Asking Her Out

One day later... in the morning... (Seiko P.O.V.)

Jeez, it's so dark in here... it feels so dizzy.

That's what I usually felt like when I woke up. Anxious, usually, blurry eyesight, and horrible eye pain. Some nights I wake up from nightmares, some nights I can't fall asleep because I've been thinking too much, but not today. Weird. For once, it felt like I had actually went through a decent night of sleep. Y/N was right. Sleeping in earlier does feel better. I feel oddly peaceful-

*RING, RING, RING, RING, RING*

Damn it. The obnoxious loud sound of that alarm clock woke me up before I knew it. I grumpily woke up and groaned from my long rest, turning the alarm off. I glanced at the time. "8:00 AM". Seriously? This was one of the few nights I was able to sleep without any complications, and I can't get half an hour more of it?

Well, I should still be grateful. It felt very good, especially if you're tired of pulling another all nighter to get all your work done, as usual. All I wanted was to crawl back into bed, hold myself tight under my warm blankets, and daydream about Y/N and go back to sleep. But school calls first. I stretched my arms out before getting off my bed and headed to the restroom.

Besides, I can't procrastination get in the way of my school life.

I inspected my facial appearance in the mirror. Ah man, my hair's really messy today. I need to comb it before I get out.

(For her pajamas, she wore a large, baggy light grey hoodie along with a pair of black gym shorts. She also wasn't wearing her mask at the moment.)

Where did I put my mask last night? I think I must've put it near my wardrobe before I went to sleep. That's it, now I remember. It's not like I need to wear it when no one else is around to judge me. That's a reason why I cherished rest: it was one of the few times I ever take off my mask, excluding eating. The mask fulfills its purpose during the day by hiding my face from the others. At least I she can feel secure about not wearing it here. No one else is around to see me in the morning. No one's around to judge me.

Stop getting lost in though. I have to get ready in time. I grabbed my electrical tooth brush and applied my special prescribed toothpaste before brushing. I always have to be very careful when brushing, because it's hard to clean my teeth properly due to my braces. That's another reason I used the mask: it hid my braces from the view of others. Everyone else my age had already gotten their braces off years ago, yet here I am, and I still haven't gotten them off. If only I wasn't born with such crooked teeth.

Ever since I was little, even before I met Ruruka and Sonosuke, I suffered from all kinds of health problems. My parents told me that my teeth needed to be rearranged once my permanent teeth started coming in. I didn't want to end up like my great uncle did, not with those horrifying teeth. Honestly, it feels like I've been wearing these braces for so long that I doubt I'll ever get them off.

After I finished up brushing my teeth, I pulled off my hoodie and started getting into my school uniform. I never really liked the design all too much, if I'm being honest. Once that was done, I put my mask back on, and I went for my bag and checked to keep a headcount of all my supplies. Let's see, aspirin, growth drug, ibuprofen, my history homework, Y/N's phone number, healing meds... yeah, looks like I have everything.

I'd better check her phone for any notifications. I turned it on, but as I checked my messages... Wait, how many missed texts do I have this morning? Who did I get this from? Ruruka? Y/N? Let me see here.

Oh, it's from Mikan. Odd. I wasn't expecting to get any texts from her.

Mikan: *Miss Kimura, sorry to bother you at this time, but I need some help. There's been a bit of an urgent case recently, and the school faculty issued some of the medical Ultimate students to help out. I didn't know if you were aware yet or not, so I wanted to message you just in case.*

What? Since when did this happen? I went to check out my emails, and, not surprisingly, there was an announcement from Mr. Ezura sent a few hours ago. 3 AM. Yeah, no wonder I didn't find out. It said something about having to assist several people in emergency care at the moment. I went back to check Mikan's texts.

Mikan: *Oh, and P.S: Y/N let me borrow your contact info. That's how I messaged you. I told him that this was only for an emergency, that's all. I hope you don't mind. Don't worry about explaining this to your teacher. I think the faculty's already been alerted. Anyways, here are the directions below. Please come here soon!*

At least he won't mark me tardy for class today, she thought. I guess there's no harm in doing so. I'll be helping Mikan, so I suppose it won't be all bad. I kind of owe her a favor after dragging Y/N in her office without any prior warning, so I can return the favor for her.

*About 30 minutes of following directions later*

I was walking through the city square down towards the hospital destination. She passed by several people walking around her along the way. It should be coming up in just a few more minutes. I think I'll go text Y/N that I'll be late to class today. Seiko decided to stop for a few moments and text him.

Seiko: *Are you there, Y/N? I just wanted to talk. I will probably be late to class today. There's something important I have to do. Something going on at the hospital. I'll make it back as soon as I can. I promise.*

I waited around for a few moments for a response before I heard my phone vibrate. I instantly checked my notifications.

Y/N: *Hey Seiko! I'm sorry to hear about that. Don't worry, I understand. I'll tell Ruruka. Does it have anything to do with what happened yesterday?*

Seiko: *What? What are you talking about?*

Y/N: *Well, I only heard about it from some of my friends. It's going around all over the school. They're saying something about a fight breaking out in the Reserve Course last evening and a few Ultimates got involved, and some girl got her leg broken in the chaos. It's been the talk of the school ever since. I'm not sure if all of that's true, but that's what I heard.*

Seiko: *Oh. That makes sense. I usually have much more important things to do by that time than listening to gossip about others. Don't take it as an insult, Y/N. I just think it's rude to talk about someone behind their backs. It can also damage people's reputations.*

Y/N: *I didn't. I understand what you meant. I know you care a lot about others, Seiko. Honestly, I wouldn't have gotten involved if half of Class 77-B weren't spreading the word around like wildfire.*

Seiko: *Thank you. I'm going to head over to the hospital soon. I'll try to get back as soon as I can.*

Y/N: *Wait, before you go, do you mind if I ask you something?*

Seiko: *Sure. What do you need?*

I noticed that Y/N seemed to hesitate for a few moments before responding. Either it's a long question, or it's something he's taken his time to think about.

Y/N: *Listen, I was wondering… are you available to go out this week? I mean, like, maybe go to a restaurant or somewhere else and... hang out together?*

I-I-I-Is h-he... is Y/N asking me out?! N-No, that can't be right! I-I mean, I wouldn't complain if he d-did, b-but am I taking this the wrong way? He never mentioned going out on a date, b-but then he brought up the restaurant... oh my God, why am I overthinking this?! (Seiko didn't notice herself blushing intently, shaking slightly.) What do I do? What do I say back to him? A boy's never asked me out before! Calm down, maybe you're just thinking about this way too hard. I should ask him more details before I jump to conclusions.

Seiko: *If there's enough time, then I'd be happy to. Did you have any ideas when and where we're going?*

Y/N: *Actually, I do. If you're okay with it, I've about this fancy restaurant right here in the city. I... kind of forgot the name, but I did spend some time researching it. I found they have an organic food section on their menu. That way, we could both eat there together, and you wouldn't have to worry about your sugar condition. I could pay for a reservation for us.*

He... he took the time to think about me, and went as far as to consider my health for this? He's even willing to pay for a reservation! Okay, now I know he's asking me out to dinner!

Seiko: *Y/N, are you sure? We can always go somewhere else if you want to."

Y/N: *No, it's no problem for me. Would that be alright with you?*

Seiko: *Yeah, that sounds good. What time were you thinking? What day?*

Y/N: *I was thinking maybe around six, or five thirty if we're going there. It shouldn't take us too long. I can walk you there. I think maybe this Friday could work out. *

Oh no, I have to get going soon! I had to text back one final text before going.

Seiko: *Sorry, I have to go now, Y/N! I promise I'll talk to you about it when I get back! Bye! ;) *

O-Oh my... I can't believe this just happened... focus, Seiko! You can obsess over this once we get back on campus. But first, you have to help out Mikan.

*Transition into the hospital cutscene*

"Hello ma'am, I'm going to have to see some ID before you can go in. We can't just let anyone in without prior notice," one of the hospital nurses told me. I had to pull out my official Hope's Peak ID, showing my status and talent confirmation.

"Okay, that looks good. Thanks for cooperating, Ms. Kimura. Ms. Tsumiki is waiting for your on Floor 3, Room 43-C," the nurse said. I thanked her before I made my way to the elevator and pressed the floor I wanted to go to. I was waiting in the elevator until I reached the third floor. Alright then, let's see where this room is.

Room 37-C, 39-C... ah, here we are. 43-C. I knocked on the door three times and waited for a response. Immediately, I saw the knob turn, and the door opened up to the last person I expected to see today standing inside.

T-That... lying asshole Vince was here. I noticed how he seemed to tense up the moment he saw me, anxiousness written all over his face. No, I'm not going in that room! Not with HIM of all people!

Vince stood there and stared awkwardly at me. I probably would've left on the spot, had I not noticed something intriguing. Vince's left hand was in a heavy cast. I guess karma finally caught up to him, didn't it? No, don't think about it like that. I know he broke my heart and my trust, but I... oh, forget it. I breathed in and let out a sigh.

"What the hell are you doing here, Vince? And it better be a good reason," I told him sternly. I swear, I did not walk all the way down here to waste my time with... HIM. Anyone but him!

"Hey, Do-," Vince said, before stuttering and fixing his mistake. "Shit, sorry! I mean, Seiko! I wasn't planning on wasting your time here today, but I got caught in a… bad situation. It's a long story." I noticed how he twitched slightly as he spoke.

"I'm sorry, did you just… call me by my real name?" That definitely caught me off guard. When was the last time he called me that? Usually, Vince would always address me as 'Doc'. It was his little nickname for me back when things between us were better. I used to be fine with it. Now it's just something that I despise. So what's with Vince's friendly attitude all of a sudden?

"Look, I know what I did to you was wrong. You have every right to hate me, Seiko. I don't blame you for it. But yesterday, I got my arm busted by a scary chick with a baseball bat. She didn't hold back one bit. Got my arm pretty messed up. Take a look at the x-ray," Vince told me, pointing to his desk. I looked over and saw the x-ray scan that the doctors must've taken. Oh Lord, he wasn't kidding. His arm is in bad shape. Who knows how long this will take for him to heal.

"Ouch… how hard did she hit you to cause that much damage? What happened? Did she try to kill you or something?", I asked him.

"No, I don't think she wanted to kill me. Subdue me, yes, but she was more intent on murdering Natsumi than me. Oh, and this girl was strong, and that bat she used was made out of steel. So yeah, it packed quite a punch. It still stings for me," he told me.

"How did you even get into this situation?" Vince hesistated for a few moments before answering my question.

"I was trying to stop that… Sato girl from killing Natsumi. I tried to talk her down, but she just… attacked me first. Hell, I'd probably be in much worse shape if Mahiru didn't come in and talk her out of it. I don't even know how long it's going to take for my arm to heal back," he said.

"You were trying to save someone? Y-You're serious?", I said, surprised. I didn't think Vince would stick his neck out for somebody like that.

"Yes, I am. But if I'm being honest, I was the one who got off easy. I only got a broken arm. It was that other Reserve Course guy that got his ass kicked. If he hadn't arrived first, Natsumi would already have been dead," Vince told me.

"Who is this Natsumi girl you're talking about?", I asked.

"Let's just say... she's not exactly a friend. We're more like acquaintances."

(Sorry to cut off this chapter short, but I wanted to update my story for the readers.)

To be continued...