At six in the morning, Tang Yu opened his eyes, and the System Interface unfolded in his vision right on time:
[Current Emotion Points: 61200/∞]
[Today's Goal: Break through 70000 points]
[Special Reminder: A high-intensity social day can be arranged]
Tang Yu sat up and quickly planned out his schedule for the day. In the final preparations before the new semester began, he needed to strengthen his relationships with key people while gathering more Emotion Points. After several minutes of precise calculations, a perfect timetable took shape:
8:00 a.m. - Sakura Airi (help resolve trouble with the Photography Club)
10:30 a.m. - Kushida Kikyo ("chance encounter" in the library)
12:00 p.m. - Horikita Suzune (Kendo Club sparring match)
3:00 p.m. - Karuizawa Kei (private conversation at a café)
6:00 p.m. - Honami Ichinose (walk around campus)
"System, display the current affinity levels of the five targets."
[ S kura Airi: 55/100 (shy trust)]
[Kushida Kikyo: 40/100 (outward friendliness)]
[Horikita Suzune: 75/100 (competitive respect)]
[Karuizawa Kei: 70/100 (gratitude and dependence)]
[Honami Ichinose: 65/100 (sincere admiration)]
Tang Yu nodded slightly. Apart from the two-faced Kushida Kikyo, the others' affinity levels had all reached the safety threshold. His goal today was to deepen these relationships and uncover more information.
At 7:30, Tang Yu arrived early at the meeting place he had arranged with Sakura Airi: a small garden in the northwest corner of campus. Few people ever came here. It was a famous "Confession Spot" on campus, but for shy Sakura, it was instead a place where she could relax and talk.
At precisely eight, a petite figure appeared timidly at the garden entrance. Sakura Airi wore her trademark black-rimmed glasses, her long brown hair almost covering half her face, and clutched a professional camera tightly in her hands.
"G-good morning, Tang Yu." Her voice was barely audible.
"Good morning, Sakura. Thank you for coming." Tang Yu gave her a gentle smile, deliberately keeping a distance of two meters so as not to make her feel pressured. "Can you tell me more about the trouble with the Photography Club?"
Sakura twisted her fingers together. "Um... the upperclassmen... they want me to take some... inappropriate pictures..."
Tang Yu's gaze instantly turned cold. He activated Emotion Perception. Sakura's Emotion Cloud showed fear in deep gray intertwined with shame in pink; she had clearly been subjected to serious harassment.
"Their names," Tang Yu asked briefly.
"T-the third-years, Imai and... and Sato." Tears welled in Sakura's eyes. "They said... if I don't take the pictures, they'll expose what I did in middle school..."
Tang Yu gently raised a hand to stop her. "That's enough. Leave this to me." He activated Emotional Link, sending Sakura a sense of security. "Your photography skills are excellent. They shouldn't be taking advantage of you like this."
Sakura looked up, her eyes widening slightly behind her glasses. "You... you've seen my work?"
"The 'Sakura Rain' series posted anonymously on the Campus Network. The composition and use of light and shadow are both very professional." Tang Yu accurately named her username on the Photography Forum. "You have real talent, Sakura."
[Shock from Sakura Airi +300]
[Gratitude from Sakura Airi +400]
[Affinity increased to 65/100]
Sakura's face turned bright red, and tears finally fell, though this time they were mixed with joy. Tang Yu offered her a handkerchief while privately making a note of the two third-years' names. They would soon experience the taste of fear rebounding through "Emotion Mirror."
At 9:45, Tang Yu ended his conversation with Sakura early to leave enough time to get to the library. On the way, he exchanged 500 points for the Presence Reduction skill, making himself less conspicuous in a crowd.
On the third floor of the library, Kushida Kikyo sat alone in the Psychology Section, with "Group Psychological Manipulation" spread open in front of her. Tang Yu deactivated the skill and pretended to be passing by.
"Kushida? What a coincidence."
Kushida looked up and instantly switched to her trademark sweet smile. "Tang Yu! What a coincidence~" She deliberately raised her voice a few decibels, drawing the attention of several nearby boys.
Tang Yu activated Emotion Perception. Beneath the pink friendliness on the surface, he saw deep-gray scheming and wariness roiling within Kushida. This two-faced girl was always living behind a mask.
"Studying psychology?" Tang Yu naturally took a seat across from her. "Is it so you can help your classmates better?"
Kushida's eyelashes fluttered slightly. "That's right~ I want to understand what everyone's thinking, so we can all get along better." She lowered her voice. "Actually... some girls have been having a hard time lately, and I want to help them..."
Tang Yu immediately understood her trick-pretending to care while actually fishing for information. He decided to play along. "Like Karuizawa?"
Kushida's pupils contracted slightly. "You... what do you know?"
"It's just a guess." Tang Yu pretended to hesitate. "I've noticed she's been acting a little strangely lately, too. If you find anything out, could you tell me? I want to help."
The invitation to become "conspirators" was exactly what Kushida wanted. Her smile grew even brighter, and she leaned forward, striking an intimate pose. "Of course~ We're both doing this for our classmates, after all."
Tang Yu activated Emotional Link, briefly peering into Kushida's true thoughts-she was calculating how to use this alliance to control both Karuizawa and Tang Yu.
[False enthusiasm from Kushida Kikyo +200]
[Current Emotion Points: 62500/∞]
At 10:25, Tang Yu excused himself early, saying he had an appointment. He hadn't gained much from this conversation of mutual scheming, but at least he had confirmed that Kushida really was targeting Karuizawa, and it was likely connected to Ryuen's plan.
At 11:45, in the Kendo Club changing room, Tang Yu changed into his training uniform and activated Muscle Memory Enhancement at the cost of 800 points, preparing to spar with Horikita Suzune.
Since the Special Training Class, this proud girl's attitude toward him had changed subtly. She had gone from being a pure rival to something of a partner.
The midday sun streamed through the dojo windows. Horikita was already waiting there, her black hair tied in a neat ponytail and her Bamboo Sword held in a textbook-perfect stance.
"You're thirty seconds late," she said coldly.
"Sorry, I got held up in the library." Tang Yu picked up a Bamboo Sword. "What are the rules?"
"Free sparring. First to score two points wins." Horikita's eyes glinted with fighting spirit. "The wager is our rankings on next week's Mock Exam."
Tang Yu smiled. "Are you sure? I won last time."
"That was in the training class." Horikita took the middle guard stance. "This time is different."
The match began. Horikita's swordsmanship was even more fierce than last time; she had clearly trained during the summer break. Tang Yu activated Emotion Perception to anticipate her attacks, while deliberately holding back to make the match more intense.
In the first round, Horikita scored with a beautiful strike to the head. A flash of satisfaction crossed her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. "Your reaction was slow."