attitude toward him had subtly changed. She'd gone from being purely a rival to becoming something of a partner.
Noon sunlight streamed through the dojo windows. Horikita was already waiting there, her black hair tied in a neat ponytail. She held her Bamboo Sword with textbook-perfect form.
"You're thirty seconds late," she said coldly.
"Sorry, I got held up at the library." Tang Yu picked up a Bamboo Sword. "What are the rules?"
"Free sparring. First to score two points wins." Horikita's eyes gleamed with fighting spirit. "The bet is our rankings on next week's mock exam."
Tang Yu smiled. "Are you sure? I won last time."
"That was during the training class." Horikita took the middle guard stance. "This time is different."
The match began. Horikita's swordsmanship was even more fierce than last time; she had clearly trained over the summer. Tang Yu activated Emotion Perception to anticipate her attacks, while deliberately holding back to make the match more intense.
In the first round, Horikita scored a beautiful strike to the head. A hint of pride flashed in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. "Your reactions have slowed."
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