She's stunning.

So freaking stunning.

When I arrived, the party was just beginning. In fact, the food stalls weren't set yet. Just in time, I thought. I came this early just to eat the first servings of snacks. Those ones were the freshest, the tastiest. Unfortunately, some other students had the same idea. About two minutes later, lots and lots of kids started pouring in. While they were waiting for the food to be set, the DJ started playing rock music and the kids went wild.

One kid from class walked over to one of the people arranging the stalls and ranted. "The start time for the party was 8 p.m. You and your colleagues should have finished setting the food counters 15 minutes ago. This is unacceptable. As workers of a prestigious school, this is a blow to the school's reputation."

He continued on and on, and I zoned out. I recognized who he was after his second sentence. Iida Tenya. The most uptight of our class. Ignoring him, I looked at the mass of kids gathered on the dance floor. There was a mix of first-years, second-years, and third-years. All of them seemed to be having a grand time. I continued looking around disinterestedly until my eyes stopped on her.

Her hair was white. Gleaming, pearl white. But earlier today it was black!

Regardless, she looked ethereal. With her hair tied in a tendril twist bun, her purse tucked under her arm, and her gloved hands clasped together over her cane, she peered through the mass of kids looking for something. Happy to have someone to talk to, I strolled toward here. She seemed just as happy to see me too when she saw me.

Looking closer at her, I noticed her silver eyes seemed to shine more brightly. It didn't seem to be an effect caused by the light bouncing off her glasses. She also had adorned her hair with small, white hyacinth blooms. I looked her up and down, in utter awe of how stunning she looked. She also looked at my figure. And with that mischievous smirk, she commented how she didn't think I was one to wear suits.

Determined not to back down, I also commented how I didn't take her as someone to wear dresses.

I also didn't think we would be matching. I had no idea what she would wear and she didn't know what I would wear, but here we are wearing the same colors.

All of a sudden I remembered the food stalls and invited her to join me with the arm thing from movies. Since we're already dressed in fancy clothes, we might as well behave like fancy people too. When she didn't take my arm, I was a little hurt. But she was amused by my gesture and continued the banter. I learned that she was similar to me when it came to parties: didn't like the ruckus, avoided the noises, and enjoyed the food.

Hopeful, I offered her my arm again, and I was ecstatic when she took it this time.

I lead her to the food stalls and glance at her from the corner of my eye. She's leaning on her cane. Almost limping. I turn toward her and glance at her cane. "You can hold onto my arm tighter if you want to."

She looks a bit surprised by my statement. "Are you alright with that?"

"Yeah. Go ahead. It may ease some of the pain."

Very slowly, she wraps her arm around mine fully, hugging it. All the time, she's looking at me, waiting for me to pull away. I just squeeze her arm with my free one in assurance. She calms down and looks away.

We reach the food stalls, and we take a look at the options. There's a mix of Eastern and Western snacks. There's the standard sushi, karaage, kushiage, edamame, takoyaki, shioyaki, and my favorite, cold soba. There are also potato chips, salads, cookies, and pizza. There are juice, soda, lemonade, and water stands in the corner.

I grab a plate and start filling it with the soba. Only soba. Hanada-chan releases her grip on my arm, and I grab a second plate and fill it with the other snacks. Hanada-chan fills her plate with some takoyaki, kushiage, and edamame. I pour some lemonade for myself and she pours some water. We find an empty table and sit.

As we start eating, I decide to ask about the hair. "Earlier today your hair was black. But now it's white. How did that happen?"

She looks confused for a few seconds but she snaps out of it quickly. "Oh! That. My hair changes color because of my quirk. Specifically because of the light and shadow parts of my quirk. It turns black during the day and white at night."

I'm intrigued. "Interesting. I would have thought it would be the reverse. Your hair would be white during the day and black at night. I mean, day is supposed to be bright and full of light, and night is supposed to be dark and full of shadows."

She thinks for a few moments. "That would make sense. But I think that my hair changes color this way because of when light and dark are most visible. I mean, light is most visible in the dark, and dark is most visible in the light. And perhaps it is also supposed to represent the lunar cycle: white to represent the full moon and black to represent the new moon."

"Oh. That makes sense too." I pause, a thought suddenly occurring to me. "Wait, so what color is your hair at twilight?"

"At that time it is a gradient. Black at the roots and white at the ends. Grey in the middle. I suppose grey represents the crescent moon or the time when light and dark are equally prevalent."

Black at the roots and white at the ends.

There's no doubt about it now. She is the girl from my lucid dream. I remember going to bed that day at sunset. Sunset is part of evening twilight. I'm too stunned to say anything.

It really is all connected. I dreamt of her. Hanada-chan. She's in pain and she desperately needs help. The weeping. The fear. The cane. The bandages. She's been suffering for a really long time. And I have to help her. That was more than a lucid dream. It was a message. A message to help Hanada-chan.

I don't say anything for a while, and she grows concerned. "Todoroki-kun. Are you alright? Todoroki-kun." She reaches over and shakes my arm a little. I jerk out of my reverie.

"Oh. Sorry. I just thought about something and I got caught up in it," I give as an excuse.

She sighs, clearly relieved. "I had asked if you liked the food and when you didn't respond I became concerned." She looks back at her food and continues eating.

"Yeah. ... I like the food." I just stare at her. I feel like I'm solving a mystery where I just found one piece. But that piece has led to so many new questions.

What happened to you?

How long have you been like this?

Did anyone care for you?

Just who are you, Hanada Selene?

And how can I help you?