The First Sign of Jealousy

Satoru couldn’t stop shaking with excitement.

At first, he thought that maybe there was a mistake in communication, but there was not! Silke had actually asked him out!

Not on a date, though—just to hang out together for the first time for an entire day.

Sure, they had spent rainy days together, mostly playing games, but that was something different. At the apartment, the possibilities were limited, and everything followed the same routine most of the time. Outside, though, you never knew what to expect.

Would people look at them and think they were a couple? Or maybe they would have a chance to take some pictures together? Satoru still felt down every time he thought about the cosplay photo the girl had shown him, knowing he would never obtain it. But to have any picture at all of her and him together on his smartphone? That would be more than enough for him.

It was not a date.

And yet, he dressed up in his best clothes.

It was not a date.

And yet, he took a longer shower in the morning and put on some perfume.

“Let’s gooo!” Silke happily shouted while raising her fist toward the ceiling.

She was dressed nicely as well. Instead of shorts and a tank top, she wore a cute, frilly white dress. Her blonde hair was now decorated with a thin baby-blue hairband with a small knotted bow.

Satoru wished it was a sign that she, just like him, wanted this hangout to be more than just friends. But he had seen her dress up similarly on other days when she went out, so he would only be deluding himself to think this way.

He should compliment her looks.

But he chickened out, trying to defend himself with thoughts like, “What if she thinks it’s creepy?” and “It could make her feel uncomfortable!”

Those were just excuses.

So he simply followed Silke outside, making sure he had his keys on him.

He had made a mistake once, leaving his keys inside. There was a package his sister had ordered outside the door, and all he wanted was to pick it up. How could he have known that apartment doors in Germany lock themselves automatically?

He had to wait for Miho to come back since Silke had gone on a two-day trip and wasn’t returning until the next day.

A dreadful experience he was not willing to repeat—ever.

Anyway.

Today’s weather was perfect. It was sunny, with only a few clouds in the sky, while the occasional cool breeze toned down the excessive heat one could feel standing outside of the shade.

It was one of their usual quiet walks. Silke had no problem closing her eyes occasionally as if to feel the wind a bit better, while Satoru enjoyed the view of old buildings and the occasional flowers, trees, and bushes planted along the streets to make them look at least a bit greener.

It was so different from Tokyo, and sometimes it terrified the black-haired teen. Eventually, he had to go back home—that was a fact that often slipped his mind. Living with Miho made the whole experience feel less foreign, so now and then, he caught himself thinking as if each summer day was just part of his usual everyday life.

It was not.

He would be back in Japan, back in his school, back in his room filled with Selene merch. He would study again, only to take breaks to play games alone. Without Silke’s company. Somehow, those thoughts filled him with dread.

Time was passing too fast.

Just like right now—Satoru wasn’t even aware of when they had managed to reach their apparent destination: an ice cream parlor.

Silke immediately ran to the counter, looking at all the possible options.

The plan for today was simple. Step 1: eat ice cream. Step 2: burn calories while walking in the park for the rest of the day until sunset. Step 3: come back home to eat a late dinner.

Silke immediately ran to the counter, looking at all the possible options. He could already tell which one she would choose.

“Erdbeerparfait, bitte!”

Of course, she chose the strawberry parfait. The blonde was crazy about the red fruit, so when Satoru told her how much they cost in Japan, she nearly choked on her iced tea.

On the other hand, the Japanese teen had become addicted to the German specialty: Spaghetti ice cream.

No, it wasn’t flavored like the popular Italian dish—this dessert was just shaped like it, and the red sauce wasn’t made of tomatoes but strawberries instead. It was simple vanilla ice cream with toppings, but for some reason, it was much more fun to eat than the usual scoops.

Nothing could outmatch having a sweet treat and watching the girl in front of him, filled with joy as she ate the fresh fruit dipped slightly in whipped cream.

But the moment of bliss couldn’t last forever.

“Ist das Silke?”

Three simple words in German, and suddenly, two males appeared next to their table. They were both taller than Satoru and much more muscular. One had longer brown hair, while the other had a platinum-blond, almost white, short hairstyle. They oozed confidence and immediately started chatting with Silke, who apparently knew them quite well, as she stood up to hug them in greeting.

He hated it. It was easy to forget about the language barrier when it was just the two of them, or them and Miho, but when locals came into the picture, an invisible wall appeared between Satoru and Silke. He couldn’t join in. He had no clue what the conversation was about.

“Und wer ist das?” the blond-haired guy asked, glancing in Satoru’s direction.

“Ah, das ist Toru! Er ist mein—”

Before she could finish, the black-haired boy immediately stood up, quickly saying, “Sorry, my head hurts. I’m going back home,” in English, not caring much if she understood it.

He had to walk away. He couldn’t stand the pang in his heart.

He was not as tall as those guys.

Next to them, he looked like a scrawny weakling.

He wasn’t as good-looking as them.

And worst of all...

He could not talk this freely with Silke.