After Transmigrating to Become Lady Skylark - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Standing in the alleyway under flashing neon signs, the woman, with her immaculate makeup and pure white handbag, exuded an aura that was completely at odds with the debauchery of the bar district.

The impression was that this pampered rose, who had always been raised in a glass case, had willingly stepped out. Now, with her foot in the muddy world, she showed no panic but rather had the demeanor of a wild plant ready to thrive.

Hibari Kyoya found this extremely interesting.

But then, his eyes shifted slightly, and he turned his gaze away. With a speed a normal person couldn’t perceive, his right hand moved in an elbow strike, sending an assailant who had quietly approached him flying through the air—

“Mr. Kyoya, wait…”

Kusakabe Tetsuya, who had just finished tidying up the chaos on the entire street with his men, rushed over from a distance. Seeing that the person charging toward Hibari was dressed in a special way—likely a leader who could give them the information they wanted—he quickly tried to stop him.

Unfortunately, before his words could even land, the attacker had already become a parabola. He hit the corner of a ruined wall upon landing, only able to let out a grunt before falling completely unconscious.

Kusakabe Tetsuya: “!”

He hurried toward the figure, attempting a last-ditch effort, only to find that Hibari’s Tonfa had directly shattered the man’s jaw. Even if he woke up, he wouldn’t be able to speak for a while.

“You’re too slow, Tetsu.” The one who had personally rendered all potential informers unconscious and created more work for Kusakabe showed not a hint of remorse on his face. In fact, he was righteously complaining that his subordinate had been too slow.

“…”

While Kusakabe was cleaning up the mess, the person who had single-handedly quelled the bar district’s chaos looked at the only other people who were still conscious. He seemed somewhat unsatisfied with how little resistance they had put up. He lifted the long, silver Tonfa held in his hand, which extended along his arm, and gestured toward the bodyguards:

“As for you, do you plan to remain clustered in front of me for much longer?”

“!!!”

Kusakabe’s pupils widened in shock. He couldn’t believe this man was showing no restraint even in front of his weak, pitiful, and helpless wife. He found it both absurd and exactly what he expected, with all his shock coalescing into a resigned thought: “No wonder their marriage turned out like this.”

Wearing a mask of pain, he pulled out his communicator to have his men take the leader away, then quickly headed toward Jin Chaoyan, terrified that the frail Madam, who had just recently recovered, would faint from being so startled and witnessing her husband’s violent actions.

Of course, Jin Chaoyan didn’t faint.

The night grew deeper, and the street, which had been filled with panic, had somehow grown quiet. As a light breeze brushed her cheek, she raised a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear and realized how still the surroundings were. It was as if the street had gained consciousness and, knowing what a ferocious beast it had angered, was now holding its breath and playing dead, hoping to trick this killer god into leaving soon.

The killer god didn’t leave, but the bodyguards who had been protecting her knew their boss’s temperament all too well. While their mouths said apologies, each of them fled faster than the last. The bodyguard who had been shot even ran at the front of the pack.

Chiyana lasted a little longer. Jin Chaoyan even saw her subtly move to shield her, as if to protect her from the coming storm. But for some reason, the butler quickly retreated, only smiling at her before she went.

“Since Mr. Hibari has returned, I will not disturb the two of you. Please don’t worry, Madam, I will have your car parked back at your residence.”

Please don’t.

Please do disturb us.

Jin Chaoyan’s fingers, which had been tucking her hair, stopped near her jawline. Her mind was still replaying the sound of the unlucky man’s jawbone shattering from Hibari’s Tonfa. Seeing Chiyana about to leave, she quickly tried to stop her:

“Wait!”

But Chiyana, who had always obeyed her commands without question, did not obey this time. She disappeared around the corner of the alley like a gust of wind, leaving Jin Chaoyan with a suggestive look, as if cheering her on.

Jin Chaoyan: “…”

She mechanically turned her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the figure who had been exuding a cold, killing intent moments ago. His weapon was now gone, and he simply stood there in his well-tailored suit. He played with a small, golden Box in his left hand for a moment before putting it away, raising a hand to lightly cover his mouth as he let out a yawn. A hint of moisture appeared in his gray-blue eyes.

Her heart fluttered at his pleasing and harmless aura. Jin Chaoyan felt like she was being attacked by her past chuunibyou self.

She tried to recall the anime she had watched so many years ago, hoping to dig up some information about “Hibari Kyoya” from her distant memories. But after a moment, she had to admit that after starting work and pulling too many all-nighters, her memory wasn’t what it used to be.

In short, besides remembering that he was the Cloud Guardian of the Vongola, the world’s number one Mafia family, that he was incredibly strong, had an appearance that perfectly matched Eastern aesthetics, and was a bit of a self-centered chuunibyou, she couldn’t remember anything else.

And Hibari Kyoya had already showcased all those points perfectly in the short minutes they had been together.

“Madam, this way.”

Kusakabe’s voice brought her attention back. She first saw his distinctive delinquent-style pompadour haircut, and then followed the gesture of his hand. She saw a sedan at the end of the alley, and Hibari was already walking toward it.

Jin Chaoyan didn’t have time to process the series of shocks from her night. Seeing the only person with a car about to leave, she could only quickly follow him.

Today, to match her outfit and bag for her shopping trip, she had specifically chosen a pair of eight-centimeter heels. With Chiyana’s arrangements and her leisurely pace, she hadn’t suffered at all from them. But now, after dodging the Tokyo underground, and trying to keep up with Hibari Kyoya’s long strides, her heels felt like they were on fire after only a few quick steps.

Just as she was about to catch up to the long-legged Vongola Cloud Guardian and let out a sigh of relief, the heel of her left shoe got stuck in a crack in the pavement that had been damaged during the earlier chaos—

Hibari Kyoya, sensing the movement behind him, paused. The moment he turned to look, he saw a pair of slender, pale fingers with delicate fake nails and tiny rhinestones reaching out toward him.

He resisted the instinct to dodge, allowing her to grab his sleeve.

Jin Chaoyan used the leverage to regain her balance. She ignored the slight pain in her nails from gripping so hard. A cold sweat broke out on her back as she imagined the consequences of falling face-first onto the ground.

Once she was back on her feet, she let out a sigh of relief and was about to speak. As she pulled her hand back, she felt something hard and bumpy in her palm.

Jin Chaoyan stared at the cuff of the suit jacket she had just grabbed—

Besides the wrinkles her grip had caused, it was glaringly missing a button.

“…”

This was so awkward.

She held the button in her palm, not knowing whether to give it back or not. Her all-capable butler wasn’t there, and she couldn’t say something like, “Take off your suit jacket and I’ll sew it back on for you.”

And so, Jin Chaoyan casually clenched her hand, hiding it behind her back. She forced a faint smile and apologized, then, after a pause, her gaze flicked to Kusakabe, who had already opened the car door. Thinking of their spousal relationship, she slowly let a title drift from her lips:

“Anata*…”

Whether the original owner and Hibari Kyoya were a real couple or a business arrangement, she couldn’t understand the beginning of this marriage. But surely, in front of others, adopting a professional attitude and calling him “husband” was reasonable, right?

Anata is a Japanese honorific used for “you” in formal settings, but it’s also a common term of endearment between spouses. Jin Chaoyan had heard the word often while watching anime. Now, using her Chinese mindset, she had chosen this title and felt it was very appropriate.

There was not a hint of intimacy or affection on her face. She thought she was being a good professional.

But she missed the moment the blade of grass in Kusakabe’s mouth suddenly snapped and fell, and with it, her chance to question the appropriateness of the term.

And Hibari Kyoya, who was used to her being as timid as a mouse, was slightly startled by this overly intimate title.

The woman he remembered from their first meeting would tear up just from speaking to him and seemed to use a lifetime’s worth of courage to ask for a simple favor. Now, she had suddenly become this confident person, not only daring to use his card to buy a large amount of luxury goods and hang out in chaotic bar districts late at night—

She even dared to call him “my dear husband” to his face.

This change could only be described as a complete metamorphosis.

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