"Ooh! You know what would make this better? Something sweet… then how about some honey?"
At the mention of honey, Arisu finally turned to look at Astra, blinking before nodding rapidly, her earlier frustration vanishing in an instant.
Astra smirked. "See? I knew you'd like that. Now, tell me do you know where we can get the finest honey around here?"
Arisu thought for a moment, tapping her chin. "Hmm… actually, there is one place."
She leaned in slightly,"There's a shop that sells the sweetest honey in Reikoku. And not just any honey this one comes in a variety of flavors, each more delicious than the last. The old owner personally fetches it from a special spot near the forest, a land covered in flowers.They say it's one of the most beautiful places around. But almost no one from Reikoku dares to go there because it's so close to the forest area."
Astra raised an eyebrow. "So only the shop owner dares goes there?"
"Yep, and only once a year!" Arisu grinned. "The honey he collects is made by wild bees who use those rare flowers nearby to produce it. It takes a whole year to form, and they say just one lick of it can take you straight to heaven!"
Astra, having just learned about the legendary heavenly sweetness, immediately shot up from her seat, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go straight to that shop and get it!"
But before she could take a step, Shion, who had been silently listening to their conversation, decided to ruin everything.
"No one is going anywhere. And no more sweetness." His voice was firm, completely shattering Astra's excitement.
"Wait, what?"
Shion crossed his arms. "You just got better. You shouldn't be running off again. And Miss Haneko, you should head home and buy that 'heavenly honey' yourself."
Astra gasped dramatically. "Shion… it won't take long! We'll go there and be back before it gets dark. Pleaaase?"
She grabbed his hand, tilted her head, and blinked up at him repeatedly in the most innocent, pleading way possible. Shion's eye twitched wishing he could go blind right now. "No. It's not safe for you to go alone. You know that."
Astra's lips curled into a mischievous smile. "Then you come with us! Problem solved! We'll all go together, it'll be safe, and I'll get to taste my honey too!"
Shion pulled his hand back, shaking his head firmly. "No means no. Go back to your room and
I am too busy to become your tail."
As Shion turned on his heel and started walking away, Astra imitated him and stomped her foot, ready to leave from there in opposite direction, but then
ding!
An idea popped into her head. she quickly spun toward Arisu, grabbing her by the shoulders, lowered her voice,
"Arisu… how badly do you want that honey?" Arisu blinked, confused. "Uh… pretty badly?"
"Good. Because I have a plan. Just follow along." Then she raised her voice,
"Arisu, didn't you tell me there's a new stall in the market that just opened for musical instruments? I also heard it's full of rare collections."
Arisu immediately caught on to what Astra was trying to do and nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes! I did! It's got some very exclusive pieces!"
Shion, who had been stubbornly ignoring them, suddenly froze mid-step, his curiosity piqued.
He turned his head slightly, trying to appear unbothered, but Astra and Arisu knew they had him.
Astra smirked and continued, "Apparently, the owner has been bragging that only those who truly love music, those born with talent are worthy of his instruments. And according to him, there's no one like that around."
Shion scoffed, his grip tightening on the flute in his hand. "What do you mean there's no one talented like that? That's absurd."
Arisu, barely holding back her laughter, nodded dramatically. "Yeah! He said true musicians are rare, and that no one around here can even handle his instruments properly."
That did it. Shion turned fully toward them, his pride now completely involved.
"Miss naneko, where's this shop?" he demanded.
Arisu beamed. "Oh! It's just near the market square—"
"Good. Take me there. I want to see shop owner and his 'rare' instruments." Then, narrowing his eyes at Astra, he added, "And both of you are sticking with me until we get that honey and return. No funny business, Follow Me."
Astra and Arisu exchanged a quick glance, wink—plan success!
Astra beamed, clapping her hands together. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
As the two girls walked excitedly through the bustling night market, Shion followed behind them, arms crossed, his sharp gaze observing everything around while following them.
Arisu, sneaking a few glances back at him now and then, finally leaned toward Astra and whispered, "You said he was too clever, sly, and cunning almost impossible to fool. But… how did he agree so easily?"
Astra smirked, whispering back, "Yes he is indeed, but there are only two things that are his ultimate weaknesses. One is his love for music and—"
Thud!
A loud crash interrupted her, followed by a distressed cry.
"No! My berries!"
As they walked through the bustling market, Astra accidentally ran into someone carrying a huge basket full of crimson berries. The basket tipped over, and the bright red berries spilled onto the ground, rolling away like tiny escapees. The man let out a loud cries, staring in horror at the mess.
"Hey, you! Are your eyes blindfolded, or are they on the back of your head instead of the front?! Can't you see where you're going?!"
Astra, still blinking in surprise, barely had time to react before he continued,
"Do you even know how hard it was to carry these all the way after searching for long?! Now what am I supposed to give him? They're ruined! Completely dirty! Oh, My Heavens!"
He dropped to his knees, trying to pick out the good ones. Feeling a bit guilty, Astra crouched down to help, carefully handing him a few good ones. Instead of accepting them, the man harshly swatted her hand away, looking at her like she had personally cursed his entire bloodline.
"Don't touch them!" he snapped. "I don't know what kind of bad luck I ran into today! First, I got lost in the market, and now this?! What a trouble!"
Shion took a step forward, ready to say something, but Astra raised a hand, stopping him. Then, looking right back at the furious man, she shot back,
"It was an accident! And where were your eyes, huh? Did a crow steal them? It's a crowded market it's normal to bump into people! And why shouldn't I touch them? They're just berries, not some kind of rare treasure!"
The man froze for a moment, staring at her. His brown eyes met her fiery glare, and for a second, he didn't say anything. Then, his voice low,
"It is a treasure to me… if it brings even the slightest smile on someone face precious to me."
Astra's retort died in her throat. She didn't know what to say to that. She sat there in silence for a moment, watching as the man continued gathering the fallen berries with care.
Shion, not interested in wasting more time, grabbed Astra's wrist and pulled her up. "Let's go. If he doesn't need help, we're not standing here all night." Arisu quickly followed behind them.
As Astra walked away, she couldn't help but glance back a few times. The man was still kneeling, carefully picking through the berries with the same expression.
"…I wonder who that precious someone is…"