"Please?"
20 minutes had passed, but the cowboy hat-wearing guy was still pleading.
At this point, Ari could only shake his head in bemusement.
Ari had been moving from place to place, trying to rent the various pieces of equipment he needed with no luck.
During that process, the cowboy hat-wearing guy had followed him around while pleading with puppy-dog eyes.
Usually, he would be annoyed by now, but seeing the guy slump and then perk up each time he had a new idea to try to convince him to lend him the books was pretty funny to watch.
It was like he was a live-action cartoon character.
That was how emotive this guy was.
Despite his tall figure, he was made to be teased just for the reactions.
"Please, bro? I really want those books."
As the pleading continued, Ari really felt bad and finally relented.
"Look, the best I can do is somehow try to return them within a week, and you can check it out then. Take it or leave it."
"I really can't wait that long. I have an important event in two weeks and need to come up with a good song before then. Something different than my usual style so I can prove him wrong…. Please? I can pay you if you let me check those books out instead. How about $50 a book?"
"You need to make a song for an event in two weeks? What a coincidence, me too."
Hearing those words and seeing the guitar he was lugging around, Ari thought it over before making a guess, "By any chance, Pop Star?"
He said it subtly since it wasn't supposed to be common knowledge.
Immediately, the boy brightened up like a flower and stood up to his full height before sticking his hand out for a handshake.
"Yes! You too? Pardon my manners, I totally forgot to introduce myself. My name is James Jones the third, but you can call me JJ or Jamie for short. Nice to meet ya."
"Ari."
Ari shook the offered hand before he continued to walk away as he mentally checked things off his list, but Jamie continued to follow him, chattering with a much more relaxed tone as if they were close friends now that they had introduced themselves.
"Ari? I don't remember seeing your name in the group chat. And what can I do to make you share those books with me? Should I up the amount of money? Are you teaming up with anybody or working solo? Also, what's with the mask? You look like one o' them scary aliens from the movies the way it's stuck to your face."
Seeing Jamie's apprehensive look as he tried to touch the mask, Ari began to feel slightly mischievous.
"Well, you nailed it, I am an alien. One who's annoyed by you following me everywhere. Now that you found out my true identity, you must die- ruff ruff ruff rfuff"
Ari jumped toward Jamie, pushing his masked face as close as possible while barking wildly.
Gasp!
At the shocked expression on Jamie's face, who immediately backed away as if teleporting and almost fell on his butt while clutching his guitar as a shield, Ari burst out laughing.
His expression was just as funny as he thought it would be.
Despite his large size, Jamie was really like a cartoon character and clearly very easy to tease.
'He looked so afraid, and how did he retreat so quickly?'
'Even now his face was turning red from embarrassment as he tried to brush it off and look calm.'
Although Jamie had a cool-looking appearance, it seemed that he was really a…
"Scaredy cat."
"I'm not."
"Sure, sure, I believe you~" Ari lightly teased him while walking, and after a moment, Jamie moved beside him.
"I said I'm not!"
"Right, right. Anyway, the group chat is an app, right? With my phone, I can't join it. And I'm a solo act. Are you really going to continue following me around?"
"Of course I am. I want to convince you to lend me those books. Do you need help carrying them? They look kind of heavy. Here, let me get that for ya."
Ari read the hidden message behind the kind-sounding words.
The moment he let Jamie hold the books, he would run away with them.
"So you can steal it? Pass."
"Promise I won't. Scouts honor." Jamie cheekily tipped his cowboy hat, but Ari simply snorted.
"Do the scouts still have honor these days?"
"Well, you're not wrong, but even if they don't, I do."
"Well, I don't know you, so that's useless to me. No touchy."
"We've exchanged names, which means we're basically brothers. Allow me."
As Jamie reached out playfully, his original shyness completely gone, Ari batted his hands away and began walking faster.
Unfortunately, Jamie was taller than him, had longer legs, and wasn't offended in the slightest, so the country boy easily kept pace and continued making offers for the books.
Thankfully, the large library was pretty empty, otherwise Ari was sure people would complain and kick the two of them out for being noisy.
"Excuse me, could I please rent the starter music recorder equipment and a laptop with audio recording software on it? It says that there were two more online, and I put my name down for one." Ari asked the equipment rental staff member while completely pretending Jamie did not exist.
The blue-haired staff member nodded with a small smile.
"Sure, let me check. Sick mask, by the way. Where'd you get it?"
"I was born this way. " Ari replied casually.
"I'm very jealous. You gotta share that skincare routine. It's smoother than plastic."
The blue-haired staff member laughed to herself before heading to the back room, and Ari turned to Jamie, who had raised the book prices to 100 dollars.
"Listen, I would love to accept the cash you're offering. Trust me. I'm tempted. But I'm not giving up the books. I really need them at least for a week. At the price you're offering, you might as well call the publisher and pay them directly."
At his firm tone, Jamie hung his head like a sad puppy again, but Ari held strong.
This was a competitor.
No matter how sad and devastated he looked, or how easy he was to tease, or how much money he offered….
Or how much money he offered….
100 dollars a book * 15 books = $$$$
No!
No matter how much money he offered, it wasn't meant to be.
The most he could compromise for was a week, and even that was pushing it.
"$110 dollars? Per book."
As Ari felt his mind wavering over the ever-rising price to rent library books-
"Hey, sorry dude. I looked, but there's no recording equipment back there." The blue-haired staff member came back with an apologetic expression.
"But it said it was available online. I have the reservation code."
"Yeah, that happens sometimes, sorry. I can take your name and number if you want me to contact you if it's found. Or you could use your student ID to try and book a recording room on campus, although they're pretty hard to get."
Ari couldn't do that.
All he had was a public library card, not a university student ID card, and he didn't want to make this long, expensive bus trip until he had to return the books.
"Could you just check one more time? Please? It's really important."
Although he felt bad about asking, he really needed that equipment.
Otherwise, he would have to figure out how to record on his cheap, tiny phone or order equipment, with money, which he would rather not do.
"Sure. I'll check, but I don't think it's here."
After several more minutes, she came back while shaking her head.
"No bueno. It's empty back here."
"Alright, thanks anyway."
"No problem. Here's the laptop."
As the staff member went to the back room again, off to the side, Jamie had perked up like the Energizer Bunny once more.
"Bro. Let's trade. I see that you're renting recording equipment. Do you know who happens to have unlimited access to a recording studio?"
At the excited question, Ari blinked before responding in a dry voice.
"Let me guess? You?"
"Winner winner chicken dinner," Jamie nodded enthusiastically, his long golden hair swinging about as he smiled a pure smile and grabbed onto Ari's arm.
"If you let me borrow those books, I'll let you use the studio for free. Laptop, mics, instruments, equipment, software—whatever you want. I can even help you out when I have time. What do you say?"
Blue eyes looked at him with a pleading expression, but Ari couldn't help but be grossed out to see a huge man beg like a golden retriever.
"…why are you so desperate for these books? There are plenty of other composing books in stores and online. And if you have access to a studio and money, can't you just, I dunno, hire someone one-on-one help? Seems more cost-effective to me."
"I have my own reasons. So what do you think? It's a pretty good deal, right? You come to my studio with your books?"
Seeing his face, Ari had one thought.
Was this guy a sucker? In what world was studio time worth borrowing library books or even that much money?
Even if he had his own circumstances…
It seemed a little too….
"Sketchy," Ari muttered.
"It's not sketchy! I'm not trying to set you up. Take a look, I really have a recording space. And it's legit!"
Feeling pressured, Jamie pulled out his phone and opened his TokTik account, which showed him singing, mixing, and recording in a small studio space.
"I'm really not trying to set you up, I promise! I have my reasons, okay? Plus, we're in the same program, right? And might even end up on the same team. Just lend the books when you come to the studio for the next two weeks. You can take them home, and if you need them, you obviously have first priority. And we can call it even, okay?"
Ari stared at Jamie silently as he evaluated everything he had said so far.
Part of Pop Star Academy, a composing soloist, wants to compose something with a different sound, in a personal recording studio, combined with his personal country boy style and accent.
Analysis: Some type of country artist is trying to transition into pop, but he is too embarrassed to tell anybody around him and wants to prove a point to his dad.
Although it didn't fully explain everything, he felt as if it fit for the most part.
As Ari stared at the squirming Jamie, he sighed.
"…you clearly know how to compose songs if you're trying to make something different from your usual sound. Throw in a tutoring session on the equipment in your studio, and…a couple of hours of you helping me when I ask, and we have a deal. You can use the books while I'm in the studio and not using them. Deal?"
"Deal! Let's go right now!"
Before Ari could say anything, Jamie carried the books with one hand and dragged him to the checkout with the other.
[Following strangers is how you died the first time. Are you really going to do it again?]
"Shut up." Ari immediately hissed at the system.
"What was that?" Jamie turned around with a confused expression, and Ari just shook his head.
"Nothing. By the way, do you have a car? I took the bus here."