In Zig, we would just allocate the list with an allocator, store pointers into it for the tag index, and mutate freely when we need to add or remove notes. No lifetimes, no extra wrappers, no compiler gymnastics, that’s a lot more straightforward.
What happens to the pointers into the list when the list needs to reallocate its backing buffer when an "add" exceeds its capacity?
Rust's borrow checker isn't usually just a "Rust-ism". It's all low level languages, and many times also higher level languages. Zig doesn't let you ignore what Rust is protecting against, it just checks it differently and puts more responsibility on the developer.