At the school infirmary, Mina led the injured Momo to sit on one of the beds while she retrieved the first-aid kid from the cabinet that was above the nurse’s desk. The nurse seemed to be on lunch break which left the two girls alone. Mina took a seat beside Momo and opened the kit, rummaging through to bring out a few alcohol pads and band-aids.

“Here. Let me see your left elbow first. It’s bleeding more than the other,” Mina said quietly and kept her eyes focused on the scratched and damanged skin, ripping open an alcohol pad to gently dab on the wound. She could feel Momo’s eyes burning into her and she vehemently tried to ignore the fluttering butterflies in her stomach.

“Ow! It really stings!” Momo whined as Mina continued to clean her wound.

“Hold still. I’m not finished,” Mina instructed lightly. When she was finished, she placed a band-aid large enough to cover the cuts then turned her attention to Momo’s other injured elbow. “Alright… now for your right.”

The only response she received was another whine from Momo followed by several more ow’s and cries.

Several more minutes passed and Momo was all patched up. Mina leaned back to give Momo a good look and had to hold back a fit of laughter that was threatening to escape from the back of . She found the latter’s appearance to be akin to an elementary child that got injured while playing carelessly on the playground, since both of her elbows were covered in large, adhesive patches. The only thing she was missing was a band-aid under her chin to complete the image in her mind. “See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Mina chuckled while putting the first-aid kit back into the cabinet then joined Momo back on the bed.

Momo’s lips pursed out into a pout while she carefully rubbed at her elbows but eventually gave the other girl a smile. “Once the stinging stopped, yeah.” She chuckled along with Mina and flashed a grateful smile that Mina still found to be silly looking but in a more endearing way than before. “Thanks again. You really helped me out today.”

“It’s no trouble at all. Their behavior was unacceptable and the treatment you and your friends received is uncalled for, especially if it’s based off appearances,” Mina reasoned, straightening her posture.

“Because we’re not popular and we don’t look the part, right?” Momo asked for clarification, to which Mina simply nodded. Momo tipped her head to one side and spoke again. “Are you popular? You look like you are because you’re pretty.”

The straightforward honesty from the spectacled girl surprised Mina, clearing and averting her eyes away from Momo’s curious gaze. “I suppose I am,” she began carefully. “It’s not something I asked for. Yes, people find me attractive and I am the vice president of the student council but for the most part, that’s all most of the students see from me. They want to befriend me because I’m 'popular' due to my looks in hopes of being popular themselves or have some other motive to give them an edge in this academy, whether it’d be social standing or academic advantage. It’s why I keep my group of friends small because it’s easier that way and I know I can trust them.”

Momo nodded slowly while listening intently to the other girl, tipping her head to the opposite side as she asked another question. “Is that Yuna girl one of those students who want to take advantage of you?”

Hearing the name instantly made Mina grimace. “She’s popular herself despite her unappealing personality. She’s the best singer in the academy’s Advanced Choir and I hate to admit it, but the girl can sing beautifully which is all she has going for her in my opinion. A lot of the students find her charming for some reason but there are rumors of her that say she sleeps around. It’s why I didn’t take her confession to me last semester seriously at all because I’m sure she wants to get into my skirt and have the bragging rights.” Mina huffed and crossed her arms, clicking her tongue against the roof of in mild annoyance, then glanced over to the girl sitting beside her.

Momo appeared to be lost in thought, hands pressed into the bed behind her as she leaned back and looked to the ceiling. Mina had never seen Momo look so contemplative, she couldn’t take her eyes off Momo as she waited for some sort of response to her rant. A heavy silence hung between them and for a moment, Mina was worried that her answer came off too conceited in tone when it wasn’t her intention, but eventually Momo found her voice and spoke almost wistfully. “Don’t you think it’s unfair that people are quick to judge others based on their appearance alone and instantly have a certain image of you ingrained into their mind?”

The question came out of the blue and Mina sat in silence as she thought about the issue herself. The more she reflected on her own personal experiences, the more truth that was in Momo's words. “It’s human error unfortunately," Mina answered solemnly. "Our brains are wired in a way that we have assumptions about a person the moment we first lay eyes on them based on our own experiences. It’s something we usually can't control, however, it doesn’t mean how we view a person will never change so long as we remain open-minded."

Momo hummed softly to herself with pursed lips, seemingly letting Mina's words sink in. "I think so too. I guess I wished more people were open-minded and would try to see things from the other person's point of view." She abruptly straightened herself and quickly put on the usual toothy grin Mina was used. "Sorry. Didn't mean to ask a weird question and get so serious."

"It's alright. From how you spoke, it seems like it's been on your chest for awhile. I hope I was able to help in some way." Mina offered the other girl a reassuring smile then picked up the form she