6. Acting

Out of nowhere, she pulled out a second sheet and handed it to him. 

|| Scene 1. School Bully's Entrance: 

On the first day of high school, Natasha managed to anger the school bully, who pushed her down the stairs. Lance happened to pass by and caught her, saving her life; through his heroic actions, he became the white moonlight of the female lead and the school bully. Later, the male and female leads became desk mates. ||

Lance grinned at this nonsense. 

"Can you do that? We have to time it perfectly so that I don't accidentally kill her," she asked blankly. 

"Yes, we'll meet in front of the school, and I'll enter the building behind you, ensuring you don't commit murder on the first day." He put the sheet down and then looked up. 

"So, why not boycott this plot if you are struggling to survive anyway? Just don't bully her?"

"Mhmm, good point." She looked as if she had anticipated this question. 

"Because according to the system, if I ignore important plot points—even without me doing anything, the world would come up with countermeasures, and it would happen somehow anyway." 

So why would all the rapes and drugs not happen either way? She had internalized the rules from the system, and because romance was the most crucial plot point, she had the mission to assist the male and female leads, so that the book wouldn't become too sadistic. 

However, what she was doing at the moment was obviously not what the system had in mind. Paige should initially work from the shadows, not approach the male lead on the first day after arriving and spill the beans. 

In the book, the male lead was pickpocketing near a high-end club when he was caught by a few powerful guys, got drugged and raped, then gained admission to the school as compensation or a reward—she didn't know the details, but besides him getting addicted to drugs, he went to this school to find the rest of those guys and kill them. One of them was already murdered by him on the same night they had been alone.

But the female lead saved him while simultaneously blackening him, blablabla. 

Since Lance now had enough money given by Paige, she didn't have to worry about the pickpocketing part.

The first thing she did after arriving in this body was unintentionally cut herself, freaking out mildly because she discovered she didn't bleed. Then, she let someone forge his documents and went to find Lance. She had money, so everything was ready in a few hours. 

Her character had not only money but also a really reliable bodyguard who was there when needed, taking on the role of half a butler as well. He came when necessary and was silent when not required, making him the perfect subordinate. 

Her character's parents were not interested in her, leaving her to their old principal friend and the bodyguard/butler. It was as convenient as it could be in her situation, considering the novel and everything. 

Tomorrow was their first act, so she was nervous. As a shut-in, she had no problems meeting people—contrary to what one might think. She was just mildly unemotional, having poured out the little feelings she had for nearly twenty years, only into paper characters; otherwise, Paige was relatively stoic. 

She didn't like having contact with real people, so she simply didn't have any contact with anyone. Now, she would have no choice. 

What she perhaps should have mentioned was that she could absolutely not, under any circumstances, 'act'. She truly couldn't; no matter when she tried, if she was in front of people, her face would morph into a cold mask, and regarding acting, she would read the lines like a robot. So, she was the absolute worst candidate for isekaiing that you could find. 

Now, not only did Paige have to play a teenager, a phase she had certainly outgrown long ago, who had romantic feelings for a boy half as old as her original self—and that with zero experience besides reading smut (of grown-up people!)—while at the same time making herself a bit criminal by 'falling in love with an underage boy even if he would never respond', she also had to bully a little girl and push her down the stairs in an attempted murder, making herself a real criminal. 

And all this in the chubby body of a little midget.

She sighed deeply.

"I'm too old for this crap."