Kikimaru's new cafe branch was spotless.
There were low-hanging lights, illuminating the space in a warm yellow glow.
Chairs made of dark, polished wood littered the space, some arranged around smaller tables, while others were arranged with larger tables for groups, each one gleaming under the soft lighting.
The walls were not void of the glamour, as multiple artistic works were hung up, the patterned walls combining with them to create an even more beautiful appearance.
A soft tune was emanating off an old record player that was placed at the side of the room, adding to the classic touch the space had.
And just above the reception was a blackboard, highlighting the menu in an artistic way, with cute little drawings adding to the charm.
It was beautiful and cozy.
Kyle stepped into the cafe first, followed by the girls who stared at the place wide-eyed.
This was the first time Himiko and Solvane were seeing it after it was completed, and Sakura, who had seen it before, was still astounded by the sight.
"It's beautiful…" Solvane muttered, a small smile on her face as she took in the room.
"Kyle… welcome back!" came an excited voice.
They all turned in the direction of the sound to see Akiko walking out of the kitchen while wiping her hands with a rag.
"You did a great job, Akiko. Are you done setting up for tomorrow?"
She nodded and placed the rag on the table. "Everything is set for our grand opening tomorrow."
While all his workers from the old cafe would start work here tomorrow, the newest worker would stay behind for a few weeks to teach the new staff how to run the place.
Akiko then looked behind Kyle to Solvane, who was staring up at the shimmering lights.
"Oh, this is Sol, she'll be staying upstairs."
Avoiding Akiko when they were both in the same building would have been difficult, so Kyle chose to be honest about it.
But he gave her the short form of Solvane's name, to avoid any accidental slip-ups.
"Alright, nice to meet you, Sol." Akiko offered her her hand, which Solvane took.
Then she turned to leave. "Good night, guys, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
They all greeted her and then she left the cafe, leaving them to their devices.
Kyle began walking, ushering the group forward. "Let me show you around the place."
From the bottom floor, they moved to the second floor where the VIP lounge was, but they barely spent any time there.
They went to the next floor and Kyle began to show them to their rooms. The first stop was Solvane's place.
As per her request, the walls were painted midnight black, with silver sparkles that made it look like a starry sky.
There was a flat-screen TV at one side of the wall, and a queen-sized bed by the other, with dark coverings and a personal toilet.
Solvane's mouth hung open when she saw the room. "Woah… you went all out."
Kyle had made sure everything was perfectly suited to her tastes and quirk… even the lights were blue to replicate a night-like environment.
"Thanks! This is perfect!" she said swiftly as she ran to the bed and jumped atop it, nearly sinking into the fabric.
"It's sho softttt…" she mumbled into the bed, her arms and legs sprawled out by her sides.
They left her to explore the place more and Kyle went on to show Sakura and Himiko their rooms as well, each of them perfectly suited to their tastes.
When they were done checking the place out, Kyle went around to gather each of them from their rooms and took them to the edge of the hallway.
"Alright, let's get to the more important thing."
There was only one way to get to their underground bunker, and that was through the secret elevator on the third floor.
This alone had cost him a huge amount of money, being one of his more expensive purchases.
He walked up to the wall and then drew a pattern on it, the symbol of a bat wing. "This is the only way to get underground."
Immediately he completed the pattern, the spot he had touched shone a light amber colour, and then there was a light clicking sound.
Vwhoosh!
The girls watched in awe as the wall parted open, revealing the interior of the elevator, and then a light ringing sound reached their ears.
Himiko smiled as she tapped his shoulder. "That is pretty cool…"
Kyle smirked. "Let's go."
When they got into the elevator, Kyle clicked a button to begin their descent. It took less than two minutes to get down, and then the door parted open to reveal the interior of their lair.
Everything was dark, the walls layered in a soundproof alloy. Unlike conventional lighting, the room had tiny lights arranged in lines all around the edges.
There were three central points in the vast underground space, as well as some unused rooms.
There was the computer room that showed a live feed of the fifty cameras surrounding the base, the gym/training grounds, and the panic room which could also substitute as a containment unit.
They had visited every area and were now inspecting the gym.
Sakura stared up at the ceiling, looking at the patterns on the alloy. "You really thought this through, it's almost like you've been planning this for years."
"I'm surprised you had this done in two weeks," Solvane chimed in. She was standing next to the weight, checking the weight rating.
Then she froze and blinked. "1000kg? How are we supposed to lift that?!"
"I needed to put something challenging, since you are all going to be vampires after all."
It was not just the weights, every single piece of equipment had been designed to handle the speed, reaction time, and strength of vampires.
"Wait, what? What do you mean vampire?" Solvane asked, sounding very confused.
Himiko glanced at Kyle. "You didn't tell her?"
Kyle shrugged. "Well, she knows now…"
Solvane was already strong, but with a potential new quirk and buffed physical abilities, becoming a vampire was the right way to go.
"So, what do you say, Solvane? Care to join us?"
The petite woman stared at them with wide eyes. "So you are serious… no, no, why am I even believing you? There are no such things as—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Himiko appeared by her side, so fast that a gust of wind blew past her.
Then she opened her mouth, her fang elongating till the point that it nicked her lip.
"You were saying…?"
Solvane swallowed. "I see…"
This time, Kyle did not bother to explain anything to Solvane.
He just sat back as Sakura and Himiko explained everything, Solvane nodding with childish curiosity.
"Woah, so I will be able to fly?!" she asked in an excited tone.
Himiko smiled smugly and levitated off the floor, which made Solvane clap like she was at a magic show.
"Wow, what else will I be able to do?"
Himiko stroked her chin. "You will be incredibly strong too!"
She grabbed Solvane and tossed her into the air, catching her with ease, the latter giggling as she did.
While Kyle would have placed the risks and benefits before asking you to choose, Himiko was like a salesperson who marketed the benefits well; needless to say, it was very effective.
She glanced at Kyle and winked at him, while giving him a thumbs up.
'Maybe I should let her handle the talks from now on…'
•••
"Alright, shall we begin?"
Sakura and Solvane were sitting in front of Kyle, two bottles of water as well as cups filled to the brim with blood by their sides.
"I already told you what to do, water first, blood after, understand?"
They both nodded nervously, then Kyle moved to Sakura first.
She gasped lightly as he sunk his fangs into her neck, and then he activated his talent, feeling that same fragment break up and flow into her.
Sakura staggered back, breathing heavily as her eyes turned a shade of blood.
But Kyle did not bother watching her transformation, he moved to Solvane next and repeated the process.
Solvane was calmer about the entire thing, but he could feel her body tremble slightly as he let go of her.
Black eyes blurred to wine, and she took deep, steady breaths, trying to attune to the sudden change she was feeling.
Simultaneously, both Kyle and Himiko handed them the bottle of water first, and then they accompanied it with the glass of blood.
Only then did both girls stabilize.
Solvane wiped the sweat off her forehead and clasped her hands around her ears, her eyebrows knitting together.
"It's almost like I can hear everything…"
She could hear the low thrum of blood pulsing through her veins, and the sound of each and everyone's beating hearts.
Meanwhile, Sakura was reacting differently. Her hands were shaking as sweat poured down her face, then she smiled, her face a mix of various emotions.
Shock, happiness… and a little bit of fear.
"I think…" she paused, tears of joy welling up in her eyes.
For Sakura who had been quirkless throughout her life, what she was experiencing could only be deemed a miracle.
"I think I just awakened a quirk!"
Then the room was set ablaze, as balls of infernal violet fire burst out of her palms.
— — - — – —— — - — – —
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