After Drill Head was knocked out cold, Himiko and Kyle excused themselves from the scene, waving the street performer goodbye.
She had already called the police, and neither Kyle nor Himiko wanted to be around when they arrived.
By now, it was far into the night, and they had both explored a good part of the city. Yet, there was more to see.
Musutafu was a large city after all.
"What are the hoodies for?" Himiko asked, twisting her body to show off the clothing.
On their way, Kyle had made a stop by a shop and gotten two hoodies, one for each of them.
Although it was a bit chilly, Kyle had gotten the hoodie for a different reason.
He smiled and glanced at her. "You'll find out soon…"
Himiko sighed and stared at the building they were currently standing in front of, a large skyscraper that towered above every other building in the area.
Because of how high it was, the building was a hot spot for both tourists and locals that wanted to see the city from the sky.
But now that it was late, the roof was most likely bare, the perfect place to have a conversation.
"Remember our bet?"
While they played baseball, Himiko and Kyle had made a bet with two conditions.
The first was that she would do anything he said, a boon he was reserving to use very soon, while the second one was that she would tell him what was bothering her.
Himiko seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself, but Kyle knew that everything was not alright with her.
He had watched the show, so he knew how much she hid behind that beautiful smile of hers, the demons she caged within her heart…
But Kyle could not address any of them because Himiko had not told him yet.
Acting as though he knew so much about her when she never mentioned a thing to him would not just feel weird but probably invalidate anything he was going to say.
He smiled and nudged her elbow. "You agreed to tell me what was bothering you…"
Himiko's eyes widened slightly, and then she glanced down, avoiding his gaze. "I did, didn't I…"
She had been hoping he would forget about that part of the bet.
She raised her head, then smiled nervously, knowing that she could no longer avoid the topic. "Sure…"
Kyle stared up at the building. By the side of the colossal structure was an elevator with a glass casing, allowing people to get a view of the city while going to the roof.
"Let's change our environment, shall we?" he said, offering her a hand as he gazed up at the very top of the structure.
Himiko took his hand and nodded. "Let's go."
The rise to the roof was nothing short of magical. Himiko stuck close to the wall, hands pressed onto the glass as she stared down at the city with wide eyes.
From this height, Musutafu looked breathtakingly beautiful. It was like a sea of stars, thousands of lights illuminating the darkness and brightening up the world.
"Wow…" she breathed out, astounded by the view.
For a moment, she even forgot that she was about to tell Kyle something that could potentially destroy their friendship.
But once they arrived at the roof, her anxiousness returned, this time with double the intensity.
The formerly gentle wind now felt like daggers against her skin, the darkness around them felt oppressive, and the silence was even more unnerving.
Kyle walked up to the side of the roof and sat down, his legs dangling over the 1000-foot drop.
He did not rush her, nor did he repeat his question from earlier. Instead, he sat there humming peacefully and giving her time to think.
'Should I just lie?'
It would have been very easy to say something else to cover up the truth, keep up the façade, and lock away the truth of who she truly was.
But the thought of it made her stomach grow cold. There was nothing about that plan that sat well with her.
'How long would it last? How would Kyle feel if he found out?'
Most of all, she felt irked by the very thought of lying to him.
Himiko took a deep breath…
Her eyes narrowed.
She held tightly onto the hem of her hoodie, and then she let it all out—
"I am a villain!"
There were many things she could say; she could talk about her quirk and how it made her hungry for blood.
She could use it as an excuse and try to garner sympathy; she could talk about how her parents discarded her, how she never got an ounce of affection.
Hell, she could even talk about how shitty her current life was—moving from one part-time job to the next, hunting for blood at night to satisfy her cravings…
But at the end of the day, the words were meaningless; it all summed up into one thing.
She was a villain.
The kind of person people spat on.
Someone that Kyle would hate.
Himiko stood there, waiting for a reply, but Kyle did not move; he simply sat there, most likely overwhelmed by the entire thing.
His silence was deafening.
And it was all she needed to know how he felt…
"We were doomed to fail right from the start."
Himiko had expected this… she had told herself countless times that the moment she said the truth, the fragile little peace she enjoyed would crumble.
'But why does it hurt so much?'
It felt like her heart had been ripped out and replaced by a frozen one.
The world blurred before her as crystal-like tears formed in her eyes, threatening to break free.
She turned around to leave when a voice froze her in her tracks.
"Why?"
Himiko turned and stared up at Kyle. He was standing, still dangerously close to the edge, yet his eyes were locked on her.
"Why did you choose to be a villain?"
'Why? Why did I?' she thought within herself.
"F-freedom, I want to be free!" her voice trembled as she screamed, more to herself than him.
Himiko wanted to be free, to live as who she was, to not have to hide or adjust herself to what society felt was 'normal.'
Kyle smiled, but she could see the sadness in his eyes.
'Don't look at me like that…' If he kept looking at her that way, then it would be impossible for her to let him go.
Kyle glanced at the city, a gust of wind blowing his hair to the side. "What is freedom really?"
"To the birds, freedom is the ability to fly; to the fishes, freedom is what they feel when they are in the ocean. Freedom is different for everybody."
He paused and glanced at her. "What is freedom to you?"
A few seconds passed in intense silence, and then a shiver ran down Himiko's spine.
'W-why can't I answer?'
She had always claimed she wanted freedom, and yet she had no idea what freedom meant to her.
When had she felt most free?
Himiko had believed that freedom was what she felt when she hunted, when she drank her fill, or when she had a knife to someone's neck.
And yet, today she had felt freer than she had ever felt in her life.
Seeing that she gave no answer, Kyle continued. "Villains believe freedom is doing anything whenever they wish. Someone offends you? Kill them. You want something? Take it."
His face hardened, and he sighed. "In the pursuit of freedom, they become slaves to their own desires…"
"Is that who you are, Miko?"
Himiko slowly shook her head, her eyes still glistening with tears.
Kyle's eyes narrowed. "Then why do you call yourself a villain?"
Stunned by his words, Himiko raised her head to meet his gaze. His crimson eyes were intense, and yet they held no judgment, no contempt, and not an ounce of resentment towards her.
But somehow, it made her angry.
The more he spoke, the more confused she got, and the more she doubted who she was.
Himiko stormed toward him and began pounding her fists into his chest. "Do you know the things I've done? Do you know the people I've hurt?! What else could I possibly be?!"
Her punches were progressively getting weaker as her voice lowered to a whisper, then she placed her head on his chest.
"Tell me… if I am not a villain… what am I?"
Kyle grabbed onto her shoulder, gently stroking it, and then he smiled, revealing his fangs. "You are just… like… me."
Once again, an old thought resurfaced in Himiko's mind. From his fangs that closely resembled hers to him understanding her craving for blood.
And yet, even as those memories played in her mind, nothing was making sense to her.
"What do you—"
The question died on her lips, her eyes wide, hair billowing in the wind…
As Kyle shoved her off the building, smiling down at her as she plummeted to her doom.