Astra stirred, a dull throb pulsing through her skull and every inch of her body aching like she'd been trampled by a herd of elephants. Her eyelids fluttered open, vision blurry at first, but slowly, the shapes and sounds around her began to settle into place. She felt something warm gripping her hands.
"Astra! You're awake? Can you hear me?"
"Oi! Don't yell in her face, idiot! Let her fully wake up first!"
Five familiar faces were in front of her, three standing behind and two right beside the bed, holding each of her hands tightly. Her lips parted slightly, confused. She tried to sit up. The two men at her side immediately helped, adjusting the pillows and easing her upright.
Her head throbbed harder with the movement, and she winced, clutching her temple. But then her eyes finally focused and a wave of relief hit her finding herself back In the familiar place.
"Astra, does it still hurt?" the man to her right asked, his brows furrowed with worry.
"What do you think, genius? Of course it hurts!" snapped the one on her left, shooting him a glare.
"Was I talking to you, old man?!"
"Old man?! Say that again and see what happens—!"
"Okay, grandpa! Want me to say it louder?!"
Kaen, standing nearby, pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. Shion, behind him, bit his lip trying not to laugh out loud and Ryoma, who'd been silently leaning against the wall with crossed arms, suddenly snapped, "Both of you shut it. Now."
The argument died instantly, Silence returned, only broken by Astra's shallow breathing. The two men leaned toward her again, with worry filled eyes, "…You okay?" they asked in unison.
Astra didn't answer immediately. Instead, her eyes began to fill with tears. Her nose turned red, her lips trembling slightly. The weight of the last few days crashed down on her in a single breath. She tried to blink the tears away but failed miserably.
And just as one drop rolled down her cheek—
"Uh-oh," one of them whispered,"She's crying," the other said, panic setting in.
Kaen rushed to her side. "Astra?"
"I'm fine…" she whispered, clearly not fine. The one on her right clumsily reached for a cloth to wipe her tears while the one on the left attempted to pat her head but ended up accidentally poking her forehead.
"Ow."
"I was trying to comfort you—he distracted me!"
"Stop blaming me!
"…Idiots," she mumbled, her voice cracking as a tear escaped despite her efforts. "Seiya… Seirou… I missed you guys so much."
Seirou blinked, tilting his head confused. "Wait…did she just say she missed us?" Seiya, arms crossed, looked away. "Tch. Must be the fever talking."
Astra sniffled, narrowing her eyes at them. "Where were you both these three months, huh?! You left without saying a word!" she accused, pointing a weak finger at them. Her voice wobbled, but she quickly caught herself. She sniffed again, straightened her back, and cleared her throat with all the grace she could muster in her half-recovered state.
"Anyway… why did you even come back? Should've just stayed gone."
Seirou let out a small chuckle while Seiya scoffed, finally glancing back at her. "We came back because someone got herself stung by a bee and went missing for straight 3 days."
"Could've just written a letter," Seirou added with a grin, leaning back. "We'd have come back quicker." Seiya crossed his arms, eyes narrowed. "Or maybe… she didn't want us back at all. She doesn't care."
Astra groaned and threw the nearest pillow at them but missed completely, and it hit Kaen instead, who was simply sitting at the corner.
"…Ow,"
Seiya gave a cheeky shrug. "Her aim's still as bad as ever."
"Kaen, I wasn't aiming for you!" Astra snapped, already reaching for another pillow. Kaen raised an eyebrow, totally unbothered. "Then aim properly next time."
Before Astra could say anything back, Shion marched forward, pushing Seiya aside with one hand like he'd been waiting for this moment his whole life.
"Alright, move. I've got a lot to say."
"Oh no… here it comes," Seirou muttered under his breath. Both twins closed their ears at the same time like they were bracing for a storm. Shion didn't waste a second. "First, what were you thinking giving me that drink? Second, you know I got scolded because of you. Third, do you even realize you went into—"
And just like that, the list began. Astra sat there, completely trapped unable to run away, staring into the void while Kaen casually leaned against the wall, counting how long Shion could go without breathing this time.
"Ninety-sixth! Are you even aware you've been unconscious for four days now?" He finally stopped to take a breath, looking ready to go into round two but Kaen stepped in, grabbed Shion by the shoulders, and shoved him back.
"Enough. She'll faint again, and this time she might not wake up for another three days. And you two," Kaen snapped, pointing at Seirou and Seiya who were quietly chuckling "Stop laughing."
Seiya looked away. "We're not…. laughing." Seirou added, "Just… breathing."
Astra quietly peeked at Ryoma from the corner of her eye only to find him staring right at her like he was trying to burn a hole through her soul. She instantly looked away, pretending to be very, very interested in the bedsheet.
Ryoma let out a long sigh and took a step forward, "So… was the honey that important?" he asked, his tone calm but sharp. "Important enough to sneak out in the middle of the night? What happened to your 'fear of demons'? Gone just like that?"
Astra bit her lip, head bowed. His voice wasn't even loud but somehow, it stung more than if he'd yelled.
"I… I wasn't alone. I took Arisu with me," she mumbled, still not meeting his eyes.
Ryoma's expression didn't change. "Miss Kaneko went through a lot of treatment to recover from what happened." At that, Astra's head snapped up, her eyes wide with worry. Their gazes met and for a moment, no one said a word.
Ryoma looked at her, then slowly shook his head, almost disappointed. "Astra… why don't you ever listen to me? I know you don't want to, but—"
"But what? Listen for my safety?!" Astra snapped, her voice shaky but sharp. "So I can sit quietly and do nothing?!"
Kaen, who had been quietly standing nearby, immediately sensed the rising tension. He stepped in quickly, placing a hand on Astra's shoulder. "Alright, that's enough. Astra, you need to rest."
He turned to the others. "We'll come back later." Without waiting Kaen nudged Seirou, Seiya, and Shion out of the room one by one, then gave Ryoma a subtle look of let it go for now and signaled him to follow. Ryoma hesitated for a second but then walked out without another word.