Himiko was sitting by the edge of the bath while Kyle was behind her, staring at bottles of shampoo like it was a math equation.
"There are so many…" he breathed out, scratching his hair a bit.
When Kyle wanted to wash his hair, his trusty bar of soap was always available. And if he wanted to feel a little special, he would sneak out Tsumi's shampoo bottle and ignore every other thing.
Why were there five different bottles?
Himiko glanced at him from over her shoulder, then when she noticed his confusion, she chuckled lightly and began explaining how each of them was used.
"I see…" Kyle picked up a pink bottle first. "That means I'll start with this."
He poured a little of the fragrant substance on his hand and began to apply it to her hair, his hands gently moving in between the strands.
Immediately he touched it, he was surprised by how soft her hair was.
"Your hair… it looks like you take good care of it."
From what he had seen in the anime, Kyle had expected Himiko to be the type that cared less about things like this.
Himiko shrugged. "Is there any girl that doesn't take care of her hair?"
"Well, I suppose you're right."
Outside the bathing room.
Rin was sitting atop a desk, her hands folded across her chest and her expression stoic.
She checked the clock, noting the time, then looked away, her feet nervously tapping the floor.
"Five more minutes…"
If they moved too quickly, then they would risk encountering them, and if they moved too fast, they wouldn't know what truly happened.
By her side, Toru was scrolling through her phone, completely engrossed in what she was watching, as though it was more important than their business today.
"Focus, Toru!"
"Eeek!" The girl screamed, her phone nearly falling from her hand.
Then Toru sighed and glared at Rin. "What?"
Rin smiled and glanced at the clock once more.
"It's time."
The two women left one attendant to handle the new customers and snuck into the bathhouse, following the shadows as though they were spies.
'Room 9.' Rin repeated in her head as she hurried past the public bathing rooms, arriving at the private areas shortly after.
"Rin, isn't t-this going too far?" Toru nervously asked, her eyes shifting from place to place as though she was afraid of getting caught.
"Going too far?" Rin's eyebrows twitched in confusion. "Would you prefer if I died out of boredom?"
"D-die?"
Rin sighed and shook her head, grabbing Toru's hand and pulling her along with her.
"Eeek!"
The private bathing rooms were separated from the public bathing areas by a double door.
So immediately they went past it, they could see the various rooms and their numbers placed right atop them.
—Room 1
—Room 3
The two of them walked noiselessly, creeping past them and turning around the hall until they arrived at their destination.
[ROOM 9]
Rin let out a dark chuckle.
"Alright, let's see what you guys are doing…"
Without waiting a second, she pressed her ear against the door.
~ Mmm… deeper, put your fingers a little deeper.
?!
Both girls took a step back, their faces completely blank. Then they glanced at each other.
'No, it can't be possible… I just heard wrong.'
Rin placed her ear back on the door.
~ Is this deep enough? Damn, it's so soft!
A light chuckle followed.
~ Is this y-your first time?
The voice asked, her tone intertwined with pleasure.
~ Yes, it's not like my sister will ever ask me for this type of stuff.
~ Then… how…? How are you this good already? Mmm♡
Rin felt every hair on her body stand still, her cheeks felt like they were heated to a thousand degrees, and her mind was reeling.
She jumped back, nearly tripping as she pushed her body against the opposite wall. Her back was pressed so hard against it that she could hear a light groan from the wood.
When she arrived, she expected to hear a romantic confession, maybe a few kisses as a new couple blossomed to life.
Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that…
She gulped.
'W-what am I listening to? Are they…?!'
She placed her hands on her face, wincing slightly as her face turned beet red.
'I haven't even… are all teenagers like this?'
Toru had fallen to her knees next to her, steam practically oozing from her head.
But their distance didn't save them, because the girl increased her voice, allowing them to hear it even from their distance from the door.
~ Be a little rough or it won't get in… You're really a novice, aren't you?
~ Mmhm, that is a little better.
"Eeek!"
Both girls screamed simultaneously, running as fast as they could out of the private rooms and back to the reception area.
When they got back, both of them were breathing heavily, their hearts pounding in their chests as what they heard repeated itself countless times in their heads.
"What has gotten into you two?"
They both glanced up, nearly jumping out of their skin.
"Madam Emi!" They both shouted simultaneously.
The woman glared at them when she saw their reaction, then grabbed them both by their ears.
"What kind of nonsense have you gotten involved in now?"
Meanwhile…
Back in the bathing room.
"Be a little rough or it won't get in! You're really a novice, aren't you?" Himiko pouted.
Kyle stared at her hair with utmost focus and began rubbing his fingers more vigorously to get the soap to fizz.
Then he chuckled lightly.
"What is it?" Himiko asked.
"Oh, nothing serious…"
He glanced at the door and smiled. 'Those girls must have gotten quite the scare.'
Himiko wasn't even trying, and yet every single word she said hit the mark.
After he finished washing her hair, Kyle and Himiko finally got out of the bath, their skin red from the heat.
Kyle allowed Himiko to change first, so she got into the shower to change into a bathrobe, and Kyle followed shortly after, changing into his own bathrobe.
The room Himiko had paid for had a rest area with a couple of snacks and drinks, so they both moved into that area, shutting the door behind them.
Immediately they had settled down, Himiko breathed out a sigh and turned to face him.
She had held back the entire day, constantly pushing her confession forward, but at this point, she could no longer hold herself back.
There were just far too many things that could go wrong if she continued to keep it a secret.
She wanted to know more about him as well; keeping this hidden would only make her attempts seem selfish.
Himiko sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes, and then she let it all out.
She told him every single detail about her quirk, including her cravings for blood, for his blood…
By the end of it, Kyle was watching her with an unreadable expression, completely silent, which only made her feel worse.
"Why are you so silent?" she asked, her voice a little above a whisper.
But she knew why.
Although Kyle had been more accommodating than anyone she had ever met, everyone had their limits, and this seemed to be his own.
To have a friend who had to periodically drink his blood…
That was too much, even for anyone.
Himiko looked away, wiping tears from her eyes with her fingers, and then she breathed out tiredly and stood up.
"I'm sorry, about my—"
Her words were suddenly interrupted by Kyle's laughter.
"Hahahah~"
Himiko blinked. "W-what is funny? Do you think I'm joking?"
His laughter continued.
"If it's too much for you, then just say it," she said, her voice trembling. "This… this is torture…"
As the words left her lips, Kyle suddenly vanished, appearing right in front of her, then he pulled her into his embrace.
"I'm not laughing because what you said is absurd. I'm just relieved because I thought it was something serious."
Himiko's eyes widened slightly.
'What does he mean by…'
Kyle pushed her back a bit so that she could see his face, and then he opened his mouth.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Right before Himiko's eyes, Kyle's fangs… they were growing.
He smiled and ran his hand over her jaw, his finger settling on her smaller fang.
"Miko, the truth is…"
He paused, as though a heavy load was about to be lifted off his chest.
"I am actually a vampire."
..
Powerstone bonus chapters will be posted tomorrow . Thanks for reading.