After Transmigrating to Become Lady Skylark - Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Namimori, Coastal Bathing Area.

As the heat of summer faded and the weather turned cool, the number of tourists swimming at the beach had clearly dwindled. However, thanks to the nice view, sparse groups of tourists and scattered beach umbrellas could still be seen.

When Jin Chaoyan arrived with a swarm of Disciplinary Committee members, she didn’t quite understand the process. She instinctively looked toward the person she knew best, Vice-Chairman Tetsuya Kusakabe. “Mr. Kusakabe, who… exactly do we collect the protection fees from?”

Kusakabe, whose jaw was bandaged and who wasn’t much in the mood for talking, had been observing her with a strange gaze the whole way. He had no idea what her relationship with the Chairman was. If they weren’t close, no girl had ever been allowed to stand so near to him; but if they were close…

Kusakabe asked himself: he certainly wouldn’t send his beautiful girlfriend out to deal with the local thugs of Namimori.

However, Hibari’s attitude toward her was extremely special. Yesterday, he had even beaten two Disciplinary members for offending her. Thus, Kusakabe dared not neglect her. Pressing the wound on his jaw, he signaled a subordinate and spoke cautiously:

“Don’t worry, Jin-san. We can handle this.”

As soon as he finished, a youth with a pompadour stepped forward. He first went to a food stall by the beach, collected a stack of cash, and then moved to the next shop…

Five minutes later.

The Disciplinary members had even scoured a box, filling it with protection fees from all the shops at the bathing area. “All collected, Vice-Chairman.”

Eh? It’s that simple?

Jin Chaoyan instinctively sighed in relief and looked at Kusakabe. “Do we go to the next place now?”

Kusakabe had just nodded when a shout came from nearby. “Yo, Tetsuya Kusakabe! Long time no see. You’re doing well for yourself, even brought a girlfriend along for business this time?”

The voice was crude. Jin Chaoyan didn’t even need to turn around to know it wasn’t a “decent” person. Before she could clearly see the newcomer, she felt a gust of wind from a hand approaching her. Tilting her head slightly to dodge, she took a step back to see the group.

They were delinquent youths wearing only swimming trunks, with muscular builds but hideous faces. The leader, who had missed his grab, looked surprised. “Oh? The little beauty is quite spicy?”

As he spoke, the Disciplinary members behind Chaoyan and Kusakabe swarmed forward to surround them. However, a large number of similar thugs suddenly rushed out from nowhere, scaring away the nearby tourists.

The boy who had addressed Kusakabe rubbed his chin:

“I’ve been annoyed ever since the fireworks festival when I lost to your boss and those middle-school brats. Those fair-weather businessmen have changed their faces too. This is the perfect chance to teach you arrogant middle-schoolers a lesson about respecting your seniors.”

He wiped his nose with his thumb and gave a greasy smile. Looking at the Disciplinary members, who were clearly outnumbered, and their grave expressions, he clapped his hands:

“What, scared?”

“How about this: two choices. First, hand over the protection money and let this beautiful lady have some drinks with us. Second, just take your beating quietly. I’ll give you three seconds to think—”

Kusakabe instinctively moved to shield Jin Chaoyan, but he heard her smile and reply, “I pick option one.”

“Mr. Kusakabe, please take all the Disciplinary members and leave this beach for a moment. At the very least, retreat to that row of shops.”

Kusakabe stared at her in shock, thinking she was foolishly trying to take the fall for them. “Jin-san!”

The other boys were fired up by the “hot-blooded” notion that they could never let a girl shield them. They shouted “Vice-Chairman!” with righteous indignation, waiting for his command to charge and fight the thugs.

“What is it?” Jin Chaoyan looked at the group of unmoving boys. “Hibari told me to take you out to collect fees. Are you not planning to listen to me?”

Kusakabe: “…”

His scalp felt numb. He had intended not to budge an inch, but meeting Jin Chaoyan’s gaze, he felt a momentary sensation as if he were being stared down by the Chairman himself. He instinctively took a step back. This movement reminded him of her importance, so he bit his cigarette/grass stalk and reluctantly ordered:

“Fall back.”

This command made the opposing leader burst into laughter. “No way? Tetsuya Kusakabe, are you that spineless? But I have to admit, you made the right choice. It’s just a pity for this beauty. Next time you look for a boyfriend, remember to find one who can actually do something.”

[Water Style: Water Tornado]

Jin Chaoyan pulled this ninjutsu from the “dog store” warehouse. The moment she confirmed its use, the originally peaceful waves nearby were forcibly lifted by a surge of power. Without even gathering momentum over time, the water eerily spiraled into the air—

The thugs in swim trunks approached her. One step, two steps… the rising wave beside them was already taller than they were!

“Jin-san!”

Kusakabe, who had just reached safety with the others, was so shocked he dropped his grass stalk. At the same time, some of the thugs noticed the rogue wave and screamed, “Big Bro! Tsunami! Run!”

The brothers who had gathered so aggressively now scattered like startled birds. Jin Chaoyan raised her left hand and gave a casual flick. A towering wave crashed down upon them, even swirling to drag back a few who had almost escaped to the shore. Under the massive kinetic energy, the beach area was instantly submerged!

The tourists in the distance were stunned. Never having seen such a sudden, localized giant wave, some snapped out of it and began recording with their phones.

On the sand covered in seafoam, only Jin Chaoyan stood atop the water, her shoes not even wet. After the tide receded, she walked around the unconscious bodies littering the ground. Unable to find the one who had spoken so arrogantly, she looked up at the “stone-petrified” Disciplinary members on the shore:

“Mr. Kusakabe, could you come here for a moment?”

Kusakabe instinctively obeyed and walked over. He heard Jin Chaoyan ask, “Can you help find the leader of this group? We’re collecting beach protection fees; haven’t they paid yet?”

Her Water Style scroll was expensive! This move was a total net loss! She had to make up for it!

Kusakabe: “…”

He now knew why this girl was able to stand by the Chairman’s side. In a way, they were the same: possessing a refined exterior that hid any hint of lethality, only to reveal terrifying, unpredictable strength and a cold ruthlessness once they acted! And that contrast—speaking so politely while being so adept at “black-eating-black” (extortion)!

Seeing him dazed, Jin Chaoyan looked back at his subordinates. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt too?”

“N-no, no, no—”

Kusakabe shook his head mechanically and quickly ordered his men to find the arrogant guy from before. A few punches woke him up, and in his dazed state of coughing up seawater, they made him pay up immediately!

Jin Chaoyan looked at the surrounding youths who were waking up but lacked the strength to stand. She was satisfied with her control—injuries but no deaths. After confirming her own people were safe and scrounging wet cash from the thugs, she walked toward the next street quite happily.

“Mr. Kusakabe, how many more places do we have left?”

Half an hour later.

After finishing another street, Jin Chaoyan felt that Namimori was truly too large. The sight of the group behind her each carrying a box of money was too conspicuous. She couldn’t help but ask about the schedule.

“Are you tired?” As soon as Kusakabe asked, the subordinates immediately ran off to buy drinks and snacks.

For no other reason than this: following Jin Chaoyan out didn’t offer many chances for a fight, but they felt an unprecedented, spring-breeze-like warmth. This “Big Sister” had a great temper and was beautiful. Even if she caused unnecessary misunderstandings while collecting fees, she didn’t look down on them for being useless—she even protected them! Waaaah, what kind of happiness is this!

The Disciplinary members, who had never felt a shred of consideration for subordinates from Kyoya Hibari, wondered for a moment if they were dreaming.

“I’m fine?” Jin Chaoyan replied, only to find herself surrounded by food and drinks. She raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I can’t eat all this. How about everyone takes a break, eats something, and then we continue? We should have enough time, right?”

“Of course,” Kusakabe answered immediately. “Only the ‘Momokyo Association’ is left, and then we can head back.”

Speaking of that place, even though they had seen her skill, they were just middle-schoolers, whereas that was an adult organization. Their combat power would certainly be much higher than the middle-school thugs on the beach. Furthermore, it was far from the shore; Jin Chaoyan likely couldn’t use her previous move. He said concernedly:

“However, that organization has been expanding recently. They are numerous and dangerous… You don’t have to push yourself. Perhaps we can notify the Chairman to come?”

Of course, the price would be that they—the useless ones—would get beaten first. But with Jin Chaoyan’s protection at the beach fresh in his mind, Kusakabe felt he could take the hit.

“I’ll… try it first?” Jin Chaoyan took a sip of milk tea and replied uncertainly.

5:45 PM. A remote district, inside an old building.

Jin Chaoyan led her Disciplinary underlings forward. When they reached the front desk, they were barked at by a shirtless man with fierce tattoos on his shoulders:

“Stop! Who are you?”

“Namimori Middle School Disciplinary Committee.” Jin Chaoyan, wearing her neat school uniform, was the shortest and stood at the front. She spoke politely: “Mhm… we’re here to collect this month’s protection fee. Can you pay now?”

Kusakabe: “…” No matter how many times he heard it, he couldn’t get used to Jin-san using this weak, pitiful, and helpless tone to say such arrogant things.

The man at the front desk was indeed amused. His loud laughter drew out his companions who were playing billiards in the back room. “What’s going on?”

“There’s a pretty but brain-damaged little beauty here saying she wants to collect protection fees from us!” The tattooed man turned around, only to see his companion’s face pale instantly as he scanned the Disciplinary members. The man stared uncertainly at the girl in front.

He remembered the leader of this group was a handsome middle-schooler; why had it changed to a girl this time?

“Did you… change leaders?” the companion asked, ignoring the tattooed man’s laughter.

“No,” Jin Chaoyan shook her head. “The Chairman was too busy to come, so he sent us to collect on his behalf.”

Hearing that the terrifying guy who could surround an entire organization by himself wasn’t coming, the man’s expression shifted. He smiled at her. “Is that so? We have time to pay, but everyone is very busy today. If it’s not too much trouble, would this beauty mind coming inside with me to fetch it?”

“Sure.” Jin Chaoyan nodded, holding up a red brick she had swiped from somewhere. “Can I bring this in with me? Don’t worry, this is my only self-defense weapon.”

Kusakabe: “…”

He still couldn’t control his worried gaze, even preparing to provide support, until he heard one painful cry after another from the men inside.

Five minutes later—

Jin Chaoyan walked out looking a bit tired, carrying a box of money. She tossed the brick aside. “Collecting protection fees… is so exhausting.”

The Disciplinary members, who had never had it so easy, nodded in unison, telling her “Good work.” One sharp-eyed subordinate noticed a striking bit of red on the hand she used to toss the brick:

“You’re injured?”

“Eh?” Jin Chaoyan hadn’t even realized it. Reminded, she looked down and found that she had probably gripped the brick too tightly; the sharp edges had cut her hand at some point.

She had been fighting all afternoon and her mind was a bit muddled. She hissed in pain, completely forgetting she had the Yin Seal. Her head was full of stories about infections. Her violet eyes widened as she asked helplessly, “W-what should I do?”

“Please wait, we’ll go buy medicine for you right now!” The Disciplinary members rushed out in a chaotic mess.

Only Kusakabe remained, following her downstairs step by step. For some reason, even though Jin-san had demonstrated strength second only to the Chairman, he still felt she was incredibly fragile. He was even worried she might trip and sprain her ankle out of exhaustion.

As they emerged from the dark stairwell into the light, a voice drawled lazily:

“So slow.”

Jin Chaoyan froze. She turned to see Kyoya Hibari, who had arrived nearby at some point. The boy’s black jacket looked warmer in the orange glow of the sunset, though his cold, pale skin remained a color that felt detached from human warmth.

He was about to ask about the results when his gaze fixed on her raised, blood-stained finger. “Injured?”

Although he was asking her, his gaze fell upon Kusakabe behind her. His eyes were cold, and the glint of his tonfas was visible beneath his jacket.

“Mhm… um…” Jin Chaoyan didn’t notice his killing intent toward Kusakabe. She said instinctively, “The brick was too sharp; I accidentally cut myself while holding it.”

—It’s not as good as the weapon the future version of him gave me.

Hibari Kyoya: “?”

His movements stopped. His expression went blank for a second. Perhaps never having encountered this kind of “clumsy beauty,” he forgot to “bite to death” the useless follower Kusakabe. He was stunned for two seconds before asking in an almost incredulous tone: “You’re saying… you were injured by the weapon you chose yourself?”

“Mhm…” Jin Chaoyan caught a hint of mockery in his eyes and quickly added, “But the protection fees were all collected. They’re with Mr. Kusakabe, right? How much was it in total?”

Kusakabe spoke up immediately: “A total of 5.5 million yen, Chairman.”

More than before? Hibari raised an eyebrow, only to see Jin Chaoyan turn around in disbelief. “What? Only 5.5 million?”

Kusakabe: Only?

No one knew the pain flashing through Chaoyan’s heart. Thinking of the price she paid for the Water Tornado scroll, her eyes turned slightly red. “B-but… I lost six million…”

She thought the protection fees would cover it! How could this be?!

Jin Chaoyan looked dazed, like a little squirrel who thought it had enough food but returned to the burrow to find it empty. Tears welled in her eyes, and her rose-pink lips trembled…

“?” Hibari stood straight, his expression suddenly becoming grim. He asked word by word, “Vice-Chairman, what does she mean by ‘lost six million’?”

Could it be that this woman, because she couldn’t fight, paid those people her own money just to complete the fee collection project?

Kusakabe was also shocked. “Jin-san, when did you pay?” Could it be that when she went in to beat them, she was too kind-hearted to take their money and paid them out of her own pocket instead? But what about the missing 500,000 in the middle?

“I-I just lost six million… sniff…” Jin Chaoyan tried to hold back her grief, handed the box from Kusakabe to Hibari, and said with a nasal voice, “I-it’s okay. It was my money I lost; you still made a profit…”

Besides, this Hibari had taken her in; she’d just consider it room and board!

Hibari Kyoya: “…” Hearing this made him not happy at all.

Seeing him not take the box of money for a long time, Jin Chaoyan looked at him in confusion, tears clinging to her eyelashes. “What’s wrong?”

“…Thinking about why I would keep such a weak herbivore ten years from now.”

Hibari was truly perplexed and couldn’t figure it out. What confused him more was that his evaluation of this woman’s strength was far above the organization they just collected from. How on earth did she get bullied?

Jin Chaoyan, who was barely holding back her tears, went blank. “Are you… looking down on me?”

Plop. Plop. This time, the tears fell even faster.

After working hard all afternoon and finally completing the task only to receive this kind of evaluation, she couldn’t take it anymore. She didn’t plan to hold back. She truly started crying this time, causing the passersby who were quietly walking past to look over.

At this moment, Kusakabe felt that the Chairman was likely destined to be insulated from romance for the rest of his life. Even if Cupid came, he’d probably get hit with a tonfa before leaving—with a parting gift of: “With skills like yours, you thought you could hit me?”

He didn’t dare stay in this bizarre atmosphere, but Jin Chaoyan looked so pitiful crying. He was afraid that if she cried too much, it would annoy the Chairman, and then things would get ugly.

While Kusakabe hesitated, he saw Jin Chaoyan wiping her tears and saying to Hibari:

“I… I haven’t even said it yet…”

“My husband is a hundred times stronger than you!”

Kusakabe: “!!!”

What kind of chaotic relationship is going on between these two?!

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