The night was dark as ink, and the area beneath Karuizawa Kei's old apartment building was eerily quiet. Tang Yu stood in the shadows across from a convenience store, watching the two delinquents who were still keeping watch.
The tall one had dyed his hair yellow, while the short, stocky one had a snake tattoo on his neck. Both wore black leather jackets and occasionally checked their phones under the streetlights.
Tang Yu brought up the surveillance footage on his phone. His modified tracking program was sending a false signal, showing that Karuizawa was on her way home and still a ten-minute walk from the apartment.
"It's time to act." Tang Yu murmured, activating the System Interface:
[Current Emotion Points: 92500/∞] [Exchange enhanced "Environmental Emotion Infiltration," cost: 2000 points] [Exchange "Combat Prediction" skill (one hour), cost: 1500 points] [Remaining Emotion Points: 89000/∞]
A wave of warmth spread through his body. Tang Yu felt the subtle changes in his surroundings grow unusually clear-the engine of a distant car, the draft as the convenience store door opened and closed, even the rhythm of the two thugs' breathing.
He adjusted the miniature recording device hidden beneath his collar (exchanged through the system, cost: 300 points), making sure it would clearly record the conversation to come.
Tang Yu crossed the street, deliberately making his footsteps obvious. The two thugs immediately grew alert, and the yellow-haired one reached behind his back, clearly hiding some kind of weapon.
"Hey, kid, what are you doing hanging around here at this hour?" the yellow-haired thug barked.
Tang Yu pretended to be startled and took half a step back. "I-I live in this building... Who are you?"
The two thugs exchanged a glance. The tattooed man grinned, revealing a missing front tooth. "What a coincidence. We're waiting for a friend. Do you know Karuizawa in 1803?"
"Senpai Karuizawa?" Tang Yu deliberately raised his voice. "Didn't she move out?"
"Bullshit!" The yellow-haired thug grabbed Tang Yu by the collar. "The tracking signal says she's headed this way!"
Tang Yu activated "Emotion Perception." Their Emotion Clouds showed a deep red aggression and orange greed-they weren't just there to complete the job; they were also hoping to get an extra "reward" out of it.
"I-I really don't know..." Tang Yu continued playing the frightened student. "How about I take you upstairs to check? I have a spare key..."
The suggestion was exactly what the two wanted. The tattooed man shoved Tang Yu with a sneer. "Lead the way, kid. Don't try anything funny."
During the thirty seconds it took the elevator to ascend, Tang Yu secretly activated "Environmental Emotion Infiltration," filling the enclosed space with a subtle sense of "trust."
The effect was immediate-the two thugs visibly relaxed their guard, and the yellow-haired one even put the baton he'd been hiding behind his back back into his belt.
At the door to 1803, Tang Yu pretended to take out a key, but actually used a lock-picking tool exchanged through the system (cost: 100 points) to open the door with ease. Inside was pitch-black, and the air smelled of dust from a place that had been empty for a long time.
"Karuizawa?" the yellow-haired thug shouted. His voice echoed through the empty apartment.
Tang Yu entered last and quietly locked the door behind them. As the two thugs turned on their phone flashlights and looked around, he suddenly spoke. "Ryuen Kakeru sent you, didn't he?"
The two spun around. The tattooed man reacted quickly, throwing a punch at Tang Yu's face. But with "Combat Prediction" in effect, the punch looked like it was moving in slow motion.
He dodged to the side and struck the man's carotid artery with a precise chop.
The tattooed man grunted and dropped to his knees. Seeing this, the yellow-haired thug pulled out his baton and swung it at Tang Yu. Tang Yu ducked, then swept the man's legs out from under him. The whole sequence flowed smoothly; in less than five seconds, both thugs were on the ground, groaning.
"Who the fuck are you?" The yellow-haired thug struggled to get up.
Tang Yu planted a foot on his wrist. "I'm the one asking the questions. How much did Ryuen pay you?"
"Fuck you... Ah!" The yellow-haired thug's curse turned into a scream as Tang Yu pressed down a little harder with his foot.
The tattooed man caught his breath, then suddenly pulled a small knife from his boot and stabbed at Tang Yu's calf. Tang Yu had anticipated it. He stepped back to dodge, then landed a roundhouse kick squarely on the man's chin. The tattooed man crashed into the wall and passed out.
"Last chance." Tang Yu crouched down to meet the yellow-haired thug's terrified gaze. "What's Ryuen's plan?"
A flicker of hesitation crossed the yellow-haired thug's eyes. Tang Yu activated "Emotion Mirror," magnifying the fear inside him several times over and reflecting it back at him.
The yellow-haired thug immediately trembled all over as if he'd seen a ghost. "I-I'll talk! Boss Ryuen told us to watch that girl and force her to cooperate with some plan... He also said that if we couldn't catch her at school, we should post the photos online..."
"What photos?"
"I don't know the details! I just heard they were some nude photos from middle school... Boss Ryuen said this trick worked on several students..."
Tang Yu's stomach clenched. It was worse than he'd imagined-Ryuen wasn't just threatening Karuizawa; he had established a systematic network of psychological control.
"Where are the photos?"
"Boss Ryuen's keeping them... We're just doing it for the money..."
Tang Yu checked their phones and, sure enough, found their message history with Ryuen, including the address of Karuizawa's old apartment and several photos of her taken without her knowledge.
These pieces of evidence, together with the recording he'd just made, were already enough to prove that Ryuen had hired outsiders to threaten students.
[Obtained key evidence: recording + message history] [Fear from the yellow-haired thug +300] [Pain from the tattooed man +200] [Current Emotion Points: 89700/∞]
Just as Tang Yu was about to leave, the unconscious tattooed man suddenly woke up and lunged for the door. Tang Yu reacted quickly and rushed forward, but just as he was about to grab the man, he sensed something unusual-someone was outside the apartment door.
He immediately changed tactics, deliberately slowing down to let the tattooed man gain some distance. Just as the man thought he'd escaped and flung the door open-
"Police! Don't move!"
The person standing outside wasn't a police officer, but Ayanokoji Kiyotaka in his school uniform, holding up his phone and pretending it was a body camera. The unexpected move left the tattooed man stunned for a second, giving Tang Yu enough time to knock him out again with a chop from behind.
"Impressive performance." Tang Yu raised an eyebrow. "But the 'police' routine is pretty clichéd."
Ayanokoji put away his phone without changing expression. "As long as it works. I'm guessing you need a witness?"
Only then did Tang Yu notice someone standing behind Ayanokoji-the Student Council secretary, Tachibana Akane, who was covering her mouth in surprise.
"Senpai Tachibana?"
"I-I was just passing by..." Tachibana Akane stammered. "Ayanokoji said a student here was in danger..."
Tang Yu immediately understood Ayanokoji's plan. As a Student Council officer, Tachibana Akane's testimony would make the evidence more convincing. More importantly, she was close to Horikita Manabu, so this information would go straight to the Student Council.
"Perfect. Senpai, take a look at this." Tang Yu played the recording from earlier, especially the part where the two thugs admitted that Ryuen had sent them.
Tachibana Akane's expression turned serious. "Th-this is a serious violation of school rules! We have to report it to President Horikita immediately!"
"No rush." Tang Yu spoke calmly. "I'll organize all the evidence tomorrow. For now, please leave, senpai. We'll handle things here."
Tachibana Akane hesitated, then finally nodded and left. Only after her footsteps faded in the stairwell did Ayanokoji speak. "What are you going to do with them?" She pointed to the two unconscious thugs on the ground.
"Give them a little 'payback.'" Tang Yu took the rope and tape he'd prepared in advance out of his bag (exchanged through the system, cost: 50 points). "Give me a hand?"