Special Hearing (Part 1)

Outside the principal's office, Tang Yu's fingers hovered in mid-air, hesitating to knock. The system interface flickered with a red warning:

[High-intensity mental fluctuations detected]

[Source: Multiple people inside]

[Recommendation: Strengthen Emotion Shield]

[Cost: 5000 points/hour]

Tang Yu quickly redeemed the shield upgrade, and a cooling sensation immediately flowed from the top of his head throughout his entire body. He straightened his school uniform collar, ensuring the micro-recording pen (system-redeemed, cost 200 points) hidden inside was functioning, then knocked on the door.

"Please come in," a calm male voice replied.

Pushing the door open, the first thing Tang Yu noticed was the unusual layout of the principal's office—the standard office furniture had been pushed to the side, and a long conference table was placed in the center, with seven or eight people sitting around it.

Principal Amasawa Ichiro sat at the head of the table, his expression stern; to his left was Tsukishiro Shuhei, who was leisurely spinning a fountain pen; to his right were several members of the School Board, their expressions varied; what surprised Tang Yu most was that Horikita Manabu was also present, sitting at the very end.

"Student Tang Yu, please sit," the principal gestured toward the only empty chair—directly facing Tsukishiro.

Tang Yu sat down while remaining vigilant, secretly activating the Emotion Weaving Network to scan the room. The emotion clouds of the principal and the board members showed varying degrees of suspicion and curiosity;

Horikita Manabu's emotions were like a deep pool, calm but unfathomable; as for Tsukishiro Shuhei... his emotion cloud was like a twisted vortex that the system was unable to parse.

"This informal hearing today is to discuss some... abnormal situations," the principal said, getting straight to the point. "Several unusual incidents have occurred on campus recently, and your name appears frequently."

A female board member wearing glasses pushed them up: "The brawl in the Gymnasium, the mass hysteria of Class C students, the abnormal atmosphere at the debate competition... do you have any explanation?"

Tang Yu noticed the corners of Tsukishiro's mouth lift slightly. These were clearly traps he had meticulously designed.

"I don't understand what these incidents have to do with me," Tang Yu replied calmly. "I was a victim in the Gymnasium incident, and I have a hospital report; I know nothing about the so-called Class C hysteria; and Class D won the debate competition based on merit."

"Merit?" A bald male board member sneered. "Class D has been at the bottom for years; is it reasonable for them to suddenly crush other classes in a debate?"

Just as Tang Yu was about to retort, he suddenly felt an invisible pressure bearing down on him. Tsukishiro's fingers tapped on the tabletop, the rhythm eerie and regular. With every tap, ripples appeared on the surface of Tang Yu's Emotion Shield, and the mental pressure surged.

[Warning! Mental attack intensity increased!]

[Shield durability: 85%... 72%... 63%...]

At the same time, Tang Yu noticed the eyes of the other board members beginning to glaze over, and the principal's expression gradually becoming sluggish. Only Horikita Manabu seemed unaffected, his brows furrowed as he observed everything.

"I think..." Tsukishiro's voice suddenly became unusually soft, carrying a hypnotic rhythm, "Student Tang may have used some... unconventional means. Such as drugs, or... special abilities."

"Absurd!" Tang Yu fought through the headache to retort, but found his voice seemed to be swallowed by something, and the others didn't seem to hear him at all.

Tsukishiro continued in that eerie tone: "For the sake of school safety, I suggest conducting a comprehensive... special assessment of Student Tang. Including brain scans, blood tests, and psychoanalysis."

A board member nodded blankly: "Agreed."

"Very necessary," another echoed.

The principal's eyes were unfocused: "If the board reaches a consensus..."

Horikita Manabu suddenly tapped the table: "I object. Conducting invasive testing on a student without evidence violates the Fundamental Law of Education."

Tsukishiro turned to Horikita Manabu, the rhythm of his finger tapping changing. Beads of cold sweat appeared on Horikita Manabu's forehead, but his gaze remained firm—he seemed to be using willpower to resist Tsukishiro's influence.

Tang Yu realized he had to take action. He activated the system's newly unlocked Group Consciousness Link ability, attempting to briefly synchronize with Horikita Manabu:

[Ability activated]

[Selected link target: Horikita Manabu]

[Cost: 10000 points/minute]

In an instant, Tang Yu felt a strange connection established between his consciousness and Horikita Manabu's. He could perceive Horikita Manabu's thought patterns—that logical analytical ability akin to a precision computer.

Even more astonishingly, Horikita Manabu seemed to have briefly gained Tang Yu's Emotion Perception ability, and the two achieved a perfect complement on a mental level.

"Principal," Horikita Manabu suddenly said, his voice more powerful than usual, "According to Article 17, Section 3 of the school regulations, any special testing targeting a student requires the presence of a parent or guardian.

As a transfer student, Student Tang's guardianship remains with his previous school, so the procedure cannot be executed immediately."

Tsukishiro's tapping became rapid, but this time the effect was greatly diminished. Tang Yu used the Group Consciousness Link to overlay their mental defenses, barely blocking the onslaught.

"This..." The principal seemed to sober up a bit. "Student Horikita is right; procedural issues must be considered."

A flash of annoyance crossed Tsukishiro's eyes. He suddenly changed tactics, taking a tablet out of his briefcase: "Perhaps this will help everyone make a decision."

The screen displayed photos of Karuizawa Kei outside Tang Yu's apartment building yesterday, as well as... the scene of her waiting for him with breakfast this morning.

"The improper relationship between Student Tang Yu and Student Karuizawa Kei has already affected campus order."

Tsukishiro's voice was full of feigned concern. "Even more worrying, Student Karuizawa's personality has changed drastically recently, from arrogant and domineering to docile and pleasant; this abnormal change is very likely related to Student Tang as well."

Tang Yu's blood boiled instantly. Tsukishiro had actually been monitoring and secretly photographing Karuizawa! He clenched his fists, almost rushing forward, but the calm thinking transmitted by Horikita Manabu through the consciousness link stopped him.

"Interesting," Horikita Manabu said coldly. "Teacher Tsukishiro is so concerned about the private lives of students that he even tracks and photographs them personally—is this an act authorized by the School Board?"

Several board members looked at each other, clearly unaware. Tsukishiro remained composed: "As a special assessor, I have the right to take necessary means to investigate abnormal situations."

"Then may I ask," Horikita Manabu continued to press, "what exactly do you mean by your so-called 'abnormal'? Which school regulation does two students developing a normal relationship violate?"

Tsukishiro was stumped. Tang Yu seized the opportunity and passed an idea to Horikita Manabu through the Group Consciousness Link. Horikita Manabu nodded slightly.

"Changing the subject," he said, "speaking of abnormal, I would like to ask Teacher Tsukishiro a question—yesterday at the debate competition, why were the audience drowsy when Class D was speaking?

And yet they were unusually enthusiastic when Class C was speaking? The on-site recording shows that this change perfectly matches the rhythm of your fingers tapping on the table."

Tsukishiro's expression cracked for the first time: "An absurd conjecture."

"Is that so?" Horikita Manabu took a disc from a folder. "The Student Council happens to have a full recording of the debate. Shall we analyze it now?"

The atmosphere in the room grew suddenly tense. Tang Yu felt Tsukishiro's emotional fluctuations intensify, that twisted vortex becoming even more violent. Suddenly, a sharp headache struck—Tsukishiro had launched a full-force attack!

[Warning! Mental attack has exceeded critical threshold!]

[Shield durability: 41%... 29%... 15%...]

[Emotion value dropping rapidly!]

Tang Yu gritted his teeth to hold on, but the drain from the Group Consciousness Link was too great; his emotion value had already bottomed out. Just as the shield was about to collapse, the office door was suddenly pushed open.

"Apologies for the intrusion." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood at the doorway, holding a document. "Principal, this is the urgent material you requested."

This interruption came at the perfect moment. Tsukishiro's mental attack was forced to break, and Tang Yu and Horikita Manabu took the opportunity to restore their defenses. The principal took the document, confused: "I didn't request any..."

Before he could finish, the principal's eyes suddenly widened. Through the Emotion Weaving Network, Tang Yu felt the principal's emotions fluctuate violently—shock, fear, and then anger.

"Teacher Tsukishiro," the principal's voice was as cold as ice, "please explain what this is."

He pushed the document to the center of the table. Tang Yu caught a glimpse of a medical report featuring terms like "White Room project," "human experimentation," and "mind control."

Tsukishiro's face turned deathly pale: "This is a forgery!"

"Is it?" The principal stood up. "The report bears your signature and the official seal of the University of Tokyo Faculty of Medicine. I will contact the university immediately to verify it."

The board members began to stir, and some started to question Tsukishiro's qualifications. The situation had reversed in an instant. Tang Yu looked toward Ayanokoji at the door, who gave an imperceptible nod—clearly, this "material" was his handiwork.

Tsukishiro stood up abruptly, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light behind his glasses: "You don't understand what you are opposing."

His voice suddenly sounded inhuman, carrying an eerie echo. "The White Room is a great undertaking beyond your comprehension. Tang Yu, Ayanokoji, you are merely test subjects; you will be reclaimed sooner or later!"

This statement plunged the office into dead silence. Tang Yu felt everyone's gaze fixated on him and Ayanokoji.

"Enough!" The principal slammed his hand on the table. "Tsukishiro Shuhei, you are suspended from all school duties pending further investigation. Please leave now."

Tsukishiro sneered and turned toward the door. As he passed by Tang Yu, he lowered his voice: "This is only the beginning. I will obtain samples from you and Karuizawa, at any cost."

After the door closed, the atmosphere in the room remained heavy. The principal wiped sweat from his forehead: "Student Tang, Student Horikita, regarding today's events... I hope you will keep them confidential for the time being. The School Administration will handle Tsukishiro's issue with the utmost seriousness."

Tang Yu nodded, but he knew deep down that things were far from over. Tsukishiro would not give up easily, and there was clearly a larger conspiracy behind the "White Room."

After the hearing ended, Tang Yu and Ayanokoji walked side by side down the empty corridor.

"That medical report..." Tang Yu asked in a low voice.

"Partially true, partially forged," Ayanokoji said calmly. "Enough to keep Tsukishiro in trouble for a while, but it won't hold him back for long."

"What exactly is the White Room?"

Ayanokoji stopped walking and looked at the cherry blossom trees outside the window: "An experiment to artificially cultivate extraordinary humans. From embryo selection to gene editing, from Drug Enhancement to mind control... the goal is to create the perfect human weapon."

Tang Yu gasped: "And you...?"

"The only survivor of the eighth generation," Ayanokoji's voice carried a rare fluctuation. "Tsukishiro is a product of the seventh generation, responsible for collecting 'abnormal samples.' Your Emotion Manipulation system and Karuizawa's emotional recovery ability are both 'materials' he requires."

Tang Yu suddenly understood Tsukishiro's obsession: "So that's why he..."

"Exactly," Ayanokoji nodded. "Now that he has been exposed, his actions will become even more radical. Karuizawa is in particular danger—her emotional transformation is a rare research case."