Slowly, Astra began to stir. At first, everything was a haze her senses dulled, as if she were drifting underwater. A faint sensation tugged at her, pulling her back to consciousness—a hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently but urgently. Then came the sound of a voice, muffled at first, like it was echoing from somewhere far away.
"Astra… Are you awake?! Can you hear me? Look at me!"
The voice grew sharper, clearer.
Her eyes fluttered open, blinking against the soft light as her vision adjusted. The first thing she saw was Ryoma, kneeling beside her, his face etched with worry. He was the one shaking her, his brows drawn tightly together as he leaned in.
"Astra!" he called again. "Come on, look at me!"
She managed a weak nod, her breath shallow as she turned her head slightly. Around her were familiar faces Kaen and Seiya each filled with alarm and confusion. Their presence was grounding, though her mind still blank.
Then her gaze drifted toward the Daita. Who stood there, apart from the others. Silent. Still. His expression unreadable.
Kaen moved closer, settling down beside her with a frown.
"What happened to you all of a sudden?" he asked, concern laced in every word. "Why did you pass out?"
Astra parted her lips, as if to speak, but paused her mind still foggy, pieces of memory slipping through her fingers like mist. After a long moment, she finally whispered,
"I… I don't know. I forgot."
Seiya, standing a short distance away, rubbed his temples and stepped forward with a hint of disbelief. "You forgot? Just like that?"
Kaen raised a hand, gesturing for him to calm down, then turned his gaze back to Astra, his tone gentler. "You really don't remember anything?"
Astra slowly shook her head. "No."
Ryoma's eyes narrowed slightly. He turned toward Daita, who still stood there, Rising to his feet, Ryoma walked over, his voice low but firm."You said you were with her when she passed out. Can you tell me what happened right before that?"
Daita's gaze flicked toward Astra. For a brief second, their eyes met hers uncertain, his unreadable. Then he looked back at Ryoma and replied evenly, "We were just talking. She suddenly felt unwell and lost consciousness."
Ryoma raised a brow. "Talking about what, exactly?"
Daita opened his mouth to respond, "We were just—" Astra cut in quickly, her voice a little too rushed. "We were just talking casually. I was thanking him."
Ryoma turned back to her, "Thanking him? For what?"
Astra avoided his gaze, shifting slightly as she looked toward Kaen instead. "Didn't I already mention it earlier? When I explained why I snuck out this morning…"
Seiya tapped his chin thoughtfully, then suddenly snapped his fingers as the memory clicked into place. "Oh, right… the two guys who returned your missing earring. The ones you met earlier today when you went to meet your friend and fix your terrible stitching skills?"
Astra gave a quick nod, then braced herself as she tried to sit up. A quiet wince escaped her lips as her muscles protested, Kaen moved instantly, placing a steady hand behind, supporting her.
Once she was upright, Kaen glanced over at Daita with a faint smile. "Thanks for calling someone right away. Good thing Ryoma happened to be nearby."
Daita gave a slight tilt of his head, his eyes lingering on Astra just a second longer than necessary before he looked away. "It wasn't anything that needed thanks," he replied quietly.
Kaen shook his head, brushing a few strands of her hairs as he gently tucked a loose strands behind her ear to get a better look at her face, he added, "No, it was something worth thanking. She's the heart of our family and the youngest too. Astra sometimes goes through something like this, and because of that, we're always worried about leaving her alone. But—"
Astra shot him a look, already sensing where this was going.
"She's too stubborn to listen, and always ends up dragging trouble her way."
Astra turned quickly away, her tone a mix of protest and embarrassment. "Kaen! Don't go around complaining about me to everyone now."
Daita glanced between them, a soft chuckle escaping his lips at their bickering. Just then, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor. Zuzu came sprinting into view, skidding to a stop beside Daita, panting heavily. Everyone turned to look at him as he struggled to catch his breath, trying to speak through it.
Daita stepped forward, a brow raised. "Zuzu, breathe first."
Zuzu nodded and did as instructed, taking a few deep breaths before managing to speak.
"Seventh prin— cough, cough! I found it!"
Daita's lips curled into a satisfied smirk. Without missing a beat, he turned to the others and said,
"I'll be taking my leave now. We've got something to take care of first," Daita said, then cast a quick glance toward Astra, offering her a faint smile. "Hope you recover soon."
Without waiting for a response, he turned to Zuzu, who gave a sharp nod and fell into step beside him. The two of them moved swiftly down the corridor, their footsteps gradually fading into the distance.
Just before they disappeared from sight, Daita paused and glanced back over his shoulder.
"To recover faster try the root of Black feather fern mixed with warm greenleaf tea. It should help ease the aftereffects."
Kaen gave a quiet nod understanding, while Astra returned a faint smile, as she watched them disappear around the corner.
————
The Food street was bustling with activity, the air thick with the mingling scents of spices, fresh produce, and sizzling street food. Daita and Zuzu stood a little apart from the crowd, their eyes focused intently on the trio of girls seated at a nearby stall. They were laughing and chatting, hands full of kibi dango. A sweet, chewy rice dumplings dusted with flour and served on skewers, a popular snack.
As the girls continued to munch and talk non stop, Daita's gaze shifted to the girl in the middle, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied her. His voice was low when he spoke to Zuzu, but there was no mistaking the intensity behind his words.
"Are you sure she's the one?" he asked, his attention never leaving the girl at the center of the group.
Zuzu, standing slightly behind him, nodded quickly, his eyes scanning the girls before he pointed at the pair of lookalike twins sitting on either side of the central figure.
"Yes, that one," Zuzu said, his finger hovering between the two. "No, wait… maybe it's the one to her right." He paused, recalling the conversation he'd had earlier. "I asked her about the hairpin. she steadied it and asked what it was doing with me. She also said it had been exchanged by her leader with a sect member who had the first-person badge."
Daita's lips curled into a smirk as he observed the girl in the middle. "So, it's her who exchanged it. Finally, we've found the owner," he said, cracking his knuckles, "Only if my juniors had thought to ask her name, I wouldn't have gone through all the trouble of asking everyone else."
Zuzu, standing slightly behind him, couldn't help but mutter under his breath his voice barely audible as he shot Daita a look secretly.
"I was the one who took all the trouble, he is acting like it was all him. Who stayed all day resting inside." Daita's sharp hearing caught the words instantly. His head snapped to Zuzu with a glare so intense that Zuzu quickly looked away, feigning innocence.
After a moment, Daita turned back to the girls at the stall, his eyes narrowing on the one in the center. He scoffed, watching her pop another dumpling into her mouth. "31st one now… how can she even eat that much at once? I have never seen a woman like that."
A few moments passed, and Maihima just about to devour her thirty-eighth dumpling suddenly froze. Her gaze snapped toward something in the distance. Or someone. Her eyes narrowed, sharpening with recognition.
Without a word, she shot to her feet.
"L-Leader?" Meimei blinked, still holding a dumpling halfway to her mouth.
"Wait—where are you going?!" Miaomiao called, her voice rising in alarm.
But Maihima was already weaving swiftly through the crowd, her eyes locked on a pair walking casually down the far end of the street. One of them she recognised unmistakable even from behind was Shion, with Seirou strolling beside him.
Meimei and Miaomiao scrambled up in confusion, nearly knocking over trays and skewers as they rushed after her.
From a distance, Daita watched the sudden movement with narrowed eyes. Then, without a word, he straightened and began following them.
Zuzu glanced at him in confusion. "Seventh Prince…Are we going after them?"
Daita didn't slow down. "Obviously. Move."
Zuzu let out a quiet groan and hurried after him, nearly tripping over a crate as he struggled to keep up.
Later after running for a while Maihima finally caught up, her eyes fixed ahead as she called out with a hint of breathlessness, "Uta-rin!"
Shion's steps halted instantly, The name reached him loud and clear, but he didn't turn around. His back remained to her, still as ever. as if debating whether to acknowledge the voice. Seirou, however, glanced over his shoulder and spotted her approaching panting lightly, with Meimei and Miaomiao rushing up behind her.
"Uta-rin…" she called again, more softly this time.
Seirou nudged Shion with an elbow. "You're really going to ignore her?"
Shion sighed under his breath and slowly turned around. As Maihima approached with graceful steps despite the slight flush on her face, fanning herself as she smiled faintly.
"Well… looks like we meet again.
Shion crossed his arms, expression unamused. "No. It looks more like you chased after us."
A soft chuckle slipped from Maihima's lips as she stopped in front of him. "Maybe you could say that. But at least now we finally get to see each other properly. That night, we didn't talk much. No proper introductions. I didn't get the chance to know anything about you and same for you."
Shion tilted his head slightly, his tone flat. "That's alright. You don't need to introduce yourself. I have heard plenty about you already from Astra….. Miss Mogane."
Maihima cleared her throat, correcting with a small smile, "It's Kogane, actually. I'm the daughter of Minister Muzui Kogane." She paused for a beat, as if remembering something, then added lightly, "Oh, and I forgot to mention— that night, you seemed quite close to that troublemaker— I mean, Astra. Are you friends with her too?"
Shion and Seirou exchanged a glance before Shion responded dryly, "No. She's not my friend."
At that, Maihima's expression brightened instantly, her fan fluttering again with newfound satisfaction.
Meanwhile, not too far off, Daita and Zuzu stood near a women's clothing stall, pretending to examine silk dresses. Their eyes, however, were fixed on the interaction. When Maihima's words reached them, both turned subtly toward each other and whispered in unison,
"She's the daughter of the Finance Minister… Muzui?!"