Reincarnated into Madness: Yandere Family's Unwanted Slave-Chapter 11 - : A moments of warmth

[AN: in honour of Valentines day I decided to make a special Chapter just for you guys]

[Also I'd really appreciate it if you guys read my new book, "Noir Born of Beasts", it would really mean a lot to me]

Chapter 11: A Moment of Warmth

The moment Eri Onee-san came to a halt, they were now in front of his room, Hitoshi barely had time to react before she dropped him onto the wooden floor.

" S..ooo fast..." Hitoshi stuttered, his eyes ogling about like misplaced marbles. His legs wobbled slightly, and he instinctively reached out to steady himself against the doorframe due to the unexpected speed ride.

' I might've overdone it a little...' Eri Onee-san thought to herself, seeing his little dizzy figure.

It took him awhile for Hitoshi to calm down, only then did he steady himself.

Finally calm, He unconsciously peeked up at Eri Onee-san, expecting some kind of reaction.

' she's mad at me isn't she...'

' Could Eri Onee-san want to yell at me~' he thought, feeling scared.

' She did look mad back there so maybe she wants to scold me before leaving?.' he stared at her shyly from the corner of his eyes.

'Or does she want to beat me for messing up....' He thought to himself when he saw her cold gaze etched on him, his body trembled at the thought.

' Just what is this brat thinking....'

Eri's face twitched slightly, and for a brief moment as she wondered to herself while watching Hitoshi's fluctuating expressions.

Even then she still felt like letting loose a verbal storm upon him to straighten him up, lest he did something like that again. But then she suddenly hesitated for some reason when she saw his growing fearful expression.

'Just what is going through this brat's head?'

' Wasn't he the one shamelessly blaming the young miss earlier?' she raised a brow in confusion. ' yet now he looks like he's about to burst into tears when I haven't even begun before scolding him properly.... he's even staring at me like... like I might actually hurt him..'

' Tch...now that I think about it, That kind of fear doesn't just come from nowhere.... it's obvious he's been through a lot.' she clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction only for Hitoshi to flinch before her.

Seeing this, her eyelids couldn't help twitching a bit.

' He flinches at the smallest things, yet, he's so stubborn. Bold when he shouldn't be. How does that make any sense?, Is he just reckless? Or is it because he's used to throwing himself into danger?' The more she thought about it the more she discovered that she really couldn't see through this brat completely, which made her wary.

In that moment, she felt as if she was staring at a mass of mixed chaotic emotions...

At first she found it normal yet the longer she stood there the more his expressions took a strange rapid turn, growing more fearful by the moment as if he was expecting more than just an earful.

' Tch. Why am I even thinking about this?' she found it strange that she would be wary of a little human child.

' This brat's going to be the death of me.' she sighed inwardly.

In the end, she let out a deep breath similar to a long sigh. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she monologued inwardly, her piercing gaze locked onto his.

Hitoshi, who had been expecting a full-blown scolding, Was surprised when he saw Eri's tense posture suddenly slacken.

" Would you stop fidgeting already, I'm not here to hurt you.." she said with a seemingly helpless sigh.

He watched her cross her arms in front of her chest, tilting her head with a frown before speaking in a calmer tone. " All I want to know is what really happened back there?, tell me everything from the moment you met the young miss." she asked.

Though she already knew that the young miss was innocent, she was still keen on knowing why she hadn't done anything drastic to Hitoshi considering her unstable personality.

If she couldn't figure out what Hitoshi had done to keep her calm or to be specific, not gone off the rails, it would be a really big help one that even the countess would be happy to hear about.

Hitoshi hesitated. For a brief moment, he considered lying. Maybe making up a dramatic story about how Aiko had ordered him to climb the tree as some kind of servant hazing ritual. But when his gaze met Eri's, those serious yet surprisingly gentle eyes, he found himself unable to go through with it.

' I guess I should just tell the truth...'

Instead, he exhaled and began to tell the truth, his voice tinged with both excitement and indignation.

"Well, you see, Onee-san, I wasn't even thinking about climbing trees or anything. I was actually being super responsible!. I thought... if I washed every dish in the scullery and cleaned everything, you'd be really happy with me."

He spoke quickly, eyes darting up at her expression to gauge her reaction. "And then, you'd smile again!. Because, um, you look really beautiful when you smile?." his eyes remained fixed on her facial features, trying to gauge her reaction.

Silence.

Eri blinked.

' did I say something wrong?, could she still be mad that I disobeyed her orders...' Hitoshi fidgeted nervously, suddenly realizing how embarrassing that sounded when said out loud. He quickly lowered his head, wondering if he had messed up.

Then... she chuckled.

It was soft, brief, but unmistakably a chuckle.

Before he knew it, a warm hand ruffled his already messy hair, fingers lightly tousling the strands as she asked in an amused voice, "Where do you get such cheeky thoughts, brat?"

Hitoshi beamed, giggling as he tilted his head into her touch like a happy puppy. "Dunno! Just thought it would work, did it?"

" What do you think." She said with a teasing smile. She shook her head, amused, before returning to her usual composed self.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

From the looks of it, she couldn't tell just what it was Hitoshi had done to keep the young miss at bay.

"Still, next time, don't be so casual with the Young Miss. If you run into problems, come to me instead ok."

"Yes, ma'am!" Hitoshi responded enthusiastically, puffing out his chest in an exaggerated display of obedience.

Eri gave him one last lingering glance before finally turning and walking away down the dimly lit corridor. Hitoshi watched her go until she disappeared around the corner.

As soon as she was out of sight, he turned with a grin and hopped into his room.

He glanced around before his eyes eventually landed on The "Very Important" Servant Manual on his desk.

Forgetting the creepy atmosphere of his quarters, Hitoshi made a beeline for the wooden chair near his small desk. He plopped himself down and grabbed the thick instruction manual he had been reading earlier.

' Eri Onee-san looked really happy after all!!' Hitoshi grinned from ear to ear, feeling really proud of himself.

' She did say I shouldn't do that again though...I guess even if she is a spoiled brat, she's still the young miss.' Hitoshi pouted at the thought of Aiko.

' in that case, I better hurry up and memorize this book...who knows, maybe Eri Onee-san would even be happier if she knew I took my time to read every single thing!' she thought, smiling even more.

"Alright let's do it!" he said to himself, flipping through the worn pages.

He scanned through each rule carefully, mouthing the words as if trying to cement them into his memory.

He soon flipped through several pages at a constant speed.

"Rule 43: When in the presence of an Aoi family member, one must bow at a precise angle of thirty degrees."

Hitoshi frowned, he didn't know what 30 degrees was but just the thought of imagining himself bowing in front of Aiko made him feel reluctant. Wouldn't it be better if he just nodded? That seemed easier.

Sigh... Even if she is a spoiled brat, I guess I'll just do it then...for Eri Onee-san's sake anyways.

"Rule 56: Aoi family servants must maintain an air of quiet dignity at all times. Idle chatter is strictly forbidden."

Hitoshi sighed. "Boooooring."

' I take it back, this book is the worse..., where's the pictures, the fun words, the goofy scribbles..'

As he read, he kept unconsciously picturing himself trying to follow these stiff, overly formal rules around Aiko. The idea of being all quiet and stiff like a wooden puppet made him cringe.

But then he thought of Eri Onee-san.

She probably followed these rules perfectly. Maybe if he tried to be more like a proper servant, she'd praise him again.

' I can't just give up now....'

With that thought, he groaned dramatically and forced himself to continue reading.

Hours soon passed, and before he knew it, he had finished the entire manual.

" Finally!!!" He closed the book with a proud nod.

And then, suddenly—

«[Ding!]»

A translucent screen popped up in front of him.

«[Congratulations! Your persistence has finally payed off]»

«[You have acquired the S-Class Skill: "Perverted Bookworm"!]»

"..."

Hitoshi froze.

" Huh?" He blinked.

" Hhhuhhhhh?!!!!!!!" Then, with a strangled yell, he shot up from his chair.

"What the hell, stupid system?!" he shouted, his voice cracking in disbelief. "Why 'Perverted'?! Where's the 'perverted' part, huh?! Just 'Bookworm' would've been fine!, Why'd you have to go and add perverted?!!!" He asked feeling completely enraged yet no matter how high he raised his voice, there was still

no response.

Hitoshi growled, stomping his foot in frustration. "Come out and explain you..you..you stupid system!, I dare you!"

Still, nothing.

Hitoshi eventually gave up and began sulking, crossing his arms as he flopped back down onto his chair. "Dumb system. At least let me rename it."

After a few more minutes of pointless complaining, he finally gave up.

He stretched his arms with a yawn, rubbing his tired eyes before making his way over to the wardrobe. Carefully, he took off his practically clean servant attire and hung it neatly inside. Then, he pulled out his old, worn-out tunic and slipped it on, the fabric rough yet oddly comforting.

With a content sigh, he shuffled over to his bed and flopped down onto the mattress, burying himself under the slightly oversized blanket.

As he snuggled into the sheets, his mind drifted.

This mansion was supposed to be spooky. Terrifying, even. But compared to his past life, it felt... nice.

He had food, a bed, and most importantly, Eri Onee-san.

His lips curled into a perverted sleepy smile as his thoughts lingered on her warmth, her kindness.

Before he knew it, sleep claimed him.