"Do you know how long I have been waiting, Himiko?" Kyle crossed his arms and frowned playfully.
Himiko smiled the moment her eyes met his, then she scratched her head, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"Some stuff came up…" She sighed as her mind went back to the previous week.
At first, it was the assassin that nearly took off her head back in the manga shop; since that day she didn't have the nerve to return, lest her boss tear her to pieces.
And then there was the thing with the villain league as well…
'The last two weeks have been a butt load of work!'
But Himiko could not tell him that. She looked up at him, meeting his gaze, and for a second she had a thought—
What would happen if he were to find out?
Currently, Kyle probably saw her as some sort of innocent girl working in a book shop to make ends meet.
He did not know about her second life, neither did he know the things she had done, the people she had killed.
'Will it affect the way he sees me?'
It was strange, she never really cared about things like this, and she hardly knew Kyle even, but she could feel it…
He genuinely liked her.
Maybe not in a romantic way, who knows? But as a friend, he cared about her.
'When was the last time I had a real friend?'
Himiko tried to think back, but her mind was blank. It was hard to keep a friend when she craved the blood of those she was interested in.
Even her own parents couldn't accommodate her.
Himiko's mood dampened slightly, but suddenly—
"Ouch!"
She suddenly felt a sharp pain that brought her back to reality.
Kyle had flicked her forehead with his finger and was laughing heartily as a throbbing pain spread through her red forehead.
"Are you finally back? I didn't know you were the type to space out," he teased.
"Hey, that actually hurt!"
Himiko tried to reach for his forehead, but he was too tall for her; one hand was more than enough to render all her efforts futile.
She sighed angrily and stared past him when she noticed the long line of people in the cafe.
"It looks like today is a busy day…"
Kyle smiled wide. "Isn't it great?"
Himiko shrugged. "Sure, but the girl looks on the verge of collapsing." She pointed at the girl within the shop, her eyebrows creased slightly.
He raised a brow and stuffed a wad of cash into his pocket, immediately turning to see what Himiko was talking about.
When he noticed her, he breathed out a sigh.
"She's handling all orders and drink making alone," he muttered underneath his breath.
Kyle stroked his jaw as he watched Akiko. She had been working alone for about two hours now without any break, while Sakura handed out flyers.
It only made sense that she would be exhausted.
'If only I had another worker.'
Then he paused and turned to stare at Himiko.
"Hmmm…" He tilted his head slightly as he watched her.
Himiko tilted her head as well, as though she was his reflection. "Mmn?"
"Stay still, I'm trying to see if it will fit…"
"If what will fit?"
A bright smile appeared on his face a second later, and Himiko couldn't help but be lost in its brilliance.
She cleared her throat, a slight blush dotting her cheeks.
But Kyle, oblivious to her inner turmoil, barely gave her any time to react.
He grabbed her, pulling her to jog alongside him and into the busy cafe.
They walked past tons of customers who gave Kyle jealous stares, seeing that he was pulling a beauty alongside him.
Those jealous stares practically turned to hatred when he entered his office and shut the door behind them.
"Damn… did he really have to show her off like that?" one of the customers muttered angrily.
A call came from the girl at the counter, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Next!"
Her voice was light, energetic, and lively; coupled with the bunny uniform, it was an explosion of cuteness he could not bear to resist.
"Welcome to Kimimaru cafe!" she said cheerfully, the bunny ears on her head falling to the side and framing her face.
"What would you like to get?"
The man kept staring at her, his thoughts racing when another man shoved him from behind.
"O-oh, sorry. Give me everything on the menu…"
As long as he could see her for even a second longer, he would pay the price!
•••
"You want me… to wear that?" Himiko frowned as she stared at the bunny suit in Kyle's hands. "I didn't know you were the kinky—"
"It's not kinky!" Kyle sighed before he continued.
"I bought an extra one in case I got the sizes wrong, and it looks like it's your perfect size."
"Ehehe…" Himiko chuckled nervously. "I don't know about that…"
"Come on, you will look great in it!"
'This is my chance to get an extra worker, I can't mess it up!'
Kyle smiled and began folding the suit. "…but if you think those girls outside will do a better jo—"
"Wait."
'Bingo!'
"I'll test it out, just to see how I look though. I won't work in that!"
A few minutes later…
"Welcome to Kimimaru cafe!" Himiko said with a smile, then she paused.
'What am I doing?' she mused, immediately shooting Kyle a glare.
"You're a really good sweet talker."
"Hmm? Me??" Kyle asked innocently, which made Himiko laugh.
Working side by side, both Kyle and Himiko worked in the cafe, attending to the large number of customers that came in.
While they worked, they spoke at length, jumping from one absurd topic to the next. They even went to more serious topics, which allowed Kyle to understand a little more about her.
Himiko's poppy personality was like a breath of fresh air; just watching the way she would get excited over the littlest things or laugh whenever she found something amusing caused his heart to tingle each time.
'I really want to turn her…'
Kyle spent some time just watching her talk about comics, never getting bored no matter how long she spoke.
Before they knew it, night had come, covering the city in darkness.
"Get home safe, Himiko-chan!" Akiko said, smiling at Himiko.
Sakura smiled at her as well. "Take care!" Then she turned to Kyle and bowed slightly. "Please be well." She waved them goodbye and hurried up to join Akiko.
Now only Himiko and Kyle were left, standing awkwardly at the front of the shop, neither of them saying a thing.
They were supposed to go their separate ways, and yet, neither of them wanted the day to end.
Kyle still vividly remembered what he had told her the last time they met. 'If you ever want to see a world bigger than what is in front of you…'
Those had been his exact words.
And now she was here, but he was yet to show her the world—to make her understand that there are better ways to be free than being a villain.
Kyle wanted to show her a kind of happiness that she had never experienced, and this was his chance to do so.
He stole a glance at her…
Himiko was holding her hands behind her back, staring up at the clouds while humming a gentle tune.
Kyle, on the other hand, tapped her shoulder and asked, "Shall we explore the city?"
She raised her hand up excitedly. "Yes!"