The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

"ASTER, your grocery is here!" Reas called from the opened door.

Astrid, who was in his room, walked out. He was actually a bit surprised that the delivery would be this fast. He just ordered 10 minutes ago and it was already here.

It was not this fast when he first ordered groceries online. Well, he probably shouldn't compare since that was a week-long's worth of groceries plus an additional matress.

He and Reas could go to a nearby supermarket to directly buy these things but somehow, both of them couldn't be bothered to leave the apartment today. He didn't know about Reas, but he, himself, just wanted to laze about on the bed.

"Just put it on the table," he told his brother.

Reas put a box full of fresh ingredients on the table. "Is this only for dinner? It's a bit too much, don't you think?"

Astrid, who had already walked beside his brother, opened the box and started to take out the ingredients. "I'm planning to make a feast. Since we're going to be scolded, might as well do it with a full stomach."

Reas looked like he just had an enlightenment when he heard that. "You're a genius, Aster," he said with a thumbs up.

Astrid only grinned at the other.

"But what will we do with the leftovers?" Reas asked.

"You can bring it with you tomorrow once you return to the military academy," Astrid easily answered. "Share it with Ash."

Thinking of how Ash said that he wanted to taste Astrid's cooking, Reas nodded. If the food he brought was only enough for him, then he definitely wouldn't share it. But since he's planning to bring a lot tomorrow, there's no harm to letting Ash taste his brother's cooking.

"What time is that talk show going to be aired anyway?" Reas asked.

"Seven o'clock in the evening, capital time," Astrid answered.

"There's still a couple of hours left before that. I'll play some game first."

After Reas said that, he went to the living room and set up the game console with the projector. The console was a bit old and only played games that were released a decade back. But Reas had a special attachment to it that's why he brought it with him here in the capital.

"Reas, do you want a virtual pod?" Astrid asked.

Reas looked back at him. "Why? Are you going to buy me one?"

Astrid nodded. "Yeah. You probably haven't played your Mecha battles since school started. After I buy a virtual pod, you can play it during the weekend."

He actually had been thinking of buying one for some time now. But since he had been too busy lately, it just kept on slipping his mind.

"Well, I certainly won't reject that," Reas said. "Thank you, Brother. I certainly feel your love."

Astrid laughed and threw a piece of apple towards Reas which the other easily caught. "Shut up."

He then focused his attention to cooking.

While he was doing the preparatory work, Astrid couldn't help but think back to last night. Specifically, to the message that Wulfric had sent him.

It was so vastly different from the post he made on his stan account that Astrid couldn't help but think that the latter must be what he truly felt about the mermaid show. But the other didn't express any of that to him and instead just praised him.

Wulfric probably wrote what he truly felt in his stan account because he had never imagined that Astrid would ever know that it was him. But Astrid did know. And now, the contradiction between that and what Wulfric sent him just made him think a little bit deeper than he should.

If he thought back to the first time he met the other, he probably would have never imagined that Wulfric would have this level of control. Because Wulfric was the epitome of the word 'uncontrollable'. And yet, here he was, trying to control himself for Astrid's sake.

He had never expected something like that from him. Not that it's bad. It only meant that the other was slowly changing. Maybe it was only at a turtle's pace right now. But that's fine. The important thing here was that he was willing to change.

No, knowing Wulfric, he was probably not even aware of the change himself. Even if he was, he probably wouldn't do anything about it. Because this change was centered around Astrid. And for some reason, that fact alone was probably enough to let it be. At least for Wulfric, that should be the case.

But what could this mean for the both of them?

If Wulfric was unconsciously trying to change for him, did that mean that his initial 'interest' for him had now become more than just a simple interest? Had it completely evolved into something much deeper? To the point that what Wulfric was feeling for him could no longer be categorized into a fleeting fancy?

Honestly, Astrid didn't know how he would react if that was really the case. He didn't even know what he truly felt for the other.

After Wulfric apologized for his initial behavior when they first met, he started to enjoy his company then. He even found some of his antics quite adorable. He also appreciated how he was trying to be protective and understanding of him. That Wulfric made him feel that he was truly special.

But if someone asked him right now if that meant that he was in love with Wulfric, he could honestly answer 'no'. Because he wasn't. At least not at this point. Although he could admit that he was attracted to him. Once one added all the complex layers to that handsome exterior, honestly, who wouldn't?

And in his opinion, that's fine. This was not a race after all. Both of them could slowly understand their own feelings for each other and that what they feel was real.

That's better than making hasty decisions that would just end up with them separating in the future.