The misty night air curled around the empty stone path as Daita stood at the quiet entrance of the city, facing a small, bobbing boat tied to the dock. The moon cast a silver glow over the water, and the world felt utterly still.
Without hesitation, Daita stepped forward, ready to board. But just as he was about to set foot into the boat, a firm hand clamped down onto his arm, halting him in place.
He let out a sharp, frustrated sigh, not even looking back as he muttered,
"Mule bag, I told you to—"
But when he turned around, his words froze in his throat, and his pupils dilated in shock.
It wasn't Zuzu standing there.
It was Astra.
Her eyes were half-lidded, an unfocused smile stretched across her flushed face, and she was waving at him in a wobbly, almost dream-like fashion. She struggled to stay standing, her body swaying gently like a tipsy reed in the breeze.
"You!" Daita barked. "What are you doing here?! And how did you follow me all the way here?! How is it even possi—"
"Shhh…" Astra leaned in, pressing a finger to her lips with a hiccup. "The fishes will get scared… hiccup… because of you…"
"What?!" Daita recoiled slightly, utterly baffled.
"Shut up, I told you!" Astra insisted, stepping closer, still clutching his sleeve for support. Daita, mind whirling, thought grimly,
How did she wake up so fast?! How could she have followed me this far without me noticing?!
Before he could piece the chaos together, Astra suddenly reached out and poked his forehead sharply.
"How dare you, Raita!" she accused, puffing up indignantly. "You flicked my forehead like this—!"
She tried to jab him again, but Daita quickly caught her wrist mid-air with a sigh.
"What are you even doing here?! You shouldn't be here! And before anything—" he narrowed his eyes, "….when exactly did you start following me?"
Astra hiccupped again, tapping her chin thoughtfully. After a second, her face brightened in triumph. "Yes!" she exclaimed proudly. "I followed you the moment you left dragging Arisu! I thought you were kidnapping her! So I followed you! Very quietly!"
Daita stared at her in horror.
What? How didn't I notice it?! Has my senses weakened that much?!
He felt a headache pounding between his temples as Astra giggled to herself, still holding onto him.
Astra suddenly leaned sideways, peeking over Daita's shoulder. Her eyes lit up when she spotted the boat bobbing gently at the dock. Without a second thought, she shoved Daita aside with surprising strength and stumbled eagerly toward it.
"Hey—!" Daita immediately grabbed her firmly by the arm, pulling her back before she could step onto the boat. "Just what are you doing?! You're not in your senses yet! It's already a wonder you managed to follow me this far without falling into a ditch, but now you need to go back," he said sternly. "I have to leave now."
Astra stubbornly set her fists on her hips, staring up at him with defiance. "No! I'm not going back now!" she declared. "Instead, I want to get on the boat!"
Daita's brow twitched. "Are you kidding me?! I'm going somewhere important! Stop bothering me and just go back the same way you came! Quietly!" he snapped, pointing back toward the city.
"No! I won't!" Astra pouted. "I want to get on the boat! Right now!"
Daita massaged his forehead, feeling the headache pounding harder as he muttered under his breath, "Such a trouble…"
"Hey! Don't call me trouble too!" Astra barked, hearing his mutter, and stomped one foot.
Daita stared at her, baffled.
I thought her senses weren't working… but her hearing is sharper than ever?
He cleared his throat and said quickly, "I'm going to Mount Baiyunya—no, wait…I'm just going to catch some fishes."
Astra's eyes widened, pointing a shaking finger at him. "You are going to Mount Baiyunya! That snowy mountain!"
Daita sighed heavily, dragging a hand down his face.
Oh heavens… this is getting worse I have never encountered a woman like her.
But then, narrowing his eyes slightly, he asked, "You know about that mountain?"
"Of course I do!" Astra said proudly, puffing up. "Before I came to Reikoku, we passed by that mountain path! It took…" She paused, trying to count with her fingers. After holding up four fingers, she hesitated, then boldly declared, "It took five days to just cross it!"
Daita's eyes narrowed even further. "So you've been there once?"
"Yes!" Astra chirped. "It's such a huge mountain! Filled with snow and ice everywhere! And you know what they said?" She leaned closer, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"There are so many… demons there!" she whispered, her breath fogging in the night air.
Then, just as quickly, she backed away, hugging herself and shuddering. "But! We were lucky, we never encountered a single demon!" she said hastily. "Argh! I'm scared of them!" she added, sticking out her tongue in pure disgust, as if just the thought of demons was enough to ruin her night.
Daita stood there, arms crossed, watching her wild expressions, wondering if he should just pick her up and throw her back into the city at this point.
Astra turned to the boat again, her steps wobbly but determined. Before Daita could reach out to stop her, she was already aboard, balancing herself and waving her hands like a proud sailor. "I decided! I'm coming with you! I want to see snow now!"
"Unbelievable," Daita muttered, stepping forward with a heavy sigh. "No, you are not coming with me. I can't take you there."
He extended his arm to grab her again, but Astra quickly backed off, nearly stumbling over the edge of the boat. "I said I want to see snow!" she huffed. "Why can't you take me?"
"It's because I'm not going there for a trip," Daita said through gritted teeth.
I'm going there to face a demon instead, he thought grimly, and tagging you along will be nothing but a trouble. Besides, I might have to search the entire mountain since I don't even know exactly where the flower blooms. It's not going to be simple.
But Astra, completely unfazed, leaned in and blinked at him innocently. "So what? I want to play with the soft snow," she said brightly, stepping forward.
Daita had enough.
Without hesitation, he flicked her forehead again with a sharp snap!
"No!" he said firmly.
Astra let out a tiny squeak and collapsed right into his waiting arms. Daita finally exhaled a long breath, feeling a rare moment of peace return. But just as he was about to lift her off the boat and take her back, Astra mumbled something faintly in her sleep:
"Mount Baiyunya… has the prettiest flower… I have ever seen…"
Daita froze.
His hands stiffened as he stared at her. "Wait… what did you just say?" he asked urgently, shaking her a little. But Astra showed no sign of waking up, only mumbling incoherent sleepy noises.
Daita let out a long, frustrated sigh, raking a hand through his hair.
She was yapping nonstop just a moment ago… but when I finally need her to yap more about the flower, she goes completely silent…
Although he glanced at her drooping head…
…It's good she's quiet now.
Still, his gaze sharpened slightly, and he muttered under his breath, "Maybe I should be ready to take a little trouble… if it'll make things easier."
The courtyard buzzed with hurried footsteps and panicked voices as everyone spread out to search. Ryoma stood at the center, rubbing his temples with clear frustration, his usually composed face taut with tension. Beside him, Kaen shifted anxiously, his brows furrowed in deep concern. His eyes kept darting around the darkened paths as if Astra would suddenly appear from the shadows.
At that moment, Seiya came striding toward them, his face grim.
Kaen immediately stepped forward, his voice sharp with hope and worry, "Seiya… have you found her?"
Seiya shook his head, scowling. "No," he snapped, anger bubbling to the surface. "Where on earth did she run off to this time?!"
Before Kaen could reply, Shion jogged up to them, dust clinging to his sleeves as if he'd been searching every corner.
"I searched everywhere," Shion reported, shaking his head. "I couldn't find her either."
Hearing that, Ryoma's hands clenched into tight fists, his jaw locking in fury. The calm commander's mask he usually wore cracked visibly. "There are five of us," he growled, his voice low and dangerous, "and each one of us failed to keep an eye on her again… and again!"
The air tensed dangerously.
Kaen, sensing the tension, stepped forward to intercept. "Ryoma," he said in a calm but firm voice, "let's not lose our heads. Let's search again. Where could she possibly go at this hour? It's not like she knows the whole city…"
Ryoma exhaled sharply through his nose, trying to reign himself back in. "Seirou," he said suddenly, glancing around. "Where's Seirou?"
The group exchanged glances before scattering toward the back garden where Seirou had last been seen. They found him easily leaning casually against a tree, his arms crossed, his eyes half-lidded in thought. At his feet lay the remains of broken bottles and wooden cups, while a single lantern, tied to a low tree branch, swayed gently in the night breeze, casting a soft, warm tint across the ground.
Kaen quickly closed the distance between them and, gathering Seirou's attention, asked urgently, "Have you sensed anything? Do you know where she is?"
Seirou didn't immediately respond. He simply shook his head, his face catching the lantern's faint light.
Ryoma stepped forward next, his voice low and measured, barely masking the frustration bubbling underneath. "Seirou… I know you know everything. So don't joke with us right now. Tell us."
At that, Seirou lifted his gaze slowly, a small, almost amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Ryoma," he said lazily, "I'm not joking. And how can I possibly know everything?"
Ryoma narrowed his eyes, stepping closer until he was nearly whispering, "You say that every time. But how can you not know," his voice dropped further, "when you can literally see the past and future?"
Seirou let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "Ryoma, you're the one joking now," he said, flicking a broken cup aside with his foot. "The past can't be changed, and knowing it doesn't really make much difference." He leaned his head back against the tree trunk, his voice growing a shade quieter.
"And about the future? Who knows? It can change anytime… depending on the choices people make in the present." He cracked one eye open and added with a soft grin, "Future depends on present ….which obviously I can't fully predict. But…I can guess a little… by looking at that person's choices."
Ryoma's fists tightened at his sides, his anger barely contained. His voice came out cold and sharp as he stepped closer to Seirou, "So… what choice did she make this time?"
At Ryoma's words, Seirou's gaze lowered, calmly fixing on the broken pieces scattered near his feet, as he spoke slowly, "Maybe…" he paused, brushing some dust off his sleeve, "or maybe not… she made a choice to see snow."
Everyone stiffened at his words, confusion flashing across their faces.
Shion blinked and stepped forward quickly, frowning. "What do you mean 'she made a choice to see snow'?! Where did she go to?!"
Seirou only gave a lazy shrug, raising one hand vaguely. "That, I don't know," he said lightly, tilting his head slightly, "It can be east… it can be west…"
But the way he pressed the last word… west… lingered a little longer, Ryoma caught it instantly. His shoulders tensed before he exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair in frustration. he muttered grimly,
"….Mount Baiyunya,"