On the afternoon of the third day of the Summer Special Training Class, Tang Yu slipped away from the group discussion and went to the mountain lodge's library to look for reference materials. The project was progressing smoothly-too smoothly.
Horikita Suzune had provided a rigorous theoretical framework, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had contributed a brilliant data analysis, and Tang Yu was responsible for integrating and polishing everything. The three of them each handled their own tasks, with almost no disagreements. This unusual harmony only made Tang Yu feel a little uneasy.
The mountain lodge's library was much smaller than the school's, but its collection was quite refined. As Tang Yu searched for the books he needed in the political science section, he suddenly heard a faint sob from deep between the shelves.
The sound stopped at once, as if it had been an illusion, but Tang Yu's Emotion Perception caught a powerful emotional fluctuation-a mixture of fear, shame, and loneliness.
He lightened his steps and circled around two rows of shelves. In a corner untouched by sunlight, he found Karuizawa Kei. D Class's "queen" on the surface was now curled up in a window seat, her long golden hair having lost its usual luster. Her eyes were red, and she clutched a crumpled note in her hand.
Karuizawa sensed someone approaching and jerked her head up, instantly switching back to her haughty expression. "What are you looking at? Never seen-" When she saw it was Tang Yu, her voice cut off.
"Sorry for the interruption." Tang Yu took half a step back, making as if to leave.
"Wait!" Karuizawa suddenly called out to him. A trace of panic Tang Yu had never heard from her before crept into her voice. "You... don't tell anyone you saw me like this."
Tang Yu activated Emotion Perception. Karuizawa's Emotion Cloud showed a strange mixture: a pink defensive stance on the surface, deep gray fear at its core, and, deepest of all, a thread of blue longing for help.
[High-quality emotional source detected] [Suggestion: Deep interaction can yield rare Emotion Points]
"Of course." Tang Yu naturally sat down opposite her, pretending not to notice the tear tracks on her face. "I'm just here to find a book."
Karuizawa quickly wiped her eyes and forced herself to stay calm. "What book? Maybe I know where it is."
"Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert Cialdini." Tang Yu made up a title on the spot.
"The psychology section, third row of shelves." Karuizawa answered without thinking, then frowned. "Wait, aren't you preparing that project on power structures? That book has nothing to do with it."
Tang Yu smiled faintly. "I was testing your condition. Looks like your cognitive abilities are fine. You're just having an emotional breakdown."
Karuizawa's face instantly turned pale. "You... don't get so full of yourself!" Her voice trembled. It sounded less like anger than the panic of being seen through.
Tang Yu didn't press his advantage. Instead, he changed the subject. "Are people from Class C bothering you again?"
Karuizawa's fingers clenched around the note. "How did you kno-" She stopped abruptly, realizing she had let something slip.
"I guessed." Tang Yu pointed to the note in her hand. "Ryuen's style: crude, direct threats. What does it say? 'We know your secret'? Or 'Do as you're told if you don't want it exposed'?"
Karuizawa's pupils contracted sharply, and she trembled like a startled fawn. At that moment, Tang Yu's Emotion Perception caught an unprecedented, high-quality emotional fluctuation-pure, unmasked fear.
[Deep fear from Karuizawa Kei +800] [Current Emotion Points: 41500/50000]
"Don't be nervous." Tang Yu lowered his voice. "I'm not your enemy. In fact, I might be able to help you."
Karuizawa eyed him warily. "Why? What do you want?"
"An exchange of information." Tang Yu spoke frankly. "You tell me what Class C is up to, and I'll help you deal with this problem."
"You can't solve it." Karuizawa gave a bitter smile. "Nobody can. This is... this is my own problem."
Tang Yu activated Emotional Link and briefly entered Karuizawa's emotional world. In an instant, countless fragments of memory surged toward him-bullying in middle school, the facade she'd adopted after transferring, her fear of her secret being exposed... The strongest was a blurred male figure, who seemed to be threatening something.
After the link broke, Tang Yu had an idea. "Something from middle school?"
Karuizawa froze as if struck by lightning. "You... how much do you know?"
"Not much, but enough to help you," Tang Yu said calmly. "How about this? I'll show you I'm sincere first-tell me who's following you, and I'll deal with this problem right now."
Karuizawa hesitated for a moment, then finally said in a quiet voice, "Two boys from Class C. They're right outside the library... Ryuen sent them to watch me."
Tang Yu nodded and got up, walking toward the window. Through the glass, he indeed saw two Class C students standing furtively in the courtyard, glancing toward the library now and then.
"Give me five minutes." Tang Yu straightened his collar. "Then go to the restroom and fix yourself up. We'll meet in the west corridor."
Before Karuizawa could respond, Tang Yu had already strode out of the library. As soon as he stepped outside, he activated Emotion Mirror, storing the fear he had just sensed from Karuizawa.
The two boys from Class C saw Tang Yu come out alone, exchanged glances, and followed him. Tang Yu deliberately walked behind a clump of bushes in a blind spot for the surveillance cameras, giving them the "perfect" chance to ambush him.
"Hey, Transfer Student." One of them blocked Tang Yu's path. "I heard you're pretty close to Karuizawa from D Class?"
Tang Yu pretended to be nervous. "I just happened to run into her... What's wrong?"
"Quit pretending!" The other boy moved closer. "Ryuen said no one was to interfere in Karuizawa's affairs. So if you know what's good for you-"
Just as he reached out to shove Tang Yu, Tang Yu activated Emotion Mirror and reflected the stored fear back at them, doubled. The two boys' faces suddenly changed. They stumbled backward as if they had seen something terrifying.
"No... don't come any closer!" one of them suddenly screamed, wildly swatting at the air. "I was wrong! I won't do it again!"
His companion was even worse. He collapsed straight onto the ground, a wet patch spreading across his crotch. "Let me go... please, let me go..."
Tang Yu watched calmly. The ability was more powerful than he had expected-not only did the two feel Karuizawa's fear, but they also projected it as the things they themselves feared most.
[Emotion Mirror effect exceeds expectations] [Ability proficiency +20%] [Fear from Class C boys +500] [Current Emotion Points: 42200/50000]
Five minutes later, when Karuizawa arrived at the west corridor as agreed, she saw the backs of two Class C boys fleeing in panic and Tang Yu leaning against the wall.
"What... did you do to them?" Karuizawa asked in disbelief.
"Just had a chat with them." Tang Yu spoke casually. "They promised not to bother you again."
Karuizawa's eyes widened further. "Impossible! Ryuen's people never-"
"Special circumstances call for special measures." Tang Yu cut her off. "Now it's your turn. I need to know everything Class C has been up to lately, especially anything targeting D Class."
Karuizawa bit her lip. "Can you really protect me? Not just from Class C, but from... the other things too?"
"As long as your information is valuable." Tang Yu looked straight into her eyes. "I keep my word."
Karuizawa took a deep breath, seeming to make up her mind. "Ryuen plans to launch an all-out attack on D Class after summer vacation ends. He's bribed several people in our class, including... including Kushida Kikyo."
Tang Yu raised an eyebrow at this information. He had long noticed Kushida's two-faced personality, but her directly colluding with Class C was new information.
"What's the specific plan?"
"I don't know the details." Karuizawa shook her head. "But I heard they're going to use some kind of 'dark history' to bring down several key people, including Horikita Suzune and Hirata Yosuke."
Tang Yu nodded. "That's enough. In return, your secret will remain confidential forever. And if anyone threatens you, you can come to me anytime."
Karuizawa's expression relaxed, and a trace of ease, absent for a long time, flashed in her eyes. "Why are you helping me? Is it really just for the information?"
"Partly, yes." Tang Yu answered honestly. "Besides, I admire your strategy for surviving. Pretending to be strong is a kind of wisdom, too."
Those words seemed to touch something deep inside Karuizawa. Her eyes grew wet again, but this time she didn't immediately hide it. "...Thank you."
[Sincere gratitude from Karuizawa Kei +600] [Emotion Points exceeded 45000!] ["Emotion Weaving" ability unlocked] [Can combine multiple emotions to create entirely new emotional states]
The new ability made Tang Yu's eyes light up. He could now do more than reflect or influence emotions; he could also create entirely new combinations of emotion. Its strategic value was immeasurable.
"Our conversation stays between us." Tang Yu gave her one last reminder. "On the surface, we're still just ordinary classmates."
Karuizawa had already recovered her "queen" persona and tossed her hair. "Of course. I wouldn't want people to get the wrong idea and think there's anything special between me and the Transfer Student." But there was less pretense in her eyes now, and more sincerity.
The two returned to the main building one after the other. Just as Tang Yu was about to turn toward the project room, his Emotion Perception suddenly caught a familiar fluctuation-calm as still water, unfathomable. He turned sharply and saw Ayanokoji Kiyotaka standing in the shadows of the second-floor corridor. How long had he been watching?
Their eyes met in midair. In a rare gesture, Ayanokoji nodded first, then silently disappeared into the shadows.
[Deep interest from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka +500] [Current Emotion Points: 43300/50000]
This unexpected gain left Tang Yu deep in thought. How much had Ayanokoji seen? What would he think of Tang Yu getting involved with Karuizawa? More importantly, how would this affect the delicate relationship between them?
In the project room, Horikita Suzune had already organized most of the materials. She looked up at Tang Yu. "Did you find the books you needed?"
"I found a few things," Tang Yu replied meaningfully, while noticing that Horikita's Emotion Cloud showed a rare orange color-satisfaction with the progress of the project.
Ayanokoji then appeared silently in the doorway. His gray-white eyes swept over Tang Yu, but he didn't mention what he had just seen. Tang Yu knew, however, that this encounter had already been recorded in Ayanokoji's unfathomable Mind Palace.
At the group presentation that evening, their project received Horikita Manabu's evaluation: "Thorough, but lacking innovation." It was already the highest score among all the groups. Miyabi Nagumo applauded nearby, a faint, hard-to-detect gloom in his smile.
At dinner, Karuizawa Kei returned to her small group of girls and chatted and laughed as if her breakdown that afternoon had never happened. But Tang Yu noticed that her gaze kept drifting toward him, a new light in her eyes.
[Karuizawa Kei favorability: 70 (reliance)] [New information source: Class C movements] [Special achievement gained: "Shadow Alliance"]
Night fell. Tang Yu stood by the dormitory window, reviewing what he had gained that day. His unexpected encounter with Karuizawa had brought him not only high-quality Emotion Points and crucial information, but also a powerful new ability.
More importantly, he had established a hidden foothold within D Class, which would be a great convenience for his future plans.
In the distant woods, a blurred figure stood motionless, seemingly monitoring everything happening at the mountain lodge. Tang Yu activated Night Vision and could barely make out the slender silhouette-Kiriyama Ikiteru? Or another member of the School Board?
Whoever it was, the game had already escalated. And Tang Yu was gradually changing from a chess piece into a chess player.
[Special reminder: Multiple surveillance networks detected] [Suggestion: Use new abilities with caution] [Next-stage goal: 50000 points to unlock "Emotion Field" ability]
The system prompt flashed in the darkness. Tang Yu drew the curtains, ready to face the challenges of the next day. In this lodge full of schemes, everyone had their own secrets, and secrets were the most powerful weapons.