Himiko leaned forward slightly, one finger still on her cheek while the other was at her back.
"If you win… I'll do anything you say…"
At first, Kyle blinked, and then slowly, a mischievous smile appeared on his face.
"Anything?"
Himiko nodded, her confidence was so high that it was practically oozing out of her skin.
"Okay…" he lifted his bat and rested it on his back. "Then let's add another stake, shall we? If I hit every ball after this, you will tell me what you were thinking earlier."
Himiko covered her mouth with her sleeve and snickered, struggling to stop herself from laughing.
"Sure, sure, good luck."
Kyle raised a brow. "Good luck to you too…"
Ten minutes later.
~ 62 - 80
Himiko was sprawled out on the floor, her chest rising and falling as she took heavy breaths. "You dirty cheater!"
Kyle was standing next to her, not even a drop of sweat on his face. "How did I cheat?"
"Y-you—argh." Himiko pouted and looked in the other direction, her arms folded across her chest.
It was comical.
Kyle stared at her for a few seconds before he bent over, laughing so loudly that his voice resounded through the center.
Himiko raised her legs and boosted herself to a standing position in one fluid motion, then she playfully punched him repeatedly.
"Stop laughing!" she angrily yelled, her face turning red from embarrassment.
When Kyle finally settled down, Himiko sighed and poked his chiseled arm.
"W-what do you want?" she asked, still looking slightly annoyed.
"What do I want? Hmmm, let me think…"
Kyle paused for a moment before smiling.
"Oh, that should do."
Himiko raised a brow. "What am I will d—"
She froze, her body growing stiff as Kyle leaned in, his face mere inches away from hers.
Himiko felt her heart skip a beat.
Kyle's warm breath was tickling her jaw, his lips mere inches away from hers, and his devastatingly alluring eyes boring into her golden pupils.
'What is this feeling?' Himiko thought, her heart pounding in her ears.
He had trapped her with that move alone, and her body was reacting in ways she had never imagined.
Her face blushed a violent pink as she slowly dragged her foot from side to side, her eyes avoiding his gaze only to find their way back a few seconds later.
Then Kyle smiled just before he whispered in her ear. "I'll tell you later…"
Then he suddenly took a step back and glanced at his watch.
"Y-you… Wh-y—argh!"
One second it was as though she had been tossed into a hot furnace, and the next moment it felt as though she had been thoroughly soaked in freezing cold water.
'What did he mean by later? Does that mean he had another thing in mind? Something even more than a k…'
Her face turned even redder this time and she bent her head to avoid his gaze, just before punching him hard in the stomach.
"L-Let's go!"
•••
It was now about 11 pm, they were just about one hour from the time sinners came out to pla—
Hey author, you've used that line before…
Oh really, Uhum…
It was about 11 pm, the streets were growing scantier the more time blurred past, but just as more people retired to the safety of their warm beds, new people were slowly replacing them.
The night walkers.
Insomniacs, if you could call them that, people who slept during the day and awoke at the dead of night.
This only meant that even as the population of people dropped, a livelier set had replaced them.
Kyle left his car where he parked it, deciding to enjoy the night on his own two feet as opposed to four. Himiko was skipping by his side, a light smile on her face as her eyes roamed the streets.
She had been out at night many, many times but never like this. To her, the night was a time for hunting, a time where she could satisfy her cravings under the cover of darkness.
But now…
She stole a glance at Kyle before looking back to the road.
Now, Toga wasn't even sure what she was thinking, all she knew was that she never wanted the night to end.
As they were enjoying their quiet stroll, Kyle picked up a pleasant sound of music somewhere far away.
He paused and listened in, slowly rocking his head to the beat of the music.
"They're talented…" he muttered to himself, but Himiko heard him and turned to face him.
"Hmm?"
Kyle smiled. "Let's make a little stop first."
Himiko definitely couldn't hear what he was hearing, but with his enhanced senses, Kyle directed them to the spot the sound was coming from.
By the side of the road was a petite woman playing the guitar gracefully, her slender fingers gliding over the strings as she hummed along to the tune.
The case of her guitar was open in front of her and although it hadn't been long since she began, she had already received some tips from the ones passing by.
Some people even stopped in front of her, clapping along with her tune.
When Kyle arrived, he dug his hand into his pocket, pulled out a generous tip, and placed it in the case.
The woman beamed immediately she saw the money, then she glanced up at Kyle and tilted her head slightly in thanks.
"Any requests?"
Kyle shrugged and then gave it a little thought. "Anything danceable? Or never mind if it's too difficult."
She was currently playing soft, calming music and Kyle knew that some musicians stuck to a certain genre.
But to his surprise, she jumped up, her eyes flashing as she adjusted her guitar.
And then she began to play, her fingers moving faster than ever. In just a few seconds, the calm environment had transformed into something else.
Everyone was moving at least one body part, either their heads, feet, or fingers as they snapped to the beat.
And then Himiko grabbed Kyle's hand, an excited smile on her face as she moved to the song.
"Do you know how to dance?" she asked, stylishly dancing around him.
'Dance?'
Kyle and dancing were polar opposites. Before his reincarnation, he was the 'electric noodle'—quick in movements but destructive in nature.
He was probably a bit better now due to his vampire senses, but he would not bet his life on it.
And yet when he opened his mouth, he smiled as he watched her. "I am an expert."
Himiko chuckled and then pulled him with her, both of them swaying to the music along with the crowd.
While Kyle stuck to simple moves most terrible dancers like himself knew, such as the one step forward, clap, and then one step back, repeat…
Yeah, I'm sure you know what I mean…
Himiko, on the other hand, was rather talented. It was only through dancing that Kyle got to see her show off her flexibility.
Soon, most people stopped to watch her, everyone clapping rhythmically to the two of them, Himiko being the star of the show.
The music continued for a few minutes, and by the time it was over, the street performer's case had received several other donations and Himiko had danced to her heart's content.
She took in a tired breath, breathing heavily and then laughed. "Hey, you're not that bad!"
Kyle sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "No need to stylishly mock me."
Himiko was about to answer when a loud shout pulled their attention to the side.
Walking through the crowd was a man with a drill for a head. His arms were taut with muscle and he wore a vicious smile on his face, eyes locked on the money case in front of the performer.
Kyle could smell the cliché villain from a mile away.
"Nobody makes any funny moves except you want a hole in yer heads!" he sneered, his eyes roaming over the crowd.
It was as though the crowd was just waiting for the confirmation that he was a villain, because at that moment, everyone dispersed, fleeing in all directions.
The only people left were Kyle, Himiko, and the street performer.
The villain brushed past Kyle, shooting him a glare before walking up to the woman. But before he could grab the case, the woman ran in front of him, arms spread wide, a daring look in her eyes even as she trembled.
"N-no, please, I need this money."
"HUH?!" The villain looked genuinely confused. "But I also need that money…"
Kyle sighed. 'Is this guy an idiot?'
..
..
..
A/N
After this arc, we will be moving to the sports festival arc where we will dive back into some sweet fight scenes ;)