To Escape, I Became a Popular Comic Protagonist

Duanmu Baili knew that the prestigious Lancer Academy she attended was a cage, one she couldn't escape, and one that reset itself every month.

She carefully gathered clues, gradually improving her magic and combat skills as she prepared her final escape plan.

Then one day, she wasn't sure which forbidden spell she'd mispronounced, but a glowing screen suddenly appeared in the sky, visible only to her:

[After three years away, the magic romance comedy manga Seven-Star Lancer Academy is back! (999+ comments)]

[Post 1: Aaaah! Grandma, the manga you were following has come back from the dead!!!]

[Post 2: Are they changing the protagonist group, or is it still the original Seven Stars?]

[Post n: Who's the new character on the cover? What a beautiful young lady...]

Duanmu Baili's expression was somewhere between a smile and a smirk. Oh, a manga?

∞∞∞

The once-popular manga Seven-Star Lancer Academy resumed serialization across the StarNet.

The character with the most discussion on the forums soon stopped being one of the Seven Stars in the protagonist group and became a rarely seen but eye-catching female side character.

She had completely ordinary magical talent, a family background without any sordid drama, a frail constitution, and only one top-tier quality: her looks.

But whenever she appeared in a scene, the story would bolt off like a wild horse, becoming completely unpredictable

While the protagonist group's love triangle was heating up, she was chugging poison in the background, foaming at the mouth and growing bolder with every setback.

When one of the Seven Stars had a romantic setback and her friend tried to comfort her, she was dashing around in a panic, diving headfirst into a deadly barrier, then staggering back out.

At the school festival, she and the dorm supervisor fought an epic battle atop the clock tower.

As the female side character's popularity skyrocketed, the manga artist gave her more and more screen time.

All the forums and comment streams assumed she was the real heroine, hoping she would lead the protagonist group to a happy ending.

But when the plot finally reached its climax,

The true heroine, Duanmu Baili, looked at a point in empty space and smiled as if victory were assured.

She bowed farewell, cast the ultimate grand spell, and tore apart spacetime, taking the chaos and calamity with her, leaving everyone else in utter shock...

"Thanks for watching. Maybe we'll meet again someday." (Smiles)

* The heroine is calm and meticulous, a strategist. Extreme actions don't mean she's careless.

* Inspired by a science-fiction dystopian film.

* This story goes full chuunibyou!

* Happy ending, no romance.

Theme: The soul longs for freedom from all restraints.