The next day during English class, Bai-Lin was staring out the window with her mind elsewhere. The kiss on the forehead from last night was still vivid. She had the palm of her hand on her chin all while not paying attention to the lesson.

"Uh... Bai-Lin?" Present Mic asked while standing in front of the class. "Can you read the next passage? It's your turn." His voice didn't grab her attention. She continued to stare out the window, continuing to blank out. He turned towards the rest of the class. "What's up with her? She's never like this."

"That's because she went on a date yesterday!" Ashido spoke out. "With Togata from Class 3-B!"

Grumbling to himself, Present Mic shook his head. "Eraser should worry about her just a little bit here." Walking over towards Bai-Lin's desk, he took and deep breath in and... "HEY KIDDO!"

Snapping out her of thoughts, Bai-Lin slightly jumped in her seat and looked up at Present Mic with a bewildered expression. "Y-Yes, sir?!"

"It's your turn to read the next passage." Present Mic let out a hopeless sigh. "I never thought I'll see the day where I have to get on your case like this."

"My apologies. Um..." Looking down at the open book on her desk, Bai-Lin sweatdropped. "What part are we on?"

Present Mic ended up turning a couple pages on her book, pointing out the part she had to read. "We're on this part."

"My apologies once again." Watching Present Mic make his way towards the front of the classroom, Bai-Lin felt embarrassed that she got called out for the first time in her life from a teacher. Composing herself, she got up from her seat to read the passage from the book.

~•~

During training at Gym Gamma, Bai-Lin and Ojiro were training partners while practicing their martial arts. So far, she was effortlessly encountering Ojiro's tail with her palms and feet. It felt like her mind was blocky, going in between training mode and the memory of last night. The thought of last night was overtaking more.

That one moment of distraction caused her to get slapped hard on her left cheek by Ojiro's tail. Groaning in pain, she placed her hand where she got slapped. She assumed her cheek was completely red from that direct hit.

Ojiro rushed towards her with worry. "Bai-san! Are you alright?! I didn't mean to hit you that hard!"

Gently rubbing her face, she then removed her hand from her face, seeing a little bit of blood on her fingers. Letting out a defeated sigh, she lowered her eyes. "It's alright. It was my own fault this happened. Distraction is no excuse."

"It's strange, because you're usually able to encounter my attacks so easily. Is your mind still wandering from what happened last night?"

Feeling the blood rush to her cheeks, Bai-Lin slowly nodded. "It is. My apologies, Ojiro-san. My mind doesn't seem to be here today. It's not fair to you to be training with a partner who isn't giving it their all today."

"Bai-Lin." She heard Aizawa call out to her. Turning towards his voice, Bai-Lin watched him walking closer to her. Not expecting it, he ended up chopping his hand on top of her head. "Look. There's nothing wrong with dating and feeling happy over all that, but if it's going to distract you from your training, there's going to be a problem."

Bai-Lin's eyes wavered from his truthful words. She felt like she deserved that after messing up, but was disappointed in herself that her wandering mind had come down to this. "I'm very sorry..."

Staring at her blankly, Aizawa slightly groaned while averting his gaze. "It's harder on me than it is on you, but it needed to be done. Don't take it too heart."

Swallowing hard while unable to look him in the eye, Bai-Lin nodded. "I understand. I'll try to not let myself get distracted during the rest of my training."

"Alright. Get your wound cleaned up and continue training." Watching Aizawa walk away, Bai-Lin was digging in her pockets to pull out some gauzes.

"Oh wow! You carry first aid supplies with you?" Ojiro asked her.

"I do." Bai-Lin responded while cleaning her face wound with the gauze. "It's become a habit of mine to carry them around with me."

"Well... It's handy, I guess."

Carefully placing a small gauze bandage on her cheek, Bai-Lin closed her eyes while regulating her breathing. "I apologize once again for not training properly today. I'm ready to resume whenever you are." Both bowing to each other respectfully, they continued where they left off.

~•~

During lunch, Bai-Lin was lost in thought while chewing her food. She kept getting distracted today, causing her to get in trouble by the teachers. She was usually one of the best students, but it felt like it was going down the drain all in one day.

"So... You got that injury from training, huh?" Hiryu asked her while eating his own lunch.

Bai-Lin nodded in response. "I got distracted by what had happened last night."

"Right. Your date with Togata. How did it go?"

"It was really fun. We ate at a cafe, watched a movie at the theaters, and ate dinner at this ramen bar. Afterwards, he walked me to my dorm and lend me his jacket since it got really cold. As we were about to go our separate ways, he kissed my forehead."

Raising his eyes in surprise, Hiryu nodded with an impressed expression. "I see. So it went really well. Where do you two stand with each other after that?"

"I'm not sure. I was going to meet with him sometime after school to give him his jacket back. Maybe I'll ask then."

"You should, but... We both know you'll clam up and get shy during the moment."

Blushing at his response, Bai-Lin lightly pushed Hiryu's arm. "Don't jinx it!"

Hiryu let out a small laugh. "Sorry, just wanted to mess with you a bit." Bai-Lin couldn't help but laugh along with him.

"Hey sweetie." Looking up, Bai-Lin saw Midnight approaching her.

Setting her lunch aside, Bai-Lin got up from the bench while bowing her head. "Good afternoon, Ms. Midnight."

"There's no need for formalities. You know me well by now." Midnight leaned closer to her. "Could I borrow a little bit of your time? We need to have a little chat."

Wondering what Midnight needed to talk to her about, Bai-Lin slowly nodded. "Of course." She turned towards Hiryu. "I'll be right back."

"Sure, take your time." Hiryu responded and took a bite of his lunch.

~•~

Following Midnight to an excluded area with several benches and bushes, Midnight sat down on one of the benches, patting the seat right next to her. "Sit." Bai-Lin proceeded to sit next to her while making eye contact with her. "A couple good friends of mine told me that you went on a date yesterday with that third year boy you like so much."

Feeling her face heat up, Bai-Lin averted her gaze. "Y-Yes..."

"They also told me that you've been distracted because of it. I assume this your first love?"

Feeling shy to be unable to answer Midnight's question right away, Bai-Lin nodded. "It is. It was also my first date as well. It's not that I was distracted because of the date. It was more of... What happened after the date."

"Oh~ Do tell."

"He walked me to my dorm, and before we were going to go our separate ways, he kissed me on the forehead."

Happily gasping, Midnight was grinning ear to ear. "That's so precious! I totally get it, sweetie. Right now, it feels like you're unsure how to handle these emotions you're feeling. You're inexperienced, so it's only normal for you to get easily swoon over a sweet kiss like that."

"That's... True. To be more honest, I haven't got shown that kind of affection before, so it made me feel like I was floating on a cloud. It was all new to me that even now, I'm not sure how to calm myself about it."

"Ah, young love. He's quite a looker, so I'll give you that. You did look comfortable sleeping in his arms that one night." Seeing Bai-Lin's face turning even more red, Midnight softly smiled. "But knowing you, I'm sure you fell for him, because of the type of person he is, right?"

"Yes. He's helped so much since attending here. I was unaware I felt that way towards him. I'm not sure how to put it into words correctly..."

"Listen, sweetie. Do you see yourself and this boy together? Not necessarily meaning that the two of you are going to get hitched or anything, but more as each other's supporters."

Trying to imagine a future with Mirio, all Bai-Lin could imagine was the two of them smiling and laughing, eventually settling down and having a family. Getting flustered over that thought, she swallowed hard. "I... Suppose so."

"When are you going to see him again?"

"Sometime after school. I was going to give him his jacket back, and possibly asking where we stand with each other. I mentioned to my friend just a little bit ago, and... He's right. I'll get too shy to ask."

Grabbing Bai-Lin by the shoulders, Midnight had her turn towards her to have Bai-Lin directly meet her gaze. "Ask him. If you don't ask sooner than later, you're going to be wondering about it, and that's only going to make you lose sleep. Be assertive. You do want to know the answer, right?"

"I do want to know."

"That's what I thought." Releasing Bai-Lin's shoulders, Midnight smiled reassuringly. "Just remember this, don't get your hopes up too high, but also hope for the best. What I'm trying to say is... Be prepared for any answer he'll give you."

Knowing that was true to no end, it made Bai-Lin feel a little nervous. But despite feeling that way, she needed to be assertive and ask. "I'll do my best."

"I believe in you! Whatever the outcome may be, you can come running to your Auntie Midnight! I'll be here if you need emotional support, because I care about you, sweetie."

Gently smiling at Midnight's reassuring words, Bai-Lin gratefully bowed her head. "Xie xie, māmā." Realizing what she just said, she hid her face with her hands. "I'm so sorry! That just slipped out! I just-"

Not expecting it, Midnight tightly embraced her. "You can call me whatever you want!" Embarrassed that she accidentally called Midnight her mom, she cherished the hug. It almost felt like a rare hug from her own mother. She didn't expect to get a pep talk from Midnight out of all things, but she was glad that her encouragement made her feel a little bit at ease.

~•~

After school, Bai-Lin was in her room while cleaning Mirio's jacket with a lint roller. She wanted to return his jacket in a clean state. It wasn't wrinkled too badly, so she didn't feel the need to iron it. Triple checking spots on his jacket, it was practically spotless at this point. Carefully grabbing the jacket, Bai-Lin held it with both hands. Excited to see him again, she practically rushed out of her room.

Walking downstairs, only a few classmates were hanging out in the lobby. Walking closer to Tokoyami who was leaning his back against the wall, he perked his head up. "Yang-san."

Stopping where she stood, Bai-Lin turned her head towards Tokoyami. "Good afternoon. Were you going to ask if we're going to do our weekly night training with our dark quirks?"

"I was. I've noticed you haven't been yourself today, so I wanted to be sure if we're still on for training later."

"I would be willing to do so, but... I don't want to not give it my all during training like I did with Ojiro-san earlier. If it's not too much trouble, could we possibly do a rain check?"

"No problem. I rather train with you with a clear head."

"Thank you for understanding."

Tokoyami looked at the jacket she was holding. "Are you going to give that back to Togata?"

"Yes. I'm going to try to find him, and give this back. Afterwards, I plan to do long hours of meditation tonight. I need to get my mind back on track."

"If you're feeling more like yourself tomorrow, could we train tomorrow night instead?"

"Most likely, I'll let you know beforehand."

"Very well, take care."

"You as well, Tokoyami-san." Slightly bowing her head, Bai-Lin proceeded to walk towards the exit of the dormitory. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She was excited yet nervous to see Mirio right now. But first things first, she needed to find him.

~•~

Wandering where the third year dorms were, Bai-Lin was looking around to see if anyone was nearby. Nosing around the area, Bai-Lin was contemplating whether or not to enter the third year dorms to ask where Mirio was.

Taking a deep breath in, Bai-Lin was heading her way towards the entrance of the third year dorms. "But Mirio! We've been through so much together!" She heard a female's voice say from the side of the dorms.

Curious whether or not to see what was going on, Bai-Lin made her way towards the side of the dorm. She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop and spy, but she heard someone say Mirio's name, having curiosity get the better of her.

Peeking her head around the corner, Bai-Lin saw Mirio's back. She could somewhat see the girl he was talking to. She had long wavy velvet red hair, her arms and legs were on the scaly end. Her eyes were gold with pupils that resembled a snake's. Bai-Lin's eyes widened in surprise, remembering that same girl glaring at her from before. When her and Tamaki had that conversation during the same day, was this the girl that happened to be Mirio's ex?

Mirio let out a sigh while scratching the back of his head. "Look... Nagami. I know you and I had some history together, but we squished what we had last year."

"I know that, but..! I regret breaking it off with you! I want you back!"

"Why now all of a sudden? You didn't have a problem leaving me back then. Why would you want to come back now?"

Huffing in response, the third year girl named Nagami stomped her foot. "That first year you've been seeing is not good enough for you! I heard about that little 'date' you went on yesterday. What do you even see in that scrawny, good for nothing ignorant girl who just popped out of nowhere?! She's trying to seduce you by acting all cute around you!"

Clenching his hand into a fist, it took Mirio a good minute to respond. "You can talk bad about me all you want, but don't you dare talk bad about Bai-Lin. You don't know anything about her. She's strong-willed even during the the hardest times. She has a kind heart, and would do anything to help those around her. She was there for me when I was going through a hard time, and it helped me more than she thinks. She's nowhere near ignorant. In fact, she's one of the smartest people I know. I'm sorry to say this, but you should take a page out of her book and learn how to be nice to others."

"Now you're comparing me to her?! I know I wasn't the best to you when we were together, but I regret that. I really do. I want to show you that I can be better this time."

"I'm sorry, but no. You're only willing to change so I can give into your desires. You need to be willing to change for yourself. I moved on from us a long time ago, and now I found someone else that I want to be with."

As soon as Mirio was about to turn around, Nagami grabbed him by the shirt collar to have him face towards her. Thinking she was going to assault Mirio, Bai-Lin stepped out from the corner. Taking a couple steps, she froze in place with the next thing she was seeing.

It felt like the world was shattering beneath her. Nagami ended up kissing Mirio right in front of her. It felt like she was getting stabbed in the chest with multiple knives. Her body started to tremble, dropping Mirio's jacket to the floor in result.

Hearing the noise, Mirio and Nagami broke away from each other, seeing Bai-Lin had been witnessing them. Seeing such distraught on Bai-Lin's face, Mirio felt guilty that she walked into this. "Bai-Lin, this isn't what it looks like!"

Taking a couple steps back, Bai-Lin didn't know how to react. She knew it wasn't his fault, but seeing such a sight ripped her heart in half, her mind going into a complete blank. Feeling tears welding up in her eyes, she ended up turning around while running away.

"Bai-Lin! Wait!" Mirio was about to go after her until he felt a hand grab his arm while pulling him back.

"Don't go after her. It's better this way." Nagami suggested. "Maybe this will make her give up on ever attempting to face you again."

Gritting his teeth, Mirio shook Nagami off of him. "No. I'm going to clear things up with her. You need to understand that there's never going to be anything between us again. I've moved on." His tone became more serious. "And I'm glad I did." Running to pick up the jacket Bai-Lin dropped, he started to run towards the direction she ran off while leaving behind a livid Nagami.

~•~

Stopping around Class 1-A's dormitories, Mirio stopped to try to catch his breath. Looking around with his eyes, he didn't see signs of Bai-Lin anywhere.

"Togata-senpai!" Mirio heard Midoriya call out.

Turning towards Midoriya, Mirio looked at him with worry. "Have you seen Bai-Lin anywhere?"

"Yeah! For some reason, she bolted into the lobby and ran upstairs. She was covering her face, and I swore I heard her crying."

"Oh man..." Mirio scratched the back of his head, a guilty look on his face. "I really need to clear that up with her."

"What did you do?!"

"Nothing was my fault, I swear! She caught me in a situation with a girl I used to date. I rejected my ex because she wanted me back, and she ended up kissing me to persuade me. I didn't know Bai-Lin was there, and I assume she saw the whole thing."

Trying to figure out where to go about this situation, Midoriya looked at Mirio with a serious expression. "You need to clear things up with her. I'm worried since she was so happy today, and to switch from that to crying... It was worrisome."

"I didn't mean to hurt her..." Mirio lowered his eyes with a devastated expression. "If it's fine, could you lead me to her room so that I can talk to her?"

"Yeah, of course." Taking the lead, Mirio ended up following Midoriya inside of the dorms, leading him up the stairs to go to the floor where Bai-Lin's room is located.

~•~

Arriving on the floor they needed to go, they both saw all of the girls lingering near Bai-Lin's door. They were all wearing worried expressions, curious about what had happened that made Bai-Lin cry all of a sudden.

Walking closer to them, Uraraka turned towards Midoriya. "We've been trying to get her to answer, but she isn't responding."

"I see." Midoriya turned his gaze towards Mirio. "I brought him so he could clear things up with her."

"Clear things up?!" Ashido exclaimed and angrily turned towards Mirio. "What did you do?!"

"Did you break her heart?!" Hagakure shouted.

Mirio raised his arms in defense. "Wait a minute! This is all a big misunderstanding!"

"It isn't his fault." Midoriya spoke up. "He just needs to talk to her."

All of the girls were confused on what Mirio needed to talk about with Bai-Lin while looking over towards Mirio at the same time. Lightly scratching his face, Mirio averted his gaze. "I