After Transmigrating to Become Lady Skylark - Chapter 44

Chapter 44

When Jin Chaoyan woke up, the sky outside was just beginning to turn grey-blue. A sliver of golden light from the rising sun edged the horizon. She stared at the screen by the courtyard for a moment before realizing her sleeping position was a bit unusual—

The warmth pressed against her back, the strength of the arm around her waist, and the faint scent of fresh grass on the thin quilt made her, someone who had been single for over twenty years and was used to sleeping alone, feel a strange sensation of being enveloped by someone else’s aura. Her reflex was to flee.

But just as she moved, a puff of warm, moist breath fell near the nape of her neck, accompanied by a raspy, early-morning voice: “Awake?”

“!”

Beguiled by the proximity of that voice, Jin Chaoyan’s eyes widened silently. It took her quite a while to find her voice. “I… when did I fall asleep?”

Actually, what she wanted to ask was why they were lying so intimately in the same bed!

What on earth happened!

Her memory cut off completely after drinking that glass of sparkling wine yesterday afternoon… Wait, the wine… Did she black out again? Can someone really black out from low-alcohol fruit wine?!

Kyoya Hibari kept his eyes closed, showing no intention of letting go or getting up. After musing for two seconds, he replied, “A bit past ten.”

…Was he seriously answering that question?

Jin Chaoyan felt numb. After a while, she decided to stop overthinking the chaotic situation and instead reached up to pull at the hand resting on her waist. “Can… can you let go for a moment? My waist hurts a little.”

If it weren’t for the fact that this slight ache was the only thing she felt, she might have suspected she had drunkenly forced herself on Kyoya Hibari yesterday.

But why did her waist hurt?

Did she bump into something?

Before she could ponder the reason, the man who was supposed to let go suddenly tugged, causing her to turn over unprepared. She came face-to-face with that harmless, peaceful, just-woken-up countenance. Her eyelashes fluttered as she heard him whisper:

“How much of last night do you remember?”

“…”

The question immediately gave Jin Chaoyan a bad premonition. She guiltily averted her gaze, not daring to meet his eyes. She desperately searched her memory to see if she had done something to “pluck the tiger’s whiskers.” She decided to surrender first, regardless of the facts. “S-sorry, I won’t drink again next time. Did I do something to offend you? I really didn’t mean it…”

Hibari’s sleepiness gradually faded. Watching her expression, he guessed she remembered nothing. He raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. Then, he slowly lifted the hand that had been resting on her waist. His index finger traced the jawline beneath her ear, finally coming to rest at her chin.

As his fingertip applied slight pressure, Jin Chaoyan tilted her head up according to his lead. Ignoring the itch where he had just grazed her jaw and realizing their distance and posture were far too ambiguous, she reflexively raised her hand to cover the man’s mouth.

“W-wait!”

The man narrowed his eyes, a hint of amusement flashing in his grey-blue depths. He watched her expression shift from panic to sluggishness, finally settling into the color of a boiled shrimp. After observing with great interest for a moment, he parted his lips slightly against her palm, which wasn’t tightly sealed, letting his breath fall into the center of her hand:

“It seems you remembered.”

Jin Chaoyan: “!”

She pulled her hand away as if burned. Her mind was filled with the image from the other bedroom last night, of being kissed until her legs went weak. And when it ended, the man had wiped the tears she’d coughed out, offering a seemingly threatening reminder: “The rest doesn’t matter, but you’re not allowed to forget what just happened. Got it?”

Aaaaaah!

Violently attacked by dead memories, she vaguely recalled that this kiss had been initiated by her. Jin Chaoyan was embarrassed to the extreme. She pulled up the quilt and rolled to the other side. In an emotional state where her head felt as hot and steamy as a boiling kettle, she seriously considered if there was a skill in the shop that would let her hit Hibari with a brick and give him amnesia.

A soft chuckle sounded from outside the covers, as if he had enjoyed her embarrassment enough. This was followed by the rustle of clothes, and shortly after, the sound of the sliding bathroom door.

Silence returned to the bedroom. Jin Chaoyan brooded under the covers for a while until she heard the sound of small wings flapping and landing on the bed. She peeled back a corner of the quilt and, sure enough, saw Hibird hopping toward her.

“Chaoyan~ Chaoyan~”

She extended a fingertip and lightly brushed the bird’s cheek. “Morning, Hibird.”

Hibird spread its wings and tapped her fingertip with its beak. Its small head turned left and right, its black bead-like eyes searching for something. After a moment, its soft voice called out: “Hibari?”

“…Don’t call for Hibari!”

Jin Chaoyan whispered this with fake sternness. Hibird didn’t understand; it tilted its head and chirped even louder: “Hibari~ Hibari~”

“Then go find Hibari to feed you breakfast. Mommy’s on strike.” Jin Chaoyan flopped back onto the bed in defeat, her pale blue hair spreading out. The belt of her yukata had loosened slightly, and as she reached up to straighten it, another memory suddenly surfaced.

It was the scene after the kiss when she refused to go near him, only for the man to proactively take her hand and lead her back to the room to sleep.

—She was such an extreme hand-fetishist; as long as they were holding hands, she would be well-behaved. So she had quickly forgotten about being kissed until she cried and let him use her as a body pillow, lying in his arms motionless with her eyes closed.

“…”

Just kill me now.

How could she delete these socially fatal memories? Could she just ban her account and start over?

“Your face is even redder. What else did you remember?” The man, having finished washing up and emerging from the bathroom, glanced at her. There was a half-smile in his grey-blue eyes, as if he were looking forward to seeing Jin Chaoyan die of shame today.

The woman lying on the bed instinctively scratched the sheets. After a moment, her “mouse-like” courage swelled. Expressionlessly, she grabbed the pillow beside her. Before throwing it, her gaze drifted over and she happened to see the man standing in front of the wardrobe, reaching up to untie the sash of his yukata.

“!”

“What are you doing!”

Jin Chaoyan sat up as if startled from a deathbed, clutching the pillow and forgetting to throw it. Hibird was startled and flew to the foot of the bed. A moment later, she simply pulled the pillow into her chest and frantically averted her eyes, only daring to look toward the courtyard.

But that fleeting glimpse was enough for her to see the yukata slip from his shoulders, revealing the contours of his physique. His cold, pale skin was like frost and snow. Compared to the transparency she achieved through expensive whitening skincare products, this man relied solely on his natural genes to make others envious.

“Two reminders,” Kyoya Hibari replied unhurriedly as he turned his back to her, discarded the yukata, and put on a white shirt. “First, we are legally married. Second, this is my room.”

Therefore, it was perfectly normal for him to change clothes here, in front of her.

Jin Chaoyan: “…”

I’m truly grateful.

After sitting quietly for a few seconds, Jin Chaoyan recovered from the series of heart-stopping events. She felt she really needed to be calmer; after all, there was no reason for him—the one publicly disrobing—not to be shy while she—the one watching—felt embarrassed.

Even though this dog man’s personality was terrible, his body was definitely a benefit!

Even if Jin Chaoyan planned to find a well-behaved “puppy” boy to spend her days with after the divorce, she couldn’t deny that even the top host at a club couldn’t possibly have a better body than Kyoya Hibari. It would be her loss not to look!

“You’re right—”

Jin Chaoyan took a deep breath. Having reached a certain level of social death, she simply abandoned her pride. When she turned her head back, even though there was still a lingering blush around her eyes and her eyelashes were trembling slightly with unease, she spoke firmly to the man by the wardrobe: “Since we’re legally married, Hubby, could you please turn around?”

If she was going to look, she’d look enough to get her money’s worth!

The man, currently buttoning his shirt, paused at her words. Hearing this “mouse-sized” courage ballooning out, the smile at the corners of his lips deepened.

Sunlight had somehow crept into the courtyard at some point. The thin gold light passed through the screen doors and leaped into the room, unabashedly admiring the sight of a beautiful man dressing.

The man’s fingertips moved slightly, starting from the top button at his Adam’s apple and working down one by one, gradually hiding the abdominal muscle contours and lines that had been briefly visible. Then came the cufflinks at his wrists—

The lazy, somewhat unrestrained aura transformed back into a seamless, stoic air as his clothing became orderly again.

Kyoya Hibari casually took out a silver tie with thin black stripes. As he tied it around his neck, a lazy smile danced in his phoenix eyes beneath his long black bangs. His thin lips curved slightly as he asked:

“Have you seen enough?”

Actually, she hadn’t.

Jin Chaoyan felt she had spoken too late because she hadn’t seen the full set of abs. Now she really wanted to go over and lift his shirt. However, the aura of the man in the white shirt had changed slightly compared to usual; he no longer looked just mature, but rather like a “cold campus hunk” from a novel.

Although she didn’t know why he had suddenly swapped his purple shirt today, since she was the one getting the eye candy, Jin Chaoyan was satisfied. She began to wonder about another question:

“You like fighting so much, how come you don’t seem to have any scars?”

Was it because medical technology in the future, with things like Boxes, was too good?

Kyoya Hibari wore a look of “What are you talking about?” He pushed the tie knot to his collar, adjusted its position, and tilted his chin up, saying as if it were a matter of course:

“Because I am strong.”

Because he was strong, few could wound him—is that it?

Jin Chaoyan was struck by his arrogance, but thinking of this man’s world-renowned title as the “Strongest Guardian of Vongola,” she felt that she was the arrogant one for daring to ask such a question.

“If you’ve seen enough, get up,” Kyoya Hibari told her calmly as he stood by the wardrobe. “The thing made for you has arrived. Go to the training room and try it out.”

“Eh?”

Jin Chaoyan was startled. “What thing?”

What kind of thing requires a trip to the training room?

Her mind was filled with images of Sawada Tsuna being beaten by this man until the floor was full of craters. Her expression began to turn fearful.

But he didn’t answer. He simply picked out a suit jacket, put it on, caught the flying Hibird, and headed out.

Twenty minutes later.

Vongola Base, basement level eight.

Jin Chaoyan arrived, her hair tied in a high ponytail and wearing a black athletic outfit. The casual jacket featured a white zipper design, matching her shorts of the same color scheme. Combined with sneakers easy to move in, it was a fresh look, yet her apprehensive expression gave her a suddenly cute and innocent aura.

In the vast training room, targets stood in the distance. Nearby, a long table held several silver cases. The man in the suit stood by the table. For once, the weapon in his hand was not a tonfa, but a silver handgun with smooth lines and a sleek design. Hearing her, he turned and said: “Slow.”

“…Sorry to keep you waiting.”

She rubbed her nose, finding that as long as he wasn’t holding the tonfa, she was strangely relaxed. She walked to his side and asked, “You… know how to use this too?”

“It’s not for me.”

He handed the weapon over. “You try.”

Jin Chaoyan: “?”

She looked down at the lethal weapon in Hibari’s palm. When she reached out, she didn’t even know how to hold it. Just as she grasped the barrel, she heard him let out a light, sighing chuckle. “You really don’t know at all.”

“…Excuse me, how many people in a peaceful era know how to use one?”

Jin Chaoyan snapped back, her lack of logic bolstered by her confidence.

Kyoya Hibari nodded, not finding the situation unexpected. With a flick of his fingers, he spun the handgun in his palm with a beautiful flourish, then took her hand, teaching her the correct grip. “Don’t point the muzzle at yourself. Although it’s not a weapon I specialize in—”

He said, “It should be more than enough to teach you.”

“Watch closely; I’m only demonstrating once.” At some point, Kyoya Hibari had moved behind her. He raised her arms; while her right hand was parallel with her right shoulder, he slid the tip of his shoe between her feet. His breath fell near her ear as he aimed at the center of the target directly ahead.

She felt herself entirely enveloped in his embrace. While she was still dazed, the man pressed down on her index finger and pulled the trigger!

Bang!

The bullet flew from the muzzle, trailing a pale purple flame in the air. It split into several streaks, striking the bullseye and kicking up a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, the area around the bullseye was riddled with bullet holes.

Despite being a handgun bullet, it had produced a shotgun-like effect. Jin Chaoyan was completely stunned. Recalling the purple traces she had vaguely glimpsed, she turned and asked, “Did I just see Cloud attribute flames?”

Kyoya Hibari didn’t let her go. Holding the pose, his magnetic voice flowed directly into her ear. “Mhm. This is a custom-made handgun capable of firing bullets with flame attributes. As long as flames are stored in magazines with different functions beforehand, a regular person can use it.”

It was obvious.

This was not something Kyoya Hibari would use himself.

Nor was it a weapon he would like.

After all, compared to long-range attacks, he much preferred “biting his prey to death” with his own hands, listening to the wail of bone separating from blood.

“Why did you suddenly give me this?” she asked.

The man looked down at her, his voice as calm as ever. “Your previous attack methods had too wide a range and were severely restricted.” The simplest example was if her card suddenly ran out of money…

“It can help compensate for your lack of physical strength and deal with simple emergencies. In the short term, I can’t think of a way to improve your combat power faster than this weapon.”

After a pause, he reminded her calmly, “Don’t you want to personally witness the moment the Sword of Damocles falls?”

There was only one week left.

Kyoya Hibari was about to swap with his self from ten years ago.

He was quite confident in the plan he had devised with Sawada Tsuna and was prepared for any unforeseen circumstances. But before leaving, he suddenly realized he seemed to have a weakness.

—He wanted Jin Chaoyan to live safely until they met again.

However, he still didn’t plan to entrust her safety to those children from ten years ago, including his younger self. To this end, Hibari had the Foundation’s R&D department customize this weapon specifically for her, and even devised a training plan. He just didn’t know how far she could persevere.

Hearing him repeat the words she had once casually asked Kina, Jin Chaoyan forgot to wonder how he knew about her abilities. She only felt the “little deer” in her heart going wild, nearly smashing down the door to her heart.

Thump, thump, thump.

What was even more serious than her “brain rot” (which even zombies wouldn’t eat) was the sequence of events: from yesterday’s kiss, to waking up in each other’s arms this morning, to him customizing a weapon for her, infusing it with Cloud flames, and teaching her to use it with unprecedented patience, explaining the mechanics… All of it made Jin Chaoyan uncontrollably succumb to one of life’s three great illusions:

Kyoya Hibari seemed to actually like her.

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