I was just minding my business, playing a BL dating sim called The Hidden Heart on my phone, and I was crossing the street. Then, like so many isekai stories, I got hit by a truck. I was orphaned, so I didn't have any family members to rely on or worry about. In my final moments, I looked at my phone. I had just finished the game again, and the villain, Black Diamond Heart, whose real name is Yin, the major lead, Yuzu, had just won the hearts of the five leads. Jericho, a scientist who is always looking for new answers. Levi, a writer who's working on the perfect piece to show the world. Narome, a book lover who has a top favourite romance fiction story. Tyler, a cultivator, has an entire collection of weapons, and Zeke, a young man who enjoys nature and animals. When I opened my eyes again, I was in a room that looked familiar. In the mirror, I saw the face of the villain in my reflection.
"Wait, am I-?"
Then the doors opened, and a woman came in. The lead woman in the game came in. She looked the same as in the game. She was depicted as the fairest of all the women in the game. She is pretty, but I didn't play the game for the chance to see her. She is stoic in a fight, but outside of it she seems... gullible? something like that. I've only seen her at the end, where she defeats Yin, or, I guess, me. Now that it's my new identity.
"Yin, you passed out at breakfast yesterday," Yuzu said, setting down a cup of water that was very murky. There's something in that water.
"Is there medicine in the water?" I asked her.
"No," Yuzu said, looking between me and the cup. Oh hell no, she did not think I would drink without looking. This might be just in my head, but looking back on it, the backstory between the main female lead and Cival until the main five male leads came up. After that, attempts on her life were made, and accusations between the two.
"Ah, I must be seeing things," I turned and purposefully hit the table, knocking the cup over, and I put on an act that was convincing since I had taken acting classes before being isekied. "Oh! I'm so sorry!"
Yuzu looked upset, not disappointed. She was upset that I had noticed the water was cloudy and that I didn't drink it. Then the male leads come in, all of them. And see the water on the floor, and to me still sitting on the bed. I know they hate the villain, and this role is now mine. So I will have to get to work. Then a screen appeared in front of me, and everything around me was in black and white now.
"Hello user," the screen had words coming up along with the robotic voice. "Welcome to the system. There are no words set in place, just gain affection of all the main male leads."
"Wait, that's all? No rules or anything?" I asked,
"No," the system said, "Just get their affection, however you can."
This made me excited. I could figure out about the real Yuzu and get the male leads. I've read some spicy fanfics when I was bored and finished the game. Wonder if they're true in any way. The screen disappeared, and everything went back to normal, and the men all stood in front of me with looks of disdain. I know they hate Yin, so I will have to work on this a little at a time and build up the big changes. Just focus on the plot to live by, and make small changes over time. Just play it off like I'm uninterested and act like it was a slight favour just because I'm bored.
"brought backup? Of course," I said, in character, and playing the role well.
"Why are you like this?" Yuzu asked, trying to play innocent. She had this almost-believable voice; I could tell mostly from what I learned in acting classes in my first life. So I have that under my belt to help me learn everything I can about a person and how well they hide who they are.
"Like what? This is just how I am," I said, never once did my voice change or falter, and I am not about to show the real me until things begin to change. I saw her eyes flicker between fake vulnerability and aggravation.
"Enough, Yin," Tyler said, stepping between Yuzu and me. "You really do have a black diamond heart,"
In this world, the empire's culture is set with specifics on a person. The name Black Diamond Heart is an insult, like calling someone's heart pure evil. It hurt, since Tyler was one of my favourite characters, but I had to work on changing the plot a little at a time.
"Wow, how rude!" I said, giving what I felt to the performance. Tyler's eyes flickered; he almost looked confused. Then Jericho jumped in with a scoff.
"Don't you do this to upset Yuzu! She is meant to be the next empress!" Jericho said, I was upset to see that these guys don't like me, but, oh well. Can't win everything without hard work. So I know what to do about this all. I just need to wait until I get my first chance.
"I'm aware, but she said she hadn't put anything in the water when it looked cloudy, then she assumed I did it out of malice," I said to them all, and stood up with shaky legs. I had grabbed onto the shelf and used it to stand upright.
"Oh, please," Levi said, folding his arms. "You probably faked it!"
"Right," I said, making my way to the door. "Anyway, I'm going to go bathe, don't interrupt me."
The men were watching me, I felt their eyes on me as I limped out and got to the bathing area I had to myself. I don't have maids or anyone taking care of my baths since, in the plot, the main villain had set up a self-sufficient system, or so the plot says. Once I got out of my clothes and into the warm water, the system showed again.
"Hello User," the system said.
"System, what should I know while living as Yin?" I asked.
"As the villain Yin, you have many allergies." The system began, and I sighed immediately.
"So much for having an allergy-free life." I leaned back in the tub, remembering how I had so many difficulties in everything in my last life and had to avoid almost everything. "Show me the list."
The system screen showed the allergies. I. Got. Furious. There were twenty different things on that list. All with the same allergies I had in my first life. Red meat, sesame seeds, latex, cinnamon, mint, honey, gelatin, melon of every kind, leather of all kinds, perfumes and scented products, furry animals and anything with feathers, anything with a stinger, oak, cherry blossoms smell, silver, Fish both with and without a shell, eggs, tree nuts, mollusks, and soy.
"What. The. Fuck?" I said, looking at what might as well be a mockery of my last life into this one. I wanted to scream seeing this, but I couldn't, knowing that if I did, people might hear and come in. So I did my best not to scream. So with gritted teeth, I said, "Anything else?"
"Just get the affection of the male leads." The system said before vanishing. I rubbed my forehead, tired with all this. So I just enjoyed the bath and felt great in the warm water. It was very therapeutic. Then I heard footsteps coming. I sat up, looking over my shoulder, and I caught sight of my shoulder, some buses that looked like I was beaten. Was this from Yuzu? What the hell happened between her and Yin? I moved to hide these marks in the water. Jericho came in and looked to the side as he made his way in.
"Are you decent in any way?" he asked, but refused to look, as if I were a maiden. But he was the most respectful of the privacy of the group.
"You won't see my body in the water if that's what you mean," I said to him. He turned to me, and it looked like an almost like an up and down. Then he looked away and walked around the pool I'm bathing in.
"Yuzu has mentioned that you are getting more aggressive. Care to explain?" he said. I don't know what has happened so far.
"What did she say happened leading to today?" I asked, watching him, looking for information while keeping discreet.
"Well," Jericho started. "She brought up how you threw her gifts to you in the trash, including fragrance, food, material, and gems."
"Those things I was allergic to-" I blurted out before I could stop myself. Jericho stopped and looked at me, his eyes wide, looking at me with shock. I looked away, chewing on the inside of my lower lip out of anxiety. I didn't know what to say, and Jericho was silent, and I could feel him watching me. I felt it, and I lowered myself in the water to just below my nose.
"... All of it?" Jericho asked, and he didn't look away.
"... Yes," I said, my mouth still underwater. I still didn't look at him, and I was cursing at myself because this wasn't in the fucking plot lines! Jericho was looking at me still, and I couldn't look at him or get up from the water. I fucked up, I messed up the plot lines! God fucking Damn it! I have ruined the story, I was supossed to- Agh! Why?! stupid self-conscious habits! Every time I was asked why I gave away shit in my last life, I said that! AGH!