As the old man got serious, the orchestra began playing a beautiful arrangement.
And as Ari listened to it, he was quite amazed.
Truthfully…it was probably one of the most amazing things he had heard, even though it wasn't music he usually listened to.
The way each musical section led to the next, the way the music swelled and ebbed, fascinated him, and his ear thoroughly enjoyed listening to it.
As he listened and transcribed what he heard, making notes here and there, before he knew it, two hours had passed, and the impromptu orchestra concert was finished.
As the conductor took a bow, Ari and the only other listener who stuck around from the beginning, a boy wearing light wash jeans, a white t-shirt, a cowboy hat, and cowboy boots while carrying a guitar case, clapped in appreciation.
For Ari, it was the moment he conceded defeat.
The music made by that old man was spectacular, and if the person who gave him advice made such good music, he might as well follow it.
He exchanged nods with the conductor before heading to the library. Originally, his focus was to get only pop composing books, but that had slightly changed.
He first went to find books written by the conductor and then began collecting all the books he had previously searched for, like:
Making Pop Music For Beginners.
You Have a Melody, Now What?
Midi, Synth, and Everything in Between.
I Mix, You Mix, Mixing and Arranging for Beginners.
Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop to the Top with These Catchy Lyric Ideas.
Make a Pop Song in Two Weeks or Less
…etc.
Many of them were written by pretty good pop composers and could only be found in this library, so Ari planned on snatching them all for his own research.
He was hoping that they would slap him with inspiration, and a song would be magically created somehow.
As Ari was trying to grab the final book on his list, he heard the thumping of feet in the quiet library.
Then somebody dashed into the aisle he was in and stopped while panting heavily.
Glancing up, it was the cowboy hat-wearing guy he had seen outside.
He looked panicked, and as he rushed forward, Ari saw him even clearer than earlier.
His first impression was that he was tall.
At least 6'2(187 cm) if not taller and more muscular than he initially appeared, now that he was closer.
With long, blonde hair that just brushed his shoulders, clear blue eyes, and a clean-shaven face with slightly rounded cheeks, he looked like a handsome country musician fresh from a picturesque farm.
"Hey there. I saw you earlier at the orchestra performance outside." A prominent country accent sounded out as the guy spoke to him while panting.
"Yes? Did you need something? I don't go to school here, so I can't help with directions if you're lost. The front desk is that way." Ari gestured in the general direction before he grabbed his book pile and began walking toward the equipment rental desk.
Once he got the laptop and microphone, he was more or less done and could leave.
The cowboy hat-wearing guy glanced at the stack of books in Ari's arms, gulping audibly, before speaking again.
"Are…are you the one grabbin' all the pop composer books? I checked all the spots and they were all gone."
Ahhh.
'That would explain the panting.'
'Ari had worked his way from the first floor up to the fourth, snagging all the books he needed.'
'And he had noticed that for some reason, almost all of the pop composing books were gone, so he had to get the librarian to pull whatever they had in the back for him as well.'
'If the guy had been running from spot to spot while taking the stairs, he would definitely be out of breath.'
"Yep. Problem?"
"… Are you planning on checking those books all out?" the cowboy hat guy asked again.
Despite his deeper voice and tall frame, the guy seemed surprisingly shy.
He frequently avoided eye contact(although it might be the snail mask weirding him out) and hunched down to look smaller.
After looking him over, Ari responded calmly.
"It is a library, and that is what one does when one comes here. Find books, check them out. Return them when they're due. Is there an issue?"
The guy gulped once more, his voice getting softer and softer as he ducked his head down even lower.
"Ya mind lettin' me have the books instead? I really need 'em. It's real important to me!" Large blue eyes looked at him with a pleading puppy-like expression.
"I'm sorry I can't do that." Ari shook his head.
In theory, he wanted to help, but he needed these books for himself.
Since it was first-come, first-served, he wasn't at fault for getting the books first.
"Gosh dang-it." The cowboy hat-wearing guy swore softly and slumped downward like a wilted flower before staring wistfully at the stack of books in Ari's arms and asking in a softer voice.
"Are you sure you can't give them to me?"
"Positive."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Not even one or two?"
"Every book you see in my arms is very necessary to me."
"Then, do you mind sharing them with me?"
"I mind. Instead of asking me, I suggest you try another library location since I have no plans on giving them up or sharing."
"…oh."
Seeing the large guy hunched over again like a kicked puppy with his sad blue eyes as he dragged his feet and walked beside him, Ari clicked his teeth before looking away.
'He found the books first.'
'He didn't think he was doing anything wrong.'
'But somehow, he felt like he was bullying a little kid.'
[Is this what you've become?]
[First, failing to recognize the greatness of classical music at first glance and now being mean to a poor, innocent kid?]
[15 of the most popular composing books all greedily gobbled up by you.]
[Look at the light in that child's eyes dying due to your selfishness.]
At the system's words, Ari rolled his eyes without responding.
'If anybody were a poor, innocent kid, it would be him, okay?'
'This giant guy with his cowboy clothes was a perfectly fine adult. He wasn't a baby who didn't know how the world worked. First come, first served was the standard everywhere!'
'Meanwhile, he was an underage child, scrambling to learn to create a song in two weeks and hopefully continue with an idol survival show even though he had never done anything like this before.'
'And the system that was supposed to aid him was taking the side of a total stranger.'
'Where was the pity for him?'