After Transmigrating to Become Lady Skylark - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“Thump, thump, thump…”

The chopping board on the kitchen counter produced a slow, rhythmic sound. Jin Chaoyan felt the highly-present gaze behind her and couldn’t shake the feeling that she was an imperial chef in ancient times, making a meal for the emperor. She felt that if anything was even slightly subpar, she would be dragged away on the spot—

She lowered her head to look at the carrot sticks she was cutting. They were more precise than any she had ever made. She tried her best to ignore her “supervisor’s” gaze and, using the same method, cut a cucumber and a piece of ham.

The kitchen refrigerator always had pre-cooked rice in it, likely for making sushi and rice balls, which was perfect for Jin Chaoyan‘s purposes.

She took out the rice and a sheet of nori for sushi. She aligned it on the bamboo mat and, after a moment’s thought, even put on a pair of disposable gloves. She scooped the rice onto the seaweed, pressed it down, then arranged the pre-cut ingredients on top, sprinkled some pork floss, drizzled some salad dressing, rolled it up, and quickly sliced it!

Five minutes later.

Hibari Kyoya watched the plate of sushi she presented with an unreadable expression. He could tell at a glance that the pieces were of uneven width, the seaweed was loose, and the entire plate seemed to scream, “eat them quickly, or they’ll fall apart.”

Thinking about Jin Chaoyan’s confident, radiant state just now—she had been so close to humming a song—he was silent for a long time before he spoke again: “This is what you call cooking?”

What else would it be?

Jin Chaoyan looked at the plate in front of him. They were the best-looking pieces she could find; the uglier ones were on her own plate. She didn’t know what else this man wanted.

She was also silent for a moment, then feigned a sudden realization. “Right! There’s one more step!”

She took the plate back to the kitchen counter, took out her phone, turned on the food filter, found the right angle, and snapped a few photos. After her phone had “eaten,” she put the plate back in front of Hibari. Without looking at his expression, she began tapping away in a chat box on LINE.

derella: [Image] [Image]

derella: Chiyana! Look!

7NA: Oh my, did you make these sushi rolls? Madam, your learning ability is so strong! To make them so perfectly the first time you try is a great regret of my life—that I can’t taste them!

Jin Chaoyan sent a few puppy emojis asking for praise and put her phone away, feeling satisfied.

She looked back at Hibari, her bright smile undiminished. “If you don’t like sushi, how about I make you some ramen?”

Hibari Kyoya wanted to know just how confident she could get.

The result of his not refusing was that he watched Jin Chaoyan dump raw ramen noodles directly into a pot of boiling broth. She then dumped in some greens, pork bone, and char siu, waited for it to boil, and then scooped it all out with the broth—

In all his life, Hibari Kyoya had never seen a single Japanese chef cook ramen this way.

When Jin Chaoyan finally sprinkled some chopped green onions on top, thinking the presentation and taste were perfect this time, she turned around and heard a familiar cold voice tinged with a hint of inquiry:

“Would you mind telling me, which master chef did you learn to cook from?”

Based on what Hibari knew about the Konoe family, he couldn’t understand why this daughter of a corporate family, who should have taken domestic science classes, would so confidently cook a Japanese lunch in such a bizarre way.

Then he heard Jin Chaoyan’s answer: “Does something so simple require learning?”

“…”

Hibari Kyoya laughed.

He lowered his gaze to the bowl of chaotic stew. The smirk on his lips was full of mockery. A moment later, just as Jin Chaoyan thought he was about to give her his expert opinion, he took the bowl of ramen without saying a word, turned, and walked out of the kitchen.

…

“Mr. Kusakabe, can you tell me how long he’s staying in Tokyo?”

That afternoon.

Kusakabe Tetsuya, who had just finished clearing out the underground organizations in Tokyo and eliminating the Millefiore Family’s influence, had just come out of Hibari Kyoya’s room. After a few steps, he ran into Jin Chaoyan in the long corridor, who was feeding nuts to Hibird.

“Madam…”

Kusakabe heard her question, and his expression was quite complex. He had just been given a mission by Hibari to “investigate Jin Chaoyan’s life.” Now, he had run into Jin Chaoyan, who couldn’t wait to send her husband away like a plague god. He couldn’t help but ask what was on his mind:

“Did something happen between you two while I was gone?”

“He’s picking a fight with me.”

After recalling the lunch, Jin Chaoyan couldn’t figure out where the cooking process went wrong. But Hibari Kyoya’s attitude made her feel that her act was full of holes. After reflecting on herself three times, she concluded there was only one truth—

“I think that’s highly unlikely…” Kusakabe’s face showed hesitation, but his mind flashed to the images of the people who had genuinely been picked on by Hibari Kyoya, whose graves now had grass three feet high.

Why?

Jin Chaoyan completely failed to understand his hidden meaning. Thinking of Hibari Kyoya’s inscrutable attitude, she decided to eat out for the next few days to minimize their interactions. If she could reduce their time together, she might be able to keep her transmigrator identity a secret for a while longer. Dealing with this high-pressure environment, she felt like she was already losing her hair!

Jin Chaoyan, who had quickly managed to cheer herself up, put this unpleasant interlude out of her mind.

For the next few days, she would wake up and head out with her butler to shop, visit art galleries, and listen to concerts by bands in Tokyo. When she got back home, she would start unwrapping the products from the department stores and the packages that had arrived in the mail.

On one occasion, Kusakabe Tetsuya passed her corridor with a cleaner and was stunned by the boxes that had piled up, blocking the walkway and even spilling into the courtyard.

And the person who had shown such a powerful purchasing ability was napping on a lounge chair in the courtyard, with a large parasol shading her. On the table next to her was a glass of iced watermelon juice. She had sunglasses on her nose, and on top of her head was another pair of small, delicate, custom-made sunglasses.

Kusakabe looked closer and realized that behind the little sunglasses sat Hibird.

When he gasped in astonishment, the person and the bird both looked up at him from behind their sunglasses.

“Mr. Kusakabe, you’re here at the perfect time. Could you have someone help me move some things?” Automatically knowing that Chiyana couldn’t stay the night, Jin Chaoyan had a vague idea that Hibari Kyoya didn’t like having too many people in his residence. So, she always had people move her things in quickly while he was out.

But identifying and sorting the packages was taking a little too long.

“Of course, no problem. What are you planning, Madam?”

Kusakabe dutifully rolled up his sleeves, deciding to do the work himself.

He then watched as Jin Chaoyan explained the purpose of each box. Three boxes were for different flavors of bird food for Hibird. Three were for the different types of luxury villas she had chosen for it, which needed to be assembled. And one box contained various toys for Hibird that were suitable for it to play with at home.

The remaining massive pile of packages were for Jin Chaoyan herself.

When Kusakabe Tetsuya finished his work and was about to leave, he was stopped again. Jin Chaoyan smiled at him, pointing to another box on the side. “You’ve worked so hard for me these past few days and I’ve caused you a lot of trouble. These gifts are for you. I hope you won’t dislike them.”

“…?!”

Kusakabe was shocked by such a grand display of gratitude. It was at this moment that a powerful sense of guilt welled up inside him: I’m secretly investigating the Madam behind her back. This feeling was so strong that he even started to secretly condemn Mr. Kyoya for his indifference to such a gentle, considerate, beautiful, and kind wife!

…

After Kusakabe left, Jin Chaoyan readjusted herself on the lounge chair into a comfortable position. She picked up her phone and continued to study the “Money-Is-All-You-Need” shopping app, which she couldn’t uninstall.

Customer Service 001: A dangerous person has been detected! They are only 500 meters away from you! Be alert! [This is a system message]

Customer Service 001: A dangerous person has been detected! They are only 500 meters away from you! Be alert! [This is a system message]

The mall started sending her notifications non-stop.

Jin Chaoyan scrolled up and found that in the time she hadn’t opened the app, it had sent her dozens of these exact same messages.

First, a sense of fear washed over her as she realized she had narrowly avoided a “dangerous person” many times. After a moment, she couldn’t figure out who would dare to act so recklessly on Hibari Kyoya’s turf.

So, she opened the customer service page. “Are you lagging?”

001 instantly replied: “Operations are normal. Please do not worry, my esteemed guest.”

Jin Chaoyan took a screenshot of the system notifications and sent them. “Then what are these?”

Customer Service 001: “This is a free service for our esteemed guests. When a character in the top ten of the world’s combat power ranking enters a one-kilometer radius of you, the mall system will automatically start broadcasting.”

This is so thoughtful?

Jin Chaoyan remembered the sarcastic voice she heard in her mind that night and didn’t quite believe it. But she was also a little worried about this danger always lurking nearby, so she opened the mall page, hoping to find some kind of self-defense item.

Half a minute later.

She stared at the only item listed in the entire mall, which had three different prices.

[Susanoo from another world – 3 minutes of limited experience]

Fool’s Edition: 1,000 yen

Empress’s Edition: 100,000 yen

Ultimate Edition: 1,000,000,000 yen

She stared blankly and tapped the item’s icon. A description popped up: “How strong is Susanoo? Surely no one who has watched Naruto would not know, right? Right?”

Jin Chaoyan: “…”

The sheer mockery made her decisively tap back to the customer service chat. “How do I file a complaint?”

Customer Service 001: “Esteemed guest~ That feature doesn’t exist~”

Jin Chaoyan: “…”

She took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to get into a passionate argument with this ridiculous customer service bot. After a moment, she returned to the mall page and studied it for a bit, finding that there was also a detailed page. She clicked on it without much hope.

Fool’s Edition Description: You want to use it without the Mangekyō Sharingan? Then go ahead and try. I guess only a cockroach with the vitality of a spirit could withstand the backlash 😀

Empress’s Edition Description: As long as you’re confident enough, the mall system will randomly provide a side-effect shielding mechanism. What if you just happen to defeat your enemy without a scratch? Only an Empress can understand the joy of the gacha!

Ultimate Edition Description: As long as the money is right, anything is possible. We guarantee a safe, side-effect-free experience tailored just for you. We can even help calculate attack distance and trajectory, and you’ll have customer service guiding you in real-time to maximize its effect. Aren’t you going to get one, you rich person?

“…”

Jin Chaoyan expressionlessly swiped on the page and closed the mall.

Customer Service 001 seemed to sense it and began to try to get her to stay: “Are you not satisfied with today’s item? Our listed items are randomly refreshed daily. If you miss it, it’s gone for good. Don’t you want to experience the feeling of using it in this world?”

“I do, but I’m broke,” she replied succinctly.

Customer Service 001: “You’re joking. Our mall never scams poor people~”

“…”

One word: Get out. And I’m only saying it once.

Just as Jin Chaoyan was so furious with the scam mall that she felt two Buddhas ascend to Heaven, Kusakabe Tetsuya, holding the huge stack of boxes, happened to run into Hibari Kyoya, who was returning.

He quickly moved aside and bowed his head. “Mr. Kyoya.”

The man had returned from who knows where, with a cold, killing intent that had not yet fully subsided. He was in an excellent mood. Seeing the packages in Kusakabe’s arms, he casually asked him if he had also gotten interested in online shopping lately.

He didn’t expect an answer, but Kusakabe Tetsuya seized the opportunity and suddenly began to lavishly praise Jin Chaoyan, praising her to the heavens.

“These aren’t mine…”

He enthusiastically listed the kindness of the mistress of the house, from her good deeds toward her subordinates to the dozens of packages she had bought for Hibird. Finally, he casually mentioned the gifts she had given him.

As Kusakabe Tetsuya reached the end of his speech, he realized that the wind blowing through the courtyard had stopped at some point. The surroundings were silent, and even the rustling leaves were motionless.

He slowed his pace hesitantly, keenly sensing that Hibari Kyoya’s mood was getting worse and worse, but he couldn’t understand why. He could only quickly summarize his conclusion in a few sentences.

“…In short, the Madam is truly kind-hearted, considerate, and thoughtful.”

Hibari Kyoya replied lukewarmly: “Is that so?”

His lips curled slightly, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. His gray-blue phoenix eyes were still cold. A moment later, he spoke: “Since she’s as generous as you say, go get the gift she bought for me.”

“…”

Kusakabe Tetsuya was silent for three seconds. He finally realized he had just stepped on a landmine of epic proportions.

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