"Impossible!" Horikita's voice came from the crowd, trembling faintly-a rare sound from her.
Tang Yu walked over to the bulletin board and saw his name at the top of the results:
Tang Yu: Math 95, Physics 93, Chemistry 94, English 90, Modern Japanese 88, History 89
Horikita Suzune: Math 94, Physics 92, Chemistry 93, English 89, Modern Japanese 87, History 88
In every subject, he had scored exactly one point higher than Horikita. Not a point more or less.
[Horikita Suzune's shock +300]
[The whole class's surprise +200]
[Current Emotion Points: 20000/30000]
Horikita stood rooted to the spot, her notebook nearly crushed in her hand. Tang Yu activated Emotion Perception and saw the Emotion Cloud above her churning violently-deep red anger,
purple frustration, and black self-doubt intertwined, forming a small emotional storm.
"Just a coincidence," Tang Yu said lightly. "It might be different next time."
His words were like a fuse. Horikita whipped around, a fury she had never shown before burning in her eyes. "Stop putting on that act! Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was cold as ice. "Next time, I'll show you what real ability looks like."
[Horikita Suzune's anger +200]
[Current Emotion Points: 20200/30000]
Tang Yu remained silent, watching Horikita's retreating back. The first step of his plan had gone perfectly, and this was only the beginning.
Over the next month, Tang Yu took the "One-Point Suppression" strategy to the extreme. Pop quizzes, the Midterm Exam, even the physical education theory test-every time, he controlled his score precisely, finishing exactly one point ahead of Horikita.
After the fifth instance of "One-Point Suppression," Horikita finally broke down.
Tang Yu found her in a corner of the library-her usually immaculate black hair hung loose and disheveled, a torn-up test paper lay before her, and ink stains marked her hand.
Her breathing was ragged, and her shoulders trembled faintly. She was nothing like the calm, self-possessed honors student she usually was.
"Horikita?" Tang Yu called softly.
Horikita raised her head, the confusion in her eyes making Tang Yu's heart jolt. She parted her lips as if to say something, but in the end, her shoulders merely slumped. "Why... why is it always one point...?"
[Horikita Suzune's breakdown +500]
[Emotion Points have exceeded 25000!]
[Unlocked "Group Emotion Influence" ability (Beginner)]
The unexpected reward left Tang Yu both delighted and somewhat guilty. He had only meant to keep applying pressure and collect Emotion Points; he hadn't expected to push Horikita this far.
"Sometimes..." Tang Yu sat down across from her. "Being too fixated can become an obstacle."
"You don't understand," Horikita said, her voice barely audible. "I have to... prove myself..."
Tang Yu activated Emotional Link, sensing Horikita's inner world on a deeper level. In an instant, countless fragments of memory surged into him-her childhood, being compared to her older brother;
studying alone late into the night in an empty home; a teacher's words when she started school: "Oh, you're Horikita Manabu's younger sister."
After the link broke, Tang Yu fell silent for a moment. "You want to prove you can succeed without relying on your brother's name."
Horikita jerked her head up, eyes full of shock. "How did you...?"
"Observation." Tang Yu pointed to his eyes. "Your micro-expressions when you mention your brother, your complicated attitude toward the surname 'Horikita'... It wasn't hard to figure out."
Horikita's defenses seemed to crumble completely. She lowered her head, her voice choked with tears. "No matter how hard I try... I'll always live in his shadow. And now... now even you..."
In that moment, Tang Yu suddenly realized how cruel his plan was. To collect Emotion Points, he had exploited Horikita's most vulnerable side. The system's prompts continued to ring out, but all the joy of victory had vanished.
"On the next exam," Tang Yu said quietly, "I won't beat you by one point anymore."
Horikita looked up, confusion in her swollen, reddened eyes.
"This isn't charity," Tang Yu continued. "It's a challenge-defeat me, when I'm giving it my all, with your true ability."
A glimmer of light returned to Horikita's eyes. She slowly straightened up and tidied her disheveled hair. "I won't go easy on you."
"Of course." Tang Yu smiled. "That's the Horikita Suzune I know."
As Tang Yu left the library, he encountered Ayanokoji Kiyotaka leaning against the hallway wall. His grayish-white eyes seemed especially deep under the lights.
"Playing with fire," Ayanokoji said flatly.
Tang Yu raised an eyebrow. "Are you worried about me?"
"Just observing." Ayanokoji straightened up. "You knew she was on the verge of breaking down, yet you kept applying pressure. Why?"
Tang Yu couldn't reveal the truth, so he answered with a half-truth. "Pressure makes diamonds."
"Or shatters them completely." Ayanokoji's rebuttal hit the mark. "People have limits, even someone as strong as her."
They looked at each other for a moment, and Tang Yu suddenly realized there was more to Ayanokoji's words-they weren't just about Horikita. They were also a warning to him.
"You're more compassionate than you look," Tang Yu probed.
Ayanokoji's lips curved slightly. "You're colder than you look. An interesting contrast."
[Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's interest +300]
[Current Emotion Points: 25500/30000]
Back in his dorm, Tang Yu examined his newly unlocked "Group Emotion Influence" ability. Unlike the single-target "Emotion Manipulation," this ability could mildly affect multiple people within a small area. Its effects were weaker, but its strategic value was immense.
[Group Emotion Influence (Beginner)]
[Range of influence: 5 meters]
[Duration: 1 minute]
[Simple emotions that can be implanted: calm / mild excitement / basic alertness]
Tang Yu planned to try out this ability at the next class meeting. As the system continued to level up, his advantage at this meritocracy school would become increasingly clear.
But his conversation with Horikita today made him realize that relying too heavily on the system's abilities could cost him something more important-genuine relationships with others and his own moral restraint.
Outside the window, moonlight spilled over the quiet campus. Tang Yu stood by the window, thinking about what to do next.
Horikita Suzune was no longer merely a "source of Emotion Points." She had become a genuine opponent and a possible ally. That change might be more valuable than any system reward.
[Special Reminder: Change in interpersonal relationships detected]
[Horikita Suzune's Favorability: 60/100 (Respect)]
[Ayanokoji Kiyotaka Attention: 90%]
[Honami Ichinose's Favorability: 70/100 (Trust)]
The system prompts flickered in the moonlight. Tang Yu knew the game at this school was entering a new stage. And he was ready.