♠︎ please stick until the end for an important announcement! ♠︎

"I'm nurse Takaoka. What can I help you with?"

The question hung heavy in the air for me to answer. I felt frozen in place, maroon colored shoes plastered flat on the ground. No, you just aren't prepared, dumbass. My mind searched for a decent answer to her simple, yet daunting question. There was many things I could answer, and such an abyss of wrong answers.

Her light sky eyes narrowed over me in response to my silence, she seemed ready to add something to her previous statement, until she was interrupted by the blond high schooler that had shamelessly flirted with me a few moments ago.

"Missssssss.. my hewd huuuuuuuuuuurts" his words slurred into each other, and they were almost incomprehensible. His tone resembled that of a man drunk off his ass. Bright golden pupils lazily scanned over the two of us, a dumbfounded smile spreading on his lips. Is he high or something? I wanted to go back to headquarters and forget Hanako was a relevant part of my life at the moment. Why me out of all people, hand freak?

A frustrated sigh left the woman's lips as she turned away from me, waving her hand to invite me inside. Her loosened snow locks swayed from left to right as she made her way to the bed, her focus now on the brain dead boy in front of her.

"Alright , Kaminari. What now?" She smiled. Her tone carried a familiarity, as if the event was nothing out of the ordinary. How many times has she dealt with this type of situation. Her sky gaze was focused on the golden eyed boy. Her small hands aimlessly rummaged through a white drawer next to a plain desk, until she found the object of her search.

"Here it is!" She exclaimed exclaimed, pulling out a dull grey file from the cabinet. The files.. I recalled the ones we had seen back at headquarters, yet something about this one looked off. "Oh, don't be afraid to make yourself home" she added , sky hues flickering towards me before focusing her attention back on the blond patient.

Thanks to her words came unwanted attention from said boy , who's gaze was now locked on me. He didn't seem to mind how Hanako was examining him, his body turned towards me. He looked overly focused, and it annoyed the living fuck out of me. His lips began to move, words forming into an incoherent mumble.

"Cwa I hav yous numbahh?" I truly only had one thing to say to myself. What the fuck? Are teenage boys really that desperate nowadays. Hanako didn't seem to be having any of his shenanigans, so she grabbed his chin to force him to look at her.

She was holding a dainty medical flashlight, the yellow tinted light being directed right on his golden hues. "No flirting while you're shocked, sweetie" she placed an emphasis on the 'sweetie' which seemed to do the trick. The blond immediately silenced himself and allowed the fake nurse to attend him.

Her peace didn't last too long though. The moment she turned around to jot down god knows what, the boy grabbed the nearest pen and scribbled something down on the straw paper on the bed. He waved me over, inviting me to come closer. Oh fuck no.

I ignored my internal pleas and set foot in front of where he was, being gifted with a dopey smile and piece of paper with numbers very badly written on it. Both of his thumbs swayed back and forth, another mindless mumble coming from him. "Chawll meee"

I think the fuck not. That's technically pedophilia and you aren't that cute. Cute. Was cute even my type? He's definitely not hot shit. Poor high school girls. My crimson gaze read over the number a few times, a wild thought crossing my mind. Is this what it would be like if I went to high school? I was no dumbass. I knew basics and life taught me more than any confining walls of 'education' ever could. Yet..

'Hey Touya! Can I copy your homework? I forgot mine'

'Tch. Here you go, Witchette. Make sure not to loose it again'

High school.. How would it have been to live a normal student life together? Staying up late watching movies and forgetting about homework, begging the teacher for extra credit, school field trips to wherever students go nowadays, eating lunch together with classmates.. I didn't realize how the nostalgia of something I hadn't even experienced overcame me as my fingers curled around the thin paper.

The crumpling sound didn't help my emotions any better. It reminded me of notebooks, old books, and exam sheets I had never taken. I only carried faint memories of my last year of middle school , which I wished to keep suppressed under lock and key. Those years were hell anyways. Middle school was nothing but a pit of wannabe hero bitches and backstabbers. The wish to go through the experience vanished as quick as it came.

This might end up being useful. I thought to myself as I stuffed the crumpled piece of paper inside my blazer pocket.

"Oh, do you mind sitting down , dear?" Hanako's lips curled up into a sickeningly soft smile. Her tone was sweet enough to make me sick to my stomach. What a great actress , you are.

"Oh, okay!" I piped up joyfully, ruffling my skirt as I sashayed my way over to the bed next to the blond. I might as well try not to make this obvious. I sat on the hard bed, the paper crinkling against my weight.

"Alright champ, we're almost done" I placed my hand on my cheek as I watched Hanako work on the golden-eyed boy. She jotted down a few things on the file meanwhile she maintained small talk with the student. The  smile never left her lips, and the blond seemed almost as happy as her, entranced by her kind persona. His cheeks were tinted a soft pink as he mumbled out half assed replies, bobbing his thumbs out and in.

Nothing about the interaction was special. Even with that, I couldn't help but observe my childhood enemy work on the student. Every single move seemed so natural. She worked the weird tools effortlessly and didn't show any hint of irritation towards the dumbfounded boy.

"....you go kid. You'll be good as new in around ten minutes." I blinked, realizing I spaced out for a hot minute. The blond nodded slowly as Hanako led him to his feet and calmly out the door. Before leaving, the little shit turned and flashed me a wink only to be shooed away by Hanako.

Every second in the room felt slower and slower, specially when the door was closed. We were stuck in a game of cat and mouse now that we were alone, except that Hanako had no idea the mouse was right under her nose. I wasn't afraid of her, but my fingertips said otherwise as they trembled when still. What are you so concerned about? Oh I don't know. Maybe the fact that you're literally standing on enemy territory with an ally that hates your guts as much as you hate hers. How fun.

"Gosh, I'm so sorry about Kaminari. He can be a bit of a major flirt sometimes." I glanced at the door , and then back at her. So that's his name.

"It's okay.. he was funny!" I chimed , giggling at the memory of his brain dead form. I internally cringed at my own poor quality acting. If Touya saw this, he'd never let me live it down. Hanako didn't bat an eye at this though, as she made her way to stand in front of me, observing me from top to bottom. I shifted in my place, almost shying away from her. The crinkling paper didn't help much either, my movements were suddenly louder and made me feel awkward. Can you not, paper?-

"So what's wrong, sweetie? You look a bit pale.." Oh, you have no idea. The question was genuine, and I couldn't detect a shroud of doubt in her look. So she thinks I'm an actual student.

"Well, my stomach hurts.. and I feel nauseous." I'm not lying though.

Hanako nodded. She stood up and reached for a pale drawer, taking out a thermometer. She brought the oddly shaped medical tool to my lips, hovering over them slightly. "Alright. Say 'ahh'" . I parted my lips, the cool surface of the metal bringing chills to my mouth. There was an awkward silence for a few moments, only being broken by the obnoxious beep of the tool, telling both of us it was done.

She pulled it out gently, sky hues flickering over the result. "Your temperature is normal. So at least it's not a stomach bug"

I let out a sigh , pretending to be relieved by the news. "Then what is it?.." I threw the first question that came to mind , in hopes to give her something to talk about. She probably won't have much to say. It's not like she's an actual nurse.

"I'm sure it's not food poisoning, so you don't need to worry about that one." She hummed, writing down a few things on the same clipboard she had been using with Kaminari.

"Aside from nausea and stomach pains , is there anything else bothering you?" She looked up from her clipboard, tapping the pen on the paper sheet. A soft violet hue poured from the window. It contrasted the white of her hair, giving her a more youthful look. She's.. relaxed? It was odd to see her so peaceful. Happy? No.

She smiled, stepping closer to me. "Hey, it's okay. Can you tell me where it hurts?.." her tone softened, as if she was dealing with a wounded animal that was afraid of its savior. Get away from me. It was sickening. Seeing her smile and act so kind . If anyone knew what a bitch you are. Calm down (y/n). It's an act. Is she even in 'a pinch' like I was told?

Anger filtered through my thoughts the nicer she became. I bit my tongue , not wanting to cuss her out, struggling to hold my grudge for her in. "Ah...my body feels cold, and I was shaking earlier" I lied. Her brows furrowed in concentration as she pulled out her clipboard again.

"I see.." she muttered, writing down the new information. "Oh, by the way" her gaze flickered to the clock on the wall, and the passing minutes each hand pointed at. "What class are you in? I need to write up an excuse for your teacher. You're probably late." She then headed to where she had been looking for files earlier, searching through a mis arranged pile of papers.

"What's your name, dear? It's the first time you come here." Fuck, fuck , fuck. This was supposed to be easy.

"W- well I.." I stuttered , wanting to seem too shy to speak. Maybe she'll leave me the hell alone. My hands trembled, and I turned my lips into a pout, moving my gaze to the ground. Don't keep asking. Don't keep asking. Don't keep asking.

Hanako pressed her lips together, and tapped her foot against the tiles. Her patience is probably running thin by now, whoops. "Who's your homeroom teacher , then?" She added. Can you stop fucking asking me for shit , ugh.

Her softened expression shifted into a more impatient one. She bit her bottom lip, probably holding insults in. She ran a hand down her pale coat, sighing. "Look, kid I–"

She was left mid-sentence when the door creaked open. A short, elderly woman waddled her way in, cane in hand. I quickly recognized Recovery Girl, an ex- hero specialized in healing , now focusing in the medical department as a high school nurse.

"Ohhh, good morning Takaoka. Already working with patients I see!" The elderly woman exclaimed. She slowly closed the door behind her , coming closer towards us.

Her shrunken eyes swept over me from top to bottom. I shifted in my seat , keeping the shy act. Well, not like I'm not uncomfortable as fuck anyways. She turned towards Hanako, and snatched the clipboard she was holding.

She squinted as she read through it, followed by a 'tsk' from the elderly woman. "Kaminari again, I see.. that boy never learns," she pinched the bride of her nose as her brow creased, the wrinkles that formed reflecting her years of age.

Hanako followed, and seeing them side by side was some odd revelation. Both with pale white hair and matching coats, Hanako looked like part of the staff. One of the teachers. It almost looked too good to be true. Because it was. Hanako was nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing. A young woman out to betray the academy and all the students she tended on a daily basis. Traitor..

"But you've been doing so well despite being here for such a short time, sweetie" the elderly woman added as she tottered towards a desk near the file cabinets.

It was as if I was watching a movie scene go down. Suddenly, I was invisible to both. Just a mere student waiting to be taken care of, with no ill intentions to my name. I was part of an episode I didn't belong in, and neither of them knew so.

"The students love you. You've grown to be such a resourceful nurse. I still remember your first day here, fresh as a recently bloomed daisy," I almost felt pity for her. How she spoke so fondly of Hanako, such a rotten bitch out to betray her. I reminded myself who the wrinkled woman was, and why she was in UA. It'll be cute to watch her stab the knife right through your back.

I lightly swung my legs to keep myself entertained. I kept my gaze stuck to the ground, and my ears perked and attentive.

"You've learned the ropes so well, and won over all of their hearts. I'm so incredibly proud of you , Takaoka. You'll make a wonderful doctor one day, or maybe even a hero," If only you knew, old hag.

"You've helped so many students, and have even put yourself on the line just for their sake. You're brave and selfless, Takaoka. An example many of them look up to. You're not just a staff member for them, you're someone they've grown fond of." Oh?

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Hanako visibly flinch. It was almost unnoticeable, but oh so visible for someone who played on the same ball team. Her hands were shaking, moving quickly as she organized a few containers to keep herself entertained. Interesting.

The woman's words also hit a chord with me. Suppressed memories of mine struggles to filter in, eat me alive. The good times . The times I refuse to acknowledge anymore. Back when I thought we were actually friends. I was an idiot.

"Thank you, miss.." the words were weak and quiet, but still hung in the air for Recovery Girl to pick up. Hanako's 'thank you' was almost a whisper , a weak attempt of being grateful to the woman. Yet the elder smiled brightly, like nothing was conspiring right behind her back.

"Ah, I'm probably boring you with this praise of mine. On a different subject, how is (l/n) doing?"

(l/n)?!...

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Hellooo, everyone. Welp, you could say I'm back from hiatus. I'm sorry for the long overdue chapter. To be honest, I've been on a big motivational slump for a few reasons. One of them being that I feel like I'm not giving you guys quality content. My punctuation is poor, and I cringe at my own choice of words sometimes. I've been wanting to improve, so I put more time and effort into this chapter than the norm. I hope it's good enough for you all.

Anyways, enough of that depressing mojo. I want to thank every single one of you for 16k reads! That's insane. When I first published this book, my biggest milestone in mind was 15k. I never thought I'd get past that, and yet here we are. Sitting at 16k reads

I want to show my gratitude by hosting some kind of event! So I want you all to please choose in between the following options:

a. a contest

b. a q&a

Depending on which one gets more votes, is what we'll do to celebrate 16k! If you're a ghost reader- please, please, please I beg you to at least answer this! It would mean the world to me.

Again, thank you all so much for supporting me and the development of this book. I may not be the best writer in the world, but I'm trying my best to improve with every chapter, and learn from my past experience.

♡ Please have an amazing day, week and month , lovelies ♡

-takutea

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