About a week had passed since the incident at the shopping mall. It had been the talk of the detective and police agencies as they still couldn't figure out who had done it, and they also needed a way to regain the Hope for Heroes that the civilians once had. Only... the thing was that all of them knew that it would take a long time for that.

Ten seconds was all it took to burn what hope everyone had. Ten seconds was all it took to take lives, and in those ten seconds, everyone had begun to lose themselves to the despair.

"You need to stop thinking about it Kyoko! You should feel relieved that he even spared you."

Someone speaking brought Kyoko out of the depths of her thoughts and she looked up to see Yoshimi holding out a cup of coffee to her. She let out a breath before taking it, murmuring a soft "Thank you" before taking a sip, the velvety, hot caffeine drink finally waking her up. "But his sparing me led me to stay with you. Not that I mind but... I don't need the protection," she replied with a heavy sigh, remembering the day that the agency found out that she had gotten caught by the Villain, but spared. All of them found it odd, as despite not knowing the Villain's name, they all knew that this was the first time he had ever spared anyone. So as a result, it leads to them forcing her to have a bodyguard, which Yoshimi immediately volunteered for.

As she once again got caught in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed the face that Yoshimi had pulled at the mention. He gently pats her shoulder, "I know. You are so strong and I'm so proud of you, but please don't push yourself. I really care for you. You know that, right?" He asked, managing to get a reaction from her.

She softly smiled, "Yeah, I know you do," she replied, looking at him, then back to her coffee as she took a sip.

He stood up with a sigh. "Well, I have to go back to work now. Keep checking that wound, and please, if you wanna go out, message me and I'll go with you," he stated, watching her smirk a little and nod. He walked off and she sighed before closing the door — his door. Yes, she had to stay at his house, another thing she disliked with the whole arrangement. Did her agency not even know that she could take care of herself? She didn't need the protection!

"Well, if it isn't the fake hero.."

She immediately gasped weakly and turned around, but was pinned to the wall next to the door roughly. Pain ran through her back as a hand wrapped around her neck. Her hands were forced and held above her head as her lilac eyes connected with blue ones — it was him, the Villain from before.

"It's you. How did you..?"

She began to say but immediately stopped when she felt a rub on her throat, it is dauntingly gentle and her eyes slightly widened when she realised that it was his thumb, her breathing changing as he looked deep in thought. Him soon making an annoying sound and released her. But before she could even think of running away, he kept a grip on her hand and started dragging her somewhere, and it was just then that she had a terrifying realisation. He wasn't lost like anyone new to the house would be. He knew where he was going. He had been stalking her.

Before she knew it, he had pulled her up the stairs and into her room, and without letting her go, he turned on the shower in the en-suite bathroom. Before going into the nearly empty closet within the bathroom and shutting them in there. "Hey..! What are you-?!"

"Shut it."

He whispered to her, making her shiver before a smirk once again pulled up onto his scarred lips as the front door opened and closed. "Hey, Kyoko! Sorry, it's just me! I forgot one of my files." Yoshimi shouted, causing her to instantly freeze as she stared at the man in shocked accusation, but he just smirked. His eyes seeming to light up in mocking amusement. "Oh.. I guess she's having a shower.." They could hear Yoshimi murmur to himself, but neither did anything about it, both just staring down one another. She realized something now, and it made her breath sharpen. Not only had he been stalking her, but he also knew their routines - He knew that Yoshimi would come back!

For the two, it seemed like an eternity as they waited for Yoshimi to do what he needed but she was naturally distracted as the room in the closet wasn't exactly big, so they were practically touching, his breath was hot on her neck, so what he said moments prior made her shiver. Not that she could have controlled her body shivering, but it still deeply annoyed the detective at the little reaction she just had.

A few more minutes passed and Kyoko was beginning to formulate a plan. Her smaller body slowly pushing more into him as one of her hands went into her skirt pocket while he was distracted with listening to Yoshimi, her hiding it behind her back as she pressed a button on the device which now released a gas around the house, but oddly enough the villain wouldn't smell it, since the device had been designed for the police force for if they got into trouble with a quirk villain. It would release a gas that only the police force could smell and be able to easily detect their location. It also would make a mini-explosion after a few minutes. Which it did- The only problem was. The villain had already realised beforehand.

"Hey, Kyoko! Sorry, I just forgot one of my files." I called out as I entered through the front door of my house to do my usual check-up of my.. My dearest friend and co-worker, Kyoko. However.. My usual sight her beautiful face on the sofa wasn't there, and I heard the shower going. "Oh.. I guess she's having a shower," I shouted out. My detective instinct to go and check was going out of control, but I had to suppress it. I couldn't let her know my true worried nature that was just for her.. My love. My only love that I can't allow myself to drive away by my personality.

I paced around for a while, waiting for the detective, my worries increasing by the minute for her. What was taking her so long? She doesn't usually take that long in the shower, especially with her injury- her injury! What if she fell and collapsed? What if she-

My thoughts were cut short by a silent vibration in my police jacket vest and I quickly took it out to check, but I didn't get enough time as a loud bang shot out and without thinking - I took off upstairs to the bathroom and met eyes with a blue-eyed individual. But that's when everything went downhill.

10 seconds was all it took for the house to go up in flames, 10 seconds for a call to the emergency services to be made, 10 seconds for me to lose my senses.

And...

10 seconds since Kyoko Kirigiri went missing.