Victória slowly opened her eyes as the golden rays of the sun hovered into her bedroom, shining right in her face as if Mother Nature herself was telling her she needed to wake up immediately. She rolled out of her futon and onto her phone, fortunately not damaging it but pulling the charger cord out due to her weight. Groaning, she took it from under her body and unlocked it to check for new messages.

Ah, that's right! She had spent the whole night prior chatting with Jirou about their upcoming not-dates. That's why her body felt like a bag of cement. That, and because she had kicked off her blankets during her sleep, causing the warmth to escape her body. It seemed like the other girl had also woken up at the same time as her, because as soon as Victória opened their chat Jirou sent her a new text.

Earphone: Wake up sleepyhead you're gonna miss your date

Vic: It's not a date

Earphone: It is if you actually ask her out, Komodo Dumbass

Vic: We talked about this last night

Enough fooling around, she could answer Jirou and get ready at the same time. Victória forced herself to get up and walked to the main room of the apartment. Her mother had already left to teach the morning classes at Little Stars, so she'd have to prepare breakfast for herself. She filled a small bowl with some bootleg corn flakes she had found on the convenience store close to their house, and poured milk on it. It was funny to laugh at, but not to eat. Either that, or cardboard was a popular flavor in Japan.

Earphone: That wasn't "talking about it"

Earphone: You said, and I quote

Earphone: "I'm baby"

Vic: Let me live please

After her less than great breakfast was done, she went back to her room to choose an appropriate outfit – a task that proved to be more difficult than it should have been. It was just hanging out, right? Uraraka wouldn't mind if she chose to wear something more relaxed instead of the cutesy clothes she had helped her pick the other day at the mall.

Right?

"This is not a date." Victória repeated aloud, while hesitantly putting the outfit Uraraka liked: a striped long sleeved black and white t-shirt and matching thigh highs, a long fuchsia skirt and some pink flats. She let her hair go free for today, as she only really tied it into a ponytail when she was training. Giving her own reflection a thumbs up as she passed by the mirror in the corner of her room, she finally headed out of the house – but not before getting her bag and stuffing some snacks into it, as well as her gifts for Uraraka.

Earphone: C'mon I told you about the Yaoyorozu thing

Earphone: I won't judge you or anything just tell me why you don't wanna officially ask her out

Despite her apartment being in an area that was still considered Musutafu by official maps, it was far away from hotspots such as U.A. or the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall. It was located in a residential area in the border between Musutafu and Tokyo, where the buildings got gradually bigger and bigger towards the side of the latter. There was a train station not far away from Victória's apartment, and she boarded the train there every day to go to school. Though today her destination was different (not only because it was Sunday): Uraraka's house, located across the city from where she lived. She would also have lunch somewhere around that area, since there was a considerable time gap between the current hour and the time she had scheduled to pick up her friend.

Earphone: Stop running away from your own mind

Earphone: If I can do it then so can you

Uraraka lived in an apartment complex in the border between Hosu and Musutafu, a convenient place for a hero since the former was always jam-packed with villains – and coincidentally, job opportunities for those who hunted them down. Though not so convenient for the civilians who just so happen to be affected by the villains of both of the cities.

Earphone: You there?

Earphone: I'm assuming it's already date time for you

Earphone: Mine is in like ten minutes or so

After having lunch in a surprisingly good ramen shop, Victória decided to kill some time by taking a walk at a nearby park – a haven of green in the middle of the towering gray skyscrapers. After about three laps, she sat on a bench and zoned out while basking in the sun. Luckily, a boy who recognized her from the Sports Festival snapped her out just in time so she didn't arrive at Uraraka's house late.

Earphone: Good luck, Victória Machado.

She was waiting for Victória in front of the entrance, smiling sweetly and waving at her foreign friend. She was wearing her usual casual clothes: a pastel pink shirt, black shorts and a pair of magenta sneakers.

"Hey, nice to see you!" Uraraka walked closer to Victória, noticing she was wearing the outfit they picked together. "You look cute! Where are we going first? You didn't really tell me anything besides that it would be fun."

"That's all you need to know for now." Victória smiled and took a mental breath before reaching out for Uraraka's hand. "Come on, I've planned a lot of things for today but standing around isn't one of them."

"Up next is our visit to the local cat café. Right on time for our last activity of the day as well. How does that sound?" Victória said, not taking her eyes off the Mario Kart arcade machine that both of them were playing. "The best comes last, trust me."

"Sounds good for— hey, stop that!" Uraraka yelped mid-sentence as Victória's Bowser crashed onto the side of her Rosalina's vehicle, launching her off the track for the fifth time that match. Even if this was (not) a date, Victória didn't want to hold herself back when it came to games.

"I've given you two chances to choose a heavier kart already. It's your fault at this point." Victória snickered, now in first place after having bypassed Uraraka and a CPU player that had been standing close to her.

"But I really like Rosalina!" Uraraka pouted, slowly getting back on track with the help of the fishing rod carrying Lakitu. "Why do you always choose Bowser anyways?"

"..."

"Oh! I get it now, heheh~ You two do look kinda similar, don't you? Specially before the sports festival, when you scales were still green."

"Yeah. Mom likes to joke around that he's my actual dad. And you know, we don't know where he is so it might be a possibility."

"Victória… How does it feel?"

"Huh?" She turned around and got up as the race over message appeared on screen, catching Uraraka standing there with a worried facial expression. Or was it pity?

Uraraka stands as they get ready to leave, looking flustered. "You know… Not knowing where your actual family is…" She pauses, thinking over her words. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to – if it's not a goof subject for you…"

"It's fine, don't worry." Victória pondered about the question for a while. It wasn't something she thought about as often anymore, so it was hard for her to choose a single word or sentence that defined her emotions about the subject. Although Uraraka's expression was getting more worried the longer she went without saying something, so she'd have to spit out an answer even if it ended up being only half coherent.

"It's… Bittersweet, I guess." Victória shrugged and looked away as she answered. "I mean… I know where one of them is. But my father could very well be still alive. And… I guess that makes me a little excited? It could be anyone. It could be someone bad, or someone good. No way of finding out until I actually meet him somehow."

"Hm… I like that answer." Uraraka smiled, scratching the back of her neck. "I thought I had asked you something too difficult for a while, I'm glad I didn't make things awkward."

Victória muttered a small "it's fine" and they started walking out of the arcade. Before they could reach the exit, however, Uraraka called Victória to see something interesting that she had just found.

"A photo booth? I haven't seen one of those in ages..."

"They're popular in Japan!" Uraraka commented, walking ahead and practically dragging Victória in with her.

Luckily both girls were relatively short, so there was a lot of space in the cabin. That didn't mean they stood far from each other, oh no. Uraraka made sure to sit as close as possible to Victória, wrapping an arm around her waist and quickly pressing the OK button. The other girl barely had any time to pose as she heard four clicks in a row, followed by the sound of their pictures being pressed outside.

Uraraka practically ran outside to see them, smiling at the results. She took the strip of pictures and divided it in two, giving half of the photographs to Victória and stuffing the other half in her pocket.

"I want to remember this day... Thank you for doing so many nice things for me, Victória."

"Here it is, the apartment building where I live. But we're really going inside, I've got something else planned."

It was already pretty late at that point. The number of people on the streets thinned, as well as the number of establishments still open. The streetlights were slowly lighting up as the luminosity went down, and the cool night breeze started to blow their hairs in front of their faces in a rather ungracious manner. Both girls entered the building, with Uraraka following behind VIctória as they got into the empty elevator. Victória pressed the button for the roof, and it didn't take long before they were there.

"Woah…" Uraraka quickly rushed to the edge of the roof, gripping onto the guard rails as she looked at the sky. Despite being bombarded by lights from both Tokyo and Musutafu, the stars still shone bright in the sky. The full moon also lent its presence – something that Victória hadn't planned but enjoyed nonetheless. Uraraka could even swear she had seen a comet passing by!

"That's it. That's what I had planned." Victória smiled at Uraraka's reaction. She walked besides her and sat down, gesturing for the other to do the same. "I've seen you looking at the stars a few times before and… Well, I thought you'd enjoy this."

"This is perfect, Victória! A perfect way to finish off such a fun day!"

Victória didn't say anything, instead simply reaching out to grab Uraraka's hand like she had done earlier. With their fingers intertwined, Victória blushed slightly as she felt how warm the other's skin felt to the touch. Both of them simply stared at the sky, contemplating the natural light show that presented before them. When a cloud obstructed their view, they'd simply look down into the streets below to watch passing cars, people, and even a few stray animals. Everything felt so small compared to them from the angle they were standing, it was hard to imagine each of those people had their own unique characteristics and personal lives. But that was what made humans so special: no matter how many times you've seen a person passing around on the street, you won't know what their story is, their motivations, their desires. It is impossible to know what makes someone the way they are without getting close to them, both physically and emotionally.

And Victória really wanted to know what made Uraraka Ochako the wonderful person she was today.

"Ah, that's right!" VIctória suddenly remembered something, and reached inside her bag. "I got you something."

Before Uraraka could object, Victória pulled out one of the gifts she had bought in the mall with Jirou: the Kirby plush with a miniature black belt wrapped around it. Uraraka let out a gasp and picked it up from Victória's hands, examining it as best as she could in the dim lighting of the roof and hugging it close to her chest.

"I love Kirby!" Really, who doesn't? "Thank you so much for that Victória! What martial art does he practice?"

"Um, well…" Victória's cheeks flushed slightly, although it was hard to see as well. "The belt didn't come together with him. It's… To represent your internship with Gunhead."

"Oh! I see. That's clever." Uraraka giggled, looking at Kirby then back at Victória. "This is nice.

Thank you so much for your gift, but I'm afraid I didn't buy you anything though…"

"That's fine, Uraraka. Really, just spending the day with you was all I could ask for. And also, I'm not done with the gifts yet." And with that, Victória pulled a second object from her bag, taking another gasp out from Uraraka.

"Victória...! You didn't have to..." Uraraka's eyes went side as the other suddenly took another gift from inside her bag. The box was pastel pink with golden markings in the corners. The front read, in bubbly Latin letters: Love Mirai.

"it's... My favorite band..." Uraraka carefully picked up the box, raising it to her eye level and studying the words printed on the sides. "I... I really can't thank you enough for this, really! Thank you so much!"

Uraraka set the gift aside and spread her arms open, almost throwing himself into Victória as she went for a hug. The other simply smiled with a slight blush on her face, hugging her back tightly. It lasted for more time than both of them realized, as they both looked awkward as they undid the hug.

After about an hour or so, even the nightlife in Musutafu had started to slow down. Even bars and nightclubs started closing their doors. Both VIctória and Uraraka were sitting in a comfortable silence, leaning against each other with their shoulders touching. Victória had been too comfortable to move, until she caught a glimpse of a street clock on the street below. It was almost midnight already! She was going to ask Uraraka if she wanted her to accompany her back home, when she felt the other girl's hand suddenly squeeze tighter onto her own.

"Uraraka..." Victória gulped, her face being slowly consumed by a blush. This was going too fast for her poor heart to handle.

"Victória... I wanted to ask you something. I hope it's not too awkward..." Uraraka let out a nervous chuckle, turning her body away from the sky to completely face her friend.

Victória's heart was pounding in her chest like a jackhammer. It was the end of the night - their night - and she was starting to doubt something like that would even happen. Whatever Uraraka wanted to say to her, she was ready to hear it.

"It's about... Romance."

Another gulp. She knew it was coming. She reached to grasp Uraraka's free hand with her own, enjoying the feeling of soft skin brushing gently against her somewhat rough scales. They looked at each other straight in the eyes, and for a moment it was almost possible to see a soft glow enveloping their bodies.

"Do you think... Deku likes me back?"

Out of all the things Uraraka could have said, that was the worst one.

Victória was suddenly snapped out of her fantasy world and harshly reminded that… That was not a date. No matter how much she wanted to pretend it was, it was not. She didn't have the courage to officially ask Uraraka out in one, and just hoped she'd get Victória's intentions. She didn't, and here they were.

"Midoriya? I… I don't know…"

"I guess it's pretty obvious I like him by now, isn't it?" Uraraka let out a nervous chuckle, looking down at her lap. "Sometimes I wonder if… He sees anything in me. I think he is a great candidate for a future hero, and a wonderful friend. He's caring, strong and… And… I don't think I'm all that much compared to him."

"Uraraka..."

"I wonder if he even knows I exist. He must get dozens of proposals from other girls every day, being as amazing as he is. And I'm just here, looking from afar and watching him slowly drift away without saying a word. Do you think he knows I exist?"

"Ochako." Uraraka was a little surprised by Victória's sudden firm tone in her voice, as well as the use of her first name. Both girls were starting to tear up slightly, but neither of them could see that due to the dim light

"Ochako, don't you... Dare speak of yourself like that ever again." Victória bit her lip, trying to hold her emotions back. "You're the most... You're my favorite person in the whole world."

"Victória..."

"You're just as caring, strong and beautiful as him, if not even more. I won't let you put yourself down because of someone ever again. You're... I..."

Another shot.

"You're the best friend I could have ever asked for!"

Another miss.

Vic: Hey

Earphone: Dude it's 3 am and we have our internships tomorrow

Vic: Yeah

Victória set her cup of tea on the ground beside her futon. Her mother was understanding enough to let her stay up as late as she needed to sort out her thoughts – but even then, she'd have to go to sleep some time. It was going to be a long and probably embarrassing day, and she'd need all the energy she could muster to avoid trying to fight Midnight at the first minor conflict.

Earphone: How was your date?

Vic: Midoriya Izuku.

Earphone: What

Earphone: …

Earphone: Oh my god

Earphone: You didn't ask her out

Vic: I was scared

Vic: I don't know why, but I just was

Vic: I couldn't bring myself to say it no matter how well things were doing

Vic: I just

Vic: I got really scared that she wouldn't like me as well and I'd just end up making our friendship super awkward and we'd eventually drift away and not speak ever again

Vic: There, I said it

She let out a sigh, rubbing her now puffy and red eyes. She had told herself she wouldn't cry about it when she got home. She had also told herself she would ask Uraraka out by the end of the day. Failures reproduce, desires fade, tea cools down.

Vic: How was yours?

Earphone: Heartbreakingly heterosexual

Earphone: Truth be told, I didn't ask her out as well

Earphone: I was gonna do it at the end but she kept talking about Todoroki the whole time

Earphone: Ruined the mood

Earphone: God if his quirk wasn't like super busted I'd make him catch these hands

Vic: It's not his fault though

Earphone: It's not Midoriya's fault yet you're still angry at him

Vic: I'm not

Vic: You know what

Vic: I'm done lying to myself

Vic: I want to punch that broccoli face so bad

She had already gone through the five stages of grief multiple times that night, in various different orders and intensities. She was simply a husk now, one whose emotions had long departed and left behind a cold, static mess.

Earphone: Man this sucks

Earphone: Next time we should just go on a date with each other instead

Vic: Sure

Vic: You're paying since I spent all my money on that CD box

Earphone: We don't need money to go to my place and watch movies and eat each other out

Vic: Cool

Vic: Wait are you serious?

Earphone: Are you?

Vic: 3 AM me is, but I'm not sure about normal human hours me

Vic: I'll think about it

Earphone: Same

Earphone: Goodnight new girlfriend!

Vic: Night.

Victória set her phone aside and pulled the blankets over her, closing her eyes for the first time that night. It was hard to convince herself that it was not a big deal. Uraraka looked as happy as ever when she was taking her home, and her parents were pretty nice as well. Her world wouldn't end just because of a failed romance attempt.

But it still hurt. It left an open wound inside her soul that would scar for a long time. Knowing she couldn't do something as simple as ask her crush out, when she had achieved things far more difficult in the past.

Finally, her consciousness faded, and her body felt peace for the next three hours.