When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL) -
Chapter 501: Let’s Have Fun!
Chapter 501: Let’s Have Fun!
"Tea Party of the... what?" someone among the crowd muttered in doubt.
"Mad Hatter? As in... Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland?"
"Alice in—where? Who’s that?"
Some players, especially the middle-aged ones and older, showed a look of total confusion and bewilderment, while the younger ones had a bright look of realization on their faces, though they were still none the wiser.
All, except for one anomaly.
"Psst," Jin Jiuchi leaned in to whisper. "Who’s Alice, and why does everyone seem to know her already? Is she another deity... the daughter of God, perhaps?"
Both Shen Nianzu and Gu Luoxin couldn’t help but facepalm. Although it was understandable that Jin Jiuchi would be utterly clueless pertaining to famous movies and books, somehow his obliviousness never ceased to astound them. It was like having their perspective refreshed all over again that he truly knew nothing at all, not even common sense – just like a piece of blank canvas.
Gu Luoxin patted his shoulder with a look of sympathy. "It’s okay, I will tell you later."
"O-kay..." Jin Jiuchi drawled on his words before arching a puzzled brow. "But why are you looking at me like that?"
Before Gu Luoxin could respond, however, Mad Hatter gestured at the empty seats and invited them courteously, "Please take a seat, everyone. The tea party will begin soon!"
"Oh, oh!" Jin Jiuchi perked up, his excitement bubbling over. "Come on, Nian’er, Xinxin! We must grab the seats closest to the most delicious cakes! Wait, is this an eating contest? Haha, if that’s the case, I’m confident I will not lose!" He thumped on his chest proudly.
"Wait," Shen Nianzu quickly grabbed hold of the hem of Jin Jiuchi’s shirt before the man could run loose. With a sharp gaze, he surveyed the empty chairs and the occupants already seated across from them. "Let’s choose the ones further from the head of the table and..." his expression sank slightly as he noted, "There are only twenty two chairs."
Twenty two empty chairs— but they had twenty three people here.
As soon as the players recovered from the shock of the visual impact delivered by the skeletons, the same realization also dawned upon them. And in an instant, everyone lunged forward to claim their seats they were eyeing like a pack of ferocious hyenas tearing into a piece of fragrant meat.
The last person would be left standing, and no one was keen to be in their shoes!
The first one to reach the table was the ninja-look-alike, who promptly secured a seat right in the middle with such agility that it seemed as if he was teleporting. No one even caught sight of his shadow!
Next, arriving at the same time as Jin Jiuchi, with a sulky Shen Nianzu slung over his shoulder like a little potato sack, was the temperamental beefy player, who bulldozed past another player to wave at Shang.
"Brother Shang, quick! Over here!" he called out energetically, offering the seat he managed to secure.
After Shang settled into his seat, he then turned to spot beside the healer, only to find that they were already occupied – to one side sat the beautiful female player, and on the other, a lame-looking middle-aged man. The beefy man did not even think twice before grabbing the middle-aged man by the collar, forcibly pulling him up to his feet.
"You, move! Who said you could sit there?!"he barked, his tone fierce and commanding.
The man attempted to protest, albeit his feeble resistance was no match for the other’s strength. "B–But I was here first— argh!" his words were cut off by a powerful punch to his cheek, sending him sprawling to the ground.
The beefy player let out a contemptuous snort as he took his seat beside Shang. "That’s what you deserve for not knowing your place!"
Cradling his swollen cheek, the older man could only drag his feet to the empty seat right next to the Mad Hatter, his expression full of resentment and humiliation, yet also not daring to say anything.
"Oh my, my," the skeletons murmured amongst themselves, some clicking their tongues in disgust while others giggling at the interesting show. "How uncouth..."
Despite the slight mishap, all twenty-two chairs were occupied in a blink of an eye, leaving one player standing alone.
Gu Luoxin’s complexion turned ashen as he looked at Noir. "S–Senior..." he whispered in horror.
Noir had been in the furthest position from the dome since the beginning. Plus, he did not take part in snatching the chairs, causing him to become the odd one out. Despite the eyes full of pity, curiosity, and schadenfreude directed his way, he did not appear flustered at all. If anything, his mood remained as brooding as ever. He still looked as though he was ready to murder someone.
W–What to do?! Gu Luoxin bit his nails anxiously, his mind racing. Should he give up his seat? Or maybe they could just share? After all, there’s no rule stating that they couldn’t share a chair, right?!
Perhaps his gaze was too intense, but Noir abruptly turned to meet his eyes, causing his heart to skip a beat. Driven by a sudden impulse, he was about to open his mouth when the Mad Hatter beat him to it,
"Oh no, we are missing a chair? How could this have happened?" he gasped in distress, though it was hard to tell his emotions for certain since his skull seemed to be fixed in a perpetual state of grinning. On the contrary, it made him seem like mocking instead.
His exclamation was met with a chorus of disapproval from the skeleton guests, their hollow voices echoing in the clearing.
"How careless of you, Mad Hatter!"
"Did you not promise to host the best tea party? What will we do if something like this happens before we even begin?"
"My apologies, my apologies!" Mad Hatter removed his hat and bowed apologetically to the guests and especially to Noir. "How about this?" he gestured toward his own seat at the head of the table. "This is a special seat of mine, offering the best view. I wouldn’t trade it for anything else, honestly. But alas, I am left with no other choice now." He cast a hopeful glance at Noir, and even all the skeleton guests fixed their empty eye sockets on the emerald-eyed man, waiting for his response.
The tension in the air became palpable as silence stretched on with each passing second.
Should he sit or not?
But just like the Mad Hatter, did he have another option?
Without a nary of fluctuation on his face, he walked over, nodding in acknowledgement toward the host before taking a seat at the head of the table.
Nothing out of the ordinary happened, and Gu Luoxin, who was seated twenty chairs away, released a huge sigh of relief and clutched his furiously pounding chest. Goodness, Noir did not even show an ounce of panic, so why was he the one losing his head instead?!
"Yes, this is... perfect!" The Mad Hatter clapped with a delightful twirl. "Let us begin tonight’s mad tea party! But before that... let me announce the theme! Where’s the fun in parties without a theme, am I right or am I right?"
The skeletons appeared visibly excited, exclaiming something along the lines of ’why didn’t he announce it sooner?!’ and ’oh no, what if my outfit does not match the dress code?!’
Meanwhile, the players held their breaths in nervousness and anticipation, their eyes following Mad Hatter’s movement around the table until he stopped right behind Noir. And with a spread of his hands, delicate flower petals rained down on the emerald-eyed man.
"The theme is..." Mad Hatter promptly burst out into a fit of loud cackles, causing his bones to rattle along. "...fun! Let’s all have the most fun tonight!"
.
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Mini theater
Noir: first glitter, and then flowers (speechless.jpg)
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