The Battle of Words (Part Two)

Tang Yu's temples throbbed, and black spots began to appear at the edge of his vision. His Emotion Points were dropping at a rate of 500 per second. At this rate, they would be gone in less than five minutes.

Just as he was considering whether to risk exchanging for a new ability, an unexpected savior appeared—Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Ayanokoji, who had been absent, quietly appeared in the last row of the audience. When his gaze met Tang Yu's, he gave an almost imperceptible nod.

The next second, Tang Yu felt a strange mental wave coming from Ayanokoji's direction, like a sharp sword piercing Tsukishiro's mental fog.

[Third-party mental intervention detected]

[Nature: Neutralization/Counteraction]

[Emotion Point consumption reduced by 80%]

Tang Yu's pressure eased considerably. He had no time to think about how Ayanokoji had done it. Seizing the opportunity, he prepared to deliver his closing statement.

"Now, D Class's debater, Tang Yu, will give his closing statement." The host's voice rang out.

Tang Yu stood and faced Tsukishiro Shuhei. Their gazes clashed in midair as invisible mental forces collided fiercely.

"Esteemed judges, fellow students." Tang Yu's voice was steady and strong. "Before we conclude, I'd like everyone to consider one question: when we reduce 'ability' to scores and rankings, what do we lose?"

Tsukishiro tapped his fingers on the table again, but this time Tang Yu was ready. He activated his newly unlocked Combat Emotion Resonance ability, turning the audience's unconscious fear of Tsukishiro into a force of resistance.

"We lose the ability to understand the complexity of human nature, the patience to appreciate different paces of growth, and, ultimately... the soul of education."

Sweat beaded on Tsukishiro's forehead. He clearly hadn't expected Tang Yu to counterattack. Their mental tug-of-war made the water glasses on the judges' table tremble slightly. Students nearby rubbed their temples, feeling inexplicably dizzy.

"D Class is called a 'collection of defective products,' but it is precisely these 'flaws' that help us understand the pain of being misunderstood and recognize that everyone is fighting battles no one else knows about.

Tang Yu's gaze swept across the audience, pausing on Karuizawa, Horikita, Hirata, and the others. "Ability shouldn't be a tool for dividing people into ranks. It should be a beacon that illuminates the unique value of every person. Thank you."

The applause lasted nearly a minute. Even some C Class students joined in, though reluctantly. The judges whispered among themselves, clearly impressed by D Class's performance. Only Tsukishiro Shuhei sat expressionless, writing something down as a cold glint flashed across his glasses.

While the scores were being tallied, Tang Yu felt dizzy. The mental struggle had taken too much out of him. Karuizawa quietly steadied his arm. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Tang Yu managed a weak smile and looked toward the back of the audience. Ayanokoji was already gone, as mysteriously as he had appeared.

The head judge stood and announced the result. "After deliberation, the winner of this debate tournament is... D Class!"

The students of D Class erupted in cheers. A few girls were so excited that they hugged each other. Horikita Suzune rarely smiled, but now she did, while Hirata Yosuke waved his fist enthusiastically. Tears shimmered in Karuizawa's eyes as she gripped Tang Yu's hand tightly. "We won!"

Tang Yu nodded, but his attention was fixed entirely on Tsukishiro. The man at the judges' table slowly stood, a strange smile tugging at his lips. He mouthed three words at Tang Yu: "Just you wait."

After the award ceremony, Tang Yu made an excuse to use the restroom and slipped out of the noisy auditorium alone. He needed fresh air and a quiet place to think. As he turned the corner, a figure appeared before him without a sound—Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"Not bad," Ayanokoji said, his voice still calm. "But this is only the beginning."

Tang Yu met his eyes directly. "Who are you, really? What was that just now?"

Ayanokoji glanced around, then lowered his voice. "A product of the White Room, just like Tsukishiro. The difference is... I escaped."

"The White Room?"

"An experimental program for artificially cultivating exceptional humans." A rare hint of emotion entered Ayanokoji's voice. "Tsukishiro was from the seventh generation. I was the only survivor of the eighth."

Tang Yu tried to process the shocking revelation. "Your ability is..."

"Mental resistance and imitation," Ayanokoji answered briefly. "Tsukishiro specializes in mental manipulation. I can resist it and imitate anyone's ability patterns. That's why I was able to briefly counteract his interference with the entire audience."

Tang Yu suddenly understood. "So you've analyzed my ability too..."

"I have, but I can't fully copy it." Ayanokoji shook his head. "Your system is too unusual. That's also why Tsukishiro is so interested in you—he wants a sample of your ability."

The two walked in silence down the empty corridor. The noise from the auditorium in the distance stood in stark contrast to the quiet here.

"Tsukishiro won't let this go." Ayanokoji stopped. "Today's defeat will only drive him to more extreme measures. Especially against Karuizawa Kei—her ability to recover emotionally is also a research target."

Tang Yu clenched his fists. "I'll protect her."

"You need more allies." Ayanokoji handed him a slip of paper. "These are students in the school who might have the potential to resist Tsukishiro's influence. I'll try to contact them."

Tang Yu glanced over the list. Several names looked familiar: Katsuragi Kohei (Class A), Kanzaki Ryuji (Class B), and even Ryuen Kakeru (Class C).

"Ryuen? He's working with Tsukishiro..."

"He was forced to." Ayanokoji corrected him. "Tsukishiro threatened him with mental control. There's a nanocontroller implanted in Ryuen's body, but that also means he wants to escape Tsukishiro more than anyone."

Tang Yu remembered the fear in Ryuen's eyes the day before and suddenly understood. Just as he was about to ask another question, the system sounded an alarm:

[Emergency School Board meeting detected]

[Agenda: Special measures concerning "abnormal students"]

[Threat level: Extremely high]

"I have to go." Ayanokoji seemed to sense something too. "Tsukishiro has already started his next move. Be ready. Anything could—"

His words were cut off by a piercing announcement over the loudspeaker. "Tang Yu, please report to the principal's office immediately. I repeat, Tang Yu, please report to the principal's office immediately."

The two exchanged a glance. Ayanokoji lowered his voice. "Don't meet them alone. Insist on having a witness present—preferably someone from the media."

Tang Yu nodded and turned toward the principal's office, quickly checking his system status as he walked.

[Current Emotion Points: 85600/∞]

[New Ability: Group Consciousness Link (Temporary)]

[Effect: Synchronizes the thought patterns of multiple people to create a cooperative effect]

[Cost: 10000 points/minute]

It was a powerful new ability, but the cost was staggering. Tang Yu didn't know what he would face next, but one thing was clear: Tsukishiro Shuhei had begun an all-out war, and this battle would determine the future of D Class, Karuizawa, and even the entire school.

When he reached the principal's office, Tang Yu took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Whatever awaited him inside, he was ready to face it.