After Transmigrating to Become Lady Skylark - Chapter 43

Chapter 43

“Madam, dinner is ready. Would you like to dine now?”

“Mm… yes.”

The woman, her long hair flowing loose, sat in the room with the broken door, holding a glass of strawberry-scented fruit wine. Hearing the housekeeper’s voice outside, she stood up obediently. Setting the glass aside, she glanced left and right at the doorway before heading toward the main hall.

On the long corridor, she encountered two children who barely reached her knees. After bending down to look at them for a moment, Jin Chaoyan heard the little girl greet her politely:

“Big Sister Chaoyan, good evening.”

Having just recalled their identities, she happily reached out and picked the girl up, replying in Chinese, “Good evening, I-Pin. Want to eat together?”

Lambo, standing on the floor, immediately came over and grabbed her calf. “Lambo-sama wants a hug too~ Hey, hey, do you have any of Lambo-sama’s favorite grape-flavored candies?”

Jin Chaoyan looked down at him for a while and picked him up as well, thinking seriously for a moment. “I don’t have grape candy, but I have grape juice.”

Just then, a loud protest erupted from the room nearby—

“Aren’t you being way too much? Fine if you won’t let me in, but why target the kids too?”

“The one I’m targeting is you.”

A voice as cold as a mountain spring in winter rang out. Jin Chaoyan found it familiar, so she used the tip of her shoe to nudge the door open. Along with the two children, she peered inside. The moment the door opened, Kusakabe, who was trying to mediate in the hall, felt as if he’d seen a savior. He let out a long sigh of relief and greeted her loudly:

“Madam, you’re here.”

Hearing this, Kyoya Hibari shifted his gaze. He saw the person standing by the door holding two children. Her cheeks were tinged with a faint pink, and her eyes were wider than usual. He instinctively felt something was off, but hadn’t realized yet:

“What’s wrong?”

Sasagawa Ryohei, who had clenched his fists and was ready to use them to teach Hibari a lesson in hospitality, also shifted his attention. Then, he reacted instantly. “Oh, I see! You must be Hibari’s wife! I’m Sasagawa Ryohei, nice to meet you!”

The woman holding I-Pin and Lambo looked at the man who had just questioned her, then at the stranger with short silver-grey hair trying to greet her. For a moment, she didn’t know which to deal with first. While she was dazing, Lambo poked her shoulder:

“Where’s Lambo-sama’s grape soda?”

For a moment, everyone’s attention was on the woman who had entered the hall. However, she was frowning, troubled by the sudden addition of a difficult problem. Seeing this sluggish behavior, Kyoya Hibari finally remembered where he had seen it before. He abruptly walked toward her.

As he reached her side, a rich strawberry scent mixed with a faint hint of alcohol wafted out. He lowered his gaze. “Drinking again?”

After a pause, he said, “Answer my question first.”

The woman immediately acted as if she had found her pillar of support and nodded seriously. “One glass.”

“Who gave you the alcohol?”

“Kina said Mr. Sasagawa sent it.”

Hibari immediately shot a cold look at the man nearby who was still scratching his head. Hearing her words, Ryohei nodded candidly. “Yeah, I sent it. In the adult world, a little drink is good for the mood!”

“…Mm-hm.” Jin Chaoyan, her attention caught by his words, nodded seriously and even repeated, “Good for the mood.”

But Lambo, who had waited a long time without getting his juice, couldn’t sit still. He started asking loudly where the juice was. Just as Jin Chaoyan was troubledly thinking of turning around to leave with them, the weight in her arms was lifted away—

Hibari snatched the two children and handed them to Kusakabe. “Tetsuya, take them away.”

“Yes, Kyo-san.” Tetsuya Kusakabe came over to take the children. Glancing at the indoor scene where a fight was now unlikely, he expertly and reassuringly coaxed the children away. “Sorry, Lambo, I-Pin. I’ll take you to find juice and then play games with you next door, alright?”

Once they left, Kyoya Hibari looked back at the person beside him. Seeing her still wearing his oversized yukata and her pale blue hair unfastened, he asked softly, “What are you doing here?”

“Kina said it’s time for dinner.”

Jin Chaoyan looked around but couldn’t see a place set for dinner. She looked puzzled and asked softly, “Aren’t we eating here?”

“Wait a bit longer.”

Hibari spoke patiently. Noticing Sasagawa Ryohei hadn’t left yet, his voice turned sharp. “You’re still here? I have no intention of inviting you for dinner.”

Sasagawa Ryohei: “?”

He was about to speak, but saw the figure beside the man pinch his sleeve, looking up curiously. “Can I touch?”

“What?”

Hibari was startled by the question.

The woman, who had been obedient and slow since entering the hall, now reached out to grasp the back of his hand. Not content with blatantly “taking liberties,” she sensed no resistance and pushed further, sliding her fingertips between his, interlocking their fingers.

Sasagawa Ryohei: “!”

Compared to his shock, Kyoya Hibari actually hooked his lips with interest. He didn’t pull away from Jin Chaoyan’s action; instead, he looked at the most annoying “third wheel” in the hall. “How much longer do you plan to watch?”

“…Is she drunk?”

“As you can see.”

“…”

Sasagawa Ryohei kept his shocked expression. The “married” nerve in his brain finally kicked in, and he realized the situation. He turned and left without looking back, but at the door, he remembered something and gave a thumb-up:

“I knew you weren’t like the rumors! That tiger-penis wine I brought you is top-shelf stuff I went to extremes to get—remember to drink it!”

“…Take that disgusting thing with you!”

But the only answer was the sound of the door closing.

The room grew quiet again. Jin Chaoyan stared at their interlocked hands with great satisfaction. When she looked up and saw him watching her, she stared back blankly for a while. Recalling the guest’s parting words, she acted as a slow-reacting parrot:

“Remember to drink it?”

Kyoya Hibari: “…”

Though he knew the woman was drunk and slow-witted, seeing her act so foolishly made him chuckle. A dangerous light flickered in his grey-blue eyes as he warned her coolly, “I don’t need things like that. Understood?”

“Mhm.”

Jin Chaoyan nodded obediently and didn’t mention it again, following him to sit by the low table. Shortly after, Kina knocked and brought in dinner. Seeing them sitting so close, she was startled but reacted quickly. After placing both meals on the same table, she withdrew silently.

Seeing dinner, the woman looked troubledly at her right hand holding his, then looked at the small table with conflict. This expression was caught by Hibari, who asked with a light smile:

“Don’t want to let go?”

“Mhm.”

“You like it that much?”

“Mhm!”

Hearing her unhesitating emphasis, Kyoya Hibari gave a short, low laugh. Ever since their meeting at the bar street, he had noticed this woman loved staring at his hands, though she was never as honest as she was now, answering everything she was asked while drunk.

“Eat first.”

He said, “I’ll let you hold it again when you’re finished.”

She obediently let go, but in truth, she was full after only a few bites. Putting down her chopsticks, she went back to staring at him.

Her overly focused gaze felt intense. Hibari lost his appetite for dinner as well. Setting down his chopsticks, he suddenly asked her, “Do you know about Vongola and Millefiore?”

Jin Chaoyan nodded.

“And do you know why their selves from ten years ago were swapped?”

The woman nodded again, not forgetting the correct answer: “Rings.”

After saying this, she looked at the man expectantly with her violet eyes. The light of the hall fell into them, making her gaze sparkle as if she were waiting for something.

Hibari’s brow twitched slightly at her gaze. “What?”

Having waited a long time without him reaching out, the light in the woman’s eyes dimmed. She gave him a slightly aggrieved look, then lowered her eyes to stare at his hand. “You said we’d hold hands after eating.”

I’ve waited so long, why aren’t we holding hands yet?

“…”

Kyoya Hibari had no choice but to extend his right palm. To his surprise, after the woman grasped it, she seemed to remember something. She fumbled in the pocket of the yukata and pulled out a familiar-looking ring—a blue gemstone surrounded by two metallic wings.

“The Rain Mare Ring of Glo Xinia, White Spell 8th Squad?”

He asked, raising his chin slightly as he watched Jin Chaoyan slide the ring onto his ring finger.

Seeing the beautiful hand adorned with the handsome ring, Jin Chaoyan smiled and nodded. After a while, she remembered something. “It’s not mine. I picked it up. I have to return it to Chrome.”

She said very seriously, “I’m just letting you wear it for a little bit.”

Sensing the silence in the air, the woman thought he was angry. After thinking for a moment, she stood up while holding his hand, pulling him along as she headed outside.

Kyoya Hibari followed her all the way through the corridor, walking under the eaves where the night sky was visible. Their shadows overlapped under the lights until they entered her room—the one missing half a door. He watched her open the wardrobe, crouch down, and pull out a large burlap sack from the bottom.

It was filled with various broken metal ring fragments and some shattered purple gemstones.

The next instant—

A soft orange light lit up the room. Following Jin Chaoyan’s gesture of covering the air with one hand, it became an arched shield, enveloping the entire bag.

Seeing this, Kyoya Hibari leaned down slightly. His grey-blue eyes watched the soft light, asking with great interest, “What ability is this?”

“Santen Kesshun.”

As soon as Jin Chaoyan spoke, the orange light weakened slightly. At the same time, the flat bag with collapsed edges began to bulge. Even just looking into the mouth of the bag, one could see the gemstone edges beneath the orange light regaining their brilliant luster.

Until the shield vanished completely.

The bag of junk that had been before him instantly became the thing the man could not look away from.

A whole bag of collected Cloud Rings—ones he had used until they shattered, leaving nothing useful—were now restored to their original, brilliant state.

Jin Chaoyan pushed the large bag toward him, the metal clinking against the floor. Her violet eyes were full of pride. “These are yours.”

For the first time, Kyoya Hibari didn’t look at the rings. Instead, he stared into her eyes as if gazing at the most precious Cloud gemstone. The woman, confused by his gaze, pushed the bag again and asked him:

“Don’t you like them?”

“No, I like them very much.”

He replied.

The little squirrel wasn’t just wagging its big tail; it had even dug up all its winter food from storage to give to him. How could he not like them?

Hearing his answer, Jin Chaoyan broke into a happy smile again. Looking at the soft face and meeting his gentle gaze, she suddenly asked, “Then, do you want a kiss?”

The familiar word triggered the man’s memory of being rejected, but he didn’t show it. His lips merely turned up as he stood up straight and said to her, “I can.”

He said, “You do it.”

Jin Chaoyan stared at his lips. Rising from the floor, she proactively raised both hands to wrap around the back of his neck. While standing on her tiptoes, she tried to pull his neck down, but he remained motionless.

Even as she struggled to tilt her head back, she couldn’t reach his handsome lips.

Seeing the curve of his lips continue to rise, Jin Chaoyan—no matter how slow—realized she was being rejected, or even teased. Her strength waned, her heels returned to the floor, and her eyes downcast as she whispered, “You don’t want to kiss?”

“It’s that you can’t reach.”

Kyoya Hibari drawled the answer, feeling no guilt whatsoever about bullying a drunk person.

As he spoke, he looked down at the disappointed woman in his arms, wondering idly if she was about to cry.

But before he could think of an answer, she suddenly looked up again. Her soft body pressed against him once more. As her breath fell against his neck, her soft lips landed on his throat.

“…!”

The moment the amusement vanished from Hibari’s eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbed instinctively.

It was at this exact moment that the person who had just kissed him parted her lips and very lightly bit his Adam’s apple with her teeth, like a small, angry animal rising up against the oppression of a predator.

But she didn’t dare use force.

Rather than a bite, it was more of a nip—she was even a bit timid herself. After letting go, she gave a conciliatory, light lick.

The person who felt she had finished her kiss let go of her hands, intending to retreat in satisfaction. However, she found the man who had been standing relaxedly suddenly raised his hand to pull her back into his embrace. The strength of the arm around her waist was so great it made her let out a gasp!

But before those sounds could go further, her chin was tilted up by his hand. Subsequently, the remaining half of her sounds were completely blocked between their lips.

Jin Chaoyan’s eyes widened. At first, she didn’t react, but later, because the embrace was locked too tightly and she couldn’t breathe through her nose or mouth, she instinctively raised her hands to push against her captor’s shoulders. Yet she could never escape, until the strength of her resistance gradually softened…

Some time passed.

The woman in his embrace was finally released slightly. She opened her eyes in a daze, her palms having long since changed from resistance to resting against his shoulders. Suddenly inhaling oxygen, she couldn’t help but cough a few times.

Kyoya Hibari released one hand and patted her back rhythmically. After a moment, he reached back to her eye, wiping away the moisture that stained her flushed eyelids.

“Why are you crying?”

After wiping away the tear tracks, his fingertips slid down, brushing across her rose-like, full, and reddened lips, wiping away the traces like morning dew. His voice carried a hint of amusement again as he said:

“Wasn’t it you who wanted to kiss?”

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