Chapter 10: The Tree Incident.
Hitoshi stood frozen, his eyes shifting back and forth between skeleton No 4 and himself beside him, then back towards the girl atop the tree.
' Why is she still staring at me like that?.....' Hiroshi wondered.
The leaves swayed in the cold wind, casting eerie shadows over the vast garden of the manor. Her gaze was sharp, cold, and unwavering, seemingly drilling straight into Hitoshi, making him feel as if he'd just stepped upon her sacred ground's which he had no business being near.
Trying to shake off the flustered feeling creeping up his spine, he cleared his throat dramatically, puffing out his chest as if to reclaim some semblance of dignity. "See, Skeleton Number 4?, Told you I'd find her," he boasted with forced bravado, jabbing a finger toward the girl on the branch.
The skeletal servant rattled nervously, visibly trembling at Hitoshi's audacity. "S-sir Hitoshi, please be careful with your words!, let me remind you that your standing in the presence of the young miss!"
"...?" Hitoshi raised his head to glance at the girl atop the tree.
"..!!!!" his back felt eerie cold when he thought to himself that her gaze had turned even more chilling for some reason.
" Wait a minute....why am I even scared?" Hitoshi thought, his nervousness dying down quickly " She doesn't look that older than me, maybe 11 or 12 years old?." His naive mind suddenly took effect, his furrowed brows relaxing while an irritated look emerged on his face.
' This annoying brat!, now that I remember, she didn't even thank me for finding her!, After looking around all day!....I haven't even eaten dinner yet not to mention taking a bath!.'
' Yet here she is, standing there without any care at all!!!' Thinking that, the last remaining traces of fear he had towards the supposed heiress of the estate vanished into thin air and in it's place, his displeasure and frustration towards this little heiress surged.
" Hey you, up there in the tree, whats with the stupid stare, Can't you see how tired I and No 4 are?."
" Hitoshi what are saying!" Skeleton No 4 suddenly blurted out, feeling frightened by this human boys stunning boldness.
" I'm saying the least she could do Is at least, apologize for making us waste so much time looking for her!, aren't you tired, does she know all the places we went, the corridors we scoured, the quarters we trespassed, all those places and she doesn't even bother to say anything?!."
" Who does that?!" Hitoshi raised his cute little voice for the first time ever, not feeling the least bit pressured having talked so calmly and disrespectful towards the young miss.
" You....." Aiko's voice was suddenly heard, her expression suddenly darkened.
' Crap!!!, We're toast!!!' Skeleton No 4 felt his thoughts running wild inwardly.
" You?, that's all you can say?!!!." Skeleton No 4 didn't know why yet when he saw Hitoshi's face suddenly turned grim, a sense of unease surged within him more than ever.
Right now Hitoshi felt completely irritated by the young girl before him, his mind unconsciously recalling a memory where a supposed, foolish young girl who had everything he could ever asked for, had stubbornly risked it all just for something so stupid and then he had to pay for it!!!!.
" Hitoshi!!!, be careful with your words!." Skeleton No 4 shouted hurriedly when he saw the never before seen rage on Hitoshi's small adorable, beautiful face. Though she didn't want to admit it, even Aiko herself was lost for words seeing such an expression on his seemingly beautiful face.
"What's the big deal?!" Hitoshi said, boldly pointing at the girl atop the tree. "She's just some spoiled little girl sitting in a creepy tree.....why are you even so afraid of her!."
Though he said that, Still, there was something about her presence that gnawed at the back of his mind as if she was more than he could comprehend, similar to a figure covered in thick must one couldn't completely see through yet, even then, Hitoshi didn't give a shit!.
Gritting his teeth, he glared up at her and barked, " You know what!, Forget the thanks, there's no point if it's coming from some snort nosed brat like you!!!"
" Just get down from there before you hurt yourself!, Who knows who'll get blamed if you fall, me or poor old bonehead here." He angrily gestured towards Skeleton No 4.
Aiko's crimson eyes narrowed dangerously, in all her life, no one, not even her own dear mother had ever scolded her so openly yet now she was being scolded by a lowly servant of all things?!.
She hadn't moved a muscle, but inwardly, she was seething. ' This insolent servant dares raise his voice at me?!.'
She had been planning to deal a decisive blow to the two intruders disturbing her peace but now all she wanted was to make this human boy before her eyes wish he'd never been born!!!.
But just as her muscles tensed, ready to descend upon him, Hitoshi's next words froze her in place.
" Tsk, see what I'm telling you No 4, She's obviously too scared to come down after climbing so high." Hitoshi turned towards Skeleton No 4 and said, his words leaving the latter confused?.
' is he having some sort of mental breakdown?.' Skeleton No 4 wondered, thinking that Hitoshi had finally realized just how frightening the young miss was and was trying to back out yet his thoughts were instantly dispersed by the boys next word's.
" So you actually climbed all the way up there and got stuck, huh?" Hitoshi said loudly to Aiko.
' When did I ever say I was stuck?....' Aiko's mind couldn't help wondering, her rage dispersing a little.
Hitoshi noticed her blank expression and took it for her acknowledging his words.
" Tsk Figures. You're just some dumb young miss after all. Even if this whole manor's creepy and weird, its owners should at least be more mature!....dumb spoiled brat.."
Aiko's acute senses picked up every word. Her pale face darkened with rage once more. "This brat… did he just call me dumb?"
Clenching her fists, she prepared to leap down and teach him a lesson, but before she could make a move, Hitoshi did something unexpected.
He started climbing the tree.
"Wait—what are you doing?!" Skeleton Number 4 clattered in horror.
Aiko blinked in surprise, momentarily stunned by the sheer audacity of this human boy, she thought he was just trying to insult her, she didn't really expect him to mean what he was implying.
Before she knew it, He skillfully scaled the thick trunk with surprising ease, suprisenly, his small hands were gripping branches like a seasoned climber. From the looks of it, this wasn't Hitoshi's first time nor was it his 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th....or 100th either, judging by his technique, he was practically far better than most seasoned veterans.
But any normal human who saw this couldn't help but wonder what sort of motivation could push a boy who was basically ten, to develop such a great survival skill.....if only they knew how many times Hitoshi had used this same skill to evade his furious father's clutches, one couldn't help but wonder just what sort of expression they'd have.
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"You seriously got scared from climbing this?, This doesn't even feel like anything....." Hitoshi's thoughts about her being a rebellious brat solidified even more. " Hey!, you better watch closely now cause next time I'm not coming to save you, you got that spoiled brat."
Aiko gritted her teeth, her nails digging into the bark beneath her. "This fool… he's mocking me again, isn't he!."
By the time she recovered from her shock, Hitoshi had already reached her branch. With a triumphant smirk, he propped himself up and stood right in front of her, balancing effortlessly.
"See? Easy peasy," he boasted, folding his arms.
But then his smug expression faltered.
"Whoa…" he breathed in awe. "This place actually looks kinda cool from up here."
His eyes widened as he took in the breathtaking view from the treetop. The eerie, twisted landscape of the manor stretched far beyond what he had imagined. The glow of distant lanterns painted the dark horizon with a strange, haunting beauty.
Just as he was enjoying the moment, a cold, irritated voice cut through the air like a blade. "So this is where you were?"
' Ho-how'd sh-she find me so quickly?!!'
Hitoshi's scalp tingled. His back turned cold. While shivering uncontrollably he slowly glanced down.
" O.. O-Onee-sa-san...." Hitoshi's teeth chattered in fright as he struggled to speak, his forehead covered with perspiration. If there was anyone he absolutely didn't want to be here right now, it was her.....
Standing below the tree was Eri Onee-san, her piercing gaze fixed directly on him causing his once inflated bravado to deflate like a whoopee cushion.
"Crap.....I'm dead."
Hitoshi's face paled as he recalled her earlier threats of punishment. He inwardly cried
' This time for sure she's gonna kill me! '
Eri, however, looked displeased on the outside but was inwardly stunned. ' just how did he manage to get so close to the young miss and still remain in one piece?'
It might've sounded like she was joking but if anyone knew how troublesome Aiko was, it had to be her since she was the one who had taken care of her most of the time, with the countess included.
' I better get him out of here before everything thing turns sour...' she winced inwardly, without knowing when, she had slowly developed a liking for this cute little human child, though she didn't know why, she just couldn't stand by and watch him get harmed before her eyes.
Taking a deep breath, she gracefully leaped into the air and landed effortlessly on the branch beside them.
"Young Miss," she greeted politely, bowing slightly toward Aiko.
Aiko, still stunned by everything that had transpired, unconsciously nodded in acknowledgment.
Turning her attention to Hitoshi, Eri's eyes narrowed. She intended to quietly take him away before his ridiculous luck ran out and Aiko decided to tear him limb from limb. But before she could speak, Hitoshi suddenly burst into tears.
" Onee-san please don't be mad~, I didn't do anything!"
"It's all her fault!" he wailed, pointing an accusing finger at Aiko. "She forced me to climb this tree 'cause she was too scared to come down, I tried to get her to come down but she kept acting scared so I decided to climb up."
" I didn't mean to disobey Onee-san, I just wanted to help~"
' That's it... we're doomed. '
Skeleton Number 4, who had been watching anxiously from below, collapsed into a pile of bones with a loud clatter the next moment.
Eri was completely speechless.
"...." Though they didn't know it, she had actually been watching them from a distance as she approached so she was easily able to tell what was going on with her heightened senses yet, when she saw Hitoshi's genuine pleading gaze and heard what he said, she was stunned because she couldn't trace any deceit hidden within his words.
' This boy....' Eri Onee-san was at a loss for words, never did she expect to see someone so naive and innocent in all her life yet her gaze couldn't help turning shard when she sensed an ominous aura behind her.
Crack.. Crack...Crack.... The thick branch beneath her feet suddenly began trembling as multiple cracks began growing on its surface.
' Well she's definitely mad now...' Eri Onee-san didn't need to turn back to tell that the dark, sinister aura she was sensing was definitely emanating from Aiko. It was clear that Her patience had finally snapped due to Hitoshi's accusing word's.
"There's definitely no stopping it now.....He's dead." Below the tree, Skeleton No 4's detached skull head said in a helpless tone as he watched the growing tension atop the tree.
Sensing imminent danger, Eri moved swiftly. She hoisted Hitoshi onto her shoulder, his upper body facing backward.
" I'm sorry young miss, please allow me to punish this disrespectful servant."
" Disrespectful, but I didn't do anything, she's the spoiled one here~" Hitoshi mumbled.
"Be silent!" Eri Onee-san hissed at him. "Do not slander the young miss!" She added, causing Hitoshi to whimper in fear, hurriedly shutting his mouth.
Aiko watching Hitoshi get scolded felt a bit better. ' That's right!, I'm the young miss and your but a lowly servant, Know your place.' she thought to herself smugly, unconsciously puffing her chest like a certain someone.
Though Eri looked completely irritated, Inwardly, she was feeling a rare sense if helplessness, not knowing what to do with this naive little boy atop her shoulder. ' it doesn't matter if the young miss is wrong or not, what matters is that you keep silent and avoid yourself some trouble'
' just how stupid can this boy be.' She wondered, nevertheless, she found his bold and courageous antic's a bit admirable, it wasn't everyday you'd meet a servant so brave as to go against it's master, even if they were wrong.
Hitoshi, however, seemed completely unfazed by the danger he had narrowly escaped.
" Please don't be offended Young Miss, I promise I'll educate him properly so please rest assured." Eri said as she leaped off the tree with incredible speed, yet in the split moment her legs pushed off the branch, Hitoshi raised his head to look back at Aiko.
Her pupils constricted when she saw him Sticking out his tongue, visibly taunting her, as if declaring victory.
' Why you!!!!!!' In that moment, Aiko's rage reached its peak, her chest heaving angrily. Her entire body trembled with fury. Staring at his gloating face, she wanted nothing more than to leap after him and tear him to pieces.
But it was too late.
With Eri Onee-san's speed, her and Hitoshi had already vanished from sight .
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[AN: Sorry to say this everyone but theres been some bad news . If you can read the text below, you'll be able to tell that the novel has been rejected by Webnovel.]
[Contract Application Rejected · 12 hours ago
Regrettably, your
[This notification was sent to me on the day I published chapter 9, I felt like just cutting my losses then but seeing how everyone was so supportive, I decided to make one more chapter to round everything up to at least 20,000 words.]
[After all the time wasted thinking, plotting, drafting, writing and imagining, yet I still failed again, and this is my second time this year too...]
[I'm sorry to say this but as of right now I'm shelving this volume. Though I don't mention it, I'm currently in serious need of financial funds so the only thing I can do now is start all over again on a new story.]
[Again, I'm truly sorry, I know some of you will be upset, displeased and think I lack commitment but all in all, I'm just trying to put some food on the table.]
[ I promise to come back and complete the volume after getting at least one story signed this month hopefully, It's been fun writing for you, I hope you can also view my next work as well.]
[News regarding the republishing of Reincarnated into Madness: Yandere Family's Unwanted Slave, shall be posted earlier on the discord link, for those who don't have the time to check on Webnovel.]
[ Your diligent author: LordGrimX101.]