Mahiru sat on the park bench, watching the sun set. It was a striking moment, when the tangerine sky met the cool, dark ocean, uninterrupted by the lights of the city behind her. She had already taken a photo, but she preferred portraits - she always did. Most of the other students were studying in their dorms or at home. But Mahiru was waiting for someone in particular.
"Hey. You're Koizumi, right?"
Mahiru turned to the person who was talking - she had brown, staight hair, and wore a t-shirt with a silhouette of a doe. She had a camera bag slung around her shoulder.
"Yes, I am," Mahiru said. "You can call me Mahiru if you want to." She extended her hand. "You're Maxine, right? Can I call you Max?"
"Sure," said Max, shaking Mahiru's hand. "So, what's this all about?"
"We're still waiting on someone." She sighed. "Boys..."
Max sat on the bench next to Mahiru. She said something, but Mahiru didn't notice - she felt tired, and wanted to go to sleep.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting."
Mahiru jolted up. She saw the person who was talking - he looked about her age, but maybe twice her weight. He wore a yellow jacket over a white t-shirt, with a camera on a black string around his neck and small glasses balanced on his nose. And, to her surprise, he was covered head to toe in brown fur. Mahiru thought he looked like a raccoon dog.
"Are you alright?" he asked. "You look shocked, is something the matter?"
"Yeah..." said Mahiru, standing up, ready to shake hands with him. "I'm Mahiru. You must be Kounosuke Kuri."
"I am, indeed." Kounosuke looked towards the sunset. "Beautiful evening, don't you think? I've already taken a few photos, but you and Max probably have as well."
Mahiru turned to Max. "Do you know this guy?"
"Well," said Max, "it's easy to tell who's who, since we messaged each other our names and stuff, so..."
Mahiru sighed. "Well, I've seen your older photos. Let's start taking some new ones."
Mahiru, Max and Kounosuke walked to a different part of the park. It was quiet, save for the rustling of leaves and their own footsteps.
"Nice camera you have, Max," said Kounosuke. "Looks a bit old, though. You sure you don't want a digital one?"
Max seemed to look awkwardly at her camera. "I'm sure," Max said. "I like it."
Mahiru looked closer - it was an old camera, but she recognised it - a 600 Series Polaroid. She took a photo of Max from the side. She admired the visual irony - Max's thin figure against Kounosuke's broad build...
"Are you alright?" asked Max. "You haven't talked much."
"Yeah, I'm fine, but... I've just had an idea."
"What is it?"
"Well, I know you shouldn't talk about money, but I'm having some... problems. The bank dropped a massive debt onto my account and I still don't know why. Maybe we could make some money, selling photos
"Funny you should mention that," said Kounosuke. "I've got your exact problem, too."
"Really? Geez, I guess you can't trust banks now."
"I'm not sure if selling photos will get us enough money, though. We've still got school to worry about, too." He sighed. "I thought that scholarship would help, too."
"I'm in," said Max. "I don't really care about making money from my photos, but I've also got a massive debt from my bank, too. I can't go back to America in the red, so... I guess this might help."
Mahiru smiled. "So, we're doing this?"
"Sure thing," Kounosuke said.
Mahiru picked up her camera again. "Alright. Say cheese!"