3

When I finally crack my eyes open again, I'm greeted by searing, retina-burning light. For a second, I wonder if I've been launched into a nuclear explosion-again-but no, it's just the absurdly bright lighting in this room. I blink furiously, squinting at my surroundings, and realize... okay, this place is gorgeous.

The room I've woken up in looks like something straight out of a luxury magazine. Pastel curtains so delicate they might dissolve in the air, marble floors you could probably eat off of (if you're into that), and furniture that screams, I cost more than your whole life savings. The original Faye really had impeccable taste, and honestly, I vibe with it. The giant, gold-framed mirror across from me makes me do a double-take-yeah, I could get used to this. For once, I'm glad I wasn't dumped in some cave or a dingy basement like in other transmigration novels I've read.

"At least I'm not in the middle of some... awkward situation," I muse, adjusting to the absurd brightness. I think back to some of the wilder stories where hosts wake up in a full-blown crisis-like that one novel where the protagonist transmigrated in the middle of a freaking sex session. Yeah. Imagine that. Mid-romp, confused, and the poor guy doesn't even realize his woman's soul has been swapped out. Nightmare fuel. Thank you, system, for not doing me dirty like that-but, of course, I'm not about to give the system any credit out loud. Can't have it getting a big head.

Speaking of the system."Ayo, dickydick system," I call out, crossing my arms over my chest. "Any ground rules while I go about this 'mission'? Like, is going out of character a thing, or can I do whatever the hell I want? How about murder? Can I murder people? What about dealing drugs? Or selling weapons? Can I nuke the world? Technically, no world means no zombie apocalypse, so... mission accomplished, right?"

Bee 69, my annoying, buzzy companion, materializes in the form of a giant, fat cartoon bee in front of me. It floats there for a second, blinking its ridiculous bug eyes, and then, of course, gives me a massive side-eye. Yeah, that's right, side-eye me, Weewee.

"Host," it begins, in that grating robotic tone, "if you had bothered to read the terms and conditions manual provided to you, you would know that killing anyone is strictly prohibited during your mission. Any breach of the rules will result in disciplinary action as per the punishment grades listed in the Red Book. I can read it out for you, if you'd like, seeing as you're quite illiterate-"

"Red Book? What is this, a BDSM manual? Don't tell me you're gonna start spanking me next," I snicker, rolling my eyes. "And by the way, hearing you read out terms and conditions in that baby-robot voice? No thanks, that's some cursed ASMR right there."

The system, as always, chooses to ignore my sass. "Out of character behavior is allowed," it continues in its usual deadpan tone, "as long as no one in this world suspects that you are, in fact, a foreign soul. The statistical probability of anyone figuring that out is less than 0.001%. But in the rare case that someone does, you will be punished accordingly-"

Suddenly, there's a knock on the door, cutting off both the system and my latest round of sarcasm."Miss Faye," a dry, monotone voice says from the other side, "are you up yet? Breakfast has been served downstairs. Sir and Madam are waiting for you."

Oh, right. There's a whole world still spinning outside of this bedroom, and I'm not here to argue with my glorified AI butler.

"Yeah, yeah, coming!" I shout back, scrambling out of bed. It's school day, after all. Oh god, it's the day. Today's the day the female lead transfers in, meets all the main characters, and kicks off this entire mess. Why couldn't the system have dropped me into this world, like, a week earlier? Or even better, into a different body? Why not transmigrate me as Caden's mother or something? I could've raised him into a normal, law-abiding citizen! But nooo, I'm stuck as Faye Lozero, number one bully and cannon fodder. Just my luck.

While I rush to get ready, I can't stop brainstorming how I'm going to derail this literal train wreck. Obviously, the best strategy is to keep Sara Chuay, the female lead, away from Wilde Seede-our resident villain-before they even meet. Once they cross paths, it's game over. Girl gets entangled in his tragic life, triggers his eventual villain arc, and, well... zombies. So yeah, stopping their meet-cute is priority number one. And secondly, I'll have to make sure Wilde's deranged mother doesn't go get herself killed.

The original Faye Lozero, bless her obsessive heart, was placed in Caden Timewell's class. Daddy Lozero made some calls to get her there, since his daughter was deeply infatuated with Caden-so much so that Mr. Lozero was borderline embarrassed. But he still indulged her because she's his precious only child, and rich daddies with only children do that, I guess.

But guess what? With just one little call to Mr. Lozero, I managed to change my class schedule. I told him that I was finally over my Caden obsession-big lie, but whatever-and that I wanted to be in Wilde Seede's class to "grow as a person." Daddy dearest was so proud, thinking I was finally maturing. Ah, poor man. I'm not about to shatter his dreams.

Arriving at school, I'm immediately greeted by the original's squad-basically, a bunch of rich kids who spend their free time bullying anyone with a pulse. I ignore them completely. Why waste time hanging out with future nobodies? They're only going to slow me down. Plus, I have a villain to befriend. Or manipulate. Whatever comes first.

After picking up my new class schedule, I start heading to Wilde's classroom-and then, I see her. Sara Chuay. The female lead in the flesh. Let me tell you, the author did not lie-this girl is the embodiment of a soft heroine. She's so cute and innocent-looking that even I want to protect her. I mean, if I were a boy or gay, I'd be tempted to join Team Caden. But alas, as a slightly gay woman, I can appreciate her beauty from afar. Still, I've got bigger things to do today than moon over Miss Sunshine.

Without a second glance, I make my way to Wilde Seede's classroom. As soon as I step inside, I feel the collective gaze of every student land on me like I've walked onto a reality TV set. They're expecting drama, a new episode in the ongoing soap opera that is high school bullying. But I'm not here to entertain them. I'm here to bond with the villain.

And there he is, sitting quietly by himself in the back of the room, looking like a dark, brooding anime character. His black hair falls slightly into his eyes, which are staring directly at me with enough intensity to light a fire. He's got this straight posture, this defiance about him, like a rod that refuses to bend-ever. Oh, he's gorgeous. Sinfully beautiful. How are these idiots bullying him when he looks like a fallen angel? Like, seriously, are they blind?

As everyone watches me, I casually stroll over and sit down in the empty seat next to him. The one that's been vacant for who knows how long, because nobody dares to sit next to Wilde Seede, The Untouchable.

The kid in front of me whips around, face pale as a ghost. "Faye... what are you doing?"I flash him my sweetest, most saccharine smile. "What do you mean, classmate? Just getting ready for class. You should focus too-teacher's almost here."

He mumbles an apology and turns back around, face flushed. Wow. Am I that intimidating?

I glance sideways at Wilde, who's still staring at me like I just descended from another planet. His dark eyes are fixed on me with that same intensity, and for a moment, I wonder if he's trying to set me on fire with his mind. Not gonna lie, it's kinda hot.

But then I remember-this guy, this silent, brooding villain, is going to blow up the world someday. He's the one who'll start the zombie apocalypse and throw humanity into chaos. And he's also the one who, in the original storyline, arranged for the original Faye's untimely demise via an 'accidental' car explosion. Yeah. Car goes boom, Faye goes bye-bye.

I clear my throat, trying to shake off the mental image of Wilde turning me into roadkill, and give him a small, non-threatening smile. I've got a mission, and this is step one: make friends with the villain. Easy, right?

Right?