After Transmigrating to Become Lady Skylark - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Italy, Sicily.

Within the Vongola Headquarters’ castle manor, grapevine leaves provided shade for a secluded annex. The nearing midday sea breeze blew in from a distance, rustling the black hair of the person in the office chair by the floor-to-ceiling glass window.

“Tetsu.”

The person, who was flipping through research documents, didn’t even look up. Yet, he was already perfectly aware of the small actions of the person who had just returned from outside the door, and spoke in a cool voice: “I don’t recall ever giving you permission to reveal my whereabouts to others.”

Kusakabe Tetsuya, who had just hung up from his call with Butler Chiyana, fell silent.

Sensing the dissatisfaction in his superior’s tone, Kusakabe couldn’t help but recall two years ago, when the man had suddenly accepted a marriage with a financial family. At the time, he thought Hibari had finally decided to settle down. But throughout the year, the number of times he went home could be counted on one hand, essentially turning the relationship into a long-distance marriage.

He had followed Hibari since middle school and felt he knew a thing or two about his former Disciplinary Committee leader and current boss. He knew he was definitely not the type to be blackmailed—which was precisely why he couldn’t for the life of him figure out how the marriage had happened in the first place.

But what’s done is done. As his right-hand man, he still wanted to see his superior’s professional and personal life go well. So, after a moment of thought, he honestly presented his own judgment.

“My apologies. We’ve received news from Japan that the Madam’s health has improved. She has now moved out of the sanitarium near Mount Fuji, her spending habits have become more active, and she has shown an increased interest in social interaction…”

“So I thought, perhaps the Madam would really like to see you.”

In truth, he hadn’t told Chiyana the specific date of Hibari’s return. The call was a kind of test, and he had no intention of hiding it from Hibari himself. Though he hadn’t met the Madam many times, the medical reports from the sanitarium were all funneled through him. Previously, Jin Chaoyan’s test results had been worsening, and he was very worried that his superior would get the reputation of “losing his wife in middle age.”

Now that the Madam’s health had improved and Hibari happened to be returning to Japan to check on the completion of the secret underground base in Nanimori-cho, he felt this was a golden opportunity to deepen their marital bond!

“Oh?”

The person behind the desk looked up, revealing a face that perfectly conformed to classical Eastern aesthetics. His features were soft yet cold, especially his narrow, gray-blue phoenix eyes, which were like storm clouds obscuring a clear sky. In them now flashed a half-smile, naturally exuding the sharp glint of a blade, but more than that, a clear sense of mockery.

—Jin Chaoyan would really like to see him?

He thought back to their past few interactions, where her timid, anxious demeanor left her hands and feet fumbling. Hibari returned to looking at his documents, tossing a single phrase at Kusakabe:

“I’m giving you two hours off. Go make an appointment with Shamal for an eye exam.”

Kusakabe chewed on the blade of grass in his mouth and dumbly replied, “Dr. Shamal doesn’t treat men…” And because of a certain incident in middle school, the doctor had a particular dislike for Hibari and his subordinates.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he’d messed up. He keenly saw his superior’s fingers release the document, a faint silver glint appearing on the table. He immediately took a large step back. “I understand! I’ll go right away!”

The sun hung high in Sicily, but the sky over Tokyo had already turned a deep blue, with the faint glimmer of the Morning Star visible.

Jin Chaoyan sat in a restaurant with small crystal chandeliers. Her freshly treated face was radiant and flawless. On the table before her were several exquisite dishes. At a glance, there was handmade aged sushi garnished with beluga sturgeon caviar, porridge cooked with French blue lobster meat, and freshly grilled Kobe beef… But right now, she found none of these delicacies appetizing!

Her expression was troubled. She held her iPhone 5s, trying to find information about the “Disciplinary Committee Group” on a search engine she was unfamiliar with, to mentally prepare herself for meeting her husband.

But unlike the official pages of other major corporations with their flashy marketing, this Disciplinary Committee Group seemed to exist only within the knowledge of high society. There was no related information on public channels. Forget photos; there wasn’t even a full name for the CEO!

…My husband can’t be a Japanese male version of Inventing Anna, can he? A high-class con artist who preys on the rich in high society? But what con artist is so chuunibyou?

Feeling her speculations were getting increasingly absurd, Jin Chaoyan temporarily put down her phone. After a moment of frustration, she began searching for her hometown in this timeline, thinking a “fake death to escape marriage” plot might be a good alternative. But the map showed no sign of the city she knew and lived in.

Chiyana saw that Jin Chaoyan had been distracted ever since she heard the news that “Mr. Hibari is returning to the country.” Thinking she was worried about spending time with her husband after such a long separation, the butler smiled and advised her:

“Is Madam thinking of a surprise for your reunion? If you need it, I can arrange it for you, as long as you tell me what Mr. Hibari’s usual collecting preferences are.”

Jin Chaoyan: “…?”

What? I need to prepare a surprise?

How would I know what this person’s hobbies are?

Seeing her speechless, even if Chiyana wanted to help her mistress’s married life along, she was like a clever cook without rice. She had been hired six months ago by Mr. Kusakabe specifically to take care of Jin Chaoyan. The number of times she had seen the man of the house was very few. Although she had her own suspicions about their marital reality, she would never show it on her face.

So, at this moment, she automatically provided a way out for Jin Chaoyan: “It’s not too late to prepare once you’ve thought about it, or I can select some options for your reference tomorrow.”

Jin Chaoyan: “!”

Chiyana, from today on, you are my good sister from another mother!

After Jin Chaoyan announced that she was giving her a raise, the gentle butler showed a hint of helplessness and said to her, “Do you have an appetite for dinner now?”

“I’ll eat right away!”

Before bed.

Jin Chaoyan held her freshly oiled hair, buried her head in the soft, fragrant bedding, and took a deep breath. She felt she had found the courage to face this marriage again.

She had previously tried to casually ask the maids about her husband, but the maids were all new and had never even seen the man himself, let alone his assistant.

Her attempt at an indirect inquiry had failed, so Jin Chaoyan had to look at publicly available information about these conglomerates to mentally prepare herself.

She accidentally clicked on a group photo of several corporate heads. With a single glance, she saw that they were either potbellied, balding, or gray at the temples…

Jin Chaoyan: Who gave me that courage just now?

With a faint sigh, she got out of bed. The original owner’s phone only had landscape photos and no selfies or pictures with others, so that line of inquiry was a dead end. Now, she could only hope to find some of the original owner’s diaries or daily records.

But there was nothing at all.

Frustrated, she flopped back onto the bed in a starfish pose, grabbed her phone again, and mumbled her mysterious husband’s last name: “Hibari…”

Repeating it made it sound a bit familiar.

But soon, her attention was captivated by the limited-edition bag styles from a new SA she had added on Instagram. She scrolled down, unable to stop herself. When she came to her senses, she realized she had ordered five bags, three outfits, two watches…

And a luxury yacht.

The yacht club was contacting her at night to discuss customization details. Jin Chaoyan, who was thrilled by the spending spree, quickly sat up and took out the bank cards from her wallet. She thought about the three-story yacht she was commissioning and wondered if these cards could handle a single transaction of several hundred million yen.

A moment later.

Her eyes settled on an American Express Black Card.

Jin Chaoyan took out the legendary black card, placed it reverently over her heart, and blissfully closed her eyes.

She felt her scope had been too small just now. What was meeting her corporate husband compared to personally designing the yacht of her dreams? That’s what was truly exciting!

Bzz.

3 a.m.

The phone on the bedside table suddenly vibrated. The person in bed opened his eyes abruptly. His gray-blue eyes were completely alert, showing no trace of having been asleep, and a low pressure radiated around him from being disturbed.

The man reached out, opened the new message, and saw a consumption text:

“Sub-card transaction amount: ¥408,657,442. Time: 03:01. Location: Tokyo Yacht Club [American Express]”

He narrowed his eyes. The time in Tokyo was now 10 a.m. It seemed his wife was indeed a bit lively these past two days, just as Tetsu had said.

A moment later, the man, unable to settle the score with the disturber, simply turned off his phone and put it back on the table, trying to get back to sleep.

It wasn’t until 7 a.m. that a bird’s chirp sounded outside the window.

Kusakabe Tetsuya knocked on the door and walked in with his intel, full of trepidation. He saw a man wearing only a purple shirt, leaning against the window and looking at his phone.

“Mr. Kyoya…”

He was surprised Hibari was already up. Seeing his expression, he thought there must be some sort of emergency and tensed up as well.

Hibari stared at the three text alerts for sub-card purchases at an auction house that he had received after turning his phone back on. After a moment, he put the phone down and suddenly spoke: “Arrange a flight. I’m returning to Japan today.”

“Yes. Is there something wrong in Nanimori-cho?”

“No.”

The man took the tie from the table beside him, draped it around his neck, and slowly pushed the knot upward with his long, slender fingers. The moment it tightened at his throat, a small bird with soft yellow feathers suddenly flew in through the window and landed gently on his shoulder.

A hint of interest appeared at the corner of Hibari Kyoya’s lips as his gaze shifted to the window facing east.

“Not to Nanimori first,” he paused.

Then he said, “Go to Tokyo.”

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