After Transmigrating to Become Lady Skylark - Chapter 40

Chapter 40

“I’m ready.”

The face of the person who had just changed into her pajamas was still flushed—it was unclear whether it was from the lingering steam of the bathroom or the embarrassment of the sudden blunder.

Almost as soon as she finished speaking, Kyoya Hibari stepped sideways and moved the damaged door aside with one hand. Then, with a flourish of both arms, he gripped his polished tonfa and headed aggressively toward the direction where someone had dared to cause a commotion on his turf.

Thinking of Kazumiko’s scream earlier, Jin Chaoyan quickly ducked through the gap between the screen and the wall, jogging to keep up with Hibari’s pace in a hopeless attempt to save the high school girl.

And then…

They saw the culprit behind this farce.

A small kitten with red flames flickering from its ears had its claws out, standing on its hind legs and fiercely scratching at the door of Kina’s quarters. Wood chips were flying everywhere, and from inside, Kazumiko’s panicked crying could be heard: “Wh-when is it going to leave? Help! I’m most afraid of cats! I didn’t mean to spray water at it, waah! Why is it so fierce?!”

Kina’s comforting voice sounded a bit uncertain: “It should leave in a little while?”

The cat scratching at the door replied snappily: “Meow-wu!”

Leaving was out of the question!

Come out here!

Jin Chaoyan: “…”

Listening to the overly easy-to-understand cat language, she took a small step back, not quite daring to provoke this feline lord. Then, she saw the man who had been radiating murderous intent just a moment ago lock eyes with the cat that was trying to break in.

The next instant.

Kyoya Hibari retracted his tonfa, walked straight over, and half-knelt on the ground. He extended his palm toward the kitten. The cat, which had been savage just a second ago, widened its jewel-red eyes. Its front paws returned to the ground, and it took two steps forward, proactively rubbing its head against the man’s fingertips.

“Meow-wu~”

A rare video of early human taming of a cat had appeared!

Jin Chaoyan clapped her hands lightly, marveling at the inexplicable affinity this “dog of a man” had with animals. Then, she saw Kyoya Hibari simply reach out and grab the kitten by the scruff of its neck, picking up the little creature whose limbs now dangled helplessly without any intent to resist.

Watching him capture the previously ferocious kitten and turn to walk toward the other side, Jin Chaoyan glanced at the flames still flickering on the cat’s ears and asked tentatively, “Is it… a Box Weapon like the little hedgehog?”

“Mhm.”

Kyoya Hibari replied nonchalantly, “It probably sneaked over from next door.”

After a pause, he added, “My hedgehog is called Roll.”

How cute!

Jin Chaoyan nodded to show she remembered, her eyes filled with envy. She unconsciously followed him on the way to return the cat. Because Hibari’s rings were too fragile, she rarely saw Roll appear, so seeing this lively kitten now made her palms itch.

Taking advantage of the fact that they hadn’t reached the Vongola base yet, she finally couldn’t hold back. With an expectant gaze directed at the man’s profile, she asked eagerly, “Can I pet it?”

“What?”

Kyoya Hibari stopped walking and looked down at her.

Realizing the kitchen was nearby, Jin Chaoyan remembered the small fried yellow croakers Kina had made. She asked him to wait a moment and ran off to grab one without looking back. Before she even had time to break it into pieces, the kitten—which had been submissive under the man’s palm—began struggling to get closer to the food.

He simply let go. The kitten landed steadily on its feet and immediately gave Jin Chaoyan a sweet cry: “Meow-wu~”

Jin Chaoyan knelt, offering the yellow croaker with both hands like an offering to a feline overlord.

To her surprise, the white-furred kitten with yellow markings on its forehead snatched the fish from her palm in one bite and moved aside to devour it. Jin Chaoyan remained in a crouch, her hand hovering in mid-air, afraid to reach out yet wanting to. She politely asked the cat that was feasting:

“May I pet you?”

The cat’s ears flicked; it heard her but didn’t want to answer.

She struggled internally for a moment before looking up to ask Hibari, “If I get scratched by a Box Weapon, do I need a tetanus shot?”

The man leaning against the wall looked lazy. Hearing her question, he glanced down at the kitten that had taken the bribe but had no intention of being petted.

After a moment, he suddenly leaned down, grasped Jin Chaoyan’s wrist, and before she could react, placed her palm directly onto the cat’s head.

“!”

Both Jin Chaoyan and the cat were stunned.

She froze completely, watching the man’s well-defined fingers resting over her wrist and feeling his body temperature, which was slightly higher than her own. She was terrified this short-tempered kitten would jump up and give them both a scratch.

“Relax.”

Kyoya Hibari looked at the cat with a gentle gaze, but he was speaking to her.

The cat, having its head suddenly petted, looked up. Smelling his scent, its ears flicked again, but it ultimately made no further move and returned to eating the dried fish.

Jin Chaoyan exhaled a sigh of relief. Her palm was no longer stiff. She rubbed the kitten’s forehead and even curved her fingertips to lightly scratch from its forehead down to the bridge of its nose.

“Okay.”

She knew that protective little animals didn’t like being disturbed while eating, so she was content with just a touch and said to Hibari with a smile.

The man took the opportunity to release her hand and stood up straight again. He was exceptionally patient while waiting for the small animal to finish eating, until the cat finished and began licking its paws and washing its face.

“Do you know its name?” Jin Chaoyan hadn’t brought her phone, so she could only stare unblinkingly at the cute cat’s every move, asking without looking up.

Kyoya Hibari said plainly: “Uri.”

The cat stopped washing its face, its beautiful red eyes looking roundly at Hibari, as it gave a soft, delicate reply: “Meow~”

“So cute…”

Jin Chaoyan was dying of envy over his animal affinity. As he picked the cat up by the scruff again to return it, she followed closely behind. Seeing the cat’s limbs waving in the air, though she had only touched its soft fur once, she had already transformed into a “cat slave,” protesting its treatment:

“Can’t you just hold it?”

“…”

Kyoya Hibari glanced at her. Thinking of how this person could say “kiss” to Hibird—otherwise the pet wouldn’t have learned the word—and was now petting and coaxing someone else’s Box Weapon, he let out a cold snort of displeasure.

Jin Chaoyan: “?”

She met his gaze, and it took her a long while to realize she had been a bit too bold tonight, actually daring to tell Hibari what to do. She awkwardly licked her lips, wanting to say something to make amends, only to see the other man toss the struggling cat into her arms.

“!”

Jin Chaoyan looked down and made eye contact with Uri; both saw shock in each other’s eyes.

She carefully adjusted her cat-holding posture, prepared for it to struggle, scratch, and jump away. But before the kitten could move, a hand reached over from the side. A palm rubbed the cat’s head, and it became docile and obedient, nestling quietly in the woman’s arms.

The sleeves of the black kimono yukata were loose; as he moved his hand, his wrist, the back of his hand, and his fingers were all revealed—and they were extremely handsome. Jin Chaoyan didn’t even bother looking at the path; just watching this hand pet the cat felt like watching a visual feast.

…She didn’t even realize when they arrived at the Vongola base.

“Uri!”

A worried call came from the distance.

Jin Chaoyan, who was enjoying holding the cat, and Uri, who was enjoying having its head petted by the person it liked, both froze. Then Kyoya Hibari picked it up again and handed it expressionlessly to Gokudera Hayato, who had run over.

“How did it end up over at your place?” Gokudera Hayato quickly took the cat. His center-parted silver hair was a bit messy; perhaps he had been looking for the cat for a long time. His green eyes looked at the couple.

Since her companion didn’t speak, Jin Chaoyan guessed casually, “Um… because it likes Hibari very much?”

Gokudera Hayato: “…”

He fiercely turned the cat around. “You’re my cat! Uri! Don’t you go running off in the future!”

The cat, which had been obediently licking its paws, heard his tone and a murderous light flashed in its eyes. With a forceful struggle, it jumped onto his face, bared its cold-gleaming claws, and unleashed a flurry of cat-scratching!

“Meow-wu!”

It began to argue with Gokudera Hayato.

Seeing the bloody scratches instantly multiply on his face, Jin Chaoyan immediately looked away in pity. Then she heard the man beside her say calmly, “Let’s go.”

After returning to the Hibari base, Jin Chaoyan looked at the exquisite Japanese-style decor and remembered the collapsed door of her room. She raised a hand to cover a small yawn, her eyes slightly watery as she looked at the man beside her:

“By the way, is there an extra room in this base?”

“No.”

Kyoya Hibari’s answer was completely unexpected.

The woman forgot to even put her hand down, her violet eyes staring at him blankly. “Why?”

“This is a research base. It was built solely for scientific research; most areas are used as warehouses to store equipment. The residential area was not designed to be large,” Kyoya Hibari answered calmly.

“…But, if a situation like today happens, shouldn’t the number of bedrooms be considered for an increase?” Jin Chaoyan tried to offer a small, immature suggestion.

Kyoya Hibari looked at her expressionlessly. “Four rooms.”

Jin Chaoyan: “…”

She felt like she understood the meaning behind this answer.

First, Hibari didn’t like “crowding” or the noise of many people, so he wouldn’t normally have anyone stay over. Second, if it weren’t for her, Kina, and Kusakabe each taking a room, even if one were accidentally destroyed, the number of bedrooms would be more than enough.

Finally, tonight’s accident was caused by the guest, Kazumiko.

Feeling a wave of guilt, she nodded immediately. “Okay, sorry. I’ll find a way to solve the trouble on my end myself.” Tomorrow she would contact the Jin family and arrange for her to return to Tokyo immediately!

To her surprise, after she said this, Kyoya Hibari spoke with interest, his grey-blue eyes brightening: “Oh?”

He asked: “You know how to fix a door?”

“…No.”

Looking at the “dangerous building” villa she made for Hibird last time, did she look like someone who could fix a door?

At that moment, Jin Chaoyan reached her room. Being sleepy, she hadn’t noticed him following her. With her back to the courtyard, she surveyed the room that had lost half its screen door. “I’ll just make do. It’s summer anyway, it won’t matter.”

Thinking of her two previous high fevers, the smile vanished from the man beside her. He gave her a cold glance. “Don’t cause me trouble—”

He said: “Pack your things.”

Now it was Jin Chaoyan’s turn to ask, “What?”

The man said the answer with his last shred of patience: “Go to my room.”

Jin Chaoyan parted her lips, silently mouthing “Ah?” Her expression suddenly became complicated, which he caught. The man’s expression turned into a half-smile. “What, are you dissatisfied with this arrangement?”

“No, no, no—”

She remembered how this man could be woken by the sound of a single falling petal. She felt that just because she had a sister who was good at causing trouble, her sin wasn’t quite that great. She hurriedly explained, “I just feel it would be too much of a disturbance for you.”

Staying in a room with him? How would that even work?

Between the two of them, one was destined to be unable to sleep. And if the one who couldn’t sleep was Kyoya Hibari, her final fate likely wouldn’t be very good either.

Jin Chaoyan felt that compared to going to his room, she could even accept options like sleeping in the corridor, the hall, or the courtyard.

“Mhm.”

Kyoya Hibari accepted her words very calmly, then suddenly pivoted. “Then who do you want to disturb?”

“…”

I mean, is there a possibility that she could disturb nobody?

Just as Jin Chaoyan was about to struggle for her peaceful sleep, she saw the other person raise a hand to yawn sleepily. He then asked, seemingly losing patience, “How much longer do you plan to make me wait?”

“…Right away!”

Hearing her reflexive response, the corner of Kyoya Hibari’s mouth curved.

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