A Promise for the Future

It felt as if it had been just a day ago that Satoru first stepped off the plane and into the airport. And now, he was experiencing the exact opposite situation.

The excitement and slight nervousness caused by a brand-new environment were no longer present; they had been replaced by a heaviness that made it difficult for him to walk with ease. It felt as if some invisible force was trying to tie him down, begging him to stay.

But leaving Germany was inevitable. No matter how many times he repeated that reasoning in his head, it was as if his brain refused to process this fact.

Even the crowded airport couldn’t distract him from those thoughts. The environment that had once overwhelmed him no longer mattered at all.

“You know, it’s funny how, no matter what time of the year, airports are almost always crowded. But hoo boy, are they flooded at the beginning and end of summer,” Miho casually spoke out of nowhere.

Even if Satoru wouldn’t have asked her to take him all the way there, she had insisted on doing so. He did not believe her ridiculous excuse that she was only doing it so their parents wouldn’t nag her for being neglectful of her younger sibling. Satoru knew very well that she wanted to spend these last moments with him. After all, they weren’t going to see each other face-to-face anytime soon, and she was definitely going to miss him.

How was he so certain of that?

Because he felt the same way every time Miho went back to Germany. Though, just like her, he would never openly admit it.

Guess they were similar in some ways…

But of course, Miho was not the only one to attend his departure. Silke was there too. Despite them still being on good terms even after the confession, it still surprised Satoru how insistent she had been about coming along.

“I think my plane will be at gate… five?” Satoru didn’t respond to his sister and instead looked for the spot he was supposed to go to next.

“Looks about right,” the black-haired woman nodded, only to turn to her brother. “You’ll be fine on your own from that point?” she asked.

“Of course. My luggage is set. All I have to do is go through the security check and then head to gate five. I know how to read signs, Miho.”

“Sure, smartass,” she tried to sound annoyed, but Satoru could hear a glimpse of fondness in her voice. “We won’t see each other until… Christmas, I guess. So good luck at school or whatever.”

Not wanting to make things unnecessarily awkward for either of them, the Japanese teen joked to ease the tension. “Thanks. Maybe this time, you’ll bring along a boyfriend or something? Our folks are getting a bit impatient. They want to set up a wedding for you already.”

“Oh, shut it!” She tousled his hair one last time. “Have a safe trip, okay? And,” she bent slightly forward to whisper in his ear while covering her mouth with her hand, “I’ll leave you two alone so you can have a proper goodbye. So make the best out of it.”

Never before had Miho’s teasing flustered him this much. Still, this time, he was grateful for her support. So after his sister walked away, he turned his head to look at Silke, who was mesmerized by the departure board.

What was she thinking at this moment? Maybe she wanted to travel somewhere far away too—somewhere she had not yet discovered. What would be the first country she’d want to visit? Satoru had never asked her that. There were so many things he wanted to know about her, and yet the language barrier appeared every time he tried to formulate a sentence she would be able to understand.

But now, there was no more time for him to get to know Silke better. She was staying, while he had to leave.

Of course, he planned on keeping in touch, but he was aware that college classes were time-consuming. Heck, his final year of high school wouldn’t be merciful to him either.

“Listen, Silke,” Satoru spoke up to get the girl’s attention.

This time, unlike during his confession, he was not ready to say everything in German. There was just no way for him to learn all the sentences in such a short amount of time. So all he could do was believe that despite the language barrier, Silke would be able to understand him without knowing the meanings of his words—that simply looking at his face and feeling his emotions would be enough for her.

When the girl looked at him with her beautiful dark green eyes, he knew her attention was solely on him—a clear sign to start.

“I know you won’t understand much. Maybe it’s stupid to say it all in Japanese, but I have to make sure that I say everything I need to before leaving,” he took a deep breath and continued. “I told you I don’t expect a response to my confession, and that is partially true. But the truth is… I am planning on coming back to Germany to study here, just like Miho. And in the meantime, I will also try my best to learn your language so I can talk to you freely. I will be able to tell you more about myself and learn more about you as well.

We can still write to each other and pretend that my confession didn’t happen, but… once I come back, will you please give me an answer?”

The last sentence—he just had to say it in English. It might have been foolish to throw it out like that without context, but he believed that he had poured out his feelings so transparently that Silke wouldn’t need it.

For the entire time, he had not stopped staring directly into her eyes. Yet, for who knows how many seconds, he couldn’t read anything from them. Not because they were unreadable—more like she was still processing the situation.

So they just stood there in the airport, among the crowds rushing to their gates.

A Japanese boy and a German girl.

Until Silke finally responded.

“I will be waiting.”

And funnily enough, Satoru realized something about this moment only after he took his first step upon landing in his country.

She had said the sentence in his mother language.