Chapter 3 - Mr. Librarian

[ 'System binding initiated….' ]

When he came to consciousness, he found his hands on the taller man's back, and a sequence of events played out before him in slow motion:

The man had a surprised expression as he fell towards the bookshelf.

The student next to him screamed out, 'Mr. Librarian!!' and jumped towards the man.

The System completed its reboot, and an angry and disappointed kaomoji flickered in front of YueYing:

[ ಠ益ಠ ]

—

With a bang, the bookshelf crashed down. Pages upon pages of novels flew up into the air, scattering like ripples on water as they landed on the floor. Amidst the metal wiring and crinkled white papers, the librarian lifted himself to his feet with a heavy glare.

Directed at none other than Li YueYing, who sat quivering imperceptibly a few metres away.

[ 'System binding complete!' ]

[ B*stard. That's the wrong one. ]

Somehow the System had a dangerous aura around it as well. YueYing's blank eyes fixed onto the lavender screen with slight confusion.

"What?"

Before YueYing could hear the System's response, a large hand grabbed his throat and slammed him to the ground. He choked out air, clutching the arm that belonged to the irritated librarian.

"Li YueYing." His deep voice woke the dazed YueYing, whose fingers trembled. He hadn't heard his name called out by anyone other than his parents for years before he died.

"Just because you can get away with everything doesn't mean I'll let you," the librarian continued, his grip tightening.

YueYing had a weak body from the start, and with the librarian squeezing down on his thin throat, he found it harder and harder to breathe, let alone form any retaliating words. Black waves swam across his vision; he knew he'd pass out soon.

The stranger student knelt by the side, swinging his arms back and forth like a petrified monkey.

"Mr. Librarian! Please, you can't threaten the students, especially not him, you'll be fired and go to jail!"

[ 'System Passive Skill 1 - Taunt' ]

[ 'Your status as a school tyrant is really not easy! Here's something to help little introverted you.' ]

[ 'Taunt ACTIVATED' ]

YueYing's eyes snapped open. He seized the librarian's hand and glared right at him, an overwhelming and unexpected power bursting forth through his small palms. A tiny smirk played at the corner of his lips, mocking. The librarian hesitated for a second—Where did all of this strength come from?—before fighting back, and both of his hands wrapped around YueYing's fragile neck as if he wanted to snap it into pieces. Sputtering gasps escaped YueYing, then they faded, subsiding into quiet nothingness as his world spun and dimmed. The librarian pinned YueYing's unconscious body down for a couple more minutes, with an incomprehensible gaze that appeared to confirm something… before releasing the boy at the request of the student next to him who hadn't calmed a single bit.

"Zi FengXin."

"Mr. Librarian!" The student straightened out his arms, snapped them to the sides of his body, then stood in a military salute.

"At ease." The librarian shook his head; what an unusual child.

FengXin gave a sharp nod and relaxed his arms. He then glanced at YueYing, whom the librarian held up like an artefact to him with a disdained countenance.

"Li YueYing." The librarian looked up at FengXin. "You just transferred. Meet our little school tyrant, Li YueYing."

—

YueYing felt a strong sense of déjà vu. To his left, thin white curtains fluttered, and to his right, a desk with a hand-mirror showed his miserable status. Beside him, Zi FengXin lay snoozing with his head on the infirmary bed. Soft snores sounded from his lips, and with the sunlight illuminating his ash blonde hair and eyelashes, he had the visage of a dreaming angel.

Shifting away from FengXin, YueYing slid the snow-white blanket off from his legs and bent down to grab his stilettos.

[ (⊙＿⊙) ]

He didn't miss the System at all.

[ Did you hear me earlier? I said that that's the wrong one. ]

"What?" YueYing fastened the clasps on his heels without even looking at the hologram.

[ That's not the 'Protagonist'. ]

"I can't do anything about that…. When I saw the system binding screen, I wasn't in control of my body." He balled his fists with a downcast expression.

[ Fine. But is that my fault? You shouldn't have tripped. ]

"You were hasty."

[ And you were weak! Who passes out from wearing heels for just a couple of minutes? ]

"It…"

YueYing gritted his teeth and stared up at the screen.

"It hurt a lot." Tears welled in the corners of his eyes, but he swiped them away with the back of his hand and forced his head down.

He hadn't cried since middle school. Crying made his parents sad. But he would never see them again….

The more he thought about his family, the larger his tears grew. He suddenly realised the unfairness of his entire current situation.

He should have died. He should have gone to the afterlife, or reincarnated, or stayed behind in the world to watch over his parents. His mother and father….

YueYing wondered if they would try for another child. His hospital bills took his parent's money and health, so since he could no longer burden them, they'd have the freedom to do whatever they wanted.

He then thought about the university they ruled over. He remembered most of the staff. His parents kept him in a special room at the school when his condition became serious, and he'd have conversations with the teachers when he got curious.

He recalled loving botany and fashion design. He wanted to become a florist throughout high school. His parents would never know of these aspirations, though. Since he'd die soon anyways, why waste their time?

Would they take leave to watch his funeral?

YueYing's sniffles woke Zi FengXin up. The sophomore's bright orange eyes cast their sights on YueYing, and FengXin stood in a flash.

"L-little tyrant?! Why are you crying?!" He hurried to YueYing's side, patting his hunched back. YueYing jolted, and he whirled his head in FengXin's direction.

The 'tyrant's' weeping innocent expression startled FengXin. Looking into YueYing's soft magenta eyes, the naive FengXin doubted the librarian's words for a second. How could anyone so beautiful do anything cruel?

"Hey, uhh…. I know that you didn't mean to push Mr. Librarian into the bookshelf. I saw you trip on the way in. Uhh… heels too tight?" FengXin chuckled and scratched his cheek, flustered. He'd never seen a man wear heels before, so when YueYing's ankle twisted upon entering the library, he'd noted the abnormality down in his mind.

"Maybe," YueYing sighed, his voice low.

FengXin felt that he had just heard a mellow viola on a warm summer evening.

"Um…" YueYing's cautious mutter brought FengXin back from his admiration of his senior's voice. "Why are you here?"

FengXin thought back to his conversation with the Librarian after YueYing had fainted.

—

"Take this." The Librarian had tossed YueYing at FengXin like a plastic trash bag filled with old, wet newspapers. "I don't want it."

"Mr. Librarian…." FengXin secured YueYing in his arms.

"Get out."

"Isn't this a public domain—" FengXin called at the librarian as a congregation of student helpers escorted him and YueYing out of the school library.

"Mr. Librarian!!!!!..."