Astra wandered through the inn's garden, absentmindedly twirling the end of her braid around her fingers. As she walked, her gaze drifted lazily until it caught on someone sitting at a wooden table farther away. She squinted against the sunlight, slowing her steps, trying to make out who it was.
When she recognized him, her eyes lit up with curiosity. There, at the table, sat Daita surrounded by a chaotic mess of herbs, roots, and flowers scattered all around him. He sighed heavily, tossing a wilting hibiscus flower to the ground and groaning in frustration.
Unable to resist, Astra headed toward him, her steps light.
"Daita, what are you doing with all this stuff so early in the morning?" she asked, folding her arms and cocking her head. "It looks like you've opened a medicine shop."
Daita glanced up at her just as he was about to toss another crumpled leaf aside. He chuckled warmly, brushing a few stray petals off his lap. "Ah, it's nothing that grand, I'm just looking for something useful for treatments."
"Oh? May I know why?" Astra asked, pulling out the chair across from him and sitting down, her eyes scanning the odd collection spread over the table.
Daita picked up a small sprig of something and twirled it between his fingers before sighing and setting it aside. "It's just… there's someone I know," he said, voice softer now. "They always had this habit of experimenting with herbs. Always trying something new on me." He laughed a little at the memory. "Even after all this time, I still think they'd enjoy something like this. So I thought I'd search for something special to give them." Astra leaned her chin on her hand, eyeing the herbs thoughtfully.
"Your 'someone' sounds a lot like my grandfather with his endless obsession with weird remedies."
A voice chimed in from behind them, and both Astra and Daita turned around. Standing there with two large white bottles cradled in her arms was Arisu, looking a bit smug.
"Arisu? You're here this early?" Astra blinked in surprise like it was something new.
Arisu walked over, nudging some of the mess aside with her foot before carefully setting the bottles onto a clear patch of the table. She dusted off her hands and pointed at them.
"I'm here to deliver this," she said simply. "Special wine…..imported straight from the capital."
Astra's eyes widened, glinting mischievously. "Where did you get this?"
"It was a gift for my father," Arisu said, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "But since he's not at home anymore… I figured sharing a little with you wouldn't hurt."
Astra's eyes darted around to make sure no one important was watching, and when she saw the coast was clear, she grinned and leaned forward eagerly. "Arisu, you're so generous! You did very good thinking about me—"
She reached out for the bottle, but before her fingers could brush it, Arisu slapped her hand away, making Astra yelp and pull back.
"Don't even think about touching it now!" Arisu scolded, crossing her arms. "Are you planning to get drunk at the start of the day?"
Astra rubbed the back of her hand, "Then why did you bring it in the morning?"
"It's because it would've been hard for me to sneak them out at night," Arisu said, crossing her arms. "I somehow managed to bring them here before anyone woke up."
"You stole them?!" Astra and Daita exclaimed at the same time, their voices almost overlapping.
"Not exactly," Arisu huffed, rolling her eyes. "There are plenty more left behind. I just took two. Tsk, tsk, after all—" she wagged her finger in the air, "taking two crystals of sugar from a giant bowl of sugar won't make any difference, am I right?"
Astra and Daita exchanged a look, a silent conversation passing between them, and then both shrugged almost at the same time.
"Well, it's okay," Astra said brightly. "Nothing can be done now since you've already brought them. Why not taste it a little?"
"No!" Arisu immediately snapped. "Have some patience. Let's wait till evening."
"Fine, fine." Astra sighed, throwing her hands up. "Don't act like your kwami Chipi now. I'll wait till evening."
Daita, who had been watching the exchange in amused silence, smirked slightly as a mischievous idea sparked in his mind. He leaned back a little in his chair, his eyes flickering toward the two glistening bottles.
"You know," he said casually, "it looks quite expensive if it's imported from the Imperial Capital."
Arisu looked at him, nodding proudly. "It must be a little expensive. I wonder how it tastes too…"
"I wonder the same," Daita said, tilting his head trying to pretend he never had it before.
Astra, noticing his tone, leaned forward suspiciously. "Daita, I think you haven't tasted it either, have you?"
Daita shook his head, his hair falling slightly over his forehead. "No, I've never had a drink that expensive. But…I have heard rumors about this special wine."
Both girls instantly leaned in, their curiosity caught.
"It's said," Daita continued, lowering his voice to a whisper, "that the wines made in the Imperial Capital are not just expensive because of the ingredients but because of the secrets behind how they are made. Only a few experts know the method, and the flavor is so rich and layered that even the Royal Palace places special orders every year. It's one of the treasures of the Capital."
Astra and Arisu stared at the two bottles like they were ancient artifacts, blinking slowly, their imaginations running wild.
The sunlight glinted off the white bottles, making them seem even more precious.
Both the girls shook their heads in unison, snapping out of their vivid imaginations. Astra, regaining her usual spirit, leaned forward and asked, "Daita, then why don't you join us while we have one of the treasures of the Capital? Would you like to have it with us?"
Daita lifted an eyebrow, pretending to look surprised, carefully hiding the smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Oh… would it be okay if I join? We haven't known each other that long to be sharing a drink."
Astra lazily tapped her fingers against the table and said with a shrug, "Then we can start knowing each other now. And getting to know someone a little over a treasure like this sounds even better, doesn't it?" She turned to Arisu with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Hey, Arisu, what do you say?"
Arisu looked at Daita for a moment, a thoughtful frown flickering across her face as if weighing something in her mind. Before she could answer, Daita smiled faintly and spoke in an easy, calm voice, "It's completely fine if Arisu— I mean, Miss Kaneko feels uncomfortable. I understand."
Arisu blinked at him, then after a beat, shook her head and said, "You can just call me Arisu. I don't mind… after all, you're around our age. And well… I don't really mind if you both don't."
"Great!" Astra clapped her hands once, grinning. "Then it's settled. Tonight, we're going to taste one of the treasures of the Imperial Capital for sure!" She traced a finger along the smooth surface of the bottle, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
Across from her, Daita watched her antics with thinly veiled amusement, the smirk finally winning over his lips as a thought crossed his mind.
Interesting… I'm quite curious now how they'll handle drinking it for the first time.
————
Kaen sat cross-legged on the floor, completely absorbed in his work, a huge canvas spread out before him. With brushes tucked behind his ear and a palette balanced on his knee, he moved his hand thoughtfully, pausing often as if trying to catch something elusive floating in his memory.
Meanwhile, Seirou leaned lazily against the nearby table, a thick book in hand. He tried to read, flipping pages with a focused frown but the peace was repeatedly shattered by Seiya, who sat nearby reading his book out loud with extra dramatic flair.
Seirou let out a long, suffering sigh, slammed his book shut, and covered his face with it, mumbling, "Spare me, heavens…" He shifted around as if trying to sleep right there, completely abandoning any hope of concentrating.
Seiya, noticing his brother's defeat, smirked in satisfaction. Then, spotting Kaen deep in thought, he hopped down from the table, making Seirou groan even louder at the noise.
"Kaen!" Seiya chirped, bouncing over and flopping down beside him. "What are you painting this time?"
Without lifting his gaze from the canvas, Kaen calmly replied, "I'm trying to paint the moment we watched the stars fall together for the first time."
Seiya's eyes lit up, a broad grin spreading across his face as he leaned closer to look.
"That one! I still remember it…..it was one of the best nights ever! And wasn't it on Seirou's birthday?"
From the table, Seirou peeled the book off his face just to glare at him and snapped,
"You mean yours too, idiot. Don't act like we have different birthdays."
Seiya narrowed his eyes. "Oi! Who are you calling idiot? You should learn to respect your elders!"
Seirou snorted, sitting up straighter. "Elder who? You should be the one bowing to me, little dumb brother."
Seiya shot to his feet, practically spluttering. "Little dumb—?! It's you who's younger, not me!"
"No, it's you!"
"It's you!"
"YOU!"
Their shouting voices echoed through the room, scaring a few birds outside into flight.
Kaen, still calmly painting as if chaos was normal, muttered under his breath,
"At this point, even the stars would fall again just to shut you both up."
Seirou and Seiya continued their heated argument, voices overlapping,
"It's YOU!"
"No, YOU!"
"YOU started it!"
"No, YOU!"
Their bickering filled the room, bouncing off the walls like an endless echo. Kaen, however, remained untouched by the chaos, his brush gliding smoothly over the canvas with graceful, deliberate strokes. His world was silent except for the colors flowing beneath his hand, bringing his memory to life.
The painting on the canvas slowly took form a breathtaking scene captured in soft, luminous colors. A field of tall grass stretched under an endless, velvet-blue night sky, bursting with stars.
At the center of it, younger versions of them all stood illuminated by the glowing rain of falling stars. Seiya pointed excitedly at the brightest star with both hands, his mouth open mid-shout, while Seirou stood beside him, half-smiling, his gaze fixed not at the sky, but fondly at his twin brother.
Further back, Shion stood with his hands on his hips, mock-scolding Ryoma, who was grinning back at him but with a hint of guilt. Shion's slender flute hung from his fingers, a delicate golden keychain dangling at its pointed end, swaying lightly as if moved by the night breeze.
And in the heart of it all, Astra stood. She looked up with wonder, her wide eyes reflecting the showering stars like twin mirrors to the sky, a bright, free smile lighting up her face.
Beside her, Kaen had painted himself holding onto Shion's arm tightly, but his gaze was fixed toward Astra, a soft, quiet smile touching his lips, mirroring hers.
The scene shimmered with warmth, nostalgia, and the pure, untouchable beauty of a memory that even time couldn't taint.
Meanwhile in the real world…..
"I'M TELLING YOU, I'M THE OLDER ONE!"
"IN YOUR DREAMS, PIPSQUEAK!"
Seiya and Seirou continued to battle their never-ending war of "who is older" right behind him.
Kaen paused his brush, staring at his painting for a moment, then gave a small, knowing smile. Without even looking back at them, he muttered,
"Both of you were idiots then, and you're still idiots now."