Astra stirred, a dull throb pulsing through her skull and every inch of her body aching like she'd been trampled by a herd of elephants. Her eyelids fluttered open, vision blurry at first, but slowly, the shapes and sounds around her began to settle into place. She felt something warm gripping her hands.
"Astra! You're awake? Can you hear me?"
"Oi! Don't yell in her face, idiot! Let her fully wake up first!"
Five familiar faces were in front of her, three standing behind and two right beside the bed, holding each of her hands tightly. Her lips parted slightly, confused. She tried to sit up. The two men at her side immediately helped, adjusting the pillows and easing her upright.
Her head throbbed harder with the movement, and she winced, clutching her temple. But then her eyes finally focused and a wave of relief hit her finding herself back In the familiar place.
"Astra, does it still hurt?" the man to her right asked, his brows furrowed with worry.
"What do you think, genius? Of course it hurts!" snapped the one on her left, shooting him a glare.
"Was I talking to you, old man?!"
"Old man?! Say that again and see what happens—!"
"Okay, grandpa! Want me to say it louder?!"
Kaen, standing nearby, pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. Shion, behind him, bit his lip trying not to laugh out loud and Ryoma, who'd been silently leaning against the wall with crossed arms, suddenly snapped, "Both of you shut it. Now."
The argument died instantly, Silence returned, only broken by Astra's shallow breathing. The two men leaned toward her again, with worry filled eyes, "…You okay?" they asked in unison.
Astra didn't answer immediately. Instead, her eyes began to fill with tears. Her nose turned red, her lips trembling slightly. The weight of the last few days crashed down on her in a single breath. She tried to blink the tears away but failed miserably.
And just as one drop rolled down her cheek—
"Uh-oh," one of them whispered, "She's crying," the other said, panic setting in.
Kaen rushed to her side. "Astra?"
"I'm fine…" she whispered, clearly not fine. The one on her right clumsily reached for a cloth to wipe her tears while the one on the left attempted to pat her head but ended up accidentally poking her forehead.
"Ow."
"I was trying to comfort you—he distracted me!"
"Stop blaming me!
"…Idiots," she mumbled, her voice cracking as a tear escaped despite her efforts. "Seiya… Seirou… I missed you guys so much."
Seirou blinked, tilting his head confused. "Wait…did she just say she missed us?" Seiya, arms crossed, looked away. "Tch. Must be the fever talking."
Astra sniffled, narrowing her eyes at them. "Where were you both these three months, huh?! You left without saying a word!" she accused, pointing a weak finger at them. Her voice wobbled, but she quickly caught herself. She sniffed again, straightened her back, and cleared her throat with all the grace she could muster in her half-recovered state.
"Anyway… why did you even come back? Should've just stayed gone."
Seirou let out a small chuckle, while Seiya scoffed and finally glanced back at her.
"We came back because someone stupid went chasing honey," Seiya said flatly, "and instead got chased by the bees. Ended up getting stung and went missing for a straight two days later to be found in the forest."
Seirou shook his head, laughing under his breath. "Honestly, how unlucky do you have to be to get stung by the queen herself?"
Seiya snorted. "Unlucky? I'd call that incredibly lucky."
Seeing her flinch, fear briefly flashing across her face as the memory of the sting returned, Seirou immediately softened.
"But if you missed us that badly, you could've just written a letter. We would've come back sooner. There was no need for all this drama."
Seiya crossed his arms, eyes narrowing as he studied her. "Or maybe…" he said slowly, "…she didn't want us back at all."
He tilted his head, voice turning sharp. "Didn't care enough to write even one reply to the hundreds we sent. Maybe she actually enjoyed our absence." His gaze locked onto her, unblinking. "What do you think?" he asked coolly. "Am I right, Astra?"
Astra groaned and threw the nearest pillow at them but missed completely, and it hit Kaen instead, who was simply sitting at the corner.
"…Ow,"
Seiya gave a cheeky shrug. "Her aim's still as bad as ever."
"Kaen, I wasn't aiming for you!" Astra snapped, already reaching for another pillow. Kaen raised an eyebrow, totally unbothered. "It's fine but aim properly next time."
Before Astra could say anything back, Shion marched forward, pushing Seiya aside with one hand like he'd been waiting for this moment his whole life.
"Alright, move. I've got a lot to say."
"Oh no… here it comes," Seirou muttered under his breath.
As if on cue, both twins clapped their hands over their ears at the exact same time, bracing like soldiers awaiting an explosion. Seiya even crouched a little, shoulders hunched. "The storm," he whispered.
Shion didn't waste a single second. He inhaled sharply—and launched.
"First of all," he began, voice crisp and rapid-fire, "what in the nine realms were you thinking when you gave me that drink? Second, do you have any idea how badly I got scolded because of you? Third, do you realize you walked straight into—"
And just like that, the list started.
Astra froze.
Completely, utterly trapped.
She couldn't run. Couldn't interrupt. Couldn't even blink properly. She stared into the empty space ahead of her, soul visibly leaving her body as Shion's words blurred into a relentless stream of calm, articulate, devastating reprimands.
"—irresponsible decision-making, lack of foresight, disregard for personal safety—"
Nearby, Kaen leaned lazily against the wall, arms crossed, watching with mild amusement. He tilted his head slightly, eyes half-lidded, silently counting how long Shion could go without breathing this time.
Seventy… eighty… ninety…
"—and don't even get me started on the consequences," Shion continued without pausing for breath.
Kaen's lips twitched.
Impressive. He might break last time's record.
Astra swallowed, eyes hollow.
Why…? she wondered dimly, …is he like this?
From the corner, Seiya whispered, "Is it too late to fake unconsciousness?"
Seirou shook his head gravely. "No. Accept the fate. Once he starts listing, there is no escaping."
Shion kept going. And Kaen, still counting,
At this rate… the sun might set before he does.
"Ninety-seventh! Are you even aware you've been unconscious for four days now?" He finally stopped to take a breath, looking ready to go into round two but Kaen stepped in, grabbed Shion by the shoulders, and shoved him back.
"Enough. She'll faint again, and this time she might not wake up for another three days. And you two," Kaen snapped, pointing at Seirou and Seiya who were quietly laughing. "Stop laughing."
Seiya looked away. "We're not…. laughing." Seirou added, "Just… breathing."
Astra quietly peeked at Ryoma from the corner of her eye only to find him staring right at her like he was trying to burn a hole through her soul. She instantly looked away, pretending to be very, very interested in the curtains.
Ryoma let out a long sigh and took a step forward, "So… was the honey that important?" he asked, his tone casually. "Important enough to sneak out in the middle of the night? What happened to your 'fear of demons'? Gone just like that?"
Astra bit her lip, head bowed. His voice wasn't even loud but somehow, it stung more than if he'd yelled.
"I… I wasn't alone. I took Arisu with me," she mumbled, still not meeting his eyes.
Ryoma's expression remained carefully neutral. "Lady Kaneko underwent extensive treatment to recover from what happened."
At his words, Astra's head snapped up. Worry flared unmistakably in her eyes as she looked straight at him. Their gazes locked, and for a brief, heavy moment, no one spoke. The air itself seemed to hold its breath.
Seeing that look, Ryoma let out a quiet sigh and lifted a hand, gesturing toward Shion. "There's no need to worry, Shion and her grandfather took care of her personally. She's recovering well now. She's… better."
Ryoma glanced at her, then slowly shook his head, the motion heavy—almost weary, almost disappointed.
"Astra… you failed me again," he said quietly. "Why won't you ever listen to me? Why won't you accept it?" His gaze hardened, though something pained flickered beneath it. "You are always on the verge of disappointing me. I know you don't like me, but—"
"But what?" Astra snapped, the word disappointment striking deeper than she expected. Her voice trembled despite her effort to steady it. "Listen for my safety?So I can sit quietly and do nothing? Just watch everything from the sidelines?"
Kaen, who had been standing nearby in silence, caught the tension the moment it sharpened. He stepped in at once, placing a steady hand on Astra's shoulder—firm, grounding.
"That's enough," he said calmly, leaving no room for argument. "Astra, you need to rest."
Then he turned to the others. "We'll come back later."
Without waiting for a response, Kaen began ushering them out by nudging Seirou first, dragging Seiya by the collar despite his protest, and steering Shion toward the door before he could open his mouth again. At the threshold, Kaen paused and cast Ryoma a quiet look—let it go, for now—then gestured for him to follow.
Ryoma hesitated, jaw tight, eyes lingering on Astra for a brief second. In the end, he said nothing. He turned and walked out, the door closing softly behind them.