A Sky Full of Stars

Satoru was never one to appreciate the starry sky. Not that he had many opportunities while living in Tokyo. It was impossible to see a clear sky there, and he was more of a guy who kept his gaze focused on what was in front of him rather than above.

But today was different because today, this starry sky would be the backdrop to his love confession.

The event was apparently organized by the university Silke was going to attend, but this time, it was more of a free-to-join event rather than an exclusive opportunity available only to employees and students.

Walking along the path leading to an open field—apparently a perfect spot for stargazing—Satoru looked around to see what kind of people had come. As expected, most of them were young adults who wanted to enjoy their last weeks of freedom before diving back into their studies. However, here and there, he spotted older people, whom he assumed were professors. Perhaps a few of them taught astrology, considering the smaller group behind them—possibly interns—who were carrying professional equipment like telescopes and other devices that the Japanese teen couldn’t recognize.

Unlike them, the only things Satoru carried were a bag filled with food, something warm to drink, and a blanket—similar to what he had brought on his hiking trip.

Right next to him, Silke walked freely, enjoying the fresh nighttime air.

She must have known some people from college who were coming to this event, and yet she still wanted him to join her. Those small gestures from her made Satoru certain that what had started as a shallow crush was not a misjudgment. He wanted to believe that his instincts were right—that Silke was a good person, worthy of his love.

"Lasst uns dort einrichten!" She pointed toward one of the spots on the grassy field, so the raven-haired boy took it as a sign that she wanted to set up their blanket there. He followed her lead and helped unfold it.

Most of the people around them were doing the same, so the previously empty field was now covered in various blankets and people sitting on them. After a while, only those with professional stargazing equipment were still setting up.

Satoru didn’t even have time to make himself comfortable before his blonde-haired friend handed him a cup of tea. She was quick to settle in—not only had she prepared the beverages, but she had also gotten her hands on the snacks. Once again, her first choice was onigiri.

After their hiking trip, Miho had explained to him that Germans don’t naturally express compliments about food openly. That explained why, when he had cooked dinner, Silke hadn’t said much. But now, watching her always reach for the rice balls he made before touching any other food, it felt even better than any verbal praise he could have received from her.

"Oh, Silke!"

Their peaceful moment was interrupted by two males approaching their spot. Only when they got closer did Satoru realize that they were the same guys from the café.

This time, though, the Japanese boy wouldn’t let himself feel intimidated. He would stand his ground—unshaken.

As expected, the two boys greeted the blonde-haired girl first, but soon enough, their attention turned to Satoru.

"Oh, you’re Toru, right?" One of them spoke in very clear English, catching the Japanese teen off guard.

"Y-yeah. We saw each other back at the café, right? Sorry, it was lame of me to leave so quickly."

"All good, you felt sick, it’s understandable. By the way, my name’s Anton, and this guy over here"—Anton suddenly pulled his platinum-blonde friend’s arm, dragging him closer and forcing him to break away from his conversation with Silke—"is Siegfried, but you can just call him Sieg."

"Hello!"

Oh, so he knew English fairly well, too.

"Unlike Silke here, we know English, so don’t worry!" Anton was perceptive enough to catch on to where Satoru’s thoughts might have been going. "It would be embarrassing if I didn’t, considering I chose English Studies as my course, haha." He chuckled lightheartedly.

"I’m a biology student," Sieg added from his side.

Now Satoru felt bad. These two actually seemed like fun guys to be around, and he could hold a conversation with them. If he had stayed at the café back then, who knew? Maybe they would have become his friends as well.

Unlike him, though, Silke suddenly didn’t seem to enjoy the presence of the two boys.

"Hey, lass mich nicht aus dem Gespräch raus, nur weil du Englisch sprechen kannst! Angeber! Geht und genießt euer Rendezvous oder was auch immer!"

Whatever she had said, she was clearly not amused—her pouty face was further proof of that.

"Okay, okay. Da ist wohl jemand ein bisschen eifersüchtig geworden, hm?" Anton replied before turning back to Satoru. "We were supposed to spend the night just the two of us, so we just came by to say hello. But if you ever want to hang out with us, just ask Silke for our numbers, okay?"

"Hah, sure, though I’m leaving in two days, so I’m afraid it’s a bit too late."

"Really? Damn, what a shame."

"Hey, maybe one day, we’ll go all the way to Japan, and you can be the one showing us around. It would be nice to have a buddy on the other side of the globe," Sieg pointed out. "Especially since Silke speaks so highly of you—it would be cool to stay in touch!"

"Wir sind hier, um die Sterne zu beobachten, nicht um zu quasseln, also geh schon, igitt!" Silke cut in again, shooing away her friends. They waved their goodbyes in defeat, leaving Satoru and his pouting friend alone.

"They were nice—your friends, I mean. You didn’t want them to join us?"

Not that he minded. After all, confessing while two other guys were still around would have been terribly awkward for him and uncomfortable for her.

"Anton und Sieg sind... Wie soll ich es sagen…" The girl struggled to find the right words for him to understand when suddenly, an idea struck her. "Like Jareth and Feyrith!"

Oh…

OH!

Now it made sense why they hadn’t cared much about staying with them. Also, now his jealousy seemed even more ridiculous, knowing this fact.

For a moment, both teens simply relaxed on the blanket, looking at the beautiful starry sky, enjoying the quietness.

Suddenly, he understood what Miho had meant about timing and place not mattering that much.

"Hey, Silke," he called out to his friend, his gaze still fixed on the stars.

"Hm?" She, too, sounded as though her eyes were still solely focused on the night sky.

"Ich liebe dich. Mehr als nur ein Freund."