Advice Request

The amount of time Satoru spent researching the perfect place to confess was terrifying. He just couldn’t think about anything else. Time was running out—he had to decide soon. The longer he spent researching, the more he felt like it was all just an excuse for him not to do it and to blame it on the lack of time.

But that was a cowardly way to deal with the issue, and he was already set on confessing. He couldn't back out. Not when even Madoka had wished him luck.

That didn’t change the fact that he had come to a standstill and had no idea what to do next.

It felt like no place was special enough, despite so many of them holding good memories for the two of them. But that, in itself, was an issue. He did not want to overwrite the stories tied to those places, no matter how silly it might seem.

And there was no one to help him out.

Well, that was a lie.

There was one person.

Miho.

She was his last resort. He really didn’t want to go that far, but he had no other choice anymore.

So when a perfect opportunity arose—which, in this case, meant Miho not working and Silke being busy with some college stuff—he decided to corner his older sister and ask for advice. Never before had he been as determined as he was now. Usually, he avoided asking his sibling for help, fearing she would tease him endlessly about it. But she was the only familiar person he had by his side right now, and the one who knew the city and local events pretty well.

So once Miho emerged from her room, still a bit hungover from the party last night, it was time to approach her.

“Hey, Miho…” the boy started uncertainly, which definitely made him sound more suspicious than he intended.

“Whassup?” she responded tiredly in a questioning manner, more focused on rummaging through the fridge than on her brother’s strange behavior.

“You know the city pretty well, right?”

“Duh. I’ve been living here for a while already—if you haven’t noticed by now. Heck, you know it pretty well yourself. What kind of dumb question is that?”

Okay, so she was still a bit groggy. But maybe, in this state, she would be more merciful toward him…

“Yeah, sorry, it’s just… If you were to… I don’t know, announce something special to a special someone, which place would you choose for that?”

Miho turned around, looking at Satoru for the first time while munching on something she deemed good enough for a snack at the moment. And she just kept staring. That is, until she swallowed the last piece of sausage.

“You wanna confess to Silke or something?”

She immediately hit the jackpot.

“Wh— I mean— I… Yeah… I do…”

The raven-haired boy braced himself for the mocking and laughter from his sister, but to his surprise, there was none. Instead, she moved a chair to the opposite side of the table and sat down on it. Unlike her usual self, she was fully serious at that moment.

“I was wondering how this whole situation would develop,” she spoke up again. “Honestly, I thought it was just a silly crush, but it got that serious, huh?”

Satoru did not respond. His sister already knew the answer to that question.

“You’re my younger brother. Sure, I love teasing you and all—that’s basically my responsibility as a big sister—but that doesn’t mean I want to see you get hurt, got it?”

“Heh, so you think I have no chance at all, is that it?” the boy chuckled, though it was not a chuckle of joy.

“Now, I didn’t say that. It’s just…” The older woman looked around the room as if searching for the perfect words to continue. “I’ve been there before. People here act differently around others. I don’t question whether Silke likes you—it’s obvious she does. But is that more than just liking someone as a friend? I can’t guarantee that. I once thought a guy liked me, only to see him getting all mushy with another girl. Far from my favorite experiences.”

“I get that… I—” Satoru swallowed the saliva that had accumulated in his mouth. “I know it will hurt to get rejected, but I’m ready for that possibility. I’ve made up my mind. I don’t want to go back to Japan without confessing.”

Miho’s face softened as she finally let go of her serious expression and smiled at her brother while ruffling his hair.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were that determined.”

“Treating me like a kid with the head pat—can’t tell if you’re mocking me or not right now,” Satoru pouted.

“I’m not, I swear,” she giggled. “So, a special place, huh? I don’t think I have anything specific in mind, really. If fate wants you to confess, the situation will present itself without you trying so hard to overthink every single detail, little bro.”

“And what if it doesn’t?”

“Then you can still unceremoniously confess on the last day. It’ll work just fine.”

“You think so?”

“Oh, I know so! Now let me open up a cold one to celebrate your first-ever crush! Well, for you, I can only offer orange Coke,” Miho said as she got up and started rummaging through the fridge again, pulling out two bottles of cold beverages.

“Thanks,” Satoru responded as she handed him a non-alcoholic drink.

“You know, I can’t blame you for crushing on our dear Silke. She’s cute, and she likes the same nerdy stuff you do.”

Before he could respond in any way, the entrance door of the apartment burst open, and the very girl they were talking about immediately ran toward them, waving a piece of paper in one hand.

“Schau, Toru! Sternguckerei außerhalb der Stadt! Willst du mit mir gehen?”

The confused boy wasn’t able to process the situation at all—especially not when the blonde girl was so close to his face, smiling widely, using words he didn’t recognize at all.

“Oh, stargazing event?” Miho glanced at the poster Silke was holding, then turned toward her brother with her signature smirk. “Told you fate would present you with the perfect opportunity. Who would’ve thought it’d be that soon, eh~?”