The sun was already high enough to spill bright light, painting sharp lines across the abandoned place.
Astra stirred.
Her hair an uncontrollable storm was plastered over half her face as she let out a long, unglamorous yawn.
"…Huaaah…"
She blinked once.
Twice.
Then sat up so fast she nearly pulled a muscle.
"W—where… where am I?!"
Her eyes darted from crumbling pillars to dusty idols half-eaten by vines. She spun around like a dizzy deer, panic rising. And then a memory slammed into her like a wagon.
"Oh—! Dan?! Where's Dan?" She scrambled to her feet.
A loud gasp burst out of her.
"Oh no… oh no no no— DID HE LEAVE BEFORE I WOKE UP!"
She began pacing in frantic circles, muttering curses that sounded like a cross between frustration and heartbreak.
"This is unbelievable! I saved him from those creepy guys, I shared my rice cake—MY RICE CAKE—and he just abandons me?! Who leaves a girl alone in a ghost-infested abandoned temple?!"
She stomped forward, righteous fury in her stride only to immediately trip on her own sleeve.
"Ack—! Of course. Why not. Perfect."
She pushed herself up with a groan, brushing dust off her clothes. The temple around her was massive: towering pillars, crumbling murals, silence thick enough to hear her own heartbeat.
She sighed dramatically.
"Where on earth even am I? Last night we ran like panicked squirrels and ended up… here. Wherever 'here' is." She spun in a slow, hopeless circle. "But how am I supposed to get back by myself? Arghhh, they're going to get mad again! Astra, why don't you think before getting lost in trouble? Honestly!"
She kicked a pebble. It bounced once, twice—then clattered loudly somewhere in the shadows.
She froze.
Because she heard something else.
A low, calm voice echoing faintly through the ruined place ahead.
She held her breath.
"…Wait."
Her eyes narrowed, sharpening into recognition.
"That voice… I've heard that voice before."
Her heart leapt into her throat.
"Dan?!"
Without a second thought she sprinted toward the sound, her steps tapping rapidly over the cold stone. She skidded around a corner and there he was.
Astra's shoulders dropped with a long exhale, relief washing over her the moment she spotted him. "Oh thank the heavens…" she muttered, marching toward Akira with an annoyed huff. But as she got closer, she slowed. There was something strange about the way he stood, head tilted slightly as if listening to someone. And the tone of his voice… soft, respectful. It made her curiosity rise. Who is he talking to?
She stepped forward again only to hit something round with her foot. A bell rolled away with a loud clink, and she stumbled forward with a squeak. Before she could meet the hard stone floor, strong arms caught her, steady and quick.
"Careful…" Akira murmured beside her.
Astra blinked and looked around. The place was empty. No one else was there. Akira slowly released her, and she frowned up at him.
"Dan… weren't you talking to someone just now?"
He nodded calmly.
"Oh? May I ask who?"
"To my ancestor," he said. "I was asking for guidance to solve a problem."
Astra blinked, then nodded as if that explained everything. "Ah… so you were praying." But immediately she puffed her cheeks, crossing her arms. "But why didn't you wake me up?! I thought you left me here alone! I don't even know my way back!"
Akira let out a small chuckle, making her glare. "I'm serious!"
"Forgive me," he said. "You were in a deep sleep. I didn't want to disturb you."
Astra puffed up even more but didn't argue, though her eyes narrowed suspiciously. A thought suddenly struck her, and she hesitated before asking, "By the way… did I act weird while sleeping last night?" She caught the subtle shift in his expression and immediately waved her hands. "I mean—I sometimes get bad nightmares, okay? That's why I'm asking!"
Akira paused for a heartbeat, then shook his head lightly. "No. You slept peacefully."
Astra frowned, deeply puzzled now. "That's… strange," she murmured under her breath. She never slept peacefully.
But before she could dwell on it, Akira spoke again, his voice gentle. "We should leave now. Your family will be worried."
"Oh—right!" Astra straightened, flustered by the sudden reminder. "Let's go!"
They stepped out of the abandoned temple grounds just as the morning crowds began to thicken. Astra stretched her arms over her head, blinking at the sunlight, then let out a long breath.
"…I just hope no one's too worried," she murmured, rubbing the back of her neck. "If Ryoma finds out I disappeared again, he'll eat me alive with just his glares."
Akira turned his head slightly toward her, amused. "The way you put it… it sounds like that person troubles you a lot."
Astra flailed her hands immediately. "No—no! It's not like that at all. He doesn't trouble me." She puffed her cheeks, embarrassed. "I'm the one who always gets into trouble. And then he has to deal with it. Him… Kaen… Seiya… everyone, honestly."
Akira's steps didn't falter, but there was a gentle smile in his voice. "So you're the storm they chase after."
Astra made a wounded squeak. "Why does everyone say that?!"
"Perhaps because it's true."
"…Dan!" she whined.
Akira mused, "Some people attract chaos. Others simply walk into it."
Astra crossed her arms, muttering, "Well—I can't help it if things just… happen around me."
Akira slowed his steps just a little. "Where are you staying?" he asked gently.
Astra perked up. "We're staying at Madam Hua's residence," she said, brushing back her messy hair and huffing at a stubborn strand. "Do you… know the way?"
Akira went silent for a brief moment, just long enough for Astra to panic again before he let out a small, understanding "Ohh," and nodded. "I know it well."
Astra's shoulders dropped so fast it was almost dramatic. "Oh, thank goodness. I really thought we'd have to wander through every street in the city to find it. Good thing I remembered the place we're staying." She puffed out a breath, hands on her hips. "For once, my memory actually helped."
Akira actually smiled at that—faint, soft, almost hidden beneath the blindfold but Astra caught it, and she couldn't help mirroring it.
They continued down the narrow stone path, merging into the flow of morning activity. Shops were opening, vendors sweeping the dust from their stalls, the aroma of steaming buns drifting in the air.
But soon, Astra began to notice it.
People staring.
Some whispered behind their sleeves. Others simply paused mid-step, eyes flicking from the girl… to the blindfolded beggar beside her… then back to her again.
Astra exhaled sharply through her nose. Of course. A girl walking beside someone dressed like him would draw attention. She understood the looks. But she didn't care. She stayed right at his side anyway.
For a few minutes, neither of them spoke. Then Astra tilted her head, glancing at his blindfold with growing curiosity.
"Dan… may I ask something?" she said.
He hummed softly. "Go ahead."
"It's been bothering me—and amusing me at the same time," she confessed with complete honesty. "Why do you wear that blindfold? And how are you able to walk so well without… you know, any support?"
She gestured vaguely in front of him, as if demonstrating someone blindly bumping into walls. Akira didn't respond immediately. His steps remained steady, unhurried. Only after a moment did he speak, his voice quiet and even.
"My eyes are sensitive to sunlight," he explained. "I can't see clearly during the day, so I keep them covered. And… I've walked these streets since I was a child. After a while, you learn every turn, every uneven stone. I'm not perfect—I still bump into people when it's crowded. But you can trust me." His head tilted slightly, a faint smile touching his lips. "I can take you home."
Astra made a small 'oh' and slowed a little, looking at him more closely. "That's… kind of sad," she murmured. "Eyes that beautiful… and you have to hide them from the world."
Akira turned his head slightly toward her, a soft chuckle escaping him. "I don't mind. Covering them feels more like protecting them. Besides, it has its advantages." A hint of amusement colored his voice. "People assume I'm blind and treat me with a bit more kindness. In this city, that's rare. So in a way… I'm lucky."
Astra blinked. "…Only you would call that 'lucky.'"
After a few minutes of walking in comfortable silence, Astra glanced around, her brows knitting. The street felt oddly familiar.
"…I think I've passed through this path before," she muttered.
Akira tilted his head, expression hidden beneath the cloth over his eyes. "I told you to trust me."
Astra puffed out a tiny sigh but nodded, a small smile returning to her lips. "I do."
But the moment she lifted her gaze forward again—she collided straight into a man who had stopped right in the middle of the road.
The impact sent him stumbling forward like a toppled log. He crashed into the next person, who then stumbled into another, and then another—until the last unlucky victim staggered helplessly into a nearby stall piled high with glossy, hand-painted porcelain jars.
The jars wobbled.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
They shattered spectacularly, shards scattering across the ground like a field of glittering ice.
Astra froze. "…Oh no."
From the mess of people, someone shouted, "Who did that?! Who pushed me?!"
Akira tensed beside her. "What happened?"
"Trouble happened," Astra whispered, horrified.
Another voice rose, full of indignation. "Yes, who pushed me? Show yourself!"
Accusations started flying through the crowd like arrows
"It was him!"
"No, it was her!"
"I felt someone shove my back!"
"Don't point at me—you sneezed and fell!"
Finally, all fingers, quite miraculously, ended up pointing at the man Astra had bumped into. He flinched, spun around in a panic. Then, noticing Akira's plain clothes and the cloth covering his eyes, his panic twisted conveniently into arrogance.
"It wasn't me!" he barked, desperate to shake off responsibility. He jabbed a finger at Akira. "It was him! That blind beggar pushed me!"
A hush fell over the small crowd just long enough for every face to turn toward Akira in unified suspicion, their expressions sharpening like drawn blades.
"..oh ho.."