Nate carried his breakfast toward an empty table, but before he could sit down, he noticed Maria approaching with her tray. "Is this seat taken?" she asked. Nate looked at the empty chair and replied, "No." Maria sat across from him. For a few moments, neither of them spoke. Nate began eating while Maria quietly arranged the books she had brought with her.
Nate glanced at the books. "You brought all those to breakfast?" Maria looked at him. "These? This is nothing." "Nothing?" Nate asked. She nodded. "You should see what I normally carry." Nate stared at her for a moment. "You're one of those people." "What people?" "People who actually enjoy carrying books." Maria gave him a confused look. "What's wrong with studying?" "Nothing." "Then why are you looking at me like that?" "Because I only brought one notebook." Maria looked at his bag. "One notebook?" "And one pen." "That's it?" "That's it." Maria sighed. "You really are different." Nate continued eating. "So, what are all those books for?" "My classes." "But the school provides the books." "I know." "Then why bring them?" Maria hesitated. "Because I like being prepared." Nate nodded as though he had just discovered something important. "Ah." "What?" "You're the type who reads everything before the teacher even explains it." Maria smiled faintly. "Maybe." Nate took another bite of his breakfast. "That sounds exhausting." Maria looked at him. "You say that like you have never studied before." "I have." "How much?" Nate thought for a moment. "Enough." Maria narrowed her eyes. "That's not an answer." "It is an answer." "It's a very suspicious answer." Nate laughed.
For a moment, Maria forgot about the thing that had been bothering her. Then she noticed Nate staring at her. "What?" she asked. "You look frustrated." Maria's expression changed slightly. "I'm not." "You are." "I'm fine." "You've been making that face since I saw you this morning." "What face?" Nate imitated her expression, furrowing his eyebrows and staring intensely at the table. Maria immediately laughed. "Stop that!" "What? I'm just showing you your face." "That's not how I look." "That's exactly how you look." Maria shook her head. "You really are annoying." "Thank you." "That wasn't a compliment." "I'll take it anyway." Maria smiled despite herself.
Nate took another bite before asking, "So, what is actually bothering you?" Maria became quiet. She looked down at her breakfast. "It's nothing important." Nate waited. Maria eventually sighed. "There is something everyone seems to know except me." Nate leaned slightly forward. "What?" "I don't know." "You just said everyone knows." "Yes." "Then how do you know everyone knows if you don't know what they know?" Maria stared at him. "...That sounded much smarter in my head." Nate laughed.
Maria shook her head. "It's just something the seniors mentioned. They keep talking about something that's supposed to happen soon, but whenever I ask, they tell me to wait." Nate continued eating. "Then wait." Maria looked at him in disbelief. "That's your advice?" "Yes." "That's terrible advice." "Why?" "Because I hate waiting." Nate nodded thoughtfully. "Then we're the same." Maria raised an eyebrow. "How?" "I hate waiting for food." Maria stared at him. Then she laughed again. "You really think about food a lot, don't you?" "It's important." "Of course it is."
They continued eating for a while. Then Maria noticed something on Nate's wrist. "Is that your schedule?" Nate looked at his wristband. "Yeah." "What's your next class?" Nate tapped the screen, and the orange display appeared between them. "Technical Assistance." Maria looked at the schedule. "Mine too." Nate's eyes widened. "Really?" "Yes." "Then we're going to the same class." Maria nodded. "Looks like it."
Nate smiled. "Good. Then you can show me where to go." Maria gave him a suspicious look. "You have a navigation system on your wrist." "I know." "Then why do you need me?" Nate shrugged. "Because you're carrying all those books. You probably know where everything is." Maria laughed. "Fine. I'll show you." Nate finished his breakfast and stood up. "Then let's go." Maria picked up her books. "Wait." Nate stopped. "Are you sure you can carry all of those?" Maria adjusted the pile in her arms. "Of course." Nate looked at the mountain of books. "That's what you said last time." Maria's face turned slightly embarrassed. "...Just walk." Nate grinned and followed her out of the dining hall.