Battle of Word Spirits (Part 1)

On the morning of the debate, Tang Yu stood before the mirror to inspect his injuries. The hairline fracture in his ribs had largely improved thanks to the Accelerated Healing Agent (costing 2000 points) redeemed from the system, but the bruises on his skin remained shocking. He carefully put on his school uniform, ensuring the marks were not too obvious.

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

Tang Yu looked out the window. Karuizawa was indeed standing below the apartment building, holding a convenience store bag. In the morning light, her blonde hair looked like flowing sunlight, a far cry from the heavily made-up "queen" of the previous semester.

"The injuries are much better." Tang Yu went downstairs to take the breakfast. "Actually, you didn't have to come over specially."

Karuizawa's gaze swept over the faint bruises peeking out from his collar, a flicker of heartache in her eyes: I wanted to come. She paused, Last night... what did Ayanokoji say to you?

Tang Yu took a bite of his rice ball, weighing his words: He warned me to be careful of Tsukishiro. Today's debate might not go very smoothly.

Karuizawa's expression turned serious: I had a strange dream last night... I dreamt I was standing on stage, everyone was looking at me, but I couldn't speak, as if something was pressing down on my chest...

Tang Yu's movements froze. This didn't sound like an ordinary nightmare; it sounded more like a precursor to Tsukishiro's mental interference. He activated the Emotion Weaving Network, gently soothing Karuizawa's unease: It was just a dream. Remember, no matter what happens, just do as we prepared.

On the way to school, Tang Yu noticed the atmosphere on campus was unusually tense. Students gathered in small groups, whispering about the incident in the Gymnasium yesterday. When they passed by, the chatter ceased, replaced by gazes of curiosity and awe.

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

Tang Yu nodded. This was expected—the scene of over thirty people being taken down by Ayanokoji alone was too shocking to keep secret. The question was, what impact would this have on today's debate?

In front of the teaching building, Horikita Suzune and Hirata Yosuke had been waiting for a long time. A rare look of worry appeared in Horikita's eyes: Are you sure you can participate?

"No problem." Tang Yu rolled his shoulders. "The plan remains the same."

Hirata handed him a revised schedule: The list of judges has been finalized. Besides the usual teacher representatives, there are Student Council members and... he lowered his voice, Tsukishiro Shuhei.

Tang Yu took the form and, sure enough, saw Tsukishiro's name in the special judge column. Even more troublesome was that the judges' seats were directly opposite the Class D debaters, giving Tsukishiro an excellent opportunity for mental manipulation.

"Where is Ayanokoji?" Tang Yu looked around.

"Haven't seen him yet." Horikita frowned. "He's been very... unusual since yesterday."

The four of them walked toward the auditorium, where many students had already gathered. The debate was a school-wide event, and every class had representatives attending, but there were extra people today—clearly, many had come for the showdown between Class D and Class C.

Backstage at the auditorium, Tang Yu checked his system status:

[Current Emotion Value: 118700/∞]

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

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

[Reward: Unlock the full version of "Mental Defense Network"]

"Starting in five minutes," the Student Council staff reminded them.

Tang Yu gave his final instructions: "Horikita, stay calm during the opening, don't get provoked; Hirata, focus on coordinating the rhythm; Karuizawa..." He looked at the slightly nervous girl, "Remember, the truth is the most powerful thing."

Karuizawa took a deep breath and nodded. Tang Yu transmitted a sense of stability to her through the Emotion Weaving Network, feeling her heartbeat gradually steady.

The auditorium lights dimmed, and the host announced the start of the debate. Tang Yu followed his teammates onto the stage and immediately noticed the faint, mocking smile on Tsukishiro Shuhei's face at the judges' table.

Tsukishiro was wearing a formal dark gray suit today, his gaze behind his glasses scanning every member of Class D like a scanner, lingering on Karuizawa for a few seconds in particular.

"Today's topic is the pros and cons of Meritocracy in education. The host announced the rules: first, the opening statements from the first debaters of each class, followed by the free debate session, and finally, the closing statements from the fourth debaters. Please, Class D's first debater, Horikita Suzune, begin."

Horikita stood up, her voice clear and calm: "Our position is that while Meritocracy in education has its theoretical rationality, in practice, it easily degenerates into a breeding ground for the law of the jungle..."

Tang Yu listened while secretly observing Tsukishiro's movements. When Horikita spoke about "the essence of education being to discover the unique value of each individual, rather than simple grading," Tsukishiro's fingers tapped on the table in a strange, rhythmic pattern.

The system immediately sounded an alarm:

[Detected mental wave diffusion]

[Target: Entire audience]

[Intensity: 30% and continuously increasing]

Tang Yu activated the Emotion Shield while attempting to cover his teammates with the Emotion Weaving Network. But the range was too large, and the consumption was staggering. In just a few seconds, his Emotion Value dropped by 2000 points.

Horikita's speech continued, but Tang Yu noticed abnormalities starting to appear in the audience—some were yawning, some had unfocused eyes, and some even began to nod off. This wasn't ordinary boredom; it was a sign of mental interference!

"...Therefore, an educational model that judges heroes solely by results will eventually deviate from the original intention of nurturing talent." Horikita finished her speech, seemingly unaware of the anomaly.

When it was the turn for Class C's first debater, the effect was completely different—despite the mediocre arguments, the audience responded with enthusiastic applause. This was clearly unnatural; Tang Yu saw that even the Class C students themselves looked confused.

During the free debate session, Hirata Yosuke stood up to refute Class C's points. The moment he opened his mouth, Tsukishiro's fingers tapped the table again. Hirata suddenly stuttered, his face turned pale, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

"I... I..." Hirata blinked in confusion, as if he had suddenly forgotten his prepared arguments.

Tang Yu immediately activated Group Emotion Resonance, synchronizing Hirata's emotional frequency with his own and Karuizawa's. Hirata gasped, like a drowning person surfacing: "...As I just said, the evaluation system for education should be pluralistic!"

The crisis was temporarily averted, but Tang Yu's Emotion Value dropped by another 3000 points. At this rate, he wouldn't last until the end of the match. He had to find a way to counter Tsukishiro.

When it was Karuizawa's turn to speak, Tsukishiro's interference intensified. As Karuizawa stood up, a wave of whispering suddenly erupted throughout the auditorium—some mocked, some whistled, and some even shouted "hypocrite."

Karuizawa's fingers gripped the edge of the podium, her knuckles turning white. Tang Yu saw her lips trembling slightly, a flash of old fear in her eyes—the look that only the bullied Karuizawa Kei would have.

At this critical moment, Tang Yu made a risky decision. He activated the highest mode of the Emotion Weaving Network—Deep Link—briefly merging his consciousness with Karuizawa's:

Look at me. He said softly on a mental level, Only look at me.

Karuizawa's gaze found Tang Yu's. Through that invisible link, Tang Yu transmitted all his conviction and strength to her: You are Karuizawa Kei, no longer a victim, but a survivor, a warrior.

Karuizawa's breathing steadied. When she spoke, her voice was shaky at first, but it quickly became firm:

I once... feared being seen for who I truly was. Her gaze swept across the auditorium, lingering on the faces of those who had once bullied her, because being real meant being vulnerable, and it meant the possibility of being hurt again...

The auditorium fell silent. Even the mental interference from Tsukishiro seemed briefly suppressed by this genuine courage.

"But what is true strength? Is it pretending to be perfect, or is it daring to face one's imperfections?" Karuizawa's voice grew increasingly powerful. "This school divides us into four ranks: A, B, C, and D, yet it ignores the battlefield within each person's heart."

"Those who overcome self-doubt and step out of the shadows—do they not embody the true essence of strength more than those who are born excellent?"

In the audience, several girls quietly wiped away tears. Through the Emotion Weaving Network, Tang Yu sensed the subtle shift in the crowd's mood—Tsukishiro's mental control was being neutralized by the fluctuations of genuine emotion.

"...Therefore, I believe that true Meritocracy should respect the struggle and growth of every soul. Thank you."

The applause was thunderous, and this time, it was sincere. As Karuizawa sat down, Tang Yu gently squeezed her hand, feeling the sweat and warmth in her palm. Tsukishiro's expression darkened, and the rhythm of his fingers tapping against the table became increasingly rapid.

[Warning! Mental fluctuation intensity increased to 70%]

[Objective: Directly suppress the Class D debater]