Special Hearing (Part 1)

Outside the principal's office, Tang Yu's fingers hovered in midair, but he still didn't knock. The System Interface flashed a red warning:

[High-intensity mental fluctuations detected]

[Source: Multiple people indoors]

[Recommendation: Strengthen Emotion Shield]

[Cost: 5,000 points/hour]

Tang Yu quickly exchanged points for an upgraded shield, and a cool sensation immediately spread from the top of his head throughout his body. He straightened his uniform collar, making sure the Miniature Recording Pen hidden inside it (exchanged through the system for 200 points) was working, then knocked on the door.

"Come in," came a steady male voice.

As he entered, Tang Yu first noticed that the principal's office had been arranged in an unusual way-the usual office furniture had been moved aside, and a long conference table had been set up in the center, with seven or eight people seated around it.

Principal Amasawa Ichiro sat at the head of the table, his expression serious; on his left was Tsukishiro Shuhei, casually twirling a pen; on his right sat several School Board members, each with a different expression. What surprised Tang Yu most was that Horikita Manabu was there too, seated at the very end.

"Please sit down, Tang Yu." The principal pointed to the only empty chair, directly opposite Tsukishiro.

Tang Yu sat down warily and secretly activated the Emotion Weaving Network to scan the room. The principal and the board members' Emotion Clouds showed varying degrees of suspicion and curiosity;

Horikita Manabu's emotions were like a deep pool, calm but unfathomable; Tsukishiro Shuhei's, on the other hand... His Emotion Cloud was like a twisted whirlpool, and the system couldn't analyze it at all.

"This informal hearing today is to discuss some... unusual circumstances." The principal got straight to the point. "Several strange incidents have happened on campus recently, and your name has come up frequently."

A female board member wearing glasses pushed them up. "The Gymnasium brawl, the mass hysteria among Class C students, the unusual atmosphere at the Debate Tournament... Do you have anything to explain?"

Tang Yu noticed the corners of Tsukishiro's mouth turn up slightly. These were clearly traps he had carefully laid.

"I don't understand what any of these incidents have to do with me," Tang Yu replied calmly. "I was the victim of the Gymnasium incident, and I have medical records to prove it. I know nothing about the so-called Class C hysteria. Class D won the debate through its own ability."

"Ability?" A bald board member sneered. "Class D has been at the bottom for years, then suddenly crushed the other classes in the Debate Tournament. Does that make sense?"

Tang Yu was about to retort when he suddenly felt an invisible pressure bear down on him. Tsukishiro's fingers tapped lightly on the table, in a strange, steady rhythm. With each tap, ripples spread across Tang Yu's Emotion Shield, and the mental pressure intensified.

[Warning! Mental attack intensity increasing!]

[Shield durability: 85%...72%...63%...]

At the same time, Tang Yu noticed the other board members' gazes growing dazed, and the principal's expression gradually turning blank. Only Horikita Manabu seemed unaffected, watching everything with a furrowed brow.

"I think..." Tsukishiro's voice suddenly became unusually gentle, with a hypnotic cadence. "Tang Yu may have used some... unconventional means. Drugs, perhaps, or... a special ability."

"Absurd!" Tang Yu fought through his headache to retort, but found that his voice seemed to be swallowed by something. The others appeared unable to hear him at all.

Tsukishiro continued in that strange tone. "For the safety of the school, I recommend that Tang Yu undergo a comprehensive Special Evaluation, including brain scans, blood tests, and psychological analysis."

One board member nodded woodenly. "Agreed."

"It's absolutely necessary," another chimed in.

The principal's gaze was unfocused. "If the board is unanimous..."

Horikita Manabu suddenly tapped the table. "I object. Conducting invasive tests on a student without evidence violates the Fundamental Law of Education."

Tsukishiro turned toward Horikita Manabu, his fingers tapping in a different rhythm. Beads of sweat appeared on Horikita Manabu's forehead, but his gaze remained firm-he seemed to be resisting Tsukishiro's influence through sheer willpower.

Tang Yu realized he had to act. He activated the newly unlocked Group Consciousness Link ability, trying to synchronize himself briefly with Horikita Manabu:

[Ability activated]

[Select link target: Horikita Manabu]

[Cost: 10,000 points/minute]

In an instant, Tang Yu felt a strange connection form between his consciousness and Horikita Manabu's. He could sense Horikita Manabu's way of thinking-the logical analysis of a precision computer.

More astonishingly, Horikita Manabu seemed to briefly gain Tang Yu's Emotion Perception ability too, and the two achieved perfect complementarity on a mental level.

"Principal," Horikita Manabu suddenly said, his voice more forceful than usual. "According to Article 17, Clause 3 of the school rules, any special examination of a student requires a parent or guardian to be present.

"As a transfer student, Tang Yu's guardianship still rests with his previous school, so this procedure cannot be carried out immediately."

Tsukishiro's tapping grew more hurried, but this time it had much less effect. Through Group Consciousness Link, Tang Yu combined their mental defenses and managed to hold back the attack.

"This..." The principal seemed to come to his senses a little. "Horikita is right. We have to consider the procedural requirements."

A flash of anger appeared in Tsukishiro's eyes. He abruptly changed tactics and took a tablet out of his briefcase. "Perhaps this will help you make your decision."

The screen showed a photo of Karuizawa Kei beneath Tang Yu's apartment building yesterday, as well as... a picture of her waiting for him with breakfast that morning.

"The improper relationship between Tang Yu and Karuizawa Kei has already disrupted order on campus."

Tsukishiro's voice was full of feigned concern. "More worrying still, Karuizawa's personality has changed drastically lately. She's gone from being domineering and arrogant to gentle and agreeable. This abnormal change may well be connected to Tang Yu."

Tang Yu's blood boiled instantly. Tsukishiro had been spying on Karuizawa and taking pictures of her! He clenched his fists, almost rushing at him, but the calm thoughts Horikita Manabu sent through the consciousness link stopped him.

"Interesting," Horikita Manabu said coldly. "Teacher Tsukishiro is so interested in a student's private life that he even followed her and took pictures himself. Was that authorized by the School Board?"

The board members exchanged glances, clearly unaware of this. Tsukishiro remained impassive. "As a Special Evaluator, I'm authorized to take necessary measures to investigate unusual circumstances."

"Then tell me," Horikita Manabu pressed, "what exactly do you mean by 'unusual'? Which school rule does it violate for two students to develop a normal relationship?"

Tsukishiro was stumped. Tang Yu seized the opportunity to send Horikita Manabu an idea through Group Consciousness Link. Horikita Manabu gave a slight nod.

He abruptly changed the subject. "Speaking of unusual circumstances, I'd like to ask Teacher Tsukishiro something. During yesterday's Debate Tournament, why did the audience seem drowsy when Class D was speaking,

"but become unusually enthusiastic when Class C was speaking? The audio recording shows that the change completely matched the rhythm of your fingers tapping on the table."

For the first time, Tsukishiro's expression cracked. "That's a ridiculous assumption."

"Is it?" Horikita Manabu took a disc from his folder. "The Student Council happens to have a recording of the entire Debate Tournament. Would you like us to analyze it now?"

The atmosphere in the room abruptly grew tense. Tang Yu sensed Tsukishiro's emotions surging violently; the twisted whirlpool grew even more frenzied. Suddenly, a sharp headache struck-Tsukishiro had launched an all-out attack!

[Warning! Mental attack has exceeded critical threshold!]

[Shield durability: 41%...29%...15%...]

[Emotion Points dropping rapidly!]

Tang Yu gritted his teeth and held on, but Group Consciousness Link consumed too much, and his Emotion Points were nearly depleted. Just as his shield was about to collapse, the office door suddenly swung open.

"Sorry to interrupt." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood in the doorway with a document in his hand. "Principal, these are the emergency materials you requested."

The interruption came at exactly the right moment. Tsukishiro's mental attack was forced to stop, giving Tang Yu and Horikita Manabu a chance to restore their defenses. The principal took the document in confusion. "I didn't ask for anything..."

Before he could finish, his eyes suddenly widened. Through the Emotion Weaving Network, Tang Yu sensed the principal's emotions surge-shock, fear, and then anger.

"Teacher Tsukishiro," the principal said, his voice cold as ice. "Explain what this is."

He pushed the document toward the center of the table. Tang Yu glimpsed a medical report bearing the words "White Room Project," "human experimentation," and "Mind Control."

Tsukishiro's face turned deathly pale. "This is forged!"

"Is it?" The principal stood up. "The report bears your signature and the seal of the University of Tokyo Faculty of Medicine. I'll contact the University of Tokyo immediately to verify it."

The board members began to stir, and some questioned Tsukishiro's qualifications. The situation had reversed in an instant. Tang Yu looked toward Ayanokoji in the doorway, and the latter gave an almost imperceptible nod-it was obvious that he had prepared this "document."

Tsukishiro sprang to his feet, his eyes glinting dangerously behind his glasses. "You don't understand what you're fighting.

"His voice suddenly sounded inhuman, with a strange echo. The White Room is a great undertaking beyond your understanding. Tang Yu, Ayanokoji, you're just experimental subjects. Sooner or later, you'll be reclaimed!"

Those words plunged the office into silence. Tang Yu felt everyone's eyes turn toward him and Ayanokoji.

"Enough!" The principal slammed the table and stood. "Tsukishiro Shuhei, all your school duties are suspended pending further investigation. Leave now."

Tsukishiro sneered and turned toward the door. As he passed Tang Yu, he lowered his voice. "This is only the beginning. I'll get samples from you and Karuizawa, no matter the cost."

After the door closed, the atmosphere in the room remained heavy. The principal wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Tang Yu, Horikita... I hope we can keep what happened today confidential for the time being. The school will deal with Tsukishiro's situation seriously."

Tang Yu nodded, but he knew this was far from over. Tsukishiro wouldn't give up easily, and there was clearly a larger conspiracy behind the White Room.

After the hearing, Tang Yu and Ayanokoji walked side by side down the empty corridor.

"That medical report..." Tang Yu asked quietly.

"Partly genuine, partly forged," Ayanokoji said calmly. "It's enough to get Tsukishiro into trouble for now, but it won't hold him back for long."

"What exactly is the White Room?"

Ayanokoji stopped and looked out the window at the cherry trees. "An experiment to cultivate superhuman beings. From embryo selection to gene editing, from Drug Enhancement to Mind Control... Its purpose is to create perfect human weapons."

Tang Yu drew in a sharp breath. "And you...?"

"The only survivor of the Eighth Generation." A rare hint of emotion entered Ayanokoji's voice. "Tsukishiro was a Seventh Generation Product. He's responsible for collecting 'abnormal samples.' Your Emotion Manipulation system and Karuizawa's Emotional Recovery Ability are both 'materials' he wants."

Tang Yu suddenly understood Tsukishiro's obsession. "So that's why he..."

"Exactly." Ayanokoji nodded. "Now that he's been exposed, he'll act even more aggressively. Karuizawa is especially at risk-her emotional transformation is a rare research case."