𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃

4. Brain Rot

The teacher keeps droning on about something that I'm 99% sure I already learned back in my world. My eyes glaze over the lesson, but I cannot stop staring at Wilde Seede. Or, you know what? He really should be called Wilde Rose-so pretty, so dangerous. The kind of guy you wanna admire from afar because getting too close? Yeah, you'd totally get pricked. A walking heartache in high-definition.

Meanwhile, the class feels like one of those background tutorials in a video game-super unnecessary because, hello, I've already unlocked all these achievements. Apparently, the physics in both worlds are, like, basically copy-paste.

"Host, stop staring, and please try not to fall for Wilde Seede. You will eventually have to leave this world." The system's voice pops up in my brain, all holier-than-thou and super judgy. Ugh, can't I just vibe for a minute?

Fall in love? Me? Oh please, let's be real for a second. Sure, the main characters in this world are basically walking museum exhibits, but I'm just appreciating them from a safe distance, like you'd admire a painting or a TikTok thirst trap. No biggie. Plus, hell no, I'm not about to fall in love again. Love is just an elaborate trap to get you to do stuff you really don't wanna do, like laundry or emotional labor.

But wait... what if I can make Wilde fall in love with me? Heh. If I can win him over, maybe I could... idk, nurture him or something. Mold him into a halfway decent human. Kind of like a plant, but with better hair and a tragic backstory. Why didn't I think of this sooner?!

System, you're kinda cute, I love you. Like, look at me, saving the world one future villain at a time! I'm not doing this because I crave attention or anything. No, no. This is purely me being a good person. Definitely not because I'm bored out of my mind in this place. And breaking a heart or two on the way? Meh, that's just collateral damage. I'm basically a hero at this point!

If the system could roll its eyes, I bet it would. But whatever. I'm thriving.

Class finally ends, and I'm hot on Wilde's heels during lunch break, following him like a loyal puppy. I think the other students have noticed by now, and the whispers are flying. They probably think I'm trying out some new form of bullying. But honestly, what else am I supposed to do? How can I protect him from getting bullied if I'm not there? I'm the one doing him a favor here! I'm like his unofficial bodyguard, and it's exhausting, let me tell you.

Wilde makes a beeline for the cafeteria, but, oh no, plot twist-he gets yanked into some random classroom by one of the school's discount-brand bullies. I mean, really? These guys are like the NPCs of this world, and I can't even be bothered to remember their names. But obviously, I follow them inside because duh.

And the scene inside? Pure comedy gold. I have to fight so hard not to laugh. Wilde-who's like six feet of muscle in a school uniform-is surrounded by these scrawny little stick figures who genuinely believe they're in charge. How have they not figured out he could crush them with, like, a single eyebrow raise?

Wilde's standing there, pulling off a convincing "lost puppy" vibe, all while looking at me with those intense, under-the-bangs villain eyes. I swear, this guy's got major "I'm pretending to be a lamb, but really, I'm a wolf" energy. It's gotta be that legendary villain halo, the one that makes everyone around him dumb as bricks. Seriously, these goons have no clue they're in the presence of future chaos.

One of the cannon-fodder extras looks me up and down and smirks. "Hey, looks like we stole Faye's prey," he says, earning a round of giggles from the rest of the gang. Sigh. Did the original Faye really roll with this crew? Why? Their collective IQ barely reaches room temperature.

I force out a laugh, playing along, but I catch Wilde's curious gaze flicker towards me. It's like he's scanning me, trying to figure out what game I'm playing. Chill, dude, I mentally scream. Don't look at me like that!

"Well," I say, putting on my best evil smirk, "It's true, you stole my prey. But I'm sure you didn't mean to, right?" I flash them my most threatening grin, really leaning into the "evil queen" vibe, hoping to scare off these mosquitoes.

And-boom-just like clockwork, the goons go dead quiet, faces turning tomato red. This is, like, the second or third time I've seen this reaction, and I have questions. "System, are the people in this world all made of glass or what? Their egos are so fragile."

I make a dramatic show of walking to the door and opening it, gesturing for them to get the hell out. Like, here you go, peasants. Be gone. Maybe this'll be a life-changing moment for them. Probably not.

"Uhh, yeah, we didn't mean to steal your prey, Faye. Totally our bad," the leader mumbles, looking awkwardly between me and Wilde. Then they scurry out like a bunch of scared mice, even shutting the door behind them. How considerate.

And now... oh boy. I'm trapped. In a room. With the villain himself. My brain's screaming, 'Danger, danger! He's gonna eat me alive!'

Aaaand, okay, I'd be kinda into it. But in a totally different way. I've read too many webnovels and now I have a brain rot.

Wilde's just standing there like a statue, but his eyes... Oh my God, those eyes. They're scanning me, moving over me like creepy-crawly little spiders. I'm dying on the inside.

"System! Weewee ah! You didn't tell me the villain was mute!"

"Host, he isn't mute, according to the database." System sounds as unsure as I am because, yeah, half a day with him and I haven't heard a peep out of the guy. Just pure, unfiltered, brooding silence.

Not that it matters, I guess. Worst-case scenario, I'll give him a paper and pen, and we can communicate like old-school pen pals. Doesn't change my mission. I've got a villain to redeem, hearts to break, and-oh yeah-stop a zombie apocalypse or whatever. Priorities, you know?