The Battle of Words

On the morning of the Debate Tournament, Tang Yu stood in front of the mirror and checked his injuries. The cracked ribs had mostly healed thanks to the Accelerated Healing Agent he'd redeemed through the system (cost: 2,000 points), but the bruises on his skin were still shocking to look at. He carefully put on his school uniform, making sure the marks weren't too noticeable.

His phone vibrated. Karuizawa had sent him a message: [I'm downstairs. I bought breakfast. How are you feeling?]

Tang Yu looked out the window. Karuizawa was indeed waiting downstairs, holding a convenience store bag. In the morning light, her golden hair looked like flowing sunlight. She was nothing like the heavily made-up "queen" she'd been last semester.

"The injuries are much better." Tang Yu went downstairs and took the breakfast from her. "You didn't have to come all this way."

Karuizawa's gaze passed over the faint bruises peeking out from his collar, and a trace of concern flashed in her eyes. "I wanted to." She hesitated. "Last night... what did Ayanokoji say to you?"

Tang Yu took a bite of his rice ball, considering his answer. "He warned me to be careful of Tsukishiro. The Debate Tournament might not go smoothly today."

Karuizawa's expression grew serious. "I had a strange dream last night... I dreamed I was standing on a stage, with everyone watching me, but I couldn't speak. It felt like something was pressing down on my chest..."

Tang Yu paused. That didn't sound like an ordinary nightmare. It was more like a precursor to Tsukishiro's mental interference. He activated the Emotion Weaving Network, gently calming Karuizawa's unease. "It was just a dream. Remember, no matter what happens, just do what we prepared for."

On the way to school, Tang Yu noticed the atmosphere on campus was unusually tense. Students had gathered in small groups, whispering about yesterday's incident at the Gymnasium. Their conversations stopped abruptly when he and Karuizawa passed, replaced by curious and awed stares.

"Looks like the news has spread," Karuizawa murmured.

Tang Yu nodded. That was only to be expected—the sight of Ayanokoji taking down more than thirty people single-handedly had been too shocking to keep secret. The question was, how would it affect today's Debate Tournament?

Horikita Suzune and Hirata Yosuke were already waiting in front of the classroom building. A rare look of concern showed in Horikita's eyes. "Are you sure you can compete?"

"No problem." Tang Yu rolled his shoulder. "The plan stays the same."

Hirata handed him a revised schedule. "The judges have been confirmed. Along with the usual teacher representatives, there'll be Student Council members and..." He lowered his voice. "Tsukishiro Shuhei."

Tang Yu took the schedule and found Tsukishiro's name among the special judges, just as he'd expected. Worse, the judges' table was directly opposite Class D's debaters, giving Tsukishiro an ideal opportunity to manipulate their minds.

"Where's Ayanokoji?" Tang Yu glanced around.

"I haven't seen him yet." Horikita frowned. "He's been acting... strange since yesterday."

The four of them headed to the auditorium, where a large crowd of students had already gathered. The Debate Tournament was a school-wide event, with representatives from every class in attendance, but there were far more people than usual today. Clearly, many had come to see the showdown between Class D and Class C.

Backstage in the auditorium, Tang Yu checked the system status:

[Current Emotion Points: 118700/∞]

[Available Abilities: Emotion Weaving Network, Group Emotion Resonance, Emotion Shield (100%), Combat Emotion Resonance]

[New Mission: Resist Tsukishiro's mental attack and win the debate]

[Reward: Unlock the complete "Mental Defense Network"]

"Five minutes until the start," a Student Council staff member reminded them.

Tang Yu made his final arrangements. "Horikita, keep calm during your opening statement. Don't let them provoke you. Hirata, keep an eye on the pacing. Karuizawa..." He looked at the nervous girl. "Remember, the truth has the greatest power."

Karuizawa took a deep breath and nodded. Tang Yu sent her a wave of reassurance through the Emotion Weaving Network, and felt her heartbeat gradually settle.

The auditorium lights dimmed, and the host announced the start of the Debate Tournament. Tang Yu followed his teammates onto the stage and immediately noticed the faintly smiling expression on Tsukishiro Shuhei's face at the judges' table.

Tsukishiro wore a formal dark gray suit today. His gaze, behind his glasses, swept over every member of Class D like a scanner, lingering on Karuizawa for a few seconds.

"Today's topic is the merits and drawbacks of meritocracy in education." The host announced the rules: each class would begin with an opening statement from its first speaker, followed by an open debate, and conclude with a summary from its fourth speaker. "First, let's hear from Class D's first speaker, Horikita Suzune."

Horikita stood. Her voice was clear and composed. "Our position is that meritocracy in education is theoretically reasonable, but in practice it can easily become a breeding ground for the law of the jungle..."

As he listened, Tang Yu discreetly watched Tsukishiro. When Horikita said, "The essence of education is to uncover the unique value of each person, not simply to rank them," Tsukishiro began tapping his fingers lightly on the table, in a strange, rhythmic pattern.

The system immediately sounded an alert:

[Mental waves detected spreading]

[Target: Everyone in the auditorium]

[Intensity: 30%, and increasing]

Tang Yu activated the Emotion Shield and tried to extend the Emotion Weaving Network over his teammates. But the range was too wide, and the cost was enormous. In just a few seconds, his Emotion Points dropped by 2,000.

Horikita continued speaking, but Tang Yu noticed something strange happening in the audience. Some people were yawning, others had glazed eyes, and a few were already nodding off. This wasn't ordinary boredom. It was a sign of mental interference!

"...Therefore, an education system that judges people solely by their results will ultimately stray from its purpose of nurturing people." Horikita finished her speech, apparently unaware of anything unusual.

When Class C's first speaker took the stage, the response was entirely different. Although the arguments were mediocre, the audience applauded enthusiastically. It was clearly unnatural. Tang Yu even saw the Class C students themselves looking confused.

During the open debate, Hirata Yosuke stood to rebut Class C's argument. The moment he began to speak, Tsukishiro tapped the table again. Hirata suddenly faltered. His face turned pale, and cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

"I... I..." Hirata blinked in confusion, as if he'd suddenly forgotten the arguments he'd prepared.

Tang Yu immediately activated Group Emotion Resonance, synchronizing Hirata's emotional frequency with his own and Karuizawa's. Hirata drew in a sharp breath, like a drowning man surfacing. "...As I was saying, the education system should use a diverse range of criteria for evaluation!"

The crisis had passed for now, but Tang Yu had lost another 3,000 Emotion Points. At this rate, he wouldn't last until the end of the competition. He had to find a way to counter Tsukishiro.

When it was Karuizawa's turn to speak, Tsukishiro's interference grew even worse. The moment she stood, whispers suddenly broke out across the auditorium. Some people laughed at her, others whistled, and someone even shouted, "What a fake!"

Karuizawa gripped the edge of the podium so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Tang Yu saw her lips tremble, and a trace of her old fear flickered in her eyes—the look Karuizawa Kei had worn when she was being bullied.

At this critical moment, Tang Yu made a risky decision. He activated the Emotion Weaving Network at its highest setting—deep link—and briefly merged his consciousness with Karuizawa's.

Look at me, he said softly on a mental level. Just look at me.

Karuizawa's gaze found Tang Yu. Through that invisible link, he sent her all his conviction and strength. You're Karuizawa Kei. You're not a victim anymore. You're a survivor, a fighter.

Karuizawa's breathing steadied. When she spoke, her voice trembled at first, but soon grew firm.

"I used to... be afraid of people seeing the real me." Her gaze swept across the audience and paused on the faces of those who had bullied her. "Because being real means being vulnerable. It means I might get hurt again..."

The auditorium fell silent. Even Tsukishiro's mental interference seemed to be briefly suppressed by the courage of her honesty.

"But what does real strength mean? Pretending to be perfect, or daring to face your imperfections?" Karuizawa's voice grew more powerful. "This school divides us into Classes A, B, C, and D, but ignores the battles everyone fights within themselves."

Aren't those who overcome self-doubt and step out of the shadows a better example of true strength than those who were born exceptional?

A few girls in the audience quietly wiped away tears. Through the Emotion Weaving Network, Tang Yu sensed a subtle shift in the audience's feelings. Tsukishiro's mental control was being counteracted by the genuine emotions in the room.

"...That's why I believe true meritocracy should respect every soul's struggle and growth. Thank you."

Thunderous applause filled the auditorium, and this time it was genuine. As Karuizawa sat down, Tang Yu gently squeezed her hand, feeling the sweat and warmth in her palm. Tsukishiro's expression darkened, and his fingers tapped out an even faster rhythm on the table.

[Warning! Mental wave intensity has increased to 70%]

[Target: Directly suppress Class D's debaters]