2006, Japan, Chiba Prefecture.
A boy in the uniform of a nearby middle school stood by the roadside, watching the endless stream of cars pass with a pair of lifeless eyes.
He was tall for his age, with short black hair styled into an American textured crop.
His features were refined, second only to you fine readers sitting beyond the screen.
His name was Hibari.
Hibari, as in skylark.
Of course, he had absolutely nothing to do with that Hibari from Reborn!.
This was his full name.
There was also an actual skylark nesting on top of his head.
Hibari called it “Hibari No.
2.” Hibari’s father was Chinese.
By chance, he came to Japan to study abroad, where he met a Japanese university student.
The two of them naturally fell in love and then stepped into marriage together.
A perfectly ordinary story.
So why was Hibari here?
Because of his parents’ work, Hibari had grown up here since childhood.
“Screech.” At that moment, a car that looked expensive at a glance pulled up not far away.
Soon after, a middle school girl as pale and pristine as snow stepped out of the car.
She asked, “What are you doing here?” Her name was Yukino Yukinoshita.
As her name suggested, she carried a coolness like winter snow, and at the same time a fragility like a snowflake, as though she might melt if touched.
Of course, if you thought that appearance made her easy to bully, you would be dead wrong.
Yukino Yukinoshita was the second daughter of the Yukinoshita family, one of Chiba Prefecture’s local powerhouses.
She had been sent overseas for elementary school and had only returned to Japan this year.
Her family had four members: her parents, her older sister, and herself.
But Hibari had always felt there was something wrong with the way that family got along.
Even Yukino herself felt that, aside from her father, her mother and sister treated her as though they were isolating her.
That was how she had developed such an unapproachable personality.
“Can’t you tell?
I’m spacing out.” Hibari bit lazily on his straw with no real purpose.
“You really do have too much free time.
So bored you’re playing with a straw.
If all you can do is breathe, the air conditioner in a convenience store is more useful than you.” “You’re as merciless as ever when you talk.” “I’m merely stating facts.” Yukinoshita gave a light snort and folded her arms across her chest, looking faintly pleased with herself.
“Stop squeezing.
No matter how hard you try, you’re not going to produce anything.
You don’t have the talent for it.” Hibari looked at her flat chest and struck without mercy.
“Has your brain been completely corrupted by adult material?” Yukino was furious, but she did not show it.
If she got angry, she lost.
That was the game between the two of them.
The first one to get angry lost first.
Yukino had only returned to Japan for middle school this year, so how did Hibari know her?
And how did he know the Yukinoshita family so well?
The reason was that Hibari’s parents and Yukinoshita’s mother had been classmates in both high school and university.
Hibari and Yukino had known each other since childhood.
They were childhood friends.
“Still better than your pectorals, which haven’t developed after all this time.” This naturally evil little Hibari brat.
He only knew how to attack my…
Yukino did not want to continue this topic.
If they kept going, she really would get angry.
“Grrr…” While her brain was working overtime, thinking of a counterattack, Yukino’s stomach betrayed her and growled.
“Hungry?” “…I cannot deny it.” “Then let’s eat.
I know a pretty good ramen place.
After we eat, come with me to buy a few things.” Yukino looked back when she heard that.
This was not high school yet.
She had not moved out on her own, so she had to go home after school.
“Don’t worry.
Just tell that tigress Mrs.
Yukinoshita you’re with me.” Yukino’s mother was even fiercer than a tigress.
“…Tigress…
pfft.” For some inexplicable reason, the nickname hit Yukino’s laugh button.
Realizing she should not have laughed, she coughed once to cover it up.
“I’ll tell Mother that nickname of yours word for word.” “If I’m scared of her, I’ll take your family name.” “Hah.
So your true colors finally show.
You’ve been coveting my beauty since we were little after all, determined to be with me and marry into the Yukinoshita family.” “Is it possible that the one I’ve been coveting is your sister Haruno and not you?
After all, your sister has real talent.” Hibari made a gesture with his hands.
This time, Yukino truly got angry.
She walked up and bumped him with her elbow.
“Are you trying to act cute?” “No.
I was counterattacking your remark.” What kind of lunatic hit someone that softly?
…
A little while later, after finishing their ramen, the two of them arrived at a shopping mall to buy some basketball equipment.
“Basketball?” “Yeah.
Basketball.” “You’re going to play?” “That’s right.
I’m going to play.” Yukino instinctively leaned back, disbelief written all over her delicate face.
As far as she knew, Hibari had never had anything worth showing off since elementary school, whether in academics or sports.
The only thing about Hibari worth mentioning was his face, which had earned him plenty of confession letters from girls since childhood.
Back in sixth grade, Hibari had even been hugging some girl.
That had left Yukino feeling irritated for quite a while.
Seeing her reaction, Hibari’s face darkened.
“Just how terrible is my image in your heart?” Yukino raised her index finger.
Then she felt that was inappropriate and raised her pinky instead.
“About this terrible.” “A scumbag who won’t even spare a sixth-grade elementary school girl.
How good do you think your image could possibly be?” Hibari’s face darkened even more.
“Didn’t I already tell you?
That was the three-legged race at the school sports festival.” “Hmph.” Yukino refused to listen.
The photo her sister had sent her was still vivid in her memory even now.
“So, you’re really going to play basketball?” The topic finally returned to basketball.
Any more of that and people would think this was a slice-of-life story.
“Of course.
I’ve already bought the stuff.
How could it be fake?” Yukino fell silent for a while before asking, “Are you sure you like basketball?” “Of course.
I really like basketball.” “Liar.” Yukino whipped her twin tails at him.
“I’m going home.
Walk me back.” “Can’t you walk by yourself?” Hibari rolled his eyes, but he still picked up the basketball and walked her home.
Whether he liked it or not.
That question did not seem very important in the adult world.
In the adult world, money was the most important thing.
Its scent was more intoxicating than the finest perfume.
Hibari was someone who had been reborn.
He had already been in this world for more than ten years.
At first, he thought he was about to soar.
Who knew this world was not the way he had imagined?
This year was 2006, a World Cup year.
China’s men’s national football team had somehow charged into the quarterfinals.
Was there anything more fantastical than that?
That alone caused many of Hibari’s overnight-riches plans to die in the womb.
And then, coincidentally, while he had been spacing out today, the system arrived.
…
Please add this book to your library!