Chapter 4: Grunewald

"Oh, so that's what happened. I see now." Walter nodded in enlightenment after Julius shared the events of yesterday. "So, the reason you called me here is that you need a plan for after your retirement?" 

"Yeah." Julius sipped his cup of coffee nonchalantly.

"I mean... I don't mind but..."

Walter is a part of Julius' squad in the army. He is a close friend of his even amongst the already close members of his batch. He's seen by Julius as a cheerful and generally happy guy due to how he jokes all the time, so it didn't surprise him that the young man would seek him for advice in things such as this.

However, he has no idea what the child likes. He's been stoic ever since he was a child and rarely showed interest in anything except her adoptive mother.

Both of them are at a restaurant in Berlin while being prim and proper. The young man's suit was plain black while Walter's was blue and pinstriped with white. He must be going somewhere, seeing that he's all manned up. It was a beautiful sunny day in Berlin, and the ladies from outside can be seen waving at Julius, who seems to ignore them. This gave Walter an idea.

"Oh, what about getting love?" he blurted out so suddenly. The young man's brow became pinched.

"Love? But I already have people I love-"

"No! Not us. A woman. See those girls outside? One of those."

"... I don't even know them-"

"No! Uh, eh, how do I explain this shit..."

How will he explain it to a boy who grew up in a barracks? Sure, he's read a few books given by her, but he doesn't think that the boy actually knows what love is. Walter racked his head thoroughly in hopes of igniting the couple few brain cells he has that aren't filled with responsibilities to his family and a little bit of divorce but to no avail. He gave up and envied the young man's youthful face with a sigh instead. 

Now he understands why his father used to so irritatingly persuade him to say yes to the rich fatty that lives next door, who once held a deep affection for him even though his looks were not much. Not only was she rich, but she also grew up to lose all her fat and became a hot babe. But now, his once beautiful wife with a gorgeous figure turned into a fat woman who turned out to be the type of person to complain about the smallest of things.

If only this boy knew the power he holds with that face, he could even marry a beautiful celebrity.

As Julius' friend was pondering to himself, he took it upon himself to observe outside the window. There, many events are taking place. When he was much younger than he is now, all that he saw outside the window were shots being fired, a blackish-red sky, corpses on the ground, as well as explosions in the sky. But now, he sees women waving at him with reddened faces, children playing innocently with each other in the sand, and happy couples strolling in the roads with their children.

"That reminds me, Walter. You're married, aren't you?" Julius spoke out of the blue while staring into the happy couples, snapping Walter out of it.

"Y-yeah. I am." he said hesitantly.

"You have children, right?" his eyes averted to the children playing outside. 

"Y-yeah." the tone of his voice was confused. Why is he asking things like this?

"Are you happy with them?" The kids were halted by women, presumably their mothers, to eat some sandwiches and drink water with wide smiles.

"Of course! They're pieces of work, I tell you! But, it makes all struggles worth it. You know, I went and joined the army just because of them. All that suffering and hardship fades away whenever I get to see them smiling because of the toys I would buy them-" and Walter went off to his own world.

Julius saw how cheerful Walter was compared to when he was talking about love, and stared into the couple once more. Both of them had one thing in common, they were smiling with glee while strolling with their child.

"... I think, I found my plan."

"Emily is a little naughty but- Oh, y-yeah. Did I help you somehow?"

"Yes. You were a big help. Thank you very much."

"It's nothing. The general was right about making you form a plan for your own. These days, many nasty things have been going around, like human trafficking and underage prostitutes. You can even get into some form of debt! Seeing that you're basically a clueless toddler about these things (you don't even know what romantic love is), you must thank him when you report to him. Anyways, I need to go now, I have to see my children. " Walter stood up and patted the young man's shoulder before exiting the restaurant. "Oh, and remember that when someone asks you to become a part of some organization, consult me or the general. Goodbye Julius!

"Goodbye Walter." He had to pay for the tab.

Later that day, Julius walked down the streets in search of an orphanage when he saw a child in a dark alleyway being pinned to the wall by 2 adults. When he was about to help the child, the three ran away together. Was he an accomplice of them? He wouldn't have come with them if the kid was being threatened, he would've screamed at least. Nonetheless, he disregarded it as a mere bizarre occurrence.

~Hours later~

Strangers and the police have granted him directions, but since the orphanage was in a forest, he got lost for hours. It's almost dusk when he has finally found what he was looking for.

Grunewald Orphanage

The writings on the board standing at the entrance stated. It matched the name of the forest it's built upon. Upon observation, it is a building placed beside a lake, isolated from the village by quite a far distance (this place also gave him directions). The building looked rather bleak and decrepit, and a familiar smell hit his nose. Perhaps it was the smell of home?

"Oh, a visitor! What can I do for you?" the woman sweeping the yard went out of her way to greet Julius. Her face was cheerful, reminding him of Walter.

"I heard that this is an orphanage."

"Mhm (It's written on the board)."

"Then, can I see the kids?"

"Y-you mean you're gonna adopt one?"

"Mhm (Fuck else would I come here for)."

The woman agreed but took his age first due to suspicion. Upon saying that he was 18, she became even more reluctant but he did assure her with the proper papers (instructions by the police), which gave the lady no choice but to comply. 

"Oh, but mister, you might want to drop that." She eyed the gun in his holster. "It'll scare the kids. Most of them are victims of the Cold War. You don't necessarily need to throw it away, just... hide it well."

"... I understand."

Together, they went inside the orphanage.