I changed into something more comfortable—a One Piece shirt, specifically the one with Corazon's smile, which I love. I put on my black jeans and sneakers and went down to meet Yuna, making sure to grab my jacket since it was a chilly day in São Paulo. As we walked toward the market, I couldn't help but notice the red ribbon she used to tie back part of her hair. She was wearing a cute outfit: a cool Sword Art Online shirt, a white cardigan, and a wool skirt. Yuna looked radiant. Her eyelashes contrasted with her fair skin, and her straight brown hair framed her face perfectly, giving her an air of... wait, why am I feeling like this? Forget it. I'm just going to enjoy the moment with her.
"I'm thinking of buying some vegetables, especially leeks. They're great for lighter recipes. What about you?"
"There are tons of light Japanese recipes you need to learn, and I'm here to teach you, friend. I want to see if they have salmon, too. We were supposed to have sushi yesterday, but moving got in the way of everything," Yuna said, peering into the freezer at the salmon fillets.
I felt an urge to do something, but then I thought of Júlia. You know what? Forget it!
"Yuna, let's go out for dinner tomorrow? To a Japanese restaurant?" I asked while picking up a few more ingredients, watching her closely for her reaction.
"Is this a date, Roberto?" Yuna looked at me, stopping what she was doing to analyze my face.
"You could call it that!" I said without a second thought.
"I'd love to!"
Yuna said it excitedly, closing her eyes as she gave me a radiant smile. Everything about her caught my attention. When I noticed she was looking down at the floor again, I gently tilted her head up.
"Look up, friend. You never know what's coming your way."
Why did I say that? I don't know. Soon, we reached the grocery section and started our shopping. Yuna showed me some vegetables I needed, and we went through every aisle. When we got to the snacks and candy section, I turned my head away; I never wanted to see that stuff again. However, I asked Yuna if she wanted anything.
"Do you want anything from here?"
"I want to stick with you. I'm not eating junk food anymore either."
I was surprised but not shocked. After all, she was putting so much effort into helping me and getting really involved in the process. We finished up, went to the checkout, paid, and headed home. We had eight bags. I gave the two lightest ones to Yuna and carried the other six myself. Who would've thought? At least my time at the gym and Muay Thai made me stronger.
"Next time I go shopping, I'm calling you again," Yuna said.
"And I'll call you when I do mine." Once again, we affirmed our "best friends" pact.
She shifted her bag from her left hand to her right and held onto my arm, turning slightly red. I found myself wondering: Why does she like me? I'm a transplant recipient with a messy past. What did I do to deserve this? But hey, if she thinks so highly of me, I'm going to do everything I can to make her feel like my best friend. She likes me for who I am.
Before long, we arrived at her apartment. We went up, and I set the groceries on the dining table.
"Roberto, do you want tea?"
"I do."
She put water in the kettle, set it on the stove, and started putting the groceries away.
"Can I help?"
"Of course, I'd love the help."
She started pulling things out of the vegetable bag. Later, as I reached for the bag of tomatoes, our hands brushed against each other. She flinched, turned red, and looked down—funny, considering she had just been holding my arm a moment ago.
"Sorry."
"It's okay."
I put the tomatoes in the fridge drawer, and she added the rest of the vegetables. The kettle whistled, and she went to pour the tea while I put the meat and fish in the freezer.
"All done, Yuna."
"Thank you, Roberto! The tea is ready, shall we?"
"Definitely!"
We sat at the table. She sat across from me and poured the tea. I took a sip and had an idea. I extended my hand toward her.
"What is it, Roberto?" Yuna asked, seeing my hand and my smile.
"If you want to, you can hold it."
She turned bright red. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah. You can hold it whenever you want."
"I don't know if I should."
"I need you to."
Yuna reached out her arm but couldn't quite bring herself to touch my hand. I extended mine a bit further and touched hers. She turned her face away and looked down. I pulled my arm back.
"Sorry."
"I just feel like I shouldn't."
"It's alright."
I drank a bit more tea, and so did she. I remembered we had homework.
"Yuna, want some help with the homework?"
"I'd love that!"
I finished my tea and went home to grab my bag. When I returned, she was ready to start. We studied until about five in the afternoon. Before I left, she gave me a bit more of the chicken risotto from earlier. I thanked her and took it home. I had dinner, brushed my teeth, and went to bed. It had been a great day. Suddenly, my phone buzzed with a notification.
— [Roberto, I had a really good day with you. I just wanted to thank you for everything. Goodnight. Sleep well.]
— [Thanks to you too, Yuna. See you tomorrow. Goodnight. Sleep well too.]
The next day, I followed my usual routine, but I ate the fruit salad Yuna had prepared the day before. I went downstairs and found her waiting for me at the building entrance with her headphones on. I said good morning, and she returned it with a cozy smile and a bow, saying "Ohayou." We walked to the stop and took the bus to school.
Around nine-thirty in the morning, Yuna reminded me to take my medicine. When I came back from the hallway, I found her crying and Júlia absolutely furious at Ângela—one of the students who sat on the other side of the room. I went back to my seat and asked Júlia what happened. She handed me a piece of paper and asked me not to read it yet...
At lunchtime, we gathered together.
"Júlia, can I read what's on the paper now?" I asked.
"Do you mind if he reads it here, Yuna?" Júlia asked.
"Just tell me it's a lie, Roberto!" Yuna pleaded, looking heartbroken.
"Let me see," I said, opening the paper and immediately crumbling it in anger.
Written on the paper was: (He's not your kind, you worthless little Jap!)
A chill ran down my spine and my body began to heat up. I didn't even realize I was clenching my teeth and balled my hands into fists. I walked over to Ângela's desk and slammed my hand down. She looked at me with a mocking smile, but I met her with fury in my eyes.
"DID YOU WRITE THIS TRASH?!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ângela said, her words dripping with scorn.
Overcome by even more rage, I walked to the blackboard and turned to face the entire class.
"ALL OF YOU! I'm telling you right now: stay away from Yuna. Don't you dare lay a finger on her, or I won't be responsible for my actions. I practiced Muay Thai for four years. So, if you have a problem with my best friend, come talk to me directly. Because if I find out she cried again because of any of you, I swear I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth and beat the hell out of whoever is responsible. She is my best friend, and nobody has the right to make her cry! AM I CLEAR?!"
The room went dead silent. I walked back to my seat with everyone staring at me—including Gabriel, Júlia, and, of course, Yuna. Everyone was paralyzed in silence for a full minute. Gabriel and Júlia started clapping, and Yuna just sat there, blushing in her corner.
On the bus ride home, Júlia commented:
"That was a really responsible move, Roberto. I wish I had someone like that by my side to defend me all the time."
Now she wanted someone like me. I had always been right here, yet she never saw me as a man—only as a friend. Somehow, her words didn't excite me like they used to. In the past, they would have meant everything, but now, something felt different.
"Uh, thanks, Júlia. Life taught me to be that way. I couldn't stand seeing the person who cares about me most being humiliated like that."
"You acted like a real man. Congrats, bro," Gabriel praised, giving me a supportive pat on the back with a smile.
"Thanks, Gabriel."
Their stop arrived, and they got off. Yuna and I stayed in silence until it was our turn. We got off the bus and walked toward our buildings.
"Yuna, it's a lie."
"What is?" Yuna said, distracted.
"What was on that paper."
"I trust you." She gave me a firm, reassuring smile.
We reached the front of our buildings. "Thank you for believing in me," I said, looking at her face to see if there was any trace of doubt left.
Yuna hugged me. "I'm the one who should say thank you, friend... for defending me and not being ashamed of me." Yuna's voice cracked, and she quickly wiped away a tear that escaped her left eye.
I hugged her back and felt her body relax against mine.
"Never, Yuna. I will never be ashamed of you. You're far too special to me. You're my caretaker and my best friend."
The affection I felt for her was growing more and more. Was I getting more involved than I should? To hell with it! Yuna pulled back from the hug.
"Would you like to come in for more tea?" she asked, her voice calmer now, eyes still a bit watery.
"I'd love to," I said, smiling and following her toward her apartment.
I went in and helped her with a few more boxes while she made the tea. I think we've finished almost a third of the move.
"The tea is ready."
I stopped tidying the living room and went to the dining area, sitting across from Yuna again.
"Yuna."
"Yes?"
"What do you want to do in the future?" I asked, curious about what this girl was planning for her life.
"You know, I haven't decided yet, but I'm thinking about being a computer engineer. If there's one thing I love doing in this life, it's using computers!"
"That's strange. I've never seen you on one."
"It's because I haven't set up the one in my room yet. I'm taking a break; I used to be really addicted."
She took a sip of her tea, and so did I.
"What about you, friend?" Yuna adjusted her posture and looked at me expectantly, like a child waiting to hear a secret.
"I know it sounds a bit contradictory, but I want to do the very thing that almost killed me. I want to be a streamer. My passion for gaming never died; I'm just taking a break until I find someone who... helps me... build a... good computer."
At that moment, I looked at her and thought: The person I was looking for is right in front of me!
She and I took the last sip of tea, and she smiled at me.
"I'll take our cups to the sink."
She took them away, and I decided to set up the TV in the living room. Yuna helped me, and soon it was ready.
"I'm going home now to shower and get ready for later."
"Alright, I'll do the same."
I went to the door and said goodbye. Back at my place, I took a quick shower and changed. Before leaving, I logged onto my computer for the first time in almost a week. I saw Júlia was online and decided to message her.
— [Hi, Júlia.]
It didn't take long...
— [Hi, Roberto! How are you?]
— [I'm good, you?]
— [I'm good too! How's Yuna?]
— [I was at her place just now. We had tea again.]
— [I'm happy to know my best friend is in good hands. Take good care of her.]
— [Don't worry, I will.]
I looked at the corner of the screen: 5:00 PM.
— [Júlia, I have to go. I have an appointment.]
— [Okay, friend. See you at school tomorrow! :)]
— [See you tomorrow.]
— [Kisses! :*]
I turned off the computer.