Chapter 50: Valmont's Arrival!
"Also."
Kazama pointed at Yukino's current face—now swollen with a split lip.
"Could you please protect my face a bit? I don't make a living with my looks, but it'd still be troublesome if I got disfigured."
"You..."
Yukino was speechless, that brief moment of gratitude instantly evaporating.
"Alright."
Kazama waved toward the side.
"Kerberos, drag that thing over here."
Kerberos, who had been hiding nearby trembling, immediately flew over, carrying the still-unconscious lizard.
"Come on, hold out your hand."
Kazama commanded.
Yukino instinctively extended her hand.
Without any hesitation, Kazama reached out with those slender little hands and grabbed that larger hand.
"Release!"
This time, the Sealing Key finally responded and transformed back into the staff.
A golden magic circle spread beneath their feet. Wild winds rose, blowing Kazama's long hair and Yukino's clothes.
"Clow Card, I command you—return to your original form!"
As Kazama finished the incantation, the lizard on the ground transformed into a stream of light that finally condensed into a card, slowly floating down onto their overlapped palms.
"The Change."
Kazama glanced at the card and casually stuffed it in his pocket.
"Done."
Kazama breathed a sigh of relief. Finally solved this hot potato.
Then he released her hand, put the card away, and looked at Yukino still standing there clutching her stomach with a pale face.
Although the card was sealed, the body swap still needed time to cool down.
School was a place of trouble for him. With Yukino wearing this hate-attracting face, she could barely move around here.
To prevent accidents with his own body, Kazama suggested:
"You can't stay at school looking like this. Why don't you go outside somewhere, or go home?"
Yukino shook her head.
She had nowhere to go.
Go back to that apartment where she lived alone?
First, would the security even let her in? And what if she ran into neighbors? Her reputation would be ruined.
Plus Haruno had been dropping by a lot lately.
Better safe than sorry.
Seeing Yukinoshita's conflicted expression, Kazama knew she had nowhere to go.
Though it was troublesome, he couldn't really let his own body wander the streets.
"Forget it. Just come to my place then."
"Huh?"
Yukino's eyes widened.
"Your place? You mean... I have to be under the same roof with you..."
"What else? Should I let you wander the streets? Besides, if we're living together, I'm the one who should be worried."
"Can't you just find me a 24-hour library to stay in?"
"Where would you use the bathroom?"
"....."
Yukino had no response, and Kazama continued:
"Relax, I live alone. No parents checking in, no sister harassing me. Plus I have no interest in doing anything weird to 'my own' body."
Yukino bit her lip.
After weighing the pros and cons, she found she really had no other choice.
"...I understand."
She lowered her head, her voice carrying a sense of resigned humiliation.
"Then I'll impose on you."
Kazama waved dismissively and turned to leave.
"Hurry up and follow. Let's slip out before school ends and the teachers notice we're skipping."
"Remember—don't talk on the way, don't make unnecessary movements. Especially don't make that aggrieved little girl expression with my face. It's disgusting."
"Shut up, Kazama."
---
The two spent half an hour getting back to Kazama's apartment.
As Kazama unlocked the door with his key, Yukinoshita Yukino stepped into the entrance and looked at the scene before her. Her mouth couldn't help but twitch.
"This is where you live?"
"Kazama-kun, do you perhaps enjoy the 'bare walls' decorating style?"
Kazama behind her frowned while removing his key, thinking that although he was an orphan, he wasn't poor to that degree. When he looked up, he froze too.
As far as the eye could see—
His small nest, which although not luxurious had at least been neat and orderly, now looked like it had just experienced a level-eight typhoon plus earthquake.
The shoe cabinet doors hung wide open with shoes thrown everywhere.
Books and clothes littered the floor. Drawers had been pulled out and tossed aside. Even the pots and pans in the kitchen had been smashed all over.
They'd clearly been robbed!
Just as Kazama was about to go in and assess the damage, an extremely abrupt round of applause suddenly came from the sofa's direction.
"Clap, clap, clap."
Then a tall man in a signature green suit slowly stood up.
He held a glass of red wine he'd somehow found, his golden hair combed immaculately. Though his face wore a smile, those narrow eyes held a bone-chilling viciousness.
That innate superior's presence, that aura with "I'm the villain BOSS" practically written on his forehead—
Kazama recognized this uninvited guest's identity almost instantly.
Valmont.
The main antagonist from the early period of Jackie Chan Adventures—early swagger maxed out, later poverty-stricken and washing dishes—leader of the Dark Hand gang.
Though judging by his current outfit, Valmont was clearly still in his peak period with Dark Hand funding support. His boss aura was perfectly maintained, without any of that later destitute feeling.
He'd arrived faster than expected.
And judging by his calm composure, he'd obviously come prepared.
Valmont swirled the wine in his glass, looking at that wary boy.
"I thought I'd have to wait here until dark, but you came back so quickly, Mr. Kazama Chiba."
"Although having someone of my stature wait in this pile of garbage for several hours is quite rude, considering you're still a high school student, I can magnanimously forgive you once."
"Who are you?"
Yukino looked at this suddenly appearing weirdo, her body instinctively tensing.
Though she didn't know his background, that dangerous aura made her understand this was definitely no ordinary home invasion.
Kazama didn't show much surprise.
He was currently using Yukino's body. That venomous tongue belonging to the second Yukinoshita daughter was imitated to perfection.
"I don't recall ordering any delivery service."
"Hehe."
Valmont laughed from sheer anger.
He set down his wine glass, murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
"Young people these days are increasingly rude. Little girl, what about me looks like a pizza delivery guy?"
"Everything."
Kazama continued with the venom.
"Especially that vibe of thinking you're handsome when you're actually just a well-dressed scumbag. What, are you trying to sell your special pickled herring pizza?"
"Hmph."
Valmont snorted coldly, clearly losing interest in continuing the verbal sparring.
His gaze passed over Kazama and landed directly on Yukinoshita Yukino behind him—currently wearing Kazama Chiba's body with a dazed expression.
In Valmont's view, that was the real target.
And the sharp-tongued little girl in front was probably just Kazama Chiba's girlfriend, or some unlucky passerby.
"Mr. Kazama."
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Valmont. Perhaps you haven't heard the name, but it doesn't matter. I'm a businessman who dislikes beating around the bush, so please hand over what's mine."
Yukino felt her hair stand on end being stared at like that.
"I don't know you."
She forced herself to speak.
"If you're looking for trouble with Kazama Chiba, you've got the wrong place. There are only law-abiding citizens here, nothing you're looking for."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Valmont raised an eyebrow, seeming somewhat surprised by the boy's reaction.
"I don't have time to listen to you recite legal codes. Hand it over and you and your girlfriend can leave safely."
"Thing? What thing?"
Yukino froze.
She had no idea what he was talking about.
And Valmont's patience was clearly limited.
"The ceramic lamp you spent a fortune buying at the auction. Hand it over. Then I'll pretend today never happened."
Ceramic lamp.
Yukino instantly recalled—
That auction from a few days ago, the ceramic lamp her sister and Kazama competed for?
She'd been there too and remembered that because of her sister Haruno's interference, Kazama ended up buying it for four million yen.
At the time, Yukino had wondered why someone as shrewd as Kazama would spend so much money on a broken lamp.
So it was because of this?
But was that ceramic lamp really that important?
Just for a lamp, this man directly tracked them down and smashed up someone's home like this?
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