Chapter 18 Isabelle’s Terrible Idea
“Tiana seems to have a lead already,” Lennon said, keeping a close eye on the live stream.
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+8 Pearls
“Well, she grew up on this street. It’s no surprise she’d find the NPC quickly,” Isabelle replied casually.
“Isabelle, stop chatting with your manager and get moving! You’re the last one to head out,” Parker, the cameraman assigned to follow Isabelle, urged impatiently.
With no choice, Isabelle waved goodbye to Lennon. “Keep an eye on the police station. If the old lady wakes the officials clear my name.”
“I’ve got it covered,” Lennon replied, giving her a thumbs–up.
Isabelle strolled out leisurely, her pace far from urgent.
“Isabelle, can you stop dawdling? Don’t you want lunch?” Parker pressed.
up, make sure
“Relax,” Isabelle said confidently. “NPCs for these tasks are usually a bit special. If we walk from one end of the street to the other, we’ll find them eventually.”
As they wandered, Isabelle ran into Ashen and Finley, who had already found their NPCs and received their task cards.
“Isabelle, have you found your NPC yet?” Ashen greeted her warmly.
“Not yet, Ms. Ashen, Mr. Finley. Did you both complete your tasks?” Isabelle asked with curiosity, showing respect to the senior actors.
Ashen pulled out her task card. “I’ve found mine. My task is to help Madam Juniper at the entrance of the village sell ten embroidered pieces. The payment depends on how much Madam Juniper decides to give.”
Finley chimed in, “My task is to tutor the Dove family twins on their homework at the far end of the village. The pay is 4 dollars for two hours.”
“Those don’t seem too hard,” Isabelle commented.
Ashen laughed. “Mine isn’t too difficult, but Mr. Finley’s might be. We heard the twins are very mischievous and don’t like studying.”
Finley smiled wryly. “I have no experience dealing with kids, let alone tutoring. I don’t even know where to start.”
He looked uneasy. Finley wasn’t exactly an academic star, and tutoring elementary school kids, even in first or second grade, felt daunting.
Isabelle grinned and offered her brilliant idea. “Mr. Finley, don’t worry. If you can’t teach them, you can always play with them. Worst case, you could role–play as a character they like. You’re an award–winning actor–pretend to be someone they’d listen to.”
Finley considered her suggestion. “That’s not a bad idea. What character do you think I should play?”
Isabelle glanced around and spotted a child crying in front of a toy stall, pointing at an Ultraman figurine. She immediately had a lightbulb moment.
“How about Ultraman? I’m pretty sure no kid can resist Ultraman.”
The live stream audience in Finley’s room was stunned, and the chat exploded with comments.
“Isabelle, stop giving terrible ideas!”
“Finley looks like he’s seriously considering it. He might actually dress up as Ultraman!”
“Uh, isn’t the cost of an Ultraman suit more than thirty dollars?”
“Honestly, I think it’s a great idea. If he can pull it off, why not? When I was a kid, I dreamed of Ultraman showing up to defeat my homework–assigning teacher!”
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3:55 PM
Chapter 18 Isabelle’s Terrible Idea
+8 Pearls
The production team monitoring the live stream saw the spike in viewer numbers and couldn’t stop grinning.
“Isabelle really knows how to stir things up. Keep a close eye on her stream,” one of the producers instructed.
“She might not be likable, but she’s definitely gained a niche following since last night. People love watching her bold. personality.”
Finley, encouraged by Isabelle’s suggestion, decided to run with it. “I’ll check with the production team to see if we can get an Ultraman costume.”
Unsurprisingly, the team didn’t have one. But a toy shop in Downtown Village did.
When Finley asked to borrow the costume from the store mannequin, the shop owner hesitated before agreeing.
“But I don’t have any money…” Finley admitted awkwardly.
The shopkeeper glanced at the filming crew following him, realizing he was likely a celebrity, though he couldn’t place him. Finley introduced himself, and the shopkeeper suddenly shouted toward the back, “Honey, your favorite idol is in our shop!”
Finley was bewildered. Moments later, the shopkeeper’s wife rushed out. “What nonsense are you spouting-” She stopped mid–sentence when she saw Finley and immediately squealed, “Oh my, dear!”
Finley, thoroughly embarrassed, cleared his throat. “I’d like to borrow your Ultraman costume, if that’s okay.”
“Of course!” the shopkeeper’s wife exclaimed without hesitation.
But her husband quickly interjected, “No way!”
The wife glared at him. “What did you just say?”
“I mean,” the shopkeeper stammered, “the production team probably won’t let you borrow it without some sort of exchange. Maybe Finley could perform something for us.”
“What kind of performance?” the wife asked, her interest piqued.
“How about a song?” the shopkeeper suggested.
“I… can’t sing,” Finley admitted, looking mortified.
“It’s okay if you’re not good. Just sing ‘The Most Vibrant Folk Style. My wife loves that song,” the shopkeeper insisted.
With no other option, Finley awkwardly performed the song, relying heavily on the shopkeeper’s wife to lead the singing. Despite his off–key performance, the live stream audience found the whole situation hilarious.
Viewer numbers surged again, leaving the production team ecstatic.
“Isabelle’s bad ideas are turning out to be golden,” Indigo remarked, watching the stats climb.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to remove her earlier?” an assistant director teased.
“When did I ever say that?” Indigo denied with a grin.
Meanwhile, Isabelle stayed back to watch the spectacle of Finley’s performance. Only after the show was over did she set off to find her NPC–a gambler.
Ashen, having heard about Isabelle’s task, even pointed her in the right direction.
