"So you're telling me that I'm the antagonist of this world?"
"Oi! Yes! If you didn't get it the last hundred times- Ouch! Oi! Ouch! Let me go!"
I was gripping the mouse like a stress ball, squeezing it whenever it annoyed me.
And right now? I was very annoyed.
Honestly, it was baffling that I was supposed to be the stain in Jasmine's AKA the female lead's life. All my life I thought it was the other way around.
"Please let me go! Oi! I'm running out of time!"
The mouse gave me big, watery doe eyes, sparkling like some cute toddler, but I wasn't dumb enough to fall for that.
I narrowed my eyes and gritted my teeth.
"Do you wanna die so badly?"
It shrieked and smacked its tiny paws against my hand.
"Let me go, you vile creature! Oi! You're as despicable as they say! No wonder no one likes you! Oi! WAAAHH! SOMEONE SAVE ME- WAAAH!"
I inhaled slowly. Deep breath. Calm.
Instead of launching the mouse out the window like a baseball, I dropped it inside an empty transparent box on the table.
I sat down across from it, arms folded.
"Now talk to me, little mouse."
"T-Talk to you about what? Oi..."
"Everything."
The little furball actually snickered.
"Oi! What if I don't?"
"My friend has a very lovely and very hungry cat."
I don't have any friends, but whatever.
Its furry face went pale as it started fiddling with its paws.
"So? Will you start speaking or not?"
The mouse glared at me like I'd personally burned its house down. Then it dramatically crossed it's tiny arms.
"Fine! Oi! I'll speak!"
"Well then," I leaned forward, "let's start with whatever the hell you are."
The mouse shot me another offended glare before snapping,
"I'm not a thing! I'm the KING OF MICE, PuriPuri! Oi! Chosen by the Otherworldians to be Jasmine Lockheart's system! Oi! And I would've succeeded if I didn't bump into someone!"
"You didn't bump into me, you little sewer hazard. You came crashing down into my room. I live on the second floor. Jasmine is on the fourth. Explain how your calculations were that bad."
The mouse jabbed a tiny finger at me.
"IS IT MY FAULT YOU RICH PEOPLE ARE SO ANTI–MOUSE?! Oi!! Every spy I send ends up dead! DEAD! In the end I had to come myself!"
I shook my head.
You can't argue with a crazy person. Especially one the size of my palm.
"Fine… whatever helps you sleep at night." I leaned back, exhaling through my nose. "Now tell me, what is this system you're talking about?"
The mouse hesitated. I could see its whiskers tremble. It knew damn well I wasn't opening that box unless it talked.
"There are… worlds....Oi," it finally muttered, "that exist as stories for Otherworldians. They watch these stories as entertainment. The people in those worlds act as… merely characters...Oi. Like Jasmine, You-"
SLAM!
My fist crashed into the table right beside the mouse.
A shock of anger shot through me.
"So you're telling me…" I mutterd, "That I will suffer… just for someone's entertainment?"
The mouse raised one tiny finger.
"Bingo!"
SLAM!
The other side of the table took the same hit.
I leaned over the box, my shadow swallowing the mouse whole. My heartbeat was loud.
Just imagine living your entire life thinking your pain meant something, only to learn it was all for some creepy higher beings who wanted to enjoy your misery like popcorn entertainment.
ARGHHHH.
I wanted to kill someone.
The so-called King of Mice, PuriPuri, immediately dropped to its knees inside the box. Its whole body shook like crazy.
I closed my eyes and counted to ten, inhaling deeply before speaking.
"Bind with me."
"...…?"
The mouse blinked in confusion.
A slow, evil smile curled across my face as I tilted my head.
"Make me the female lead of this world."
"OI! HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY, ALICE LOCKHEART?!"
PuriPuri screeched so loudly,"Do you know how many Otherworldians are waiting for Jasmine to be the female lead?!Oi!!"
"Then give them a surprise." I shrugged.
PuriPuri's face immediately darkened like a cloud about to thunderstorm.
"N–No. No way! Oi! If they get angry, then I'll… I'll…"
He began shaking violently.
"NO NO NO! Listen, just take me to Jasmine at once! I'll reward you, okay?! Anything! Anything you want!"
I turned my back to him and slowly paced across my room, arms behind me like a villain planning world domination.
"Well then…" I said sweetly, "you can stay in that box for eternity. And none of your little mouse soldiers will come save you."
I turned around with the kind of smile that made people pray to their gods.
"After all… we're very anti-mouse, right?~"
PuriPuri's jaw practically hit the floor.
"NO WAIT-Alice! You won't do that to me… right?"
"I'm done risking my life," I said, leaning forward with cold eyes.
"I'm not playing the villain for that witch ever again."
"Arghhh… fine. Let me think. Yes! I got it! Do you want to be the female lead of a tragic-"
"You really don't value your life, right?"
The mouse sobbed again-loudly-and let out another shrill screech.
"Fine! FINE! Oi! I'll bind with you and make you the female lead! But first-GET ME OUT! Oi!"
"No."
"Yes!"
"No."
"…Fine. I'll do it from here. But you better get me out once I'm done."
Then, with the seriousness of a sage about to cast a forbidden spell, it lifted its little paws dramatically.
"Well then… I'll bind with you. Oi."
I raised a brow as the mouse closed its eyes and inhaled deeply.
Then-
It started dancing.
"...….?"
It twirled like a ballerina. Spinning in tiny circles inside a plastic box.
It was the funniest thing I had ever seen in my life.
Finally, it stopped and stretched out its paws. Small blue sparks crackled from its fingertips.
"Hey-what are you doing?" I leaned in.
"I'M TRYING TO BIND-"
BOOOOOM!