sunchime | [ the one where misaki regrets ever having read that blog post ]

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[ the one where misaki regrets ever having read that blog post ]

The last thing Misaki remembers is that it was hot. Hot outside, especially hot inside the Michelle suit, and she's used to it, really, but they'd gone straight from a three-hour show to...some other place on Kokoro's whim. She can't really remember. She just remembers finding it difficult to breathe, opening her mouth to say something, and then everything dropping away. She remembers hitting the ground once, twice, three times -- ohh, that's too many times.

Floating weightlessly in murky consciousness, Misaki hears a voice oddly similar to Google Translate.

【 The System has been triggered by an activation code. Please stand by. 】

Uhh? What System? What activation code? Misaki blinks in the dark, trying to see, but dark is all there is.

【 Welcome to the System 2.0. This upgraded system operates in line with the concept "keep the clicks coming". We hope that during your experience in the ultimate wish fulfillment fantasy, you will help continue Proud Immortal Demon's Way's legacy as a first-rate romantic drama. Please enjoy. ヽ(´▽｀)ノ】

"Uhh??" Misaki says, looking around for the source of the disembodied voice, and she starts to feel like she's spinning, distinctly dizzy. "Uh, hey??"

But the computer-generated voice is gone, and instead she hears real voices, a small chorus of them, anxious and excited. Only an indistinct buzz in her ears at first, as she registers the fact that she's lying down, laid out carefully on a bed. Something about her body feels kind of...off. The voices nearby resolve into intelligible words as the room spinning around her starts to slow down. Misaki feels carsick.

"Shizun! Shizun, she's waking up!"

"Shizun, Ning Yingying is finally awake!"

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Shen Qingqiu's major concern, since Ning Yingying fell unconscious with a worryingly unspecific sickness several days ago, has been that this was some kind of late-acting wife plot he'd failed to anticipate. Like, okay, for the most part when those happen these days they happen to him, but you never know! He's tried checking in with the System about this and it's been very reticent, and, look, for all he knows! That means it's realised how drastically everything has gone off the rails here and it's looking to correct its mistakes by inflicting some inexcusable wife nonsense on his best disciple¹ in order to undo all of the hard work² he's put into her growing up into a well-adjusted independent young woman who pretty much never needs to get rescued from anything and–!

And!!

Okay and maybe he is also a BIT worried about how that kind of course correction would impact his marriage but that's harder to look straight at, as a thought, and anyway wouldn't it be selfish to be focusing on something as, as frivolous, as your personal relationship status, when one of your beloved disciples is SICK?

Obviously!

For the most part he's been able to keep this nervous energy safely submerged beneath the placid surface of Lake Shizun, thank god, but when Ning Yingying finally stirs, there's a bit of a frantic glint in his eye as he leans down to take a look at her, which makes his bland, gently encouraging smile seem a little bit off.

"How are you feeling?" Nailed it, that came out totally normal.

___________________________________
1. This is a different category entirely from 'favourite disciple' and 'head disciple', obviously,
2. Technically he didn't actually do anything but it feels like his responsibility!

Misaki's mouth is dry, like she'd fallen asleep with her mouth open. The small clamor is making it hard for her to focus on anything, let alone the baffling message she's just received, but the voice at her ear pulls her attention into something almost coherent. She starts to blink open bleary eyes.

"Kind of foggy..." Only a few words get out before Misaki nearly chokes on her own tongue. That's not her voice. She sounds...kind of like Maruyama-senpai? Her eyes fly open and one hand goes to her face. Uhh?? Feels kind of different? This scene is also...extremely different? The man at her bedside is totally unfamiliar, as is the gaggle of people hanging anxiously at the doorway, and they're all in some kind of period dress??

This seems like...a prank? One of Kokoro's whims brought quietly to life by the suits? Or...no, it kind of looks more like the set of one of Kaoru's plays...

Okay, but that doesn't explain why her own voice sounds unfamiliar and her face feels kind of different!

"Uhh, where am I?"

Oh no. No way. Shen Qingqiu stares at her, lining up all those reactions, the unfamiliar way she's talking... This can only be... someone who isn't smart enough to figure out that they've transmigrated!

Honestly he hadn't even considered this possibility, but now that he's faced with Ning Yingying shocked by her own voice and face, isn't the whole sudden unexplained fever and unconsciousness deal way too similar to what was supposed to have happened to his body before he wound up in it?

This development has him completely thrown, but after a couple of seconds of staring he gathers his wits about him, straightens up, and shoos everyone else out of the room. Then he turns back to the occupant of the bed, eyes narrowed over the top of his fan.

He has to admit... With all of the speculation he did back before he wound up in this mess, he definitely never once thought about what the best way would be to approach a transmigration situation from the other point of view! What's he supposed to say? No, this isn't a film set? Welcome to the worst novel you ever read, I made it even worse?

No. He needs to make absolutely sure first, before he goes spewing his secrets all over the place.

"You're not Ning Yingying, are you."

Misaki sits up slowly, one hand pressed to her forehead. Her head doesn't hurt, exactly, but her mind feels like it's buzzing. Something something information overload, except there's information to overload her brain, because she has no idea what is going on. Actually, it would be pretty great if this was a prank. Someone can stick their head through that door and yell "gotcha" anytime now, seriously...

But instead the guy with the fan chases all the others out of the room. Seriously, what's that suspicious look for? Aren't you guys the ones who are suspicious?? The question makes her hair stand on end, like she's been accused of something. Napping is not a crime, especially not when you wake up in weird places, okay!

"I don't even know who that is," Misaki says, just as the Google Translate voice chirps in her head again.

【 Activation successful! Role bound: Ning Yingying, devoted disciple of Qing Jing Peak of the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect. Starting B-points: 200. 】

Misaki starts visibly, her head jerking around for the source of the voice, but nope, that was definitely inside her head. Hahaha. Awesome. This isn't weird or stressful at all. She presses her hands to the sides of her head and tries to keep her voice from rising with only minimal success.

"Okay, seriously, what is going on here?"

Edited 2020-10-12 04:59 (UTC)

Seriously? She doesn't know who Ning Yingying is? How little attention would you need to be paying, for the first sister to catch Luo Binghe's eye to just slip your mind?? Oh god – is she one of those female readers who only cared about the male characters? Shen Qingqiu never used to understand how a work like Proud Immortal Demon Way would attract those kinds of fans but now he actually knows Airplane... Well, anyway.

As a special treat, he allows himself to press his fingers to his temple, and sighs heavily.

"God, you're lucky I was here," he mutters. "Alright. Please tell me you at least remember reading the damn book. Proud Immortal Demon Way? Anything?"

"Yeah, because I feel so lucky right now." It's more of a groan than a comeback, but seriously, does this guy need to be so condescending! She's dealing with a lot right now!

Oof, okay. Misaki, breathe. Try not to think so hard about how disorienting and weird this is. Put on those Kokoro-filter glasses and try to take the situation at face value and go from there. At least she's talking to someone who seems knowledgeable. Well, more like know-it-all, judging from his tone.

Proud Immortal Demon Way...the computerized voice had mentioned it too at first, right? Why does it sound so familiar? She presses two fingers to her forehead, then sits up suddenly. Seriously? It's that book??

"Of course not! Do I look like someone who reads that kind of book to you?" Actually, scratch that, that's exactly what she looks like right now. "I read a, uh...really detailed blog post about it once, though. But it was in Japanese, so it's not like I'd recognize anyone's names unless I saw them written down!"

Just as the words come out of her mouth, she realizes she is...definitely speaking another language? Hrhrhghghh okay another brain-bending concept to file away for later consideration.

He raises his eyebrows. "A really detailed blog post..." Wow! They're really letting just anyone in here now, huh! Although... actually, now he thinks about it, that's kind of reassuring, isn't it? If he was dealing with some kind of superfan, how the hell would he explain the state of the plot? Okay, this is fine. He waves that off. "Okay, well, have you read any detailed blog posts about transmigration fiction? Isekai?"

Misaki gives him a flat look and rolls her eyes. "I know what isekai is. I just don't really read much of that kind of stuff, okay?"

She scrubs her face with her hands, willing her head to clear. It's kind of working. This is on an entirely new level of bonkers, but a year plus of Hello, Happy World! has at least honed her "don't lose your shit at the first sign of chaos" skill. She was caught off guard, is all. Who wouldn't be?? This guy obviously doesn't count.

"Okay, so you're saying this is an actual instance of transmigration. Into an incredibly trashy webnovel. And you're in the same boat?"

"Ye-es, but I've been here for a while already, and a lot has changed." He pauses. He's feeling defensive. "And, okay, yes, it was trashy, but honestly there was a lot of real potential–"

Misaki waves him off with a hollow laugh, her expression turning to one of resignation. "Sure, sure, whatever you say."

She looks at him, lips pursed, and then lets out a sigh. "Well, I guess if that's how it is..."

She lies back down, closes her eyes, and turns over onto her side.

Shen Qingqiu stares at her.

"What – Are you going back to sleep?"

"People in these kinds of stories usually go home once their adventure is over, right? I'll just skip the adventure part and wait until the System or whatever sends me home."

But no sooner have the words left her mouth than a warning klaxon sounds in her head, and she all but jumps off the bed.

【 Warning. Your current course of action will deviate from the storyline and constitute an OOC violation. The system will automatically dole out punishment for any violations of the story parameters. 】

Misaki gives Shen Qingqiu a harrowed look. "Wait, I have to play along or this System...punishes me? What kind of punishment does it give out?"

Shen Qingqiu covers his grimace with his fan, but his eyes are still looking a little haunted.

"Ah... it depends," he says, fanning himself. Ning Yingying didn't have a terrible fate in the original PIDW, but he won't put it past the System to come up with an original nightmare scenario to put her through if it has to! "If it deducts too many points then you'll die, though. You died already, right?"

Ohh, Misaki doesn't like that look. Couldn't he try to be like, just a little bit more reassuring?

"Wait, died?" Her face goes paper white. Is that the requirement for getting transmigrated or whatever?? She doesn't remember that being a hard-coded trope in isekai but also...she hasn't read that much isekai. "Uh, no! Not dead! I'd know if I was dead, right? But I don't remember dying, just...uh, passing out..."

Okay, that...doesn't mean she isn't dead, actually. Not remembering is kind of a problem, and it's not like you can prove a negative, right? Ahhhhhh shit if she's really dead... Kanon-san...this is pretty unfair, but I guess I'll leave Hello, Happy World! in your hands from now on...

"Okay, okay," she says, waving her hands as if to chase the thought of her own mortality away. "So I have to play out the story or the System gives out some kind of penalty." She doesn't want to imagine that too hard, thanks.

"But how do I know what I'm supposed to do? Were there even any female characters who weren't there to marry the protagonist?" Misaki presses her hands to her face. Uhhh no way! She's not marrying anyone here, thanks! Especially not that really frigging scary protagonist! "A-all it said was that I'm supposed to continue Proud Immortal Demon Way's legacy as a first-rate romantic drama..."

Hm, maybe death is the better option.

"Mm, about that--" He looks a little shifty. "There isn't a harem any more. So you don't need to worry about that. Unless--"

Unless this is the System trying to course correct after all! Luo Binghe went for a transmigrator once, didn't he? Maybe it figures another one is its best bet for getting things back on track!

Shen Qingqiu blanches behind his fan.

"Well -- we can't know until it starts assigning you tasks," he says stiffly. "Inform me as soon as it does."

Right. He had said a lot had changed since he got here. Still, that look is...super not encouraging. Unless? Unless what, person who still hasn't introduced himself??? Considering we're in the same boat, you could stand to be a little more sympathetic...

"Wait a sec! I still don't even know who you -- "

Misaki stops and blinks in surprise as a dialogue box pops up in her mind. "Hey, it says there's some sort of 'canon review' function....I guess so I can fill in the blanks and see what you changed?"

Ohhhh thank god.

Shen Qingqiu blinks, lowering the fan slightly, and looking somewhat relieved. "Oh," he says, "good. That should save us some trouble, at least." He sighs. "You can call me Shen Qingqiu. If you have any questions..."

He seems kind of reluctant about that offer, honestly, but! Well! Someone has to do it! And he needs to keep a close eye on New Ning Yingying so she doesn't do anything totally unpredictable and ruin everything!

It's not like she has anyone else she can ask. Isn't it the least he can do, considering his position??

Shen Qingqiu, right. Misaki still isn't sure which character that is, exactly, but the question becomes moot as soon as she hits 'OK'. Her eyes go blank, and she is treated to a hyper-compressed montage of the events of Proud Immortal Demon Way -- the abridged edition, of course. The System neatly omits all 18+ restricted content from Misaki's experience, of course.

In reality it only lasts a few seconds, but it still leaves Misaki reeling. A lot of it is from Ning Yingying's perspective, which is helpful, but the bulk of it is about Shin Seishuu and Raku Hyouga's -- uh, Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe's exploits. Understandably, since they're at the center of the story, but it confirms Misaki's initial feeling that she's been jammed into the body of a supporting character. Ning Yingying doesn't have much backstory to speak of. She rubs her eyes to banish the last of the afterimages from her vision and glances at Shen Qingqiu, her lips pursed.

"So this isn't a harem story anymore...because you made it into a BL story instead?"

Way to bury the lede. Seriously.

He doesn't look at her. "It was an accident," he says tersely.

Uhh...how does that make you look any better than if you did it on purpose, exactly?

"Sure, right," Misaki says in the tone usually reserved for glossing over the three dummies' nonsense so they can move along with their day. She's starting to get used to the voice, but she's a little afraid to look in the mirror just yet. She probably ought to just get it over with soon, though -- it's probably like diving into a pool, right? Better to get the shock of cold water over with instead of wading in slowly.

"That's a relief, actually. If the whole point is to 'keep the clicks coming'," ample use of air quotes there, "then there's probably no danger of any kind of romantic storyline between me -- uh, Ning Yingying and Luo Binghe. Introducing a female character to a BL relationship is usually a surefire way to upset the fans."

See? She's not totally lacking in genre savvy.

Shen Qingqiu considers this.

"Perhaps," he concedes. "But the change of genre in the first place, wouldn't that have upset people just as much? And what about hatereaders?" He shakes his head. "Anti-fans can't be underestimated! We really shouldn't rule anything out."

She would really like to, though, that is the thing! She would love to rule it out.

"You'd know better about that, I guess," she says reluctantly. "But was the genre change really just an accident? I mean, you said I'd get instructions, right? And the System seems like it has its mind made up on 'continuing the legacy' and making me the next...act."

Saying 'protagonist' feels too weird. She's still processing this in bite-sized pieces for fear of choking on it all. A little chime sounds in Misaki's mind, a sound she is really starting to dread.

【 Introductory quest issued: 'The Heartwarming Bond Between Master & Disciple'. Quest: Complete training to become a next-level disciple and increase social links. Reward: +100 B-points, +50 Bond Points. 】

Wait, what?? What are Bond Points? Those are different from B-points? How many kinds of points are there??? This feels like an incredibly poorly designed video game.

A grim smile passes over Misaki's face. "Aha...speaking of, looks like I got a quest."

"Ah." His fan stills; for a moment he glances away, as if looking for his own notification – there's nothing, though. Not helpful, System! "What... what is it? Is it about Binghe?"

Please don't take him just because you can.....

"No," she says, silently adding thankfully, because while the new and revised edition of Luo Binghe is less of a terrifying monster than the original goods, Misaki isn't sure she's ready for that just yet. And she -- Ning Yingying is supposed to be fond of him, too. Yeah, that's going to take some, uh, working up to. The System drops a few more files on her with details on the quest.

"It's a quest for training with you. Gotta be a 'next-level disciple', apparently." Leave out the heartwarming bond part, Shen Qingqiu's imagination already seems to be on overdrive. "I think it...wants us to be friends?"

"Ah," he says again, looking her cautiously up and down. Well, it's not like Ning Yingying is incompetent... or, well, she wasn't. He really hopes wherever she's ended up isn't too bad. But -- her cultivation was progressing pretty well, so at least New Ning Yingying will be working from a solid starting point... He's not sure how she's supposed to become a 'next-level' disciple when the established level to be surpassed is Luo Binghe, but maybe Ning Yingying is going to be granted some plot armour...?

"... Hold on." Shen Qingqiu looks skeptically over the top of his fan as his brain catches up with what she's saying. "It wants us to be friends?"

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