Packing Up Memories

It was the last night of Satoru’s trip to Germany. Tomorrow at this time, he would already be at the airport, ready for departure, and soon enough, he would be back home in Japan.

Home.

How funny that after all those weeks spent abroad, he felt that Miho’s apartment had become like a second home to him. But now, he had to leave it and go back to his parents, to his school life, to normalcy.

It was sad to pack up all his things. It felt like he was taking away a piece of himself from Germany. He didn’t want that. The whole process of packing up made him feel like he was erasing all his memories. It didn’t work like that—he was aware of that—but either way, he still couldn’t shake off this nasty feeling.

Looking at the empty cupboard that had previously held all his belongings didn’t help either. The void space only deepened his desire to stay, even though he knew he couldn’t. He still had high school to finish. Maybe if he were more like Miho—unpredictable and spontaneous—he would be able to make such a bold move, but that was not his nature. Everything Satoru did was quite calculated; he wanted to have a certain future, and for that to happen, he had to go back home.

The raven-haired boy wondered if he would have felt the same way if Silke hadn’t been a part of all of it. Had his feelings for her clouded his mind so much that he felt like Germany was a country he would want to live in?

They had definitely had a strong impact, but then again, it wasn’t only because of that. Satoru genuinely loved the culture here. Sure, not everything was perfect, but even a simple thing like not having a bread cutter back in Japan made him sad for some reason.

But he could live without it. It wasn’t that important.

Unlike his bond with Silke.

The moment of confession may not have ended in any spectacular way, but at least he had no regrets. Even when he reassured the flustered girl that she didn’t have to give him an answer.

Satoru was aware that he had put Silke in a very troubling position, which was why he made sure it was clear to her that he did not expect an answer. It was for her to decide whether or not she wanted to respond to his confession.

He had practiced so hard for his confession to be in German, too—to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and make his point clear. He did not have time for miscommunication issues this time.

Thankfully, it seemed like she didn’t feel awkward around him afterward. Though it was visible that the gears in her head were constantly turning, as if she were playing a video game, trying to choose the best option while none of the presented answers were clear enough to guarantee a certain positive result.

“Got everything packed up?” Miho asked from the kitchen counter.

“Yeah. I mean, other than my clothes for the last night, tomorrow’s clothes, and basic bathroom items, I’m basically ready.”

“You should leave something here, though!”

“Huh?”

“I heard some people believe that if you leave something of yours in a certain place, it means you just have to come back there.”

“Is that so?” Satoru chuckled. He was more of a logical person—if he left something somewhere, it was his fault, and he had just lost it forever. But hearing that, it was kind of a cute mindset—to encourage yourself to come back to the places you once visited again. “Then again, it feels like I’m leaving you here, so it works too, doesn’t it?”

“Pssh, nah! It has to be an inanimate object, not a person! Come on!”

“Fine, fine! I was just joking around,” Satoru reassured his annoyed sister.

The moment of stillness that followed this exchange didn’t last long.

“So…”

“Ugh, I knew it.”

Satoru knew this familiar tone all too well. It meant one thing—and that was his sister wanting him to spill the beans.

“What?”

The audacity she had to feign cluelessness…

“Go on, I know what you want to ask about. Just say it directly. No need to circle around the topic,” he let out an exhausted sigh.

“Fine,” Miho accepted his terms, though it was clear she wasn’t pleased about it. “How did the confession go?”

The raven-haired boy just shrugged.

“Huh? How am I supposed to read that answer, Mr. ‘just say it directly’?”

Satoru looked straight into his sister’s eyes. “I confessed, told her she doesn’t have to give me an answer if she doesn’t feel comfortable doing so, and that’s it.”

The annoyed look on Miho’s face suddenly turned into one of concern.

“And you’re sure you’re fine with that?”

“Obviously, there was a perfect scenario in my head where she immediately responded, feeling the same way towards me, but you know me—I’m a realist. I didn’t really expect that,” Satoru said, trying to push away the pang in his chest. He did his best to find the strength to give his sister a genuine smile to reassure her. “I’m just glad I found the courage to confess. Leaving Germany with my feelings unresolved would have been the worst-case scenario.”

The black-haired woman reached out and tousled his hair playfully—an act that always annoyed Satoru. Only recently had he realized that it was his sister’s way of showing her support and trying to cheer him up. Funny how she had been doing it their entire lives, and he had only just noticed. That’s why he had kind of grown to like it.

“You know,” she started, “it’s kind of annoying how mature you are at your age. It usually takes much longer for boys to stop acting bratty.”

“What can I say? I just level up faster.”

“Ugh. And here you go again with your nerdy lines. I take back what I said,” she said, finally taking her hand off his head. But she wasn’t done talking yet. “By the way, since it’s your last day, I stocked up on all your favorite snacks and food, so we can have a mini foodie party!”

“You want me to get sick from overeating?” Satoru teased.

At that, Miho gasped dramatically. “How dare you offend my genuine present, which I thought of just for you!”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m endlessly grateful and all. I’ll try to stop myself from consuming the whole table… By the way, did you tell Silke?”

“You sure it won’t be awkward?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“If you’re sure. Hey, Silke! Komm! Wir machen eine Mini-Food-Party!”

She didn’t have to repeat herself twice before the blonde girl emerged from her room.

“Was essen wir?” she exclaimed excitedly.

When her gaze met Satoru’s, there was a brief flicker of tension—visible for only a millisecond. But soon enough, she presented him with a genuine smile.

And that was more than he could have asked for from her.