Daita narrowed his eyes, his voice sharp, "A demon? Tsk… how can a demon guard something like that? Something with the power to extend life… when demons are the ones who snatch it away?"
A clear anger flashed across his face. Seirou, unfazed, simply started twirling a lock of his hair around his finger and said lazily, "Where there's life, there's always death close behind it. It's the truth. And I don't see anything strange if a demon decided to protect it. whether it's for its own use… or something else."
Daita's hands clenched as he muttered, "I'm sure there's some benefit for that beast. No demon would guard something without greed. Maybe it's using it itself… to increase its own life."
Seirou gave a slow, sleepy yawn before answering, "Maybe. I wouldn't know. I've only heard the tales… that those who went after it out of greed for a longer life never came back."
He paused, then added almost too casually, "Probably because that demon tore them apart."
At that, Daita groaned under his breath, "Probably? That demon definitely killed them all!"
Daita's jaw tightened, the thought gnawing at him. He slammed the book shut and muttered darkly, "Tch… How annoying. Even something meant to save lives is cursed with death standing over it."
Seirou chuckled low under his breath, the sound almost too calm for the heavy air,
"That's how the world works. Everything precious is tangled in blood… life… and death."
Daita leaned forward, his voice dropping to a rough whisper, "Then I'll cut through it." Seirou raised an eyebrow, finally giving him a real look, one sharper and more serious than before. "You're serious? It's not a ordinary demon, it's nine hundred-"
Daita's eyes burned with a stubborn fire as he said, "I don't care if it's a nine hundred year old demon, standing there. If I need that flower to—" he stopped, fists tightening against the desk, "I'll tear that demon away with my own hands…. If I need to do it."
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The only sound was the faint rustle of the old books and the whisper of the spring wind outside the paper windows.
Seirou watched him quietly, then a sly smile curled on his lips as he asked, "Can you really do that? Are you perhaps… a blessed one? You really have the spiritual power to defeat a demon that old? It might even be a Tier 7, you know."
Daita snapped out of his storming thoughts, blinking. For a moment, he didn't speak, then he let out a dry laugh and said, "I'm just a normal person, haha… What am I even saying out of anger? I'm not even a blessed one."
Seirou tilted his head, blinking at him slowly like a cat sizing up a mouse. "Are you telling the truth?" he asked, a playful but sharp note hidden in his voice.
Daita nervously scratched the back of his head, waving his hand hurriedly, "It's true, it's true! I'm just a normal guy!"
Seirou's eyes stayed on him a moment longer, unreadable, but he didn't press.
Daita quickly turned his head toward the window. The sky outside was bleeding into a deep orange, brushing the world with the colors of approaching dusk. Seeing it, he hurriedly excused himself, "Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me, really. But I have to go now I've agreed to something earlier."
He made a move to bow slightly, out of courtesy, but before he could, Seirou raised a hand lazily and said, "I don't think it'll be good if you bow to me. After all… you look a little too much like a prince of royal status….even if it's just a thank you gesture."
Daita awkwardly laughed, pretending he didn't hear that, and with a small, stiff wave, he hurried out of the room, almost tripping over a stack of books on the way.
Seirou watched him leave, that same sly smile tugging at the corner of his lips, before muttering to himself, "Normal, huh… If you say so."
After Daita disappeared beyond the doorway, the sound of his hurried footsteps fading down the hall, Seirou leaned back lazily in his chair. He twirled a lock of his braided hair between his fingers, staring absentmindedly at the orange-tinted sky outside.
For a moment, the room was quiet again. Then, under his breath, Seirou murmured with a shadowed smirk,
"You're running around so desperately… but you don't even realize it yet, do you?"
He tapped the book he had been holding against his knee, his eyes glinting in the dimming light.
"You're already standing right at the center of it. The fate you're trying to escape… it's been waiting for you far longer than you've been alive."
He closed his eyes, the playful mask slipping away, and his voice dropped even lower,
"Let's see how long you can keep pretending you're just a 'normal' guy, seventh prince."
Then he chuckled low, amused, before flipping open the book again, as if nothing had happened.
Daita hurried across the stone path, weaving past the hedges as the last rays of sun dipped behind the horizon. His eyes scanned the backyard quickly—and soon enough, he spotted a hand waving at him from behind one of the trees.
He let out a small breath, half in amusement, and shook his head. Making his way over, he found the two familiar figures waiting for him. Astra and Arisu stood there, each holding up a bottle proudly, tapping it against their palms like some secret prize they were eager to show off.
Daita blinked at them, a little taken aback by the sight, but quickly schooled his face into something more normal.
Astra leaned in close, whispering in a mock-scolding tone, "So you're finally here. What took you so long? I told you to come before sunset!"
Daita opened his mouth, trying to explain, but before he could get a word out, Arisu chimed in brightly, "It's okay now! He's here, so why waste time? I've been waiting to try it!"
With that, the three of them slipped farther behind the tree into the open grass patch, a small lantern already set up nearby.
Astra knelt down first, pulling out a few simple wooden cups she had apparently brought, and without hesitation, began pouring the shimmering liquid into them.
Just as the rich, sharp scent filled the air, Arisu hesitated, glancing at the filled cups with wide eyes. "Astra… are you sure?" she asked cautiously. "We're just going to have a little, right? Not too much? I don't want to go back home drunk… Mother will be angry."
"Yes, yes! Just a little!" Astra waved her hand dismissively, pouring with a mischievous grin. "We'll just try it once! We'll save the rest for later. I promise."
Watching them one pouring confidently and the other nervously poking the cup Daita had to fight the laugh bubbling up in his chest. Internally, he smirked, thinking
I'm eager to see what happens next… After one sip, will these two girls really be able to handle the strength of one of the capital's treasures?
Astra handed them each a cup, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Alright! On the count of three!" she declared grandly, as if leading some royal ceremony.
Arisu stared into her cup like it might bite her. "Is it supposed to smell this… strong?" she whispered.
Daita, meanwhile, raised his cup with an amused look, saying nothing. He was already bracing for a show.
"One… two… THREE!" Astra shouted, and the three of them tipped their cups back.
The moment the liquid touched their tongues—
Arisu let out a tiny yelp, clapping her hand over her mouth, her face turning bright red like a tomato. Astra immediately began coughing, hitting her chest dramatically as if she'd just swallowed fire.
Even Daita, who was prepared, grimaced sharply and had to clear his throat.
"Wh-what IS this?! Liquid thunder?!" Arisu squeaked, eyes watering.
Astra fanned her mouth, croaking out, "I think my tongue just left my body and went on a pilgrimage!"
Daita, seeing them both react so dramatically, had to quickly fake a cough too just to blend in.
"I-I didn't expect it to be this strong," he rasped out, pounding his chest lightly for effect.
Both girls nodded vigorously in agreement, but then their heads kept nodding… even when they tried to stop. The ground beneath them seemed to sway like a boat on wild waves.
They both turned sharply to look at Daita, who sat there suspiciously still, his shoulders trembling slightly from holding back his laughter.
Then, at the exact same time, they pointed accusingly at each other and blurted out in sync,
"Why are you shaking suddenly!?"
The two froze, staring at each other in confusion and then immediately burst out laughing.
Daita sat nearby, watching them with mild amusement, barely able to hide the smirk creeping onto his face. He decided to play along and gave a slight jolt himself, pretending the earth was shaking under him too.
Seeing him suddenly start to "shake," Astra turned to him in surprise, then giggled harder.
Astra huffed, setting her hands on her hips, "See! Even Daita's shaking now! It's contagious!"
Daita shrugged helplessly, "you too…"
The two girls glared at each other next, faces flushed, hair slightly messy from all the excitement.
Arisu jabbed a finger at Astra and huffed, "I didn't expect your drinking capacity to be this weak!"
Astra gasped, clutching her chest. "ME?! Look at yourself! You're wobbling like a jellyfish after one sip! You can't even handle that much!"
Daita, sitting cross-legged between them, tried to hold back a laugh but thought internally,
"How interesting… Just one sip and they're already acting like toddlers. I wonder—"
But before he could even finish the thought, Arisu puffed her cheeks and declared,
"Huh?! Who said I can't handle it?! Wait, I'll show you!"
Without a second's hesitation, she grabbed the bottle, poured another generous cup, and downed it.
This time she coughed so violently she nearly toppled backward, her face turning an even deeper shade of red like a ripe apple under the sun.
"See! Now you're the one shaking more! I'm steady! Haha!"
Astra blinked in disbelief, narrowed her eyes, then grabbed the bottle herself.
With a defiant glare, she poured an even larger amount into her cup and threw it back without even breathing.
She paused. Her face twitched. But with an iron will, she forced herself not to cough, standing up straight. "See! I didn't even cough this time! I'm BETTER!" she declared proudly, fists on her hips.
Arisu grabbed the bottle like a warrior grabbing her sword. "Wait, I'll show you!" she huffed, started pouring another cup with shaky hands.
Daita opened his mouth to say something maybe something responsible, like "Are you sure?" but the words got stuck halfway when Arisu threw her head back and downed it all in one gulp.
Astra's jaw dropped. She squinted at Arisu suspiciously then, not to be outdone, she snatched the other bottle from the ground and aggressively poured herself another cup.
Daita, still sitting cross-legged, watched them like a man watching a slow-moving carriage crash.
"No… no… surely she won't—" he muttered under his breath.
But she did. Astra glared at Arisu with fire in her eyes and, without blinking, chugged her entire cup in one go.
She slammed the cup down like she was challenging for a duel and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "HA! Not even a hiccup…not even a cough! hiccup…"she boasted, though her wobbling knees and pink cheeks told a different story.
Daita blinked. He watched in horror as the two girls, now locked in some sort of drunken honor battle, kept pouring and drinking, laughing and pointing at each other in between.
One bottle emptied. Then the second bottle started to vanish at a worrying speed with Daita's face turning paler.
At some point, Astra hiccupped so hard she nearly fell into Arisu, and she tried to steady her, only to nearly topple herself laughing nervously. Meanwhile, Daita, who had only had one sip and was now sitting completely sober between two impending disasters, watched with wide, alarmed eyes.
Muttering to himself, he slumped forward with a hand over his face. "Oh no. This is bad. This is very bad…"