Tang Yu leaned aside to dodge. His right hand, held like a blade, struck the nerve plexus in Ryuen's wrist with pinpoint accuracy, while his left palm hit his elbow joint. Ryuen grunted, and his entire right arm immediately went limp.
"Get him!" Ryuen roared.
Four Class C students lunged at once. Tang Yu weaved among them like a fish in water, every strike hitting a vital point with pinpoint accuracy-the Jianjing acupoint, intercostal nerves, ligaments on the sides of the knees... In less than a minute, all five were on the ground, groaning, while Tang Yu hadn't even lost his breath.
"What the hell kind of martial arts is that?" one of the Class C students asked in alarm.
"Chinese Wing Chun." Tang Yu straightened his collar. "By the way, the whole thing just now was caught on the street-corner security camera. If I were you, I wouldn't cause any more trouble."
In reality, Tang Yu had already used an Electromagnetic Jammer to temporarily disable the camera (cost: 100 points), but the threat was enough to intimidate them.
[+500 fear from Class C members] [+300 shock from Ryuen Kakeru] [Current Emotion Points: 30900/40000]
As he left Akihabara, Tang Yu was in an exceptionally good mood. This encounter had not only earned him a considerable number of Emotion Points, but also let him test out his newly acquired martial arts skill.
Along with the anger in Ryuen's eyes as he looked at him, there was also a trace of fear he had never shown before-a high-quality emotional fluctuation like this was especially precious.
At dusk, Tang Yu arrived at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro. In the large bookstore, he "happened" to run into Horikita Suzune, who was picking out reference books.
"What a coincidence." Tang Yu walked up beside her naturally. "Getting ready for summer vacation?"
Horikita looked up, surprise flashing in her eyes before she quickly regained her composure. "Yeah. You too?"
"Just browsing." Tang Yu picked up a book called Cognitive Psychology. "I've been interested in this lately."
Horikita's gaze shifted between the book and him. "I thought you only cared about grades and winning."
"People have many sides." Tang Yu smiled. "Just like you're more than just 'top student' and 'Horikita Manabu's little sister.'"
Horikita's fingers tightened slightly, but this time she didn't get angry. She was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Why did you say those things after the last exam?"
"What things?"
"About... no longer holding me back by one point." Horikita's voice was very soft. "Was it pity?"
Tang Yu put the book back on the shelf. "It was respect. Real competition should make both sides better, not destroy one of them."
Horikita looked at him deeply, then did something unexpected-she put the Advanced Calculus book she had been choosing back on the shelf and picked up Selected Works of Nietzsche instead.
"I've always wanted to read this," she said softly, "but I always felt it was a 'waste of time.'"
The two sat down in the bookstore's café area and unexpectedly began an in-depth discussion about existentialism and self-worth.
Horikita talked about her complicated relationship with her older brother, the pressure of being a "genius little sister," and how she had tried to prove her own worth by winning again and again.
"But every time I win, I feel empty again." Horikita stared at her coffee cup, as if she were only repeating the script other people expected of her.
Tang Yu activated Emotional Link, sensing Horikita's inner world on a deeper level. This time, he wasn't trying to collect Emotion Points; he simply wanted to understand this girl, once so proud, who was gradually opening up.
"Maybe," Tang Yu said softly, "real victory isn't defeating others. It's finding the way you want to win."
Horikita looked up, a strange light shining in her eyes. "Sometimes you really don't sound like a high school student."
"Likewise." Tang Yu smiled.
As they left the bookstore, the setting sun stretched their shadows long. Horikita suddenly said, "You'll be joining the Special Summer Class, right?"
"Of course."
"My brother is in charge of it." Horikita's voice carried complicated emotions. "He... is looking forward to meeting you."
"That's a lot of pressure." Tang Yu joked, but in his mind he had already begun figuring out how to deal with the legendary Student Council President.
[Horikita Suzune's favorability increased to 75 (Trust)] [Special achievement unlocked: "Ice Wall Melting"]
This unexpected gain left Tang Yu deep in thought. Compared to simply collecting Emotion Points, this kind of genuine human connection seemed to bring a different kind of satisfaction.
Night fell. Tang Yu arrived at his final stop-the observation deck at Tokyo Tower. Standing on the glass floor 250 meters above the ground, he could see all of Tokyo's lights spread out below him.
He looked back on what he had gained that day-nearly ten thousand Emotion Points, tests of several abilities, a major change in his relationship with Horikita, and the intimidation of Ryuen.
[Current Emotion Points: 31800/40000] [Emotion Points gained today: +1350]
Just as Tang Yu was about to leave, his Emotion Perception suddenly picked up a familiar fluctuation-calm as water, unfathomable. He whipped around and spotted a figure in the crowd, its back quickly disappearing from view.
Grayish-white hair, a standard school uniform, and an impeccably composed posture-Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
"Is he following me?" Tang Yu narrowed his eyes. There was no way Ayanokoji's presence here was a coincidence. He had to be watching something.
More alarming to Tang Yu was that in another direction, he sensed another familiar emotional fluctuation-cold and calculating, carrying a hint of official scrutiny.
Using the reflection in the glass, Tang Yu recognized the figure-Kiriyama Ikiteru, the suspended Student Council Vice President.
"Interesting," Tang Yu murmured. "Looks like the game has already begun in secret, even though the Special Summer Class hasn't started yet."
Back in his school dormitory, Tang Yu went over what he had gained and discovered that day. The System Interface displayed:
[Ability test complete] ["Group Emotion Suggestion" proficiency +25%] ["Emotional Link" proficiency +15%] [New martial arts skill: Wing Chun (can be permanently redeemed for 5000 points)]
Outside the window, stars dotted Tokyo's night sky. Tang Yu lay in bed, thinking about his plans. Five days would be enough to collect more Emotion Points and test more abilities, preparing for the upcoming Special Summer Class.
But more importantly, he needed to figure out what Ayanokoji and Kiriyama were after, and whether there was some kind of connection between them. This exploration of Tokyo had yielded far more than just Emotion Points.
[Special alert: Multiple parties detected monitoring you] [Ayanokoji Kiyotaka monitoring level: 80%] [Kiriyama Ikiteru monitoring level: 60%] [Suggestion: Stay alert and take countermeasures as appropriate]
Tang Yu closed the System Interface and shut his eyes. Tomorrow, he would explore another side of Tokyo-the undercurrents hidden beneath its bustling surface might offer higher-quality emotional fluctuations.
In this sleepless city, the daytime performance was over, but the real game had only just begun.