Mental Defense Line (Part 1)

The headache receded like a receding tide, and Tang Yu leaned against the windowsill, gasping for air. Although the Emotion Shield had blocked most of Tsukishiro Shuhei's mental attack, the aftershocks still left his vision swimming in darkness. The system interface flickered with a red warning:

[Emotion Shield damaged: 42%]

[Recovery time: 6 hours]

[Recommendation: Avoid further contact with the source of the mental attack]

Tsukishiro had already left the playground, leaving only Ryuen Kakeru standing in place, looking up to meet Tang Yu's gaze from across the distance.

Even from so far away, Tang Yu could still sense the inner conflict of the Class C tyrant through the Emotion Weaving Network—a mixture of anger laced with a trace of imperceptible fear.

Ryuen finally turned and walked away, his back showing a rare hint of dejection. Tang Yu took a deep breath, packed up his debate materials, and left the classroom. The campus had already fallen into the night, and the streetlights cast long shadows across the stone path.

On the way back to his apartment, Tang Yu's temples were still throbbing. He ducked into a convenience store and bought a bottle of ice-cold mineral water to press against his forehead. The television at the checkout counter was playing the evening news, and an inconspicuous breaking news ticker caught his attention:

"...Multiple cases of sudden mental instability among teenagers have occurred recently in Tokyo. Experts suspect a link to a new type of electronic drug..."

The screen cut to the entrance of a hospital. In the blurry footage, a familiar figure flashed by—Tsukishiro Shuhei, talking to someone in a white lab coat. Tang Yu immediately used his phone to snap a picture of the screen, but the footage had already changed.

"120 yen," the cashier reminded him.

Tang Yu paid and left, zooming in on the photo on his phone as he walked. Although the image quality was poor, that profile was definitely Tsukishiro. Was he investigating the cases of teenage mental instability? Or was he... involved in them?

The system suddenly issued an alert:

[Abnormal emotional fluctuation detected]

[Location: 20 meters behind]

[Identity: Karuizawa Kei]

Tang Yu turned around and saw Karuizawa standing under a streetlight, holding a convenience store bag. She was wearing a simple white T-shirt and denim shorts, her blonde hair glowing softly under the light—a far cry from the heavily made-up "queen" of last semester.

"Out this late?" Tang Yu masked his surprise.

Karuizawa trotted a few steps to catch up with him: "The dorm had a power outage, so I came to get some food." She tilted her head to look at Tang Yu's face: "You look... not so good?"

"Just a headache," Tang Yu forced a smile. "I've been too immersed in debate prep."

Karuizawa took a box of mints from her bag: "This might help. I... I used to get headaches when I was little, and my mom always gave me these."

Tang Yu took the candy box, their fingertips brushing briefly. Through the Emotion Weaving Network, he felt Karuizawa's emotional fluctuations—concern mixed with a deeper, more profound sentiment, warm and soft, like the first ray of sunlight piercing through the clouds in spring.

"Thanks." Tang Yu ate a mint, the cooling sensation indeed easing his headache slightly. "Should I walk you back to the dorm?"

Karuizawa shook her head: "The power is out, and the dorm is stifling. Can... can I go to your place to practice the debate script a bit more? Just for a little while."

Tang Yu hesitated. Tsukishiro's mental attack had left him in poor condition, but the anticipation in Karuizawa's eyes made him unable to refuse: "Fine, but don't stay too late."

In the apartment, Karuizawa boiled water and made tea with practiced ease, as if this were her second home. Tang Yu sat on the sofa, watching her busy figure in the kitchen, and for a moment, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu—like watching the daily routine of a couple who had lived together for a long time.

"Here." Karuizawa handed him a teacup, adding honey. "It helps with headaches."

Tang Yu thanked her and took a small sip. The sweetness was just right, and the temperature was perfect. Karuizawa sat on the chair opposite him and took out the debate script: "Can you help me listen to this part? About the school bullying section... I want to add some personal experience."

Tang Yu set down his teacup: "Are you sure you want to talk about this publicly?"

"Yeah." Karuizawa's gaze became firm. "I've hidden it for so long, maybe... speaking out will actually help people who have had similar experiences."

Tang Yu activated the Emotion Weaving Network, sensing the change in her heart—the Karuizawa Kei who had been imprisoned by fear was transforming into a brand-new self, brave enough to face her past.

"Alright, I'm listening."

Karuizawa stood up and took a deep breath. When she began her speech, her voice trembled at first, but it quickly became firm and powerful:

"We often think that strength is grades, athletic ability, or social status. But what is true strength? It is the courage to stand up again after being knocked down, the persistence to still believe in the light while in the darkness..."

Her eyes shimmered with tears, but her voice did not break:

"I used to think that pretending to be strong could protect me. But true power comes from accepting one's own fragility, from daring to show one's true self..."

Tang Yu held his breath. Karuizawa's speech lacked flowery language, but every word came from the heart, carrying a soul-stirring power.

When she said the final sentence, "Everyone has the right to be seen for who they truly are, rather than being defined by labels," Tang Yu couldn't help but applaud.

"That was brilliant." He praised her sincerely. "This will move all the judges."

Karuizawa wiped the corners of her eyes: "Is it really okay? Will it be... too personal?"

"It's authentic precisely because it's personal." Tang Yu handed her a tissue. "However..." He hesitated. "Tsukishiro Shuhei might be one of the judges. If he asks about the details..."

"I'm not afraid anymore." Karuizawa interrupted him. "Thanks to you, the photos have been destroyed. Now I just want to... be my true self."

Tang Yu felt her determination through the Emotion Weaving Network, and the courage she displayed, like a butterfly breaking out of its cocoon, made his chest feel warm. The system suddenly prompted:

[Deep emotional resonance from Karuizawa Kei +800]

[Favorability increased to 95/100]

[Emotion value exceeded critical threshold]

[Unlocked ability: "Group Emotion Resonance"]

[Can synchronize the emotional frequency of multiple people, creating a collective willpower field]

This new ability made Tang Yu's eyes light up. If the Emotion Weaving Network allowed him to influence the emotional states of different people individually, then Group Emotion Resonance could adjust the emotions of multiple people to the same frequency, forming a powerful synergistic effect—this would be an invaluable asset in team activities.

"What's wrong?" Karuizawa noticed Tang Yu's distraction.

"It's nothing, just thinking about the debate tournament." Tang Yu snapped back to reality. "Right, if you see a man named Tsukishiro Shuhei, try to avoid him. He was sent by the School Board to evaluate me, and he might be a threat to you."

Karuizawa nodded earnestly. "I'll be careful." She glanced at her watch. "Ah, it's so late! I should head back."

Tang Yu walked her to the door. The night was deep, and the campus paths were completely deserted.

"I'll walk you to your dormitory building."

Karuizawa shook her head. "No need, your head still hurts." She suddenly stepped forward, gave Tang Yu a light hug, and quickly pulled away. "Thank you... for everything you've done for me."

Before Tang Yu could respond, she had already turned and run into the night. Tang Yu stood where he was, feeling the lingering warmth in his arms and the faint scent of shampoo.

Through the Emotion Weaving Network, he could sense that Karuizawa had stopped after running a short distance, her heart racing, her hands covering her face...

[Strong emotional fluctuation from Karuizawa Kei +500]

[Current Emotion Points: 108600/∞]

Tang Yu closed the door and rubbed his temples. The headache had subsided, but the sense of threat brought by Tsukishiro refused to fade. He opened his computer and began to delve into Tsukishiro Shuhei's background.

The search results showed that Tsukishiro indeed had collaborative projects with several psychiatric hospitals, with his public identity being an "expert in adolescent psychological development."

However, Tang Yu noticed a strange phenomenon—all the adolescent cases associated with him showed similar symptoms: short-term memory loss, fear responses to specific keywords, and... an abnormal dependence on Tsukishiro himself.

"Mind control..." Tang Yu muttered to himself. Tsukishiro was clearly using some kind of ability to influence these teenagers, and he had now locked his target onto Advanced Nurturing High School, specifically... Tang Yu and Class D.

The system interface popped up a new mission:

[Main Mission: Expose Tsukishiro Shuhei's experiment]

[Reward: Unlock Mental Defense Network]

[Current Progress: 25%]

The night grew late, but Tang Yu lay in bed unable to sleep. Tomorrow was the final rehearsal before the debate tournament, and Tsukishiro would likely make another move. He needed to be fully prepared.

Early 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 subjects to the same wavelength. The effect was astonishingly good, but the consumption was also immense; it drained 2000 Emotion Points in just five minutes.

"Need to use it sparingly," Tang Yu muttered to himself.

The students arrived one after another, and the atmosphere in Class D today was noticeably different. Even the usually lazy Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Akito had arrived early to diligently review their materials.

Horikita Suzune and Hirata Yosuke organized everyone for a final practice session, while Karuizawa Kei helped the girls' group adjust their speaking pace.

"Tang-kun." Chabashira Sae waved from the doorway. "Can we talk?"