Maybe it was because the hero hesitated, or maybe it was just sheer luck, but when she tried to dodge, the bullet ended up grazing her face.
The rest of what happened was blurry, but Solvane remembered waking up hours later, with no signs or traces of either the heroes or villains.
And so she ran, and had been hiding away ever since then.
"It's been seven years since that happened…" she muttered, hugging her knees.
Her words gave Himiko a pause. "Seven years? Doesn't high school start at 15?"
Solvane nodded, and Himiko's mouth hung open. "Sorry to ask, but how old are you?"
The girl raised her fingers, calculating her age like a child would often do. "Umm… 22?"
"What?!!" Himiko's eyes widened. "But you look so young!"
Solvane smiled nervously, Himiko's surprise managing to wash away some of the nervous tension in the room.
"Because of my quirk, I don't seem to age quickly. My dad was that way too…"
While the two of them chatted, Kyle was still processing everything Solvane had said.
Himiko was naturally chatty and extroverted in nature, so it was easy for her to get Solvane to talk, and thanks to her, she was no longer sobbing like she was earlier.
But that didn't change the gravity of her words in any way.
The anime only showed the important parts of the story, and yet, it showed a little of the dark side of the Public Safety Commission.
If the Commission, which was just mentioned in passing, already had so much dirt on their hands, how deep did their evil actually go?
Kyle adjusted his position and glanced at the girl, his eyes tracing the scar on her face.
'They are worse than I thought…'
"Solvane, what do you want to do?" Kyle asked after politely interrupting their conversation.
She blinked and then thought over his words for a few seconds.
Although his question was simple, her years with the Commission had taught her to sense the double meanings in words.
And from the way Kyle had easily defeated her, although he didn't act like a typical hero or villain, it was clear he was not a regular person.
Still, Solvane knew what she wanted. It was the same thing she had wanted many years ago when her tribulations started.
"I'm tired of running…"
Kyle's eyes narrowed. "You know what will happen when you stop running, don't you?"
"The moment the heroes or that man get wind of you, your life will be back to what it was years ago."
He paused, allowing his words to sink in.
Solvane's hand tightened on the hem of her shirt as she stared at the ground.
She was aware of this, painfully so… that was why for so many years, although she wanted freedom, she knew it was nothing more than a fleeting dream.
Her fate was to remain locked away in the darkness, constantly living in the fear of being discovered.
Kyle folded his arms across his chest. "At least, that would be the case, unless… you have someone protecting you."
Solvane immediately raised her head to meet his gaze.
For a moment, her chest swelled up with hope, only for it to die down a second later.
Nothing in life came free; she had learned that the hard way.
"I can't kill anyone…"
That was what her quirk was good for, and that was why the Commission had taken interest in her in the first place.
It was hard to think this man didn't want the same thing.
Kyle raised a brow. "I'm not asking you to be an assassin, I am asking you to join my cause."
"I can promise you a life better than this, that is for sure, but I won't lie to you, it will not be a passive life."
Kyle glanced at Himiko to make sure that she was listening as well.
Originally, he planned to tell her all about it today, but since he was already speaking to Solvane, it was a perfect opportunity to inform her as well.
"I am trying to restructure this world," he said, glancing between both of them.
"There will be times you will have to fight, there will be times you will have to strive, and there might be times we will shed tears."
"But that is just how the world works."
Solvane bit the inner part of her cheek and took a deep breath.
Unlike the Commission that hid their true intentions behind polite smiles and vain promises, Kyle spoke the truth, even when it was not in his favor.
And yet, it was hard to put behind her years of distrust in people. To once again put her trust in the hands of another person.
Especially when it was someone like him.
Solvane's gaze darkened.
The illusion of choice…
It was a psychological technique where you create a false sense of choice, allowing the person to feel a fake sense of free will.
When in truth, there was only one outcome at the end.
His desired result.
Kyle was waving her needs in front of her face and giving her the false perception that she actually had a choice.
But in reality, he had cornered her with his words. He knew that she could not pick any other option because she was desperate.
At the end of the day…
'He is no different from them.'
"I—"
"But I understand if it's too much for you." Kyle smiled and relaxed his arms.
"Huh?" Solvane's brows creased in confusion.
He stretched his arms above his head, creating a light popping sound.
"Honestly, having you would have been a great help. But you've been through a lot already."
He ran his hand through his hair before he continued.
"I'll do what I can to keep you hidden, and help you out whenever you need it…"
'Why is he saying this…'
The more he spoke, the more Solvane felt her heart tighten.
"Your freedom will still come when we fix this city, you don't have to worry about—"
'He clearly has the advantage in this negotiation. Why isn't he using it to force me to join him?!'
"Just sit back and relax—"
"No!" Solvane screamed, suddenly losing her composure.
'And here I was thinking they were the same...' Solvane thought, slowly shaking her head in shame.
Now that she knew he was genuine, the thought of living easy, staying away from all the danger while others did the work was so tempting that she wanted to accept it…
But Solvane hated the very thought of it. All her life, she wanted to help people; that part of her had never changed.
It was only suppressed because she had reached a hill too steep for her to climb.
But if there was a chance… even a faint hope that she could finally do something with her miserable life,
Then she would take it.
With tears causing even her dark iris to glow like polished obsidian, Solvane shot up to her feet, her expression fierce.
"Please, allow me to join your group!"