Six o'clock sharp in the morning, the alarm goes off, and I immediately think: "Damn it, I woke up again. Another tiring day, I just want to sleep and never wake up." I get out of bed and end up feeling a bit dizzy. Guess I got up too fast; Monday in São Paulo, January 2019. I brush my teeth, take a hot shower, and eat a piece of fruit for breakfast—after all, I have to take care of this body's health! I put on my school uniform and finally leave the house to catch a bus to school. Halfway there, I run into a friend I made this year at school. She catches up to me on the walk:
"Good morning, Roberto. I have news." I find it amazing how Yuna is always so energetic in the morning; I'm not so much, but I force myself for the sake of my health.
"Seriously? Tell me."
"I'll be your next-door neighbor starting today."
"You bought that apartment for sale next to mine?" I said, surprised. I didn't know Yuna was that rich.
"Yes! This way I can invite Júlia over to get to know you better, what do you think?"
Ah, Júlia. The girl who stole my heart since the beginning of the school year last August. Of course I would think it's wonderful, and of course, I can count on her best friend's help.
"I'm really glad you moved here." I step closer to Yuna, pointing toward the bus stop. I wasn't in the mood to be late and get scolded.
Yuna Haisawa gives me her signature smile, a cute smile where her eyes get even smaller than they already are. Typical of an Asian girl born in Brazil. We arrive at the stop and wait for the bus. As always, she puts on her headphones and waits for me to give her a heads-up; after all, she never had the patience to wait for anything. I grab my headphones too and put my Spotify playlist on shuffle, starting with a Player Tauz song, the Luffy rap. I really like One Piece, especially Luffy. Besides representing Brazil in anime, he is a very loyal and protective friend, just like me. When I'm feeling at peace with my soundtrack, I see a bus—our bus! I stand up, take off my headphones, and warn Yuna, who was calmly listening to her music while waiting. I tap her shoulder and call her name; she takes out one earbud to hear what I am saying:
"Yuna, the bus is here."
She takes out the other earbud and comes running toward me. We get on the bus and head to school. On the way, we pass through the Liberdade neighborhood. Yuna sighs; I know her dream is to visit Japan, but for now, she settles for this district that looks so much like it. Two more blocks and we arrive at school. We get off the bus and immediately spot a guy with straight black hair and glasses—none other than Gabriel Borges, my best friend and Júlia's best friend too. I wave at him and say:
"Ohayou, Gabriel-kun!"
"Ohayou, minna-san!"
"You're here early today, huh, Gabriel," Yuna said.
"Yeah. My dad drove me today, and the traffic was light."
"How's your job as our class representative going?" Roberto asked.
"Very well, actually. I was invited to participate in the Astronomy Olympiad in Chile this year."
"Amazing, your childhood dream hasn't died yet," Yuna said.
"And it never will. I'll be an astronaut one day."
A look of satisfaction appears on Yuna's face, while Gabriel waves toward the entrance. I look over, and there she was: very straight golden hair, an angelically delicate face, light blue eyes, wearing her school uniform and thigh-high socks. In short, any young man's dream girl and the love of my life, simply Júlia Gentil. She walks up to me and flashes a beautiful smile:
"Good morning, Roberto!"
"G-Good morning, Júlia!"
Right then, Yuna grabs her:
"Júlia, it's so good to see you again. I missed you. I have news!"
"Yuna, I'm the one who missed you! Hehehe, why didn't you come over to my house this weekend?"
"That's the news, Júlia. I moved apartments."
"Really? Where are you living now?"
"I'm living right next door to Roberto now." Yuna looks absolutely electric in that moment and gives us a genuine smile.
"Ah, that's amazing! Now I can talk to you away from the boys."
"Of course, let's go, bestie?" Júlia grabs Yuna's hand and pulls her away from us. I think she wants to tell her some secret, girl stuff maybe. They walk away, and at that moment Gabriel gets a message on his phone.
"Roberto, I'm gonna have to head inside. The principal's office is calling me for an important announcement."
"Wait, dude, did you know Kimetsu no Yaiba is getting an anime this year?"
"Seriously??"
"Yeah, yeah, and by Ufotable! Let's hope the animation is good."
"I hope so too, man. Well, I have to go, they said it's something that will change my life."
"Alright, bro, tell me later, I really want to know! But go on, I'll wait out here for the girls." I take out my phone and check my notifications to see if there's any update on the manga I'm following—it hasn't been updated in a while—and I decide to look up the anime announcement, already feeling anxious.
"I want you guys in the classroom when I get back!" Gabriel says, running into the school.
"Alright, leave it to me!" I wave at him.
The two girls return, but Júlia seemed to be looking for something.
"Where's Gabriel? I haven't talked to him today," Júlia asks, looking around.
"He must have gone inside to sort out something for our class. We'll talk to him at lunch," Yuna said, guessing his whereabouts.
"I don't think so, girls. He actually told me he went inside to see something that would change his life," I say.
"Could it have something to do with his dream?" Júlia asks with a glowing smile.
"Let's find out?" Yuna says, all peppy.
The school bell rings; it's time to go in. In the classroom, everyone takes their seats. Yuna, as always, is next to me, and Júlia is in front of her. The math teacher walks in alongside the principal:
"Class, I have something to announce. Gabriel Borges, please come up here!"
He walks to the front of the room:
"This year, in June, there will be an Astronomy Olympiad in Chile, and because of his good grades, Gabriel will be the representative of our school and the senior class there. NASA will provide an internship to whoever wins this Olympiad, so let's encourage and cheer for our representative, who will do his best to achieve this, isn't that right, Gabriel?" the principal said.
"I'll give it my all, for myself, for my school, and for my class!" It looked like Gabriel's eyes were sparkling at that moment as he clenched his fists in determination. An aura radiated from him just like in anime.
"Great. If you need my help with anything, you can count on me," said Heitor.
"Thank you very much, Sensei."
"You may take your seat, Gabriel. Oh, class, there won't be anything special today, just regular lessons," said Principal Ishida.
The principal leaves the room and Gabriel sits down next to Júlia. Class begins. At noon the bell rings, the four of us push our desks together and take our lunches out of our bags:
"What did you make for lunch today, Roberto?" Yuna asked.
"A recipe I learned to make with you, Yuna."
I open my bento box and show four onigiris stuffed with tuna and mayo. Yuna's eyes light up.
"SUGOIIIII!" said Yuna.
She turns red and shrinks back a little.
"Sorry, guys."
"HAHAHAHA, you got enchanted by Roberto's lunch, didn't you, Yuzinha?" Júlia asked, smiling and teasing her.
"It's just that, it's so nice to see he learned so well."
"Hehehehe, you taught me well, then." I confirmed, smiling at her. "And you, Yuna, what did you bring?" I asked.
"Well..."
She opens her bento box, and inside were six tuna and mayo onigiris, smaller than mine.
"Well, I couldn't make onigiris as perfect as yours, Roberto."
"Your onigiris are so delicate, it must be because of your tiny hands. Hehe," I said, watching her blush.
Yuna shrinks a bit and lets out a very faint arigatou. We all laugh. I look at her and say:
"You're welcome, Yuna!"
The day goes by, and around two-thirty in the afternoon, we left school. The four of us are walking toward the school entrance until Júlia has an idea:
"Guys, what do you think about stopping by the ice cream shop?"
"The one at the end of the block? It's all on me today," Gabriel said, smiling.
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Yuna screams, super excited.
"Calm down, Yuna!" I say, startled.
"Gomen-ne minna-san. I get these bursts of euphoria every now and then," Yuna explains, now as red as a tomato.
We laugh right there on the sidewalk. We walk a bit further and arrive at the ice cream shop.
"Are we getting milkshakes today, guys?" Roberto asks excitedly.
"I'm down, my friend!" Yuna says, jumping with joy.
"Sounds good, friend." Júlia smiles at me.
We walk in, and there were a lot of students from our school there. We head to a round table that had a menu, and I see my favorite flavor on it.
"I've decided!" I say excitedly, having picked my milkshake faster than Minato Namikaze.
"Already?" Gabriel asks me, surprised.
"What is your ultimate flavor, friend?" Yuna asked.
"It's Italian, I'm sure," Gabriel said, smirking at Júlia.
Júlia blushes, which makes my heart beat faster: the girl who enchants me, blushing because of me. But Yuna had asked me a question.
"Pavé, Yuna! I love pavé milkshake, bestie!" I say with as much pride as Escanor.
"Say something in Italian!" Yuna nudges me.
My Italian vocabulary isn't that extensive, despite being the grandson of Italians. The blue of Júlia's eyes meets the blue of mine in a deep stare.
"Intentare, Roberto Lucca Lima! Io se que tu parla tanti como io se parlare, e ascolta: sono brasiliana," Júlia teases me, making the heart that doesn't even belong to me jump into my throat.
"Alright, you guys win! Io sono brasiliano nato, ma con un cuore Otaku." I say this like a confession.
"Seriously, Roberto?" Yuna asks excitedly.
"Of course, Yuna, I've been fascinated by Japanese culture since I was a kid," I say, giving the most sincere smile in the world.
A waitress appears and asks for our orders. I order my pavé one, Yuna gets white chocolate, Gabriel gets hazelnut chocolate, and Júlia gets pistachio.
"Yuna, let's go over to the corner while the milkshakes don't arrive?" Júlia calls out.
"I'm already there!" Yuna says, standing up.
The two of them get up and go whisper to each other.
"You know, man, we'd make a great quintet..." Gabriel says, lowering his head and losing his smile.
I put my hand on his shoulder.
"Dude, I know how much you suffer without her. She was your support system, the person you loved most. But look, my friend, look at Júlia, you've known her for a long time. You've known me since the beginning of high school, and you know Yuna now. I guarantee Andressa would want you to have great friends and care about them after she passed," I say, looking sincerely at Gabriel.
"Thank you so much, my friend! You know I consider you the brother I never had, right?" Gabriel lifts his head, puts his hand on my shoulder too, and shakes me slightly.
"Of course I know, my brother! We're in this together, always!" I give him a smile.
The girls return right as the waitress brings our milkshakes. We drink in silence, until Yuna breaks it.
"Guys, how about going to my place after this?"
"Bestie, can we save it for another day? I have things my dad left for me to take care of while he slept," Júlia says, giving a little wink to her and Gabriel.
"I have some things to study starting today. Maybe one day I'll drop by?" Gabriel says, sounding more upbeat.
"I'll go, Yuna, don't worry!" I say, smiling.
"Thank you so much, Roberto!" Yuna smiles back.
That smile of hers throws me off balance in that moment. The milkshakes are finished, Gabriel pays, and we leave. We get to the bus stop and there's no one else but us. Yuna sits on the bench, puts her headphones on, and picks a track. A few minutes later, the bus heading to the north zone arrives. Gabriel and Júlia say their goodbyes and get on. The bus leaves, and I'm left alone with Yuna. I decide to sit next to her and tap her thigh.
"Hi, Roberto," Yuna says, taking her left earbud out.
"What are you listening to?" Could she be an Otaku too? Although, after all that euphoria earlier, I believe she is.
"I'm listening to 'Over,' a soundtrack from Clannad."
"Swear? Clannad is one of my favorite anime! Do you have more anime songs on there?" I couldn't contain my excitement. Finding out there's another otaku among us and that she likes Clannad... what are the chances?
"Yeah, yeah! My phone is packed with soundtracks, anime openings and endings, and even Vocaloid and Utauloid songs!"
I have to become better friends with this girl at all costs!
Our bus arrives, we get on, and head for the back seats since it was empty. She takes out one of her earbuds and offers it to me so we can listen together. I immediately recognize "Alones," one of the Bleach openings, and enjoy the track with her. Fifteen minutes later, we arrive and get off. We walk to her apartment in silence. I know one of us wanted to say something, but shyness reigned; we looked like a dandere and a normie walking together. We walk the rest of the way, head up to the third floor of the building, and she unlocks her apartment door, but before opening it, she stands in front of it and gives a shy look.
"Roberto, all you're going to see are boxes, don't expect much."
"It's okay, Yuna, I'm here to help you with them. No need to be shy." With my fingers under her chin, I gently tilt her face up.
She opens the door. I see boxes, lots of boxes, a kitchen table, and a sofa. There was also a shoe rack in the corner of the wall. I get it; it's a nissei's house, and I have the same habit, so I take off my shoes and put them there.
"Where do we start, friend?" I ask, cracking my knuckles.
"In the kitchen, there's something special I want to unbox."
What could it be? I open the first box and find cups and a teapot. She quickly unboxes a kettle.
"Now I just need to find my chamomile tea bags." Yuna gets excited.
We open a few more boxes. It's a good thing she had already unpacked the food earlier, otherwise I wouldn't have learned how to make Onigiris. She finds a bunch of chamomile tea bags in a box, hands them to me, and puts water in the kettle and the kettle on the stove. She takes the tea set to the table and puts two chamomile bags inside the teapot. I arrange her set of saucers, the kettle whistles, and she pours the boiling water into the teapot, calling me over to sit. I sit across from her.
"After a tiring day at school, how about some tea, friend?" she asks me with a smile that looked just like Kotori Minami from Love Live.
"I'd love some," I answer with another smile, happy to have a friend like her.
Yuna pours tea into our cups. She blows on hers a little but doesn't drink.
"You first, Roberto, you're my guest. I'd love to know what my friend thinks of the tea I made for him," she blushes.
I decide to take a sip, and drink a tea that, besides being hot, is delicious.
"I love it, Yuna! You are exactly the kind of person I needed as a neighbor." I reach out my hand, and she tries to take it.
"I feel like I shouldn't yet, Roberto." She pulls back slightly.
"It's okay, Yuna, I'll respect your time." I say this, but I really wished she trusted me more.
We drink the tea, exchanging glances. We finish and put the cups in the sink to wash, look at each other, and nod. Time to unbox and put away more things. We tidy up the kitchen and the living room, finishing at eight at night, when exhaustion hits me.
"Phew, thank goodness we're done." I thought those boxes were as endless as the episodes of One Piece.
"I'm exhausted."
"Me too. I think I'm going home to get ready for bed."
"Alright, I'll organize the bathroom tomorrow."
"I'll help you organize it."
"Are you sure? Won't that be too rushed for you?" Yuna stares at me.
"I will never leave you hanging, especially since you did everything for me today."
I walk to the door, grab my bag, and open it:
"Wait."
"Yeah?"
Yuna stands in front of me and holds my hand:
"Thank you, my friend."
I felt an aura of good sensations run through my body when I held her hands. That aura transmitted peace, happiness, and familiarity to me. It's almost weird to feel this.
I smile and say:
"I'm the one thanking you, Yuna. For everything."
Yuna sighs and looks at me with those puppy-dog eyes, like a puppy that just fell off a moving truck.
"I'm going with you to your apartment. I want to see it, can I?"
She says this putting her hands behind her back and drawing on the floor with her foot. I would have accepted anyway, but her doing that moves me even more.
"Of course, you can come."
She quickly slips on her sandals and closes the door. We go down the stairs, cross the street, and arrive at my apartment. We go up to the third floor, where I take my keys and open my door. She is enchanted.
"Your apartment is so organized and clean! You have a fruit basket on your table?" Yuna says, mesmerized by everything around her in my apartment, even though I find it so plain.
"Sure, it's my breakfast."
Yuna smiles at me and asks if she can see my room. I have nothing to hide, so I let her. She sees a shelf with lots of Action Figures and is impressed.
"Wow, you spend your money well," she says while looking at them like a kid in an amusement park, her eyes sparkling.
Since I can't eat junk food because of my medical history, I prefer to spend on more useful things that I can collect and that bring me happiness. — But I couldn't say that to Yuna.
"These are my precious treasures; I keep them with a lot of care."
"And which one is your favorite?"
"The only one I ended up losing. It was one of Taiga and Ryuuji together. When I moved here, I couldn't find it during the move, I think I got robbed." I said with an ache in my heart.
"Man, Roberto, I'm so sorry." Yuna looks at me with sorrow, showing she understood the feeling.
She got really down, as if she had lost her own Action Figure.
"I've given up hope of finding one just like it." I sigh heavily, remembering how much I liked that Action Figure.
"Have you tried looking in Liberdade?"
"I went to countless stores there, couldn't find it in any of them."
"Have you tried looking online?"
"Yes, but the shipping cost is a rip-off."
"I'll still find one for you."
I think she really is an airhead. It's not a Naruto and Hinata Action Figure that you can find anywhere.
"How are you so sure?"
She stares at me with those chocolate-brown eyes.
"I bet they still have it in Liberdade."
It's hard, very hard, Yuna. But why do you want to please me so much?
"You really have that much faith, Yuna?"
"Just wait and see, my new neighbor! Hehehe."
I'm starting to love this way she acts.
"Roberto, I gotta get going. We have school early tomorrow, so don't stay up too late."
"Ah, sure."
I walk her to the door.
"I loved my day, so, thank you once again. Oh, can I come over tomorrow to make your breakfast?"
How can I refuse a pretty girl wanting to make my breakfast? It feels like we're literally in an anime cliché.
"Of course, Yuna. See you tomorrow then!"
Yuna turns around, but tilts her head to the side.
"See ya, my friend!"
Yuna smiles and walks down the stairs. I close the door and go inside, change my clothes, brush my teeth, and get into bed. Soon enough, I fall asleep.