Chapter 26: Interview with the Devil

"You have killed millions of people, tortured heroes on live TV, killed defenseless children and elderly. Just…

...How are you able to live with yourself after all the things you've done?"

The trembling of Katherine's hand was making enough noise to whisper throughout her entire apartment. If she wasn't making perhaps the most important breakthrough in the entire world, then she would have definitely already let herself faint.

In front of her was Riley Ross, Darkday himself… and she was touching him literally close to his heart without being choked to death. She couldn't help but think if any other superhero other than her had touched him like this, without any hostility.

She then slowly looked straight into Riley's blue eyes that almost seemed like the clearest of skies; from this distance, she could even feel their breaths mixing with each other. But this did not let her resolution waver, however, as she once again repeated her question,

"How can you live with yourself?"

"Because I am not dead, Katherine."

"I know you know what I am asking! I know you're just playing dumb, Riley."

"...You are very brave. I am sure not many would hold that tone towards me," Riley then let out a short breath as he slightly glanced at Katherine, before once again looking to the side, "Very well, since you are my first subordinate, then we should establish a sort of trust with each other--I learned that in a clip I watched."

Katherine could not help but take in a nervous gulp. This is it, she truly was going to learn more about Darkday.

"It is exactly because I did what I did that I am alive, Katherine," Riley answered, "If I do not kill or hurt people, then there is no point in me being alive-- I was born to be Darkday."

"That is not true. You're just ill," Katherine shook her head, "And like any disease, it is treatable. Do you know how many people you could have helped instead with how powerful you are? If you only worked with Mega Woman?"

"How curious, Mega Woman asked me the same before I killed her."

"!!!"

Katherine almost retracted her hand there and then, but something inside of her fought back and remained to resist the urge to cry and run away.

"Well, I suppose I did not kill her since she is still alive," Riley then placed his hand on his chin, squinting his eyes as if he was deep in thought, "I do wonder how she is recovering right now."

"L… let's talk about that later," Katherine stuttered, "Right… right now, we're establishing trust, right?"

"I suppose."

Katherine could not help but let out a long and deep breath as Riley shrugged his shoulders. She was talking about trust, but if Riley knew that she didn't actually have information about her… then wouldn't that make her the bad guy since Riley was answering all of her questions?

Wait, no. What kind of dangerous thought is that? She almost screamed in her mind; just because the Riley in front of him right now looked decent and not the Darkday she imagined at all, she was being swayed into thinking all sorts of thoughts.

"Then to answer your question, then the world would probably be at peace if I used my power to help people."

"Since you know that… then why… kill people? What made you become like this, Riley? What made you become a supervillain?"

"This is something you don't understand, Katherine. And perhaps even I myself do not understand it," Riley then gently grabbed Katherine's hand as he stood up, lifting her with him. This made Katherine slightly flinch and step back, but once again, she fought the urge to run away.

"In the stories I have read and watched, they said that villains all had a reason for what they were doing; that they were heroes in their own stories. Not me…" Riley then leaned closer to Katherine,

"...I was born evil."

"T… that's…" Katherine could not help but slightly lean her head to the side as Riley's warm breath, which smelled like lavender mixed with menthol, wafted across her ear, "That's not possible. No one is born evil, Riley… even the Devil was once good."

"Then is that not because he is not, in truth, truly evil?" Riley then leaned back as his eyes once again gazed at Katherine's, "When did I make my first appearance, Katherine?"

"W… what?"

"When did I first publicly appear as Darkday?"

"I… 3 years ago?"

"4 years ago, I was 12."

"..." Katherine did not know whether to be scared or relieved that Riley was capable of smiling from remembering his childhood.

"I remember it clearly," Riley breathed, "I borrowed one of father's motorcycle helmets, then washed the blood it accumulated after I was done-- I killed my first superhero then, as well as several other citizens."

"W… Whiteking was not able to notice?"

"Bernard is quite stupid when it comes to his family, Katherine. But that is not the point of the retelling of my past," Riley shook his head as he once again sat down.

"!!!"

And due to him doing so, Katherine stumbled as he was still holding her hand, causing her to fall directly on top of him. And before she could even pull herself away, Riley continued talking.

"My point is that I wore a mask so that I could freely kill people, Katherine. Not to steal, not to wreak havoc, not to make a statement, but to hurt people…

...and I killed even before that."

"W… what?" Katherine completely forgot to pull herself away now, as she just remained frozen still, with Riley's breaths crawling down her neck and all the way to her breasts, causing her to slightly shiver.

"There's this urge inside of me, Katherine; that is telling me to slit your throat right now."

Katherine could not help but slightly cover her neck with her shoulders as Riley's index finger started sliding across it, "But I won't do it, because I am in retirement, and you are my subordinate."

"T… thanks?" Katherine muttered randomly.

"The same could not be said about your mother, however," Riley then once again whispered into her ear,

"So stop seducing me, Katherine."

"W… what are you saying!?" Katherine's heart almost jumped out the same time she did as she quickly leaped away from Riley. Did… did he know about her plan? But how!? Isn't he supposed to be unable to perceive feelings of love? Was that a lie?

"I… I am a teacher and you are a student, that is inappropriate!"

"But right now, you are Katherine and I am Riley; not even Scarlet Mage and Darkday," Riley then stood up as he slowly made his way towards Katherine, "It is quite a brilliant plan, Katherine. Having us both kicked out so that I could no longer hold the other students hostage, you truly are a kind woman… I almost feel sorry for blackmailing you."

"I am not trying to seduce you!"

"Then I suppose you're only wearing a loose robe in front of a young man because it's hot?" Riley continued to slowly move towards Katherine.

"It's… Isn't this because of one of your powers!?"

"...Hm?" Hearing Katherine's words, Riley could not help but stop in his tracks, "One of my powers?"

"Yes!" Katherine yelled as she waved her hand while trying to cover herself, "You have the power to entrance people! You're bewitching me right now and making me feel like I am falling in love with you! I could think of no better power for someone evil like you!"

"..." Riley immediately closed his eyes, trying to think if he truly had that kind of power. But no matter how much he scoured his mind, he could not find a semblance of what Katherine was saying,

"...I don't have that kind of power," Riley furrowed his eyebrows; Katherine could even see a hint of discomfort in his face, "And even if I do, I would not use it, it's disgusting."

"L… lies!"

"I have no way of proving to you that I do not have that kind of power, Katherine."

"Then I will be the one to prove it!" Katherine then suddenly rushed towards Riley, closing her eyes as she was only a foot away from her. But before she could reach him, she felt herself slowly floating in the air.

"What are you trying to do?" Riley slightly leaned his head in confusion as he looked at Katherine, who had her eyes closed and her lips slightly in a pout.

"G… god damn it!" Katherine wriggled in the air as soon as she opened her eyes, "Kiss me! Kiss me and prove that you're not using your powers to bewitch me!"

"Your anxiety is at a very high level right now, Katherine," Riley shook his head as he dropped Katherine on the floor, "You are not thinking straight, it seems we should talk about Mega Woman's current situation some other time."

"N… no!" Katherine screamed as her tears started to fall, "Kiss me! Prove to me that you are not using any mind tricks!"

"I do not have the power to make people love me, Katherine, but since you are my first subordinate and we're establishing a sort of trust…

...Then very well."

"Wh-- hmph!?"