The headache ebbed like a receding tide. Tang Yu gripped the windowsill and gasped for breath. Although most of Tsukishiro Shuhei's mental attack had been blocked by the "Emotion Shield," the aftershock still made his vision go black. The System Interface flashed a red warning:
[Emotion Shield damaged: 42%] [Recovery requires 6 hours] [Recommendation: Avoid further contact with the source of mental attacks]
Tsukishiro had already left the sports field. Only Ryuen Kakeru remained, standing where he was and looking up to meet Tang Yu's gaze from afar.
Even from this great distance, Tang Yu could still sense the conflicting emotions within the tyrant of Class C through the "Emotion Weaving Network"-anger mixed with a trace of fear so faint it was hard to notice.
In the end, Ryuen turned and walked away, his retreating figure unusually dejected. Tang Yu took a deep breath, gathered his debate materials, and left the classroom. Night had fallen over the campus, and the streetlamps cast long shadows across the stone path.
On the way back to his apartment, Tang Yu's temples still throbbed faintly. He ducked into a convenience store, bought a bottle of chilled mineral water, and pressed it to his forehead. The television at the checkout was showing the evening news. An inconspicuous news brief caught his attention:
"...A number of cases of sudden mental abnormalities among teenagers have recently occurred in Tokyo. Experts suspect they may be linked to a new type of electronic drug..."
The scene switched to the entrance of a hospital. A familiar figure flashed across the blurry footage-Tsukishiro Shuhei, talking to someone in a white coat. Tang Yu immediately used his phone to take a picture of the screen, but the footage had already changed.
"120 yen," the cashier reminded him.
Tang Yu paid and left, enlarging the photo on his phone as he walked. The image quality was poor, but the figure in profile was definitely Tsukishiro. Was he investigating the cases of mental abnormalities among teenagers? Or was he... involved in them?
The system suddenly sounded an alarm:
[Abnormal emotional fluctuation detected] [Location: 20 meters behind you] [Identity: Karuizawa Kei]
Tang Yu turned and saw Karuizawa standing under a streetlamp, holding a convenience store bag. She wore a simple white T-shirt and denim shorts. Her blonde hair gleamed softly in the light, making her look nothing like the heavily made-up "queen" from last semester.
"You're out this late?" Tang Yu said, hiding his surprise.
Karuizawa jogged a few steps to catch up with him. "The dormitory's lost power, so I came to buy some food." She tilted her head and studied his face. "You look... not so good."
"I have a bit of a headache." Tang Yu forced a smile. "I got too caught up preparing for the debate."
Karuizawa took a box of mints from her bag. "These might help. I... when I had headaches as a kid, my mom always gave me these."
Tang Yu took the box. Their fingertips touched briefly. Through the "Emotion Weaving Network," he sensed Karuizawa's fluctuating emotions-concern mixed with something deeper, warm and soft, like the first ray of sunlight breaking through the clouds on a spring day.
"Thanks." Tang Yu popped a mint into his mouth. The coolness did ease his headache a little. "Want me to walk you back to the dorm?"
Karuizawa shook her head. "The power's out, so it's stuffy in the dorm. Could... could I come over and practice the debate speech some more? Just for a little while."
Tang Yu hesitated. Tsukishiro's mental attack had left him in poor condition, but the expectation in Karuizawa's eyes made it hard for him to refuse. "All right, but don't stay too late."
At the apartment, Karuizawa brewed tea with practiced ease, as if it were her second home. Tang Yu sat on the sofa and watched her busy herself in the kitchen. For a moment, he had a strange sense of déjà vu-as if he were watching a couple who had lived together for years go about their daily routine.
"Here." Karuizawa handed him a cup of tea. "I added honey. It helps with headaches."
Tang Yu thanked her and took a small sip. The sweetness was just right, and so was the temperature. Karuizawa sat in the chair opposite him and took out her debate speech. "Could you listen to this part? The section about bullying at school... I want to add some personal experience."
Tang Yu set down his teacup. "Are you sure you want to talk about this publicly?"
"Yeah." Karuizawa's gaze grew firm. "I've kept it hidden for so long. Maybe... telling people about it could help those who've had similar experiences."
Tang Yu activated the "Emotion Weaving Network" and sensed the change within her-the Karuizawa Kei who had been imprisoned by fear was transforming into a new self, one brave enough to face her past.
"All right. I'm listening."
Karuizawa stood up and took a deep breath. When she began her speech, her voice trembled a little at first, but it soon grew firm and strong:
"We often think strength means good grades, athletic ability, or social status. But what is true strength? It is the courage to stand up again after being knocked down, and the determination to keep believing in the light even in the darkness..."
Tears glimmered in her eyes, but her voice did not falter:
"I used to think that pretending to be strong could protect me. But true strength comes from accepting your own vulnerability, from daring to show your true self..."
Tang Yu held his breath. Karuizawa's speech had no flowery words, but every sentence came from the heart and carried a power that moved people.
When she delivered her final line-that everyone had the right to be seen for who they truly were, rather than defined by labels-Tang Yu couldn't help applauding.
"That was amazing." He praised her sincerely. "It'll move every judge."
Karuizawa wiped at the corner of her eye. "Do you really think so? Won't it... be too personal?"
"It's real precisely because it's personal." Tang Yu handed her a tissue. "But..." He hesitated. "Tsukishiro Shuhei might be one of the judges. If he asks about the details..."
"I'm not afraid anymore." Karuizawa cut him off. "Thanks to you, the photos have already been destroyed. Now I just want to... be my true self."
Through the "Emotion Weaving Network," Tang Yu sensed her resolve. Her courage, like that of a butterfly breaking free from its cocoon, made his chest grow warm. The system suddenly gave a notification:
[Deep emotional resonance from Karuizawa Kei +800] [Affection increased to 95/100] [Emotion Points have exceeded the critical threshold] ["Group Emotion Resonance" ability unlocked] [Can synchronize the emotional frequencies of multiple people to create a collective willpower field]
This new ability made Tang Yu's eyes light up. If the "Emotion Weaving Network" let him influence each person's emotional state individually,
then "Group Emotion Resonance" could adjust multiple people's emotions to the same frequency, creating a powerful synergistic effect-an invaluable asset during team activities.
"What's wrong?" Karuizawa noticed Tang Yu had zoned out.
"Nothing. I was just thinking about the Debate Tournament." Tang Yu came back to himself. "By the way, if you meet someone named Tsukishiro Shuhei, try to avoid him. The School Board sent him to evaluate me, and he might be a threat to you."
Karuizawa nodded seriously. "I'll be careful." She glanced at her watch. "Oh, it's so late! I should get back."
Tang Yu walked her to the door. It was late, and the campus path was deserted.
"I'll walk you to the dormitory."
Karuizawa shook her head. "You don't have to. Your head still hurts." She suddenly stepped forward and hugged Tang Yu lightly, then quickly let go. "Thank you... for everything you've done for me."
Before Tang Yu could respond, she had already turned and run off into the night. Tang Yu stood where he was, feeling the warmth lingering against his chest and the faint scent of shampoo.
Through the "Emotion Weaving Network," he could sense that after running some distance, Karuizawa had stopped, her heart racing as she covered her face with both hands...
[Strong emotional fluctuation from Karuizawa Kei +500] [Current Emotion Points: 108600/∞]
Tang Yu closed the door and rubbed his temples. The headache had eased, but the sense of threat Tsukishiro had brought with him still lingered. He turned on his computer and began researching Tsukishiro Shuhei's background in depth.
The search results showed that Tsukishiro did indeed have joint projects with several psychiatric hospitals. His public identity was "Adolescent Psychological Development Research Expert."
But Tang Yu noticed something strange-all the adolescent patients connected to him showed similar symptoms: short-term memory loss, fear responses to specific keywords, and... an abnormal dependence on Tsukishiro himself.
"Mind control..." Tang Yu muttered. Tsukishiro was clearly using some kind of ability to influence these teenagers, and he had now set his sights on Advanced Nurturing High School, especially... Tang Yu and Class D.
A new quest popped up in the System Interface:
[Main Quest: Expose Tsukishiro Shuhei's experiments] [Reward: Unlock "Mental Defense Network"] [Current progress: 25%]
It was late, but Tang Yu lay in bed unable to fall asleep. Tomorrow was the final rehearsal before the Debate Tournament, and Tsukishiro would likely make another move. He needed to prepare for anything.
The next morning, Tang Yu arrived at school two hours earlier than usual. In the empty classroom, he tested his newly unlocked "Group Emotion Resonance" ability-
Adjusting the emotional frequencies of several imaginary targets to the same wavelength. The effect was astonishingly good, but it consumed a great deal of energy. In just five minutes, he had used up 2,000 Emotion Points.
"I'll have to use it sparingly," Tang Yu muttered to himself.
The other students arrived one after another. The atmosphere in Class D was noticeably different today. Even Kanji Ike and Yamauchi Yuki, who were usually lazy, had arrived early and were reviewing their materials seriously.
Horikita Suzune and Hirata Yosuke organized everyone's final rehearsal, while Karuizawa Kei helped the girls' group adjust the pacing of their speeches.
"Classmate Tang." Chabashira Sae waved to him from the doorway. "Could I talk to you?"