The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

SHIR turned momentarily speechless before bursting out laughing.  He laughed so hard that tears even formed at the corner of his eyes.  If his fans could see him now, they would probably scream in excitement with their eyes turning into hearts.  How could they not when it was so rare to see their male god laugh like this.

It took a while before Shir managed to stop laughing.  It's not because he found the other's performance funny but because he found the whole situation amusing.  It's not his performance that was amusing per se but his series of actions instead.  From the moment he told him that he could change his mind about him to this performance.  It was all rather amusing. 

This was not bad in any way.  At least to him.  If something made him feel amusing, then they captured his interest.  Because it meant that they caught his attention.  And in this situation, catching his interest would be the best thing that this kid could do.

"Yes, you surprisingly did well," he said.

The kid did so well, it made Shir speechless.  He perfectly portrayed the image of a person who was drowning in hopelessness.  He was the very image of desolation.  But when he looked at Miria who was standing beside him, a spark of hope flitted in his eyes.  Then it was quickly extinguished as if it didn't even happen to begin with.  And yet, despite that, he still appeared to be waiting.  Waiting for the moment that hope would really come.  That his tomorrow wouldn't be as bleak as it was today.

The emotions he presented completely mirrored the image of the song Shir made.  It's like he truly embodied the song.  And he did that in just a minute. 

But it was not just that, he also managed to wipe out his dazzling presence.  It was almost as if he changed his appearance even though it was only his expression that changed.  Because of that, even though he and Miria were standing together, his presence never overpowered her.

It was a testament to his skill as an actor.  Only the very talented ones could do it.  That short performance didn't only show his talent, he also disproved Shir of the notions that he was too pretty for the role and that his presence would simply cover Miria's.  and just by doing that, he did not give Shir any reason to refuse him.  Or it would simply make him seem petty.

What was this kid's name again?  Ah, Astrid.  Astrid Townsend.  A few years from now, this little guy could definitely give the current number one a run for his money.

Astrid smiled when he heard that.  It was not a smile of triumph but rather a smile that's telling everyone that 'this result was as it should'.  "Does that mean I will be able to participate in the music video?"

"Now don't ask the obvious.  It's not cute," Shir said.

"Thank you, Mr. Atkins," Astrid said before turning to Miria who had already turned to him.  "Thank you, Miria, for cooperating with me."

"It's nothing," Miria said. 

Although she didn't see exactly what Astrid did, it must be amazing for him to change Shir Atkins mind in just a minute.  So, she wasn't really that surprised by the result because she was already expecting it.  She was just glad that Shir was no longer acting difficult and asking for the impossible again. 

Another one who was not surprised by this outcome was Reas.  He was already numb with his brother's talent.  As long as the one watching him was not stupid, they could see that Astrid was more than enough for the job.  It's a good thing that this Atkins guy was not so stupid after all.

The only one who was probably overly shocked was Miria's agent.  Although Miria had mentioned to her that Astrid had a great talent for acting, she didn't really take it to heart.  She thought that it was just probably a little bit higher than normal newcomers.  But what she saw was certainly not just a 'little bit'.  What she witnessed was true talent.

She was suddenly filled with incredible excitement.  A person with not only looks but talent.  Astrid had both in astronomical level.  Wasn't this just a gift landing in front of her?  If she didn't take this chance to grab a hold of it, then wouldn't that be such a waste of her job as an agent?

After this, she would definitely recruit him.

Astrid and Miria went back to their seat. 

"Now that's all done and over, let's have that meal, shall we?" Shir said.

He pressed a button on the table and a virtual screen with a menu of the restaurant appeared in front of each of them. 

Astrid looked over the menu and chose something that he would normally not be able to eat at other restaurants.  Aside from being expensive and the fact that it's hard to get a reservation, Sky Bistro was also known for their exotic but delicious food.

Finally, one attracted his attention – paplear pudding.

If he remembered correctly, paplears were animals similar to sheep.  They were mostly found on planets of Tertius Galaxy.  But they were pretty rare and hard to find.  That's why their meat cost a lot in the market.

According to the description of the dish, this paplear pudding was a savory dish containing paplear's heart, liver, and lungs, minced with onion, different spices, and salt.  It was cooked in animal stock while encased using the paplear's stomach. 

Despite the scary description, he didn't hesitate to pick it.  He's always adventurous when it came to trying new food.  It's probably the little cook in him. 

"By the way, I was told you're a newcomer.  Are you already a part of any entertainment company?" Shir asked once they finished ordering.

It was not only Shir who was looking at Astrid but also Miria's manager.  Astrid could even feel her gaze boring into him.  He could already see what the other must be thinking.

"I'm not.  But I'm hoping to be part of a certain entertainment company since I was a child.  I would be very happy if they would have me."

"May I ask which entertainment company it was?" Jenny asked, she couldn't hide her excitement.  After all, Kaleido was the biggest entertainment company in the Empire.  Surely, any child dreaming to be a star wished to be part of them.

Astrid turned to the agent and then acted all shy.  His cheeks blushing red, making people want to pinch it.  "Can I not say it?  I'm afraid I will jynx myself."