****
"Do you want some tea, Maria?"
"Oh, I'd love some, thank you. You guys really like tea, right?"
"Yeah, we are kind of 'British Asians' in that regard, ha-ha. Is green tea fine with you?"
"Oh, yes."
"There you go…"
"Thank you!"
From her face, it was clear that Maria wasn't that excited with the taste of the green tea, but in consideration for me, she drank it all the way to the end. Frankly, she didn't need to do that, but it was very cute seeing her trying hard to please me.
"Miyuki, are you sure you are not hurt? It was a pretty good hit, you know?"
"Yeah, it was, it still hurts a bit, but I think it's fine. I don't feel dizzy anymore and I took some pills that relieved the headache."
"If you say so… If you want, I can take you to the doctor, just say it."
"Thanks, Maria, you are too considerate, but don't worry, I am fine now! Anyways, we are here to study, right? Let me pick the material in my bag and then we can start. You have the papers printed, right?"
"Tch…. Laaame, I was hoping we could spend some time together before studying, but you're right, better get down to it soon, so Prof. Fukuda won't scold me again"
"Yeah, yeah, complain all you want ha-ha. Just let me get my bag, and… Uhh?" - As I opened my bag, one thing immediately caught my attention. In the midst of the notebooks inside it, to my surprise I saw a suspicious sealed yellow envelope crumpled between them, which I surely didn't remember being in my possession. To be frank, I passed my eyes over it on the train, but I didn't pay that much attention as I was looking for the white sheets of the academic paper. Immediately wanting to investigate it, I picked up the envelope and directed it into the light coming from the nearest lamp, so I could inspect the content better. The envelope was just too opaque to see through, however it was really packed to the point that the seal was barely holding up, so I figured that it wasn't withholding just a simple letter, but multiple ones, or cards, or whatever. Maria noticed that I was paying more attention than I should to that envelope and so she too got curious.
"Er… Is there something wrong with this envelope?"
"It isn't mine"
"Uh?"
"This envelope - I pointed toward her - it doesn't belong to me"
"And?" - Maria didn't seem to be that surprised about it
"Well, it doesn't have a name or any other identification, so…. You know? What if it's those sorts of envelopes used to pay some shady deals, and the receiver is some sort of hired assassin and is now seeking it. I don't want to receive any unannounced visits to my apartment… Right?" - I was joking, but deep inside I kind of considered that there was indeed a probability that this was true, even if minimal.
"Ha-ha-ha, you really are dense, aren't you, Miyuki? Just open it already! Or I will!"
"H-hey!" - Maria forcefully picked the envelope from my hand and promptly tore the envelope seal, revealing the content inside.
"Oh, look at that! Photos!" - The envelope was packed with photos. Maria picked one of them and also directed it to the lamplight. That one was a black and white photo of an aerial view from Rio; it was taken from one of the many hilltops along the coast, it must have been quite the walk to get there.
"That's pretty neat, right?"
"Yup, very artistic! What other photos are there?" - As we passed through them, it was noticeable that most were also in black and white and very artistic, mixing nature, classic architecture, and people on spontaneous occasions; you could see that the person who took them was a very sensible one.
"Miyuki... I think you already know what happened here"
"Yup, I must've swapped things with Carlos in the incident today"
"Ha-ha-ha serves him right! Sell these photos or hide them, so he'll take extra care when running around the university hallways again"
"Like I could do that. I just hope I never become your enemy, Maria, geez"
"You're just too cute for me to hate you ha-ha" - Said Maria while pulling both of my cheeks
"W-o-ah-, M-awi-a, s-tow-p, pu-e-ase."
"Ha-ha-ha-ha. Oh, darn it! "- She suddenly let go both of my cheeks (which hurt a lot by the way) - "The paper!" - We got too distracted with the photos, but Maria remembered we had to study the paper.
"A-ah, I'm just too lazy for it. Miyuki, please, insert via osmosis the knowledge in my brain" - She turned her back to me and leaned down her head on my lap.
"If I knew how to do that I wouldn't be here" - I hit her head with the paper we were supposed to read so she could sit straight again.
"Okay, okay mom, you've won. Let's jump right into it so I can then annoy you more he-he."
"You're going straight home after this!"
"Tch, meeeean!"
And so, we spent the rest of the night successfully failing to study the paper while I tried to control myself and not laugh at the jokes Maria made about literally anything. I must say, she was indeed too intense, and we had just met, but I could already tell that she would become a good friend.
Truly, the warm sensation of a good laugh never changes….