The evening was unusually still as Kazunari Ninomiya walked home. It was already 7 o’clock and the hustle and bustle of Düsseldorf’s Little Tokyo district were fading into the background, only to be reduced to hushed tones by the thoughts in his head. Paperworks, endless chatter of students and fellow faculty, and deadlines flooded his mind as he entered Immermannstraße.
With his gloved hands balled inside his coat pockets, a sudden chill swept through the street, and Ninomiya’s gaze inadvertently fell upon an old photograph taped on a Japanese ceramic shop window. The black and white image showed two young boys, arms around each other’s shoulders, smiling proudly at the camera. Startled, Ninomiya froze, feeling a sharp pang in his heart. The photograph bore an uncanny resemblance to one he had once cherished: a snapshot of him and his childhood friend, Sho Sakurai.
Sho. The memory of his name unleashed a wave of flashbacks and emotions. His friend’s hearty laughter, the way his eyes sparkled when he spoke about his dreams and secrets, the warmth of their friendship. And then, the horrifying memory of Sho gasping for breath, clutching his chest, and collapsing right in front of him.
Ninomiya shook his head, tears almost falling, forcing himself to look away from the photograph. He turned away from the shop window as if running away. It had been years since that fateful afternoon, but it felt like it happened yesterday. The memory was like an open book that he could never close, forever etching Sho’s last moments into his mind.
As he walked away, he knew he couldn’t keep running away from his past. He had been thinking about seeking professional help for a while now, but the sight of the photograph had been a jarring reminder of his unresolved pain. It was high time he faced his trauma, instead of burying it deep within him.
As Ninomiya approached his modest apartment, the darkness within was momentarily pierced by the radiant lights of Little Tokyo along Immermannstraße. In that fleeting moment, a glimmer of hope sparked within him. Tomorrow, he vowed, he would seek the support he desperately needed, embarking on a journey towards healing and a brighter tomorrow.
Little did he know that fateful tomorrow would thrust Ninomiya into an unforeseen journey, one that would unravel the secrets of his past and entangle him in a web of new relationships, emotions, and perplexing mysteries.
Waiting In Windenburg 