Blossoms of the Dark

XXVI Selene: Charm

I watch Todoroki-kun's face.

Despite his assurance that he was thinking of something intently, he seems as though he's troubled by what he's thinking.

I'm about to ask him if he's alright again, but before I can, he quickly says, "I have to go to the restroom. I'll be back soon." He gets up and I watch his figure disappear into the throng of students.

Confused, but not concerned, I get up from my seat. I notice his empty plate that was full of cold soba earlier. It must be one of his favorite dishes. I take his and my empty plates and throw them into the nearest dust bin. And although I ate my food with chopsticks, I choose to wash my hands before setting out on my true mission.

It takes quite an effort to remove and then wrap the bandages on my arms, but once I'm clean to my satisfaction, I leave to find the members of the U.A. staff. My eyes fall on Hizashi Yamada. More commonly known as Pro-Hero Present Mic. Unsurprisingly, he is the DJ and the most energetic one at this party.

I look for another teacher who would be better suited to achieving my goal tonight. This time, I find Kayama Nemuri, who goes by the name Midnight. She is sitting with some of the faculty at a distance from the party. From my research, she is flirtatious and quite the charmer herself. She's unabashed and takes immense pleasure from the kindness and passion of youngsters. Very popular amongst the public for all of those reasons.

I smirk to myself. Charm the charmer. Alright then.

I wait for an opening. I watch her get up and walk to one of the food stalls. I start moving too. When she reaches the lemonade stand, I reach the juice stand. We're standing side by side. Feigning ignorance, I pour myself a glass of apple juice. Just as she's finished filling her glass with lemonade, I turn to her and greet her. "Good evening Midnight-sensei," I greet in a smooth, honey-like tone. I bow to her to complete the greeting.

When I rise, she's looking at me. She sees my cane and the realization dawns on her face. "Oh, you must be Hanada Selene. It's a pleasure meeting you."

"The pleasure is mine."

My charm seems to be working. Her eyes light up, definitely pleased to meet such a well-mannered woman with an evocative voice.

"Principal Nezu told me all about your arthritis and quirk backlash. But don't worry. Here at U.A., we'll help you become a hero despite them."

"Thank you Midnight-sensei. I cannot thank you and the rest of the U.A. enough for allowing me to be a part of your community. It has been my childhood dream to become a hero. And I would like to become one even with my disabilities. I want to be a symbol for others out there who cannot live normal lives because of their own disabilities. I want to be a beacon of hope to them."

My first bait works. She is definitely interested now. "Oh, so passionate. I just love it when young souls like you are so eager to accomplish your goals. Tell me, who did you admire as a child?"

Time for my second bait. "Oh, there were so many. Most of them were from here in Japan. All Might, of course. But I also admired Endeavor, Hawks, Best Jeanist, Eraserhead, Thirteen, Ectoplasm." For effect, I blush a little and look away. "And I deeply admired you. The hero industry is an industry primarily dominated by men. To see a woman combat villains and save innocents was truly inspiring."

She falls for my second bait as well. "I really like you, Hanada. I agree with you on that point. This world needs more motivated heroines to keep the peace. Hanada, if you ever need anything, just come to me."

I smile. "Of course Midnight-sensei. But I'm sure I'll be just fine under your and your colleagues' tutelage."

She hugs me to my surprise and I stiffen. "You will be an amazing hero, Hanada. I know it already."

If only I wanted to be a hero.

I recover and quickly hug her back. She lets go and gives her goodbye. She returns to her coworkers, and after filling some more plates with food as an alibi, I leave the food stalls. I have begun currying the favor of another hero. I return to the table where Todoroki-kun and I were sitting, and he is sitting in his seat already. He looks up at me, visibly relieved.

"After I came back you weren't at the table anymore. I thought you went to the restroom too so I waited. But after five minutes when you didn't come back, I became a little worried. I looked around a bit and didn't find you so I thought to wait here."

"I'm sorry. I left to get us more food. There was a line so it took some time. Here," I lie and set the plates down on the table.

He notices that one of the plates is full of soba and asks, "How did you know I liked cold soba?"

"You filled one of your plates with just soba. It was obvious then," I answered in return.

Feeling embarrassed, he rubs the back of my neck and blushes. "Oh. Right."

I don't say anything. I simply smile and return to my food.

We eat in companionable silence, until he asks me, "What's your favorite food?"

I stop eating and look at him. "Hmm?"

"What do you like to eat? What's your favorite food? Since you know mine, I figured I should know yours," he says again but nervously.

This boy's nervousness is endearing. I think for a moment. "I like many dishes. I don't just have one particular favorite. The takoyaki, kushiage, and edamame are just three of my favorites."

"Edamame, huh? I find it alright itself. But with some-"

All of a sudden Present Mic's rings out. "SO FAR, ALL OF THE SONGS PLAYED WERE JUST THE ENTREE! PREPARE YOURSELVES, EVERYONE! LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"

I'm puzzled. If those boisterous songs from before were "the entree," then what does he have planned? Is he going to make my ears bleed? Is this going to activate my agoraphobia?

My last thought worries me. I rise from my seat. Todoroki-kun looks up at me. "What's wrong?" he asks.

"I'm sorry. I have to leave. I can't stay."

He pieces together my reaction and Present Mic's outburst. "Wait. We can leave together. I'm sure there's a less noisy place somewhere. We've only been here for about an hour. It's too early to leave the party altogether."

How do I explain it to him? Should I explain it to him? "Todoroki-kun, I appreciate the offer. Really. But I can't stay. I feel very uncomfortable around blaring noises. It feels invasive. Please. I enjoyed tonight. You were excellent company. But I must get going."

I stumble toward the forest encompassing the school.

He gets up and chases me. "Wait!"

But by then I have disappeared into the forest. 

_________________________________________________________

Image URL: https://static.pexels.com/photos/122441/marigold-calendula-bud-open-122441-landscape.jpeg