The wind howled like a blade, and the rain poured down in torrents. Tang Yu carried the unconscious Horikita Suzune on his back, struggling through knee-deep floodwater.
Every time he lifted a leg, it felt like he was fighting the weight of the entire ocean. The icy rain poured down his collar, stealing his precious body heat.
"Hang in there... We're almost there..." Tang Yu gritted his teeth as he spoke to himself and to Horikita on his back.
[Adrenaline Burst remaining: 3 minutes]
The system's warning hung over him like a sword. His temporarily enhanced strength was fading, and the camp was still at least five hundred meters away. The flood kept rising, and branches and rocks floating in the water struck his shins like hidden weapons.
Horikita's body grew heavier and heavier. Her breathing was weak but still steady. Tang Yu adjusted his posture, making sure her head stayed above the water.
A bolt of lightning split the night sky, illuminating the terrain ahead for an instant. Tang Yu narrowed his eyes-a new current had appeared directly in front of him, cutting off the way back to camp.
"Damn it!" He had to turn left and look for another route. The detour would add at least two hundred meters, and his strength was rapidly draining away.
[Temporary Strength +2 effect about to end] [Temporary Agility +2 effect about to end]
Tang Yu's muscles began to tremble, and every breath burned in his lungs. He stared at the faint camp lights in the distance. They were his only hope.
"Put... me down..." Horikita's faint voice came from beside his ear.
"Shut up and save your strength." Tang Yu snapped back, his voice swallowed by the wind and rain.
A sudden pain shot through his right leg-a sharp branch pierced his pant leg and cut him. The rain immediately washed away the warm blood, but the pain made Tang Yu stumble.
"System! Is there anything else I can use?" he roared inwardly.
[Emotion Points can be exchanged for the "Emergency Sprint" ability] [Spend 1,000 Emotion Points to gain 30 seconds of maximum speed]
"Exchange!"
A fresh surge of energy flowed into his legs, and Tang Yu shot toward the final stretch like an arrow loosed from a bow. The flood seemed to offer less resistance. The sound of the storm faded into white noise, and the world narrowed to the swaying camp lantern ahead.
Thirty seconds later, his strength receded like the tide. Tang Yu's legs gave way, and he fell to his knees at the edge of camp. But he had made it-the Medical Tent was right in front of him.
"Someone! Help!" he shouted with the last of his strength.
A few seconds later, several figures rushed out of the tent. Hirata Yosuke was the first to reach them and took Horikita from him; Ayanokoji Kiyotaka supported Tang Yu, who was nearly spent.
"Her ankle's injured, possibly broken... severe hypothermia..." Tang Yu managed to explain in broken phrases. Then his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
Warmth. That was the first thing Tang Yu felt when he regained consciousness. He was lying in a dry sleeping bag. The storm still raged outside the tent, but now it was only a distant background noise.
"You're awake?" Ayanokoji's voice came from beside him.
Tang Yu turned his head and saw Ayanokoji sitting beside a makeshift medical kit, a book in his hand. Three other students were asleep in the tent, including Horikita, who was still unconscious.
"How long?" Tang Yu's voice was hoarse.
"Four hours and seventeen minutes." Ayanokoji closed his book. "You overexerted yourself, but you're fine. Horikita's condition is more serious-her right ankle is broken, and she has mild hypothermia. But the school doctor says there won't be any lasting effects."
Tang Yu tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness sent him back down. Ayanokoji handed him a cup of warm water. "Take it slow. You've used up too much energy."
After drinking the water, Tang Yu felt much better. He looked at Horikita. The girl's face was pale, but her breathing was steady, and her right foot was secured in a makeshift splint.
"What about the storm?"
"It's still going. It might last until noon tomorrow." Ayanokoji's tone was flat. "The camps for Class A and Class B were both damaged. The situation for Class C is unclear."
Tang Yu nodded, then suddenly remembered something. "What about Koenji?"
"He's in his own tent, refusing to take part in group activities." Ayanokoji's mouth curved slightly. "He said, 'A storm of this magnitude is still not enough to disturb my meditation.'"
Typical. Tang Yu almost laughed, but a sudden pain in his chest made him cough.
"You may have a cracked rib." Ayanokoji handed him two pills. "Painkillers."
Tang Yu swallowed the pills and lay back down. The only sounds in the tent were the wind and rain beating against the canvas and the even breathing of the sleeping students. Ayanokoji went back to his book as if their conversation had never happened.
[Emotion Points: 14250/20000] [New ability: "Emotional Link" (can briefly establish a deep emotional connection with another person)]
This new ability made Tang Yu's heart race. Compared to his previous abilities, which only allowed him to passively sense emotions or briefly resonate with someone, "Emotional Link" seemed to allow a deeper interaction. He looked at the unconscious Horikita, wondering whether he should try it.
"Can't sleep?" Ayanokoji suddenly asked.
"Yeah." Tang Yu answered vaguely. "Go get some rest. I'll watch over Horikita."
Ayanokoji gave him a knowing look, then finally nodded and left. Only Tang Yu and the three sleeping students remained in the tent, along with Horikita, who was only half-conscious.
Tang Yu carefully shifted closer to Horikita. After hesitating for a moment, he activated his new ability.
[Establishing Emotional Link: Target Horikita Suzune] [Duration: 3 minutes]
In an instant, Tang Yu's consciousness seemed to be pulled into a whirlpool. Countless images and fragments of emotion surged toward him-a tall man's back (Horikita Manabu?).
An empty dining table, piles of reference books, the lonely track around the schoolyard... All of them were steeped in a complicated mix of emotions: a desire for recognition, stubborn pride, and deep loneliness...
The most intense was a fragment of memory: little Horikita stood in an empty gymnasium, gazing at her brother's photograph on the wall. She whispered, "I'll surpass you someday..."
The link suddenly broke. Tang Yu gasped for breath, as if he had just surfaced from the depths of the sea. Three minutes had seemed both incredibly long and incredibly short. He looked at Horikita and saw that she was awake, quietly watching him.
"How... are you feeling?" Tang Yu asked softly, unsure whether she had sensed anything.
Horikita's lips were dry and pale. "Why did you risk your life to save me?" Her voice was faint, but unusually clear.
Tang Yu thought of everything he had seen through the Emotional Link, and a new understanding stirred within him. "Because Class D needs you."
"Liar." Horikita turned her gaze away. "Class D has you. That's enough."
The wind and rain howled outside the tent, but inside, it felt as though they were in a small space cut off from the rest of the world. Tang Yu carefully chose his words. "I do have my abilities... But you've seen it too: this school is about far more than academic performance.
"For Class D to rise, it needs everyone's strength, especially someone with potential like you."
Horikita stayed silent for a long time, so long that Tang Yu thought she had fallen asleep again.
"My brother..." she suddenly began, her voice barely audible. "Horikita Manabu, the Student Council President. I've lived in his shadow for as long as I can remember. Entering this school was my chance to prove myself..."
Tang Yu listened quietly without interrupting. The medicine was beginning to take effect, and his eyelids grew heavy, but Horikita's words were like a thread, keeping his consciousness from sinking into darkness.
"I wanted to prove I could succeed without relying on my brother's name... So I refused all help... including yours." Horikita turned her head with difficulty and looked Tang Yu in the eye. "But tonight... thank you."
Those simple words seemed to take all her strength. Horikita closed her eyes, and her breathing steadied. Tang Yu knew that, to this proud girl, those words of thanks were more precious than any trophy.
[Horikita Suzune's trust has increased significantly] [Special achievement unlocked: "Crack in the Ice Wall"]
Tang Yu smiled and closed his eyes, letting the medicine carry him into sleep. In the final moment before he lost consciousness, he seemed to hear the system's notification, but he no longer had the strength to check...
At noon the next day, sunlight woke Tang Yu. The tent was empty. Beside his sleeping bag lay a simple breakfast and three pills. The storm had stopped, replaced by birdsong and the busy voices of students.
He swallowed the pills and slowly walked out of the tent. The camp was in disarray, but the central area was undamaged. The students of Class D had split into several groups. Some were repairing tents, some were drying supplies, and others were preparing lunch.
"Classmate Tang Yu!" Hirata Yosuke was the first to spot him and hurried over. "How are you feeling? The school doctor said you need more rest."
"Much better." Tang Yu rolled his shoulder. It only ached faintly. "How's Horikita?"
"She's over there." Hirata pointed toward the Medical Tent. "Chabashira-sensei contacted the School Administration by Satellite Phone. A boat will come this afternoon to take her for treatment. The test has been suspended for one day."