Reborn: I Refuse to Be His Mosquito Farm

The faculty member in charge of the dormitory, Hallie Zimmer, was only halfway through the freshman registration list in her hands when she looked up at me.

She asked, "Aiden Shaw? You just arrived, and you already want to live off campus?"

I placed my admission letter, a photocopy of my ID, a medical certificate documenting my severe allergic reactions, and my application to live off campus on her desk.

"Ms. Zimmer, I have a history of severe allergic reactions to mosquito bites. My roommate, Nathan White, won't let us kill mosquitoes or put up mosquito nets," I explained.

The office fell silent for a moment.

The resident advisor, who was sorting through some paperwork beside Hallie, failed to hold back a laugh. "He won't let you kill mosquitoes?"

Hallie frowned and said, "Aiden, conflicts with roommates can be resolved through communication first. An application to live off campus can't be approved the same day."

Suddenly, a soft, aggrieved voice came from the doorway. "It's not a conflict."

Nathan stood by the door, holding my electric mosquito swatter in his arms. He wore a white shirt, and his eyes were so red that anyone would have thought he had been bawling his eyes out because someone had bullied him.

"Ms. Zimmer, he wants to kill living creatures," he said.

The smile on the resident advisor's face froze.

Hallie looked at the object in his arms. "Why are you holding someone else's electric mosquito swatter?"

Nathan immediately hugged it tighter. "This thing is terrifying. I just wanted to keep it away from him for now. All living things have souls. They feel pain too."

As he spoke, his eyes reddened. "I know everyone thinks I'm weird and a little effeminate, but I just wish the world weren't so cruel."

Several freshmen had gathered outside the office by then.

Someone whispered, "He's so kind."

Others shot looks at me, and their expressions began to shift.

That familiar suffocating feeling pressed down on my chest.

It had been the same in my previous life. All Nathan had to do was tear up, and everyone would automatically fill in the rest of the story in their heads and assume he had been wronged.

When I said I was allergic, they said I was exaggerating.

When I said he wouldn't let us close the windows, they said it was perfectly normal to keep the room ventilated in summer.

When I said he had torn down my mosquito net, they said he'd just gotten too emotional.

In the end, I lay in a hospital bed, unable even to speak, while they were still discussing whether I was being too heartless.

This time, I didn't explain myself.

I simply looked at Hallie and made my stance clear. "Ms. Zimmer, I'm not judging his beliefs. I'm only asking not to live with him."

Nathan looked deeply hurt. When he raised his head, tears clung to his eyelashes.

He asked, "Do you really hate me that much?"

I said, "I'm allergic to mosquitoes."

He took half a step back as if I'd wounded him deeply. "But they just want to live."

I rolled up my sleeve. Several swollen welts had formed on my arm. The surrounding skin was red.

"So do I," I stated firmly.

The office went completely silent again.

Hallie lowered her gaze to my medical certificate, and her frown gradually deepened.

She said, "An application to live off campus requires parental consent, as well as approval from the college and the dormitory administration."

Nathan immediately sniffled. "Ms. Zimmer, there's no need to go through all that trouble. I'll do my best to help Aiden appreciate how precious life is."

I looked at him and countered, "I don't need to appreciate mosquitoes, and I don't need you to try."