I Have a Status Bar

(The blurb's setting may change.)

By a stroke of luck, Suo Jiang learned that she was the wicked supporting female character in a high school romance novel. Thanks to her obsessive-compulsive tendencies, she made a scene over everything and somehow became a key player in the leads' on-again, off-again romance!

Along with the spoilers came a golden finger that wasn't cool or flashy at all: a status bar that could only display progress bars.

Where were the promised all-powerful genius System and overpowered halo?! Suo Jiang, a genuine eighth grader, thought indignantly.

*

Suo Jiang had no intention of paying attention to the so-called plot, but the status bar was stuck above her head!

And whenever she did something, a progress bar would appear right away. She couldn't close it until the task was done! It was as annoying as those red notification dots in games!

When she was slacking off instead of doing homework, a progress bar suddenly popped up with a ding:

[Ding! Current homework completion: 88%.]

Only 12% left... Maybe she should finish before going out to play?

As soon as she finished her homework, another progress bar followed:

[Ding! Current progress in Unit 1 of math studies: 95%.]

Only 5% left before it would disappear! Suo Jiang hesitated, then picked up the math book beside her.

[Ding! Current middle school math review progress: 99%!]

Damn it! Suo Jiang glared at that last empty sliver of the bar.

1%1%1%1%1%1%1% - Aaaah!

She suddenly leaped out of bed and pounced on her desk.

When she started high school and the plot was supposed to begin, Suo Jiang had planned to be a quiet, well-behaved top student.

Unfortunately...

[Ding! Current progress toward dominating the high school: 90%!]

A wild progress bar appeared!

You all saw that, right?!

It made me do it!!

[Ding! Current national competition preparation progress: 90%!]

[Ding! Current XX game mastery progress: 98%!]

[Ding! Current progress toward publishing in an A-tier journal: 80%!]

[Ding! Current progress toward singing a song in tune: 0.1%!]

What, you ask, about the original male and female leads?

The whole of Chengqian High School was frantically trying to keep up with the school bully. Who had time for romance!

Years later, a reporter stood in a Mars space station and interviewed Ms. Suo Jiang, its designer and an academic giant in several fields. He asked the question the whole world was curious about:

"What is it that lets you stay passionate and never give up in so many tedious fields?"

Suo Jiang had just stayed up all night filling the progress bar for the Friendship spaceship. She froze, then raised a hand to point above her head.

The reporter hesitantly interpreted: "You mean... keeping a positive mindset?"

Suo Jiang, with a serious face: "My OCD."

"Ha ha, Ms. Suo Jiang, you're such a joker."

"I'm serious."

"Ha ha ha ha, you're so funny."

A story about a girl who goes from an adorably dorky, chuuni girl to a leading pioneer in academia. A true coming-of-age story, with light urban supernatural elements. The world is fictional, so please don't nitpick the details.

[Blurb recorded on 2022.6.25]

Theme: Even OCD can have its day