A minute or so passes while the dustbroom of your doom thrushes against the ground, collecting every pearl of glass it sweeps into its pan. You continue to have dust blown your way. You hack miserably. Why did life have to be so cruel...?
"That...seems like all of it. I better check in the edges to make sure, though..."
Your eyes light up. Now's your chance! As your first (and probably only) chance at being found leans down to check the nook you're in, you find the gumption to run out of your hidey hole and jump and wave your arms, ignoring the throbbing pain in the lump on your head. She squints at first; then, as she comes to understand what you are, shock paints her face, even through the guise of her surgical mask.
...But she doesn't do anything. Instead, she just...kneels there, lost, body unmoving. You stare at each other intently--yours is more of a fight/flight/fright response than anything. You couldn't help it; knowing how tiny and insignificant you are now, looking into the face of someone so much larger than you is incredibly intimidating, even if that someone wouldn't hurt a fly.
I don't know that yet, you remind yourself. That sinking feeling in your gut only grows as nothing happens.
Right then, however, she acts.
"Are you...real?" the girl mumbles, her gloved hand reaching down for you. You cringe seeing something so massive heading your way--and, thankfully, that seems to snap her out of her little daze. Then, the full weight, the reality of what she's looking at crashes down on her. Somehow, she manages to flinch harder than you!
"A-AHH! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Oh thank god, she knows what you are! Your ears are ringing from that shriek, but you can't help but feel overjoyed; for a second there, you thought you weren't going to get out of here alive--or at least, in one piece. You step out of the shade and cup your hands around your mouth. "It's fine, just...please, get me off the floor!"
She nods, still frazzled, but calm enough to listen. Bringing her shaky hand closer (much more slowly this time), she very gingerly wraps her fingers around your body and lifts you up. You feel dizzy as she lifts your body up into the sky. Suddenly, your fear of heights comes back to haunt you.
"Oh, is that uncomfortable? H-here," she mumbles. Her free hand cups around your back, laying you gently in her palms. It's...nice. And safe. And really warm...
With how much adrenaline was pumping through your body, you didn't realize how cold it was on the cheap linoleum of the lab floor. Your savior's velvety-soft gloves feel like an electric blanket in comparison. You almost find yourself falling asleep in the warmth.
...You don't miss the way her eyes perked up a bit when you yawned. Now that you've got a closer look at her face, she's pretty cute herself; that tousled, white hair of hers frames her pale face in a way that catches your eye. Along with the bags in her eyes, it gives her a pretty, disheveled look. It's kind of mesmerizing...
You blush. Realizing you've been staring, you try to cover it up by blinking and rubbing your eyes, feigning a shocked look. If she asks you'll just tell her you're still wigged out by this whole 'shrinking to a fraction of your normal size' thing. You avert your eyes, staring down at her wrists instead, noticing the reserved brown blazer she's wearing--it complements the rest of her outfit perfectly.
Wait, brown blazer?
A spark of understanding hits you. If she's not wearing a school uniform, was planning on going to the festival with her friend, AND referred to Reserve Course students as if she's not one, that must mean she's one of the Ultimates!
So you've been eyeing up an Ultimate...
Suddenly you're feeling a lot more self-conscious. It's pretty ridiculous, actually; you're shrunk to a speck and you're worrying about a social faux pas of all things? You can't help it, though; those guys never give anyone the time of day unless they were friends beforehand!
You rub your arm awkwardly as you look into the giant, lavender eyes sizing you up. She hasn't said anything since she brought you up here. Maybe she's just shy? Or perhaps it's the fact that the last time she made a sudden move, you cringed away like a scared rabbit. Regardless, you find it within yourself to speak up. "Um, I just noticed," you start, a hesitant tone to your voice. "We...haven't introduced each other yet. My name is Nanashi Shuyaku. I'm a Reserve Course student, if you couldn't tell."
God, I sound so stupid...
She blinks twice. Evidently, she didn't expect this line of conversation. "Oh. Well, er, hello there, Nanashi," she tapers off, eyes looking to the side. Then, they widen, and if you weren't sitting in her hands, you'd bet she'd even be waving them around defensively. "That comment earlier...I didn't mean it, honest! You and your classmates work just as hard as us, I'm sure!"
Her eyelids shut, and she sighs, staying silent for a few seconds. If you had to guess, she was probably psyching herself up for something. "M-my name is Seiko Kimura, and I am the Ultimate Pharmacist. P-pleased to meet you."
You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding. Looks like even Ultimate students can be kind and humble; at the very least, this Seiko girl is.
"Same goes for you, Seiko! And it's alright, really! No skin off my back. Seeing a lit, unattended bunsen burner would probably freak me out too."
A beat passes.
"S-so, um...do you want to tell me why you're tiny?"
"Aw jeez, it's a long story. If you could just set me down on the countertop, I'll explain everything..."
---
By the time you're finished talking, Seiko's already started scouring the assignment sheets in a fit of curiosity. "Aaand that's the gist of it."
"You being here during the festival makes sense, then, but," she puffs her cheeks out, pouting beneath her mask, "I can't believe a Hope's Peak teacher would give you a phony lab sheet like this. It's nowhere close to industry-standard...! All these vague measurements and redundant steps, and, 'Super Serum'?" She sneers. "Is this some kind of joke? Hmph. No wonder something like this happened..."
You're on the verge of tears. Finally, someone gets it! "Thank god, I'm so glad you agree. This has been an awful...wait, how long have I been out? How long have I been HERE?" you frown. The celebration's probably over by now...
"Oh, it should only be about half past six. I was busy in my lab, working on my final project, so I showed up late. Then..." her voice trembles a bit, "Then, Ruruka stood me up. I'd probably just be a third wheel to her and Sonosuke, but still! She could've told me before I got there..."
"That's such a dick move!"
You slap your hands on your mouth. Why did you have to say that? You know absolutely nothing about her relationship with Ruruka! She might just be forgetful...or blunt.
Surprisingly, Seiko doesn't take it too hard (although she does seem surprised by your vulgar language). "Y-yeah, you could say that," she mumbles, sounding almost...guilty? Then her eyebrows furrow. You didn't need to see her face behind the mask to know she was wearing a stern frown. "B-but really, I'd prefer if you didn't talk about my friend like that."
"I-I'm sorry, won't happen again."
There's an awkward silence where the both of you stare at practically anything other than each other. You don't like it at all--and not only because you came close to losing goodwill with such a nice, gentle person; looking around the room (and at your backpack in particular) keenly reminds you of how puny you really are. It makes your stomach churn.
"Er, Seiko...I heard you mention something about 'your lab'. Do you really have an entire lab to yourself?"
Her face brightens up again. "Yes, actually! Hope's Peak provides me with all the chemicals I need to make new drugs, and my own room to mix, process, and store them. There's a cooling chamber and everything!"
"Damn, I guess being the Ultimate Pharmacist has its perks! You ever, uh, y'know...make stuff you shouldn't?"
"W-what? Like, drug drugs? No, I would never--"
"Aww, I'm just pullin' yer leg! Seriously though, I'd love to watch you at work. Sounds way cooler than trying to do...whatever the hell this project was supposed to be."
"Right. Um, shouldn't we be trying to contact your teacher about this...?"
You wave your hand, as if to physically brush off her question. "Ehhh...that'll just keep us in his office for the rest of the evening. Besides, I trust you way more with my health than that old coot."
A switch flips in your head all of a sudden. "Actually, yeah! That's a great idea! You're really good with chemicals and drugs, right?"
"Haha...it's kind of my job," Seiko mutters, a bit of half-apprehensive, half-flattered laughter spilling out of her mouth.
"Exactly! So, if the worksheet gives you the chemicals that shrunk me down, and you have a custom lab with all the expensive, touchy equipment we might need...then you might be able to grow me back!"
"Yeah, well... drugs aren't as easy as 'do it all in reverse'. We don't even know what part made you shrink..."
You had to do a double take, cuz it looked for a second like the bashful, ever-polite girl in front of you just rolled her eyes.
"Okay, maybe you're right...but my point still stands. You're definitely my best shot of getting back to normal. Please, Seiko? For me?"
She closes her eyes and lets out a sigh.
"I guess it's my duty to help a fellow student in need..."
"Yeah! You're the best, Seiko!"
Her face turns red as a tomato. "Heeheehee...I'm happy to help."
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