Chapter 97: On the Invalid Script

In this situation, it would be extremely undignified for the manor owner to open the door, so the manor's butler should step in.

Cervantes, who was badly tricked by his own supernatural ability, went to open the door as Joseph.

Outside the door stood a neatly dressed young man with a head of fluffy curly hair and a bag slung across his body. Upon seeing Cervantes, whose attire was even more retro than his own, he couldn't help but reveal a subtle expression.

What's going on? Did he accidentally wander into a masquerade ball?

Moreover, it seems he really isn't in Japan anymore; the red-haired man who opened the door was clearly a foreigner.

Matsuda Jinpei subconsciously read along with the "script" that appeared in his mind:

"Hello, is this the Earnshaw family home? I really hope I haven't come to the wrong place."

After seeing Cervantes agree, Matsuda then recited his lines in a completely emotionless tone:

“There’s a letter addressed to your family.” He took out a beautifully packaged letter sealed with wax from his bag, then took out another letter asking for the address of Huamei Manor. The note on the first letter only told him how to get there, but the address in the second letter was not mentioned at all.

However, the inside and outside of the manor are like two completely different worlds. Cervantes' version of the butler is talking to the unexpected messenger, while the story inside the house continues.

Whether it was Emily's special ability or the Golden Bough, it thoughtfully changed X's makeup and appearance. X was unaware of the changes that had occurred to him; he only saw the male protagonist, who was momentarily shocked.

Rimbaud, who possessed a wide variety of supernatural abilities and carried countless gadgets with him, pulled out a mirror from somewhere.

X saw his current situation through the mirror in his hand...

The haggard-looking "girl" no longer had her hair neatly styled; it was disheveled and looked like she hadn't taken care of it for days. Even her dress was a mess, creating a stark contrast with the well-dressed Heathcliff beside her.

After all, what dignity could a pampered noble lady expect in a place without even a maid?

The most terrifying thing is that their script was unilaterally interrupted by the arrival of the uninvited guests, and they had no idea what would happen.

They had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue acting.

The respectable Mr. Heathcliff looked at the suddenly disheveled Mrs. Heathcliff in front of him and thought to himself that something was wrong. Could it be that this outrageous Mr. Heathcliff was not letting her tidy up and wash her face?

Are you just trying to disgust people?

He tried to put himself in the shoes of "himself," and X also touched his own "hair." Of course, he didn't have long hair that he could put up. Rather, it's more accurate to say that almost everyone in the cast, except for a few with long hair, was wearing a wig.

Both his and Heathcliff's hair was fake.

Heathcliff's mind raced; what could be a way to advance the plot?

Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of a gray stain on the hem of X's skirt. It was... a mark left by ash mixed with water. She had it!

"You!" Heathcliff said fiercely, but seeing X's face, which was exactly the same as Adam's, he felt a little uneasy, especially when he was unsure if he was acting correctly. "...It's time to eat."

As expected of Heathcliff, using the fiercest tone to say the most humble words. The way you say it doesn't sound like you're ordering the former Miss Linton to the kitchen at all; instead, it sounds like you're concerned.

Heathcliff also realized something was wrong and tried to salvage the situation, but the more he tried, the worse it got. X felt that things would definitely fall apart if this continued, and that he would have to step in.

...

Oh, I forgot, there's a Don Quixote with sparkling eyes in the kitchen.

Without the constraints of a script, the short-statured second-generation Blood Demon thought he had no role at the moment and was circling around him with barely concealed curiosity.

Finally, he added a comment: "Hmm, the manager is quite... unique today."

X's heart sank. It's over. This time, it's definitely going to happen again.

He waited for the rewind to start, but as time ticked by, he didn't return to where he had been. Instead, he found himself facing a Don Quixote with huge question marks written all over his face.

Could it be that the script disappeared?

However... let's just follow the plan Heathcliff came up with, and stall for as long as we can.

“Hareton,” he called out the name of the character Don Quixote played, “is there anything to eat?”

"this."

Don Quixote, dressed like a savage, held up a bag full of cereal in front of him.

He then helped him start a fire under the very old-fashioned pot, and then looked away with disgust.

After all, cooking rice requires adding water, and water is just too disgusting; she genuinely refused to eat it.

X looked at the pot, grabbed a handful of oatmeal, felt it wasn't enough, grabbed another handful, thought for a moment, and then grabbed yet another handful.

Hmm, it's popped out, and... why does it get mushy even though there's water inside?

"Is there some strange smell?" asked Old Shaw, one of the spectators, to his "daughter-in-law."

Rimbaud decided to go and see for himself. After all, the two of them were like ghosts, completely invisible, and passing through walls wouldn't be a problem for them.

As soon as they entered the kitchen, they were blinded by thick black smoke, which was very choking, like the smoke from a fire that had been forcibly extinguished, accompanied by a burnt smell.

X is reviewing the reasons for his failure. The first is that he put the food in the water before it was boiling, and the second is that the bottom was burnt while the top was still raw.

The second-generation Blood Demon was trying to get him away from the pot, but the water in the pot made her hesitant. However, she had already seen what would happen if he spun around the fire in a long dress; the hem of X's dress was already on fire!

Just as she rescued the manager with her eyes closed, her hands felt a scorching heat and a touch that was definitely not human. She had saved the wrong person.

Don Quixote opened her eyes. She was holding a pot, and the water in the pot was still beckoning to her. She subconsciously let go of the pot, and the water in the pot extinguished the fire on the firewood, and also extinguished the small flame on the hem of her skirt.

This was undoubtedly a farce, but the plot didn't rewind, so it seems it really failed.

“Mr. Butler…” Matsuda hesitated, then finally spoke, pointing towards the kitchen, “There’s smoke coming from there.”

Cervantes, who also didn't have a script, improvised: "Smoke? It must be that child..."

As he spoke, he turned his head and saw the black smoke coming from the kitchen. It was really on fire!

Matsuda didn't care about anything else. He stuffed the letter into the hand of the butler who called himself Joseph and strode off in that direction.

The fire was out, leaving only smoke and... X, dressed in women's clothing and covered in soot.

Matsuda swore that this was definitely X. How did he become like this? What was this? A gender-swapped Cinderella?

A similarly disheveled child, walking unsteadily as if he might faint at any moment, followed behind him.

The commotion startled Heathcliff, who was waiting, and he looked over with some curiosity. Fear!

"Damn it," Heathcliff muttered under his breath, taking two quick steps to drag the two dusty-looking men out. His movements were rough and unmistakably authentic.

He had to act; he'd finally gotten this far, and he couldn't let it all be ruined.

After confirming that the two were alright, he frowned and asked Cervantes:

"Joseph, who is this?"

“He’s a messenger, Mr. Heathcliff,” Cervantes continued.

The newcomer's darker complexion reminded Matsuda of his contemporaries who had gone missing, but he quickly dismissed the thought.

The young man unceremoniously took the letter from the butler's hand, tore it open, and began to read. As he read, he let out a disdainful sneer.

After reading the letter, he tossed it into the arms of the dusty child: "Hareton, a letter for you."

He drew out his voice, which sounded incredibly irritating, much more so than when he first entered the police academy as Rei Furuya.

Unseen by Heathcliff, the audience had already read the letter in its entirety and was relaying its contents to X.

It was a letter to the Earnshaw family, but the contents were a bit strange. It said, "Please bring your children with you."

Hindley had only one son, while old Earnshaw had both a son and a daughter; this seemed like a belated letter.

Old Earnshaw himself was stroking his chin in thought.

The dark-skinned, long-haired man was dressed smartly, but X, who appeared to be cosplaying as Cinderella, was being pulled by him. The man named Heathcliff looked very angry.

He was indeed very angry. These two people were really something else; how could they have almost set him on fire?

"Heathcliff, get angry first."

X spoke softly amidst the tug-of-war, and Heathcliff listened with an angry expression as he explained that the script no longer bound them.

As for Matsuda... X really couldn't remember. It had been too long since they last met, especially for someone like him whose day was actually several years.

But Matsuda remembered, and he also saw this person bullying others. The police officer felt this was unacceptable. Although he wasn't a patrol officer in charge of public order, this was still going too far!

Just as he was about to stop them, they stopped abruptly, almost frighteningly so. Both of them lost their composure, and then he saw the angry man suddenly make a face at X.

It was such an exaggerated face, with its tongue sticking out really long, that Matsuda was completely dumbfounded.

Then the man named Heathcliff grabbed a lock of his own hair...!

He pulled out his hair! He even pulled out X's messy hair!

Was he dreaming? Just as Matsuda was about to slap himself to see if it hurt, he saw that the butler Joseph, who had been stern just moments before, loosened his collar and relaxed completely.

"The clock...the manager, finally we don't have to act anymore."

Freed from his predicament, Heathcliff was in a better mood than ever before, and didn't even intend to use the outdated nickname to refer to X.

In a great mood, the Seventh Sinner thoughtfully patted the dust off the manager's clothes. He used a lot of force, and it hurt his X. If he had used that much force to pat the real Isabella, it could be considered torture.

"What...are you doing?"

The moment Matsuda uttered those words, everyone's eyes were fixed on him, as if he were an oddity in the room.

"Are you human?" X was somewhat surprised, since Linton's parents were like programs before, and he thought this one was also an NPC.

Matsuda, feeling like he'd suddenly turned into a monkey in a zoo, laughed: "What else? What am I if not a human?"

Most importantly, he saw utter confusion in X's eyes, and he truly felt that he was not human.

What is he? A ghost?

"You guys are having a lot of fun..."

X's voice came from behind Matsuda. Instinctively, the curly-haired officer got goosebumps. X was in front of him, so what was that voice behind him?

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Author's Note: I reread Wuthering Heights, and my only thought is, it feels like there isn't a single normal person in it. [Chin resting on hand][Chin resting on hand][Chin resting on hand]