The Protagonist's Curse: The Meet-Cute Calamity Book 1: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance Fantasy Adventure by Delara Finch

Author:Delara Finch [Finch, Delara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2026-01-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

The rain stopped.

It didn't taper off. It didn't fade. It simply ceased to exist, severed by an invisible line drawn across Fourth Avenue.

On one side of the street, the grim, grey drizzle of the Seattle apocalypse continued to weep onto the pavement. On the other side, the sun was shining with a blinding, offensive brilliance. The sky wasn't purple; it was a saturated, postcard blue. The air smelled of coconut oil and salt spray.

"I don't like it," Ivy said, halting at the edge of the shadow. "It looks like a trap. It smells like a vacation."

"It's the Belltown District," Kenji whispered from behind her. He was shivering, clutching his daggers. "Or it used to be. Now it looks like... Hawaii?"

Ivy squinted. The streets ahead were flooded. The asphalt was gone, replaced by crystal-clear turquoise water that lapped gently against the sides of the skyscrapers. Palm trees had sprouted from fire hydrants.

"We have to cross it," Ryker said, shielding his eyes. "The Space Needle is on the other side. This is the only path."

Ivy adjusted her Vest of Plot Armor. It felt heavy and reassuring against her chest. "Okay. Stay sharp. Bright light ruins stealth. We move fast, we stay low, and we—"

DING.

The sound was a cheerful, tropical marimba chime.

[ZONE EVENT TRIGGERED] [Genre Shift: Anime / Fan Service] [Event: The Beach Episode!]

[System Note: Heavy armor causes drowning! For your safety (and viewer ratings), equipment will be auto-swapped.]

"No," Ivy whispered. "Don't you dare."

A flash of pink smoke enveloped them.

It felt like being punched in the stomach by a rainbow. Ivy gasped as the weight of her vest, her boots, and her cargo pants vanished instantly. The cool air hit her skin.

When the smoke cleared, Ivy was standing on the pavement. She was barefoot. She was no longer wearing her meticulously crafted, velvet-lined tactical vest.

She was wearing a two-piece swimsuit. It was red. It was strappy. And it offered less coverage than a band-aid.

[Item Equipped: The Bikini of High Hydrodynamics] [Defense: 5 (Physical) / +50 (Plot)] [Buff: +20% Swim Speed. +100% Distraction.]

"I am going to kill the Author," Ivy said. Her voice was flat, deadly, and terrifyingly calm.

She looked at her team.

Ryker was staring at the sky, his face a mask of mortification. He was wearing floral-print board shorts that were entirely too tight for his thighs. A lei of plastic flowers hung around his neck.

Piper was delighted. She spun around in a frilly, polka-dot one-piece with a skirt. "Oh my god! Cute! Chat, look at the physics engine on the ruffles!"

And Kenji...

Kenji was wearing an old-fashioned, Victorian-era striped bathing suit that covered him from knees to elbows. And he was still wearing his ninja mask.

"I feel exposed," Kenji whimpered.

"You are wearing a onesie," Ivy snapped. She tried to pull her vest back out of her inventory.

[System Error: Item Incompatible with Current Vibes.]

"We can't fight in this," Ivy said, crossing her arms over her chest, which only served to highlight the ridiculousness of the situation. "I have no pockets. Where do I

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.