The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

AFTER eating a sumptuous meal, the twins readied to watch [New Star]. Just as Reas expected, there were a lot of leftovers left. Astrid immediately preserved the food so it wouldn't spoil. Because there were a lot left, both he and Reas could bring food tomorrow to school and share it with their friends.

Soon, [New Star] started. It went the same way as it did during the recording with barely anything being edited out. It showed that the talk show was very unbiased. If they were favoring one of the guests, they would surely edit the show in a way that would make that guest stand out. But that didn't happen here. So, even if it was a recording, it's almost like they were watching it live.

That meant that anyone with a discerning eye could see the little actions Nadia Beck had done. Of course, it wasn't so in your face that many people would probably just brush it off. Only those who were sensitive to things like this would probably notice it. And since the one she tried to 'attack' was a newcomer, it probably wouldn't affect her than much.

Even though his [Cyberspace] followers had increased to what it was now, Astrid still didn't have the kind of fandom that would go crazy if someone even so much as look at him the wrong way. And he prayed to high heavens that he never would have.

For him, rational fans were much better than die-hard fans. Because the latter could literally make or break you. Some of those die-hard fans could easily turn into obsessive stalkers. They would also fight anyone who they assumed was 'bullying' the artist they admired. Which would only bring unnecessary hate to the artist.

Astrid had seen that happen in his past life. Idols, in particular, suffered greatly from that. Luckily for him, he's not the type of actor to attract such fans. Most of his fans were mature adults who appreciated his acting talent more than anything.

He just hoped that it would be the same this time.

"Why is that Nadia Beck woman being like that?" Reas suddenly grumbled before turning to him. "Did she bully you?"

Astrid chuckled. "Can she bully me? What she did there was just child's play. Something negligible that wouldn't even affect me. So, there's no need to be angry."

Reas snorted, clearly in disagreement.

Astrid only laughed at that.

The program continued and it arrived to the part where the video of the hostage taking was shown. Then the host's interview of him about that event followed right after.

When he mentioned how proud he was of Reas, a slight blush appeared on the other's face.

"Do you really have to say that?" Reas asked, scratching his cheek, obviously very embarrassed.

"Why? It's the truth. Or are you saying you're not planning to be the greatest soldier in the Empire?" Astrid asked with a bit of teasing tone.

"Not a soldier but a Mecha pilot," Reas corrected in a shy voice.

Astrid smiled, thinking how his brother could be childish like this sometimes. "Yes, yes."

Reas turned his attention back to the talk show. But deep inside, he was secretly relieved that his face was not shown on the video that this program showed. Just imagining all the troublesome things he would face if that happened, it's already giving him a headache.

He should probably also be thankful that he and Astrid didn't look one bit alike. Because even if it was known that Astrid had a brother that was studying at the military academy, most people would not think that it was him.

Even if he and Astrid shared the same surname, it's not like there wasn't anyone in the academy bearing the same surname. It's a common surname after all. Which was probably why it was chosen by their parents when changing their identities.

It's not that he was ashamed for people to know that he's Astrid's brother. Of course, he's proud of that. But as he said, he didn't want his peaceful academy life to be disturbed because of the flies that would surely stick to him once they found out that his brother was a famous actor.

Although Astrid was still considered a rookie now, he had no doubt that in just a few months, his brother's fame would definitely soar. If other cadets in the academy knew that he was his brother, they would definitely try to make a connection to him so they could meet Astrid in person.

That's not an exaggeration, especially since Astrid could have that effect even if he's not a famous actor. Hadn't he already experienced that during their secondary education? He couldn't even remember just how many people tried to get closer to him so they could later confess to Astrid.

Reas just wanted to focus on his studies and training instead of dealing with things like that.

The show continued on and the twins watched it until it ended. The moment it did, the dreaded video call came right on time.

"Well, here it is," Astrid said while looking at the name 'Mom' on his Terminal. He turned to Reas. "Are you ready?"

"It's not like saying 'no' would change anything. So, let's just do it," the other said, pretending to be tough.

"Then, here it goes."

When Astrid clicked the 'accept' button, the faces of their parents appeared on the virtual screen. Both of them had a serious expression on their faces. Their mother, in particular, looked like there's a storm brewing above her head and was looking at them darkly.

"Hi, Mom, Dad, how's the farm?" Astrid started in a cheerful voice, trying to lighten up the mood.

But their mother was not having it and just narrowed her eyes at them.

"Astrid Townsend, Andreas Townsend." Hearing her call them by their full names, that's when they knew that things were going to get serious. "Just what is this about some hostage taking? You better answer honestly or your father and I will not hesitate to go to the capital and drag you two back home."