Obstinate Elitists

29

The tip of the pencil tapped the surface of the desk repetitively, over and over again. Before long, the lead snapped in half, leaving you with a useless tool. Useless for writing down problems and useless for stabbing someone to death with it. You wondered if you could get away with murder in this webtoon world. Ridding the world of that man would be for the greater good.

Your father worked you day in and day out. Unlike Ginjirou, he didn't provide breaks or went easy on you. Each session went on for as long as he wanted to, until he was satisfied. Except, he was never satisfied. He no longer saw [Y/N] [L/N] in that light, the daughter he neglected but relied on anyway. Instead, you were now a nobody in his eyes, easily discard-able if you didn't pick up your act soon enough. This pressure was almost unbearable and no matter where you went, your thoughts would stray back to it.

The bell echoed throughout the building, signaling the day's end. It caused you to slightly flinch, but you quickly got up and bolted right out of the door. Zooming through the hallways that were beginning to grow familiar, you halted when you reached the library.

You skidded into the warm, large space, taking in the view of the tall bookshelves and rows of novels. Unlike all of the other times, you didn't feel at ease at the sight. Only a feeling of twisted karma settled at the bottom. Going past bookshelves that were in the main section of the room, you scanned the titles and pulled out anything that caught your eye. Books about running, sword-fighting, archery, everything. The pile in your arm began to get larger and heavier, but you never once slowed down. The library was no longer a place of solace; even if you tried to stretch your fingers for the novels you could indulge yourself in for hours, they would evaporate from your reach. For time was not on your side. Time had never been on your side -- you had been too naive to realize it earlier.

Blue eyes watched you silently from the side, confusion taking over its expression. You turned to see Namiko and your face brightened. "Ah Namiko! You're here! Good, can you please recommend me any textbooks that might be useful for our courses?"

He hesitated a little, analyzing the large books you struggled to hold onto. "I thought... you would prefer to read the books that you called 'normal'."

You laughed nervously, hoping the pain wouldn't show too obviously on your features. "I needed a little change. I can't be too lazy. Wouldn't want to upset my parents for not studying the topics we're learning."

"I see..." he responded, not entirely buying it. Fortunately, he chose not to question it any further. "Here. Let me help you. You don't need these big ones. I know smaller textbooks that are much more useful, as well as more convenient to carry around."

Before his hands could arrive to save you, you feet became unstable. Leaning over, you couldn't stop yourself from frantically falling from the load in front of you. A gasp left your breath as you slammed right into wall named Namiko. He let out a small 'oomph' at the impact, but luckily he appeared mostly unharmed. He grasped at your arms and helped to steady yourself. He was speaking to you, but you couldn't hear him clearly -- all you could think about was the way his voice sounded like the soothing waves. He was probably asking if you were okay, but other than that, your mind blanked out. So you just nodded at him. And he was... still standing so, so close to you.

He lifted the heavy burden from your arms, placing the materials back into the gaps on the shelves. "Sorry about this," you muttered, lowering your lashes to the floor.

"For what?" He blinked at you owlishly, oblivious to the fingers that were gripping the ends of your uniform shirt.

"I don't know... because you're always helping me all the time. I feel like I owe you."