Getting to Know the Library Assistant

Youth is the prime of one's life.

It's a season of exhilarating adventures and explorations. Hanging out with friends after school, dining in a cute café on the way home, basking underneath the setting sun – the list could go on forever.

Yet, for one certain ash-haired bookworm, not only did she used to label them as trifling, but she now considered them far-fetched as well.

Instead of spending her time leisurely, Eli found herself roped into some kind of hygiene management duties, sweeping the already squeaky clean floor of Canaan Private Academy's humongous library.

Dusting away some invisible speckles was probably more trifling than hanging out with friends. Although she didn't mind the company of books and a fellow human, she disrelished the extra domestic work that came with it.

Besides, she doesn't really take part in any household chore that often. She didn't even know how to properly use a mop until recently. Except for hanging the laundry and washing the dishes, she just sucked at everything.

"Not quite a wife material, huh?" Hal told her once upon a time, feigning a look of pity that still irked her to this day.

Ever since that fateful incident that caused her once peaceful life to take an unexpected turn, Eli became the assistant of a library helper as part of their deal.

Not is she only possessed by a fictional woman, but she's now also stuck with her fictional classmate. Because of her complicated predicament, she was spared under the condition that she'd be able to suppress Venus.

Fortunately, the former Empress didn't pull any underhanded tricks since that day.

Aside from watching over her, Eli also had to help out in the library as an errand girl. She didn't know that being one means scrubbing dirt away all afternoon, though. If anything, he's just making her do maintenance work at this point.

Within the past days, however, Eli did more than wiping and brushing. She also got to know her classmate more.

One of the reasons why Hal gets along with people is probably his weird sense of humour. While he has some instances that make her blood run cold, he also knows how to be a good host. In a strange way, that is.

For one, he can't stand any lingering dead air between them. That's why he doesn't run out of things to say, even if it means making fun of her in any possible means.

When she's feeling sluggish, he'd call her out for showing signs of growing senile.

When he found her reading a romance novel, he started spouting misleading words that made her look like a pervert.

When he learned how flawed she was at almost everything except for academics, he'd mock-comfort her while mustering a look of fake sympathy, much to her miff.

Just like that, him teasing her became a source of entertainment – a skit she'd unwillingly take part in every after class. Even so, she doesn't feel that offended or whatsoever.

After all, in every insulting remark, she had the guts to headbutt the life out of him. Flicking his forehead and pinching were quite satisfying, too.

"And what do you think you're doing?"

Eli quickly shut the book close, visibly jolting.

Without her noticing, Hal already came back and caught her slacking off.

With a heap of reading materials encircling her like some kind of a fortress, the ash-haired girl remained crouching on the floor of an aisle lit by the yellow-orange hues of mid-day light.

Then, with an ounce of intrepidity, she tilted her head to peer at him.

"Reading," she replied, matter-of-factly.

"When you're supposed to be cleaning?" he retorted, unamused.

Hal then kneeled before her and pinched the bridge of her nose with a playful smirk on his face. Annoyed, Eli squirmed and tried to pull away but he showed no mercy. "How dare you laze around while I'm gone?" he chided, enjoying her suffering.

Eli could only huff at this indignantly.

"You know what? You need some discipline, young lady," he remarked, taunting the peeved bookworm.

A moment later, Eli found herself almost drooling at the sight before her.

Surrounding her is a vast collection of titles she hadn't seen before.

Stack over stack of books were encompassing a well-lit room that's made up of a wooden wall interior and classy furniture. The place gives off a secret chamber ambiance with its sophisticated fixtures. Despite how huge it is, it still looks cramped with all the shelves and cabinets occupying the room.

"As punishment, you have to clean this room for the whole week," Hal ordered, preparing his ears for a mouthful of complaints and disapproval. But then, Eli only squealed in delight, catching him off guard.

"Woah! Look at all these babies!" she enthused, skirt slightly fluttering as she tiptoed and twirled around like a ballerina.

Hal only facepalmed at this, thinking that he should've seen this coming.

Instead of being mortified by a heavier assignment, it seemed that the bookworm responded quite cheerfully. Although it's much easier for both of them this way, he felt somewhat dissatisfied since he couldn't poke fun at her deflated reaction.

"Sometimes, I worry for your social life, Eli," he teased, feigning concern in his voice.

"No need to worry. I like books more than people, anyway," she replied nonchalantly before pacing towards a nearby book stack.

Unbeknownst to her, Hal reacted to this with an enigmatic frown.

Ebony eyebrows formed thin lines, eyes unsmiling.

Silence momentarily filled the place.

Then, without her realizing, he's already standing behind her, hovering her shorter frame. She turned after sensing his presence, but only to find herself trapped between him and the bookshelf.

Eli blinked at him in bafflement, long eyelashes flickering ever so delicately.

"You don't seem to understand the difference between those two..." he mumbled, suddenly snatching both of her hands and intertwining their fingers together.

Big hands gently encase small ones like puzzle pieces piecing together. Her breath hitched as he scooted closer to her, slowly closing the gap between them.

"Let me show you a demonstration, then. This is one of the things people can do that books can't."

In the past few days, Eli also learned that Hal was the type who had no sense of personal space.

He'd usually initiate physical contact like this as if it's a normal thing to do. At one point, she even thought that he might be craving for it when the action slowly turned a bit intimate. She decided to shrug it off as his impetuous way of teasing her, though.

Nothing good comes out of getting ideas from such gestures, especially when this guy is involved.

Eli then just gave him a deadpan look before retrieving one of her hands and grabbing a random book. With a loud thump, she whacked his head with it, making him wince in pain.

"Hey! That's dirty," he whined, caressing his head.

"What's dirty is your mind," she retorted apathetically.

Sighing, Hal just backed away in defeat.

Unlike when they're just starting to spend time together, she's no longer reacting all flustered whenever he does that. She already got the hang out of it within a brief span of time. He had also forgotten that this classmate of his had limited interaction with others.

As an aftermath, she grew dense and with a sense of tolerance from such advances. Worst case scenario, the bookworm might not have any active hormones in that body of hers after all.

He's now sincerely worried for her social life.

Disheartened, Hal eventually excused himself and made his exit.

All the while, Eli just watched him trudge out of the room like a walking corpse.