The headache ebbed like a receding tide. Tang Yu gripped the windowsill and gasped for breath. Although the "Emotion Shield" had blocked most of Tsukishiro Shuhei's mental attack, the shockwaves had still left his vision swimming. The System Interface flashed a red warning:
[Emotion Shield damaged: 42%] [Recovery requires 6 hours] [Recommendation: Avoid further contact with the source of the mental attack]
Tsukishiro had already left the sports field. Only Ryuen Kakeru remained, standing where he was and gazing up at Tang Yu across the distance.
Even from so far away, Tang Yu could sense the Class C tyrant's inner turmoil through the "Emotion Weaving Network"—anger mixed with a trace of fear so faint it was almost impossible to detect.
Ryuen finally turned and walked away, his retreating figure showing a rare hint of dejection. Tang Yu took a deep breath, gathered his debate materials, and left the classroom. Night had fallen across the campus, and the streetlights cast long shadows over the stone paths.
On the way back to his apartment, Tang Yu's temples still throbbed faintly. He ducked into a convenience store, bought a bottle of chilled mineral water, and pressed it to his forehead. A late-night news report was playing on the TV behind the register. One brief, unremarkable item caught his attention:
"...Recently, several cases of sudden psychological disturbances among teenagers have occurred in Tokyo. Experts suspect they may be connected to a new type of electronic drug..."
The footage switched to the entrance of a hospital. A familiar figure flickered across the blurry screen—Tsukishiro Shuhei, talking to someone in a white coat. Tang Yu immediately took a photo of the screen with his phone, but the footage had already moved on.
"That'll be 120 yen," the cashier reminded him.
Tang Yu paid and left, enlarging the photo on his phone as he walked. The image quality was poor, but the profile was definitely Tsukishiro's. Was he investigating the cases of psychological disturbances among teenagers? Or was he... involved in them?
The System suddenly sounded an alarm:
[Abnormal emotional fluctuation detected] [Direction: 20 meters behind you] [Identity: Karuizawa Kei]
Tang Yu turned and saw Karuizawa standing beneath a streetlight, a convenience store bag in her hand. She wore a simple white T-shirt and denim shorts. Her blond hair glowed softly in the light, making her seem like a completely different person from the heavily made-up "queen" she had been last semester.
"Out this late?" Tang Yu asked, masking his surprise.
Karuizawa jogged a few steps to catch up. "The dorm lost power, so I came to buy something to eat." She tilted her head and studied his face. "You look... kind of unwell."
"I have a bit of a headache." Tang Yu managed a faint smile. "I got too caught up preparing for the debate."
Karuizawa took a box of mints from her bag. "These might help. I... when I got headaches as a kid, my mom always gave me these."
Tang Yu took the box, their fingertips brushing briefly. Through the "Emotion Weaving Network," he sensed Karuizawa's feelings—a concern mixed with something deeper, warm and gentle, like the first ray of sunlight breaking through the clouds on a spring day.
"Thanks." Tang Yu popped a mint into his mouth. The coolness eased his headache a little. "Want me to walk you back to the dorm?"
Karuizawa shook her head. "There's no power, so it's stuffy in the dorm. Could... could I come over and practice the debate script some more? Just for a little while."
Tang Yu hesitated. Tsukishiro's mental attack had left him in poor shape, but the hopeful look in Karuizawa's eyes made it hard to refuse. "All right, but not too late."
At the apartment, Karuizawa heated water and made tea with practiced ease, as if this were her second home. Tang Yu sat on the sofa, watching her busy herself in the kitchen. For a moment, he had the strange impression he was watching a couple who had lived together for years going about their daily routine.
"Here." Karuizawa handed him a cup of tea. "I added honey. It should help with your headache."
Tang Yu thanked her and took a small sip. It was just sweet enough, and the temperature was perfect. Karuizawa sat in the chair across from him and took out her debate script. "Could you listen to this part? The section about bullying... I want to add some of my own experiences."
Tang Yu set down his teacup. "Are you sure you want to talk about this in public?"
"Yes." Karuizawa's gaze grew firm. "I've kept it hidden for so long. Maybe... talking about it could help people who've been through something similar."
Tang Yu activated the "Emotion Weaving Network" and sensed the change within her. The Karuizawa Kei who had been imprisoned by fear was transforming into someone new, someone brave enough to face her past.
"All right. I'm listening."
Karuizawa stood and took a deep breath. When she began her speech, her voice trembled at first, but soon grew firm and powerful:
"We often think strength means good grades, athletic ability, or social status. But what is true strength? It's the courage to get back up after being knocked down. It's the perseverance to keep believing in the light, even in the dark..."
Tears glimmered in her eyes, but her voice didn't break:
"I used to think that pretending to be strong would protect me. But true strength comes from accepting your own vulnerability, from daring to show your real self..."
Tang Yu held his breath. Karuizawa's speech had no fancy wording, but every sentence came straight from the heart, carrying a power that shook him.
When she delivered her final line—"Everyone has the right to be seen for who they truly are, not defined by a label"—Tang Yu found himself applauding.
"That was incredible," he praised sincerely. "It'll move every judge."
Karuizawa wiped at the corner of her eye. "Do you really think so? Won't it be... too personal?"
"That's what makes it real." Tang Yu handed her a tissue. "But..." He hesitated. "Tsukishiro Shuhei might be one of the judges. If he asks for details..."
"I'm not afraid anymore." Karuizawa cut him off. "Thanks to you, the photos have been destroyed. Now I just want to... be myself."
Through the "Emotion Weaving Network," Tang Yu sensed her resolve. The courage of a butterfly breaking free of its cocoon warmed his chest. The System suddenly displayed a message:
[Deep emotional resonance from Karuizawa Kei +800] [Affection increased to 95/100] [Emotion Points exceeded the threshold] ["Group Emotion Resonance" ability unlocked] [Synchronize the emotional frequencies of multiple people to create a collective willpower field]
The new ability caught Tang Yu's attention. If the "Emotion Weaving Network" let him influence different people's emotional states individually...
Then "Group Emotion Resonance" could bring several people's emotions into sync, creating a powerful cooperative effect. It would be invaluable during team activities.
"What's wrong?" Karuizawa noticed Tang Yu's distraction.
"Nothing. I was just thinking about the debate." Tang Yu came back to himself. "By the way, if you see someone named Tsukishiro Shuhei, try to avoid him. The School Board sent him to evaluate me. He might be a threat to you."
Karuizawa nodded seriously. "I'll be careful." She glanced at her watch. "Oh, it's so late! I should get back."
Tang Yu walked her to the door. It was late, and the campus paths were deserted.
"I'll walk you to your dorm."
Karuizawa shook her head. "No, your head still hurts." She suddenly stepped forward and gave Tang Yu a gentle hug, then quickly let go. "Thank you... for everything you've done for me."
Before Tang Yu could reply, she turned and ran into the night. He stood where he was, feeling the warmth she had left in his arms and catching the faint scent of her shampoo.
Through the "Emotion Weaving Network," he could sense Karuizawa stop after running some distance, her heart racing as she covered her face with both hands...
[Strong emotional fluctuation from Karuizawa Kei +500] [Current Emotion Points: 108600/∞]
Tang Yu closed the door and rubbed his temples. His headache had eased, but the sense of threat Tsukishiro had brought still lingered. He opened his computer and began researching Tsukishiro Shuhei's background in depth.
The search results showed that Tsukishiro did indeed have cooperative projects with several psychiatric hospitals. His public identity was that of an "expert in adolescent psychological development."
But Tang Yu noticed something strange: every teenage patient connected to Tsukishiro displayed similar symptoms—short-term memory loss, fear responses to certain keywords, and... an unusual dependence on Tsukishiro himself.
"Mental control..." Tang Yu murmured. Tsukishiro was clearly using some kind of ability to influence these teenagers, and now he had set his sights on Advanced Nurturing High School, particularly... Tang Yu and Class D.
A new mission appeared on the System Interface:
[Main Mission: Expose Tsukishiro Shuhei's experiment] [Reward: Unlock "Mental Defense Network"] [Current progress: 25%]
It was late, but Tang Yu lay in bed unable to sleep. Tomorrow was the final rehearsal before the debate tournament, and Tsukishiro might strike again. Tang Yu needed to be fully prepared.
The next morning, Tang Yu arrived at school two hours earlier than usual. In the empty classroom, he tested his newly unlocked "Group Emotion Resonance" ability—
He adjusted the emotional frequencies of several imaginary targets to the same wavelength. The results were astonishing, but the cost was steep. In just five minutes, it had consumed 2,000 Emotion Points.
"I'll have to use it sparingly," Tang Yu muttered to himself.
His classmates gradually arrived, and Class D's atmosphere was noticeably different today. Even Kanji Ike and Yamauchi Yuki, usually so lazy, had come early to review their materials.
Horikita Suzune and Hirata Yosuke organized a final run-through, while Karuizawa Kei helped the girls refine the pacing of their speeches.
"Yu." Chabashira Sae beckoned to him from the doorway. "Can we talk?"
Before you continue