A Moment Too Intimate

“You have your extra clothes packed?”

“Yes.”

“Big bottle of water?”

“Yes.”

“Some snacks? Many people pass out on the track because they forget to bring food with them.”

“Yes! We have it all!” Satoru shouted, annoyed at his sister’s nagging. “You’re worse than our mom, geez.”

“How dare you? Take it back!” Miho gasped, astounded by her brother’s words.

To summarize what led to the current situation:

One morning, Satoru saw a whole segment about hiking on the breakfast TV show. He asked his sister what they were talking about, and she explained that Germans tend to enjoy walks in the fresh air—it was quite popular in general. Naturally, Japanese tourists wanted to experience it as well.

And when Silke heard about his grand plan, she immediately signed up for it too.

Miho was not joking when she said Germans loved hiking. The blonde girl practically gleamed with excitement.

So now, a day later, there they were, getting ready to take a bus a bit outside the city to enjoy nature for the entire day. But, of course, Satoru’s older sister, acting as their guardian of sorts, had to make sure they had everything necessary for such an excursion into the wild.

“I get it, you worry. But we already unpacked and packed again twice. If you make me do it again, there’s a higher chance I’ll leave something behind.”

“You’re right… unfortunately,” Miho muttered the last word quietly. “I just want to make sure both of you are prepared.” Then she glanced at Silke, who was already tying her hiking shoes. “Well, mostly you. Silke grew up in a small village in the mountains. You, on the other hand,” she eyed her brother up and down, “are a typical city boy.”

“Okay, okay! Shouldn’t you be busy with… I don’t know… preparing for your date?”

“Sh-shut up!” For someone usually confident, Miho truly looked like a girl with her first crush, overthinking every little thing. “Just call me if anything bad happens and message me once you’re heading back home, okay?”

“Sure, sure.”

“Fertig?” Silke suddenly cut in, bouncing from one foot to the other.

“Yup.”

The drive wasn’t very long, around an hour or so.

When it came to nature, there were noticeable differences between Japan and Germany. Sure, the forests around Tokyo were big, but for some reason, the ones in Bavaria just felt a bit scarier. Maybe it was the fact that the trees seemed larger, or perhaps it was simply that the ones in his home country felt familiar, while these were foreign.

Satoru knew the animals that could attack them here were different, but he tried to push away any dark thoughts.

At the starting point, everyone could pick up a trail map, but when he saw how confidently Silke set off in one direction, he knew he could trust her to follow the right path.

Still, he took a map. Just in case. And as a souvenir, too.

At times like these—meaning, on field trips—Satoru could see why Miho insisted on calling him a city boy.

He wasn’t used to fresh air. The first time he’d experienced it was on a trip to the castle, but today, he had Silke with him, which was great. Keeping up with her pace, though, wasn’t as easy as he’d imagined.

In his mind, the whole day had played out differently. He pictured himself walking beside Silke, effortlessly keeping up, surrounded by the beauty of nature.

Instead, he was struggling to find the right breathing technique and making sure the blonde girl didn’t leave him behind. During their hike to the top of the route, he had to stop five times. It was embarrassing. But on the other hand, Silke didn’t seem to mind. She didn’t mock him, either.

A true angel.

Reaching the top took them around three and a half hours. By that point, all Satoru could think about was how much easier the descent would be. He was so relieved that he almost forgot they were supposed to have a picnic before heading back.

While Silke admired the breathtaking view, Satoru slowly unpacked the blanket and the food they had carried all the way up. Their stomachs would be full, but at least their backpacks would be lighter.

“We’re all ready! Uuh… fertig!” the black-haired boy exclaimed, mixing English with German. He had started doing that more often, hoping it would help him remember new words faster.

Once they both sat down on the checkered blanket, Silke immediately grabbed one of the rice balls Satoru had prepared in the morning. That was unexpected. They also had a few German snacks, yet she went for the only thing he had made. Maybe she did like his cooking after all…

“Are they good?” he asked.

The girl simply gave a thumbs-up and kept eating.

Maybe she didn’t care about food that much. If only there was reception, he would’ve checked an online translator to ask her directly in German about her opinion on his cooking. But alas, there was none. Not that he liked using translators. They were useful, but he felt they put up a barrier between him and the person he was talking to. That’s why he tried not to rely on them too much during his stay in a foreign country.

Satoru’s mood soured, which must have been obvious because Silke immediately corrected herself.

“Lecker! Ich meine, ähm… very good!”

“Really?” The boy, suddenly invigorated, asked in disbelief. Silke nodded quickly, pleased that her response had cheered him up.

After a few more minutes, it was time to pack up and head back down.

Everything was going so smoothly that Satoru never could have prepared himself for what happened just minutes later.

He wasn’t exactly sure about the chronological order of events, but it went something like this:

Silke called out to him, her head turned slightly as she walked ahead. “Komm schon, der Weg nach unten ist hier entlang!”

She must have stumbled over a rock sticking out of the ground.

Seeing her falling, Satoru reacted immediately, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward him.

And now, here they were—Silke’s entire body weight pressed against him, his arms holding her steady as she regained her balance.

It felt like a perfect moment.

A perfect moment for what?

To confess.

Satoru looked down at the girl, who was already watching him closely, her cheeks slightly flushed, stunned by the situation.

“Silke, I…” He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. “I…”

The girl gave no sign of stopping him.

“Are you okay?”

He was such a coward.

Silke only nodded dumbly in response.

“Okay, let’s go home then.”

He slowly let go of her, and she took a few steps back.

They made their way down without stopping. The bus ride was quiet.

Miho greeted them with supper. Satoru took a shower and lay down on the couch, but he couldn’t sleep.

How could he, when his mind kept replaying the situation—one that, in some parallel universe, had led to his love confession?

But that was only in a parallel universe.

In this one, nothing had happened.