After Keira finished her food, Aster asked Keira, "Kei, do you love meat so much? Look at you devouring everything. I am surprised how that amount of food fits in your small stomach."
"It is also a mystery to me!" Keira frivolously exclaimed.
Aster burst into laughter, "Then, what is your favorite food? Is it meat?"
Thinking that this was just a light-hearted question, Keira beamed and replied without a hint of suspicion. "Well, I do love eating meat but I have a sweet tooth so I love sweets more."
Aster, "Sweets huh?" His eyes glinted a hidden meaning but Keira was too happy after satisfying her cravings to notice anything wrong. Aster continued, "So what type of sweets do you especially like?"
Keira thought for a bit with her right hand on her chin. "Hmm… if I were to pick, it would be ice cream. Why do you ask?"
"Nothing, simply curious that's all." Aster displayed his amiable smile again.
Thinking how late it is, Aster decided to prepare the tent for them to sleep on. Watching Aster's actions made Keira dumbfounded.
"Wait, are we sleeping in the same tent?" Keira asked Aster who was already preparing his makeshift bed inside.
"There are a lot of bugs outside. It would be best if we stayed in the same tent together." Aster looked in Keira's direction who looked reluctant and let out a small chuckle.
Aster, "Don't worry I won't do anything." Despite Aster's assurance Keira was still nervous but managed to talk herself out that it was okay.
Keira: 'It's the male lead. He wouldn't do anything to an innocent girl like me, so it's probably okay right?'
Looking at Keira's resignation, Aster felt ecstatic. Glancing around the dark and quiet surroundings Keira couldn't help but ask,
"Then who will keep on guard? We wouldn't know if someone were to ambush us right now. Or if any wild animal were to pop out."
"Ah, don't worry. I set up a protective barrier in our surroundings when I went to get wood earlier. And if they were able to manage to get through my barrier. Don't worry about anything. I can handle it." Aster showed a very spine-chilling smile on his face and Keira could only nod at his words. It is indeed true that he could handle everything that would come as he is the most powerful person in this world.
Keira went inside the tent, carefully not hurting her ankle. Surprisingly, although the tent looks small on the outside, it was large enough to fit 4 people so Keira wouldn't need to worry about Aster invading her personal space. She began setting her sleeping place by putting up a soft cloth over the tent's base. She grabbed another cloth from Aster's bag and laid it on top of her after laying down.
Aster also lay down on the other side of the tent, leaving enough space in the middle. Keira closed her eyes, hiding the blue gems with her eyelids. She felt herself already beginning to enter dreamland as fatigue came over her. After a while, soft breathing could be heard on Keira's side. Aster only now looked in Keira's direction.
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She was sleeping on her side, with her back facing Aster. Aster looked at Keira's back with his golden eyes glinting with an obscure glow. He scooted over and propped the upper part of his body up.
He peered at Keira's sleeping face. Aster felt his heartbeat accelerate. Even he himself couldn't understand why he felt this way. These were obviously two different looking people and yet, his heart was telling him this is 'her'.
"Keira…" Aster quietly called out Keira's name not expecting any reply but to his surprise, Kiera actually answered in a soft and quiet hum. Aster's eyes widened in disbelief. His heart quickened even more. Aster felt excited and expectant. He tried calling out once more.
"Keira, is that you?" Keira unconsciously replied again with a slight hum. Aster felt enraptured and he began repeating Keira's name over and over again.
"Keira… Keira… Keira…"
Aster wanted to say so many things at once but he could only utter her name repeatedly. Keira's face crumpled into a frown, seemingly displaying that she was annoyed with her name being called over and over again. Keira shifted her body to have her face looking at the ceiling. Aster felt his heart warmed at Keira's unconscious actions.
"Sorry, you can continue sleeping."
Aster couldn't help but plant a small kiss on Keira's forehead. With this, Keira's furrowed brows relaxed back to her serene sleeping face. Keira didn't have any signs of waking up. Once she falls asleep after all, it would be very hard to wake her up, especially right now that she is tired after waking up early and being injured in the process of traveling.
Aster continued to peer at Keira's face for 2 hours until he felt drowsy. He carefully put the peacefully sleeping person into his arms. Aster hugged Keira feeling satisfied and also went to dreamland after a while.
The system who watched all of that: ...
…
Morning peacefully came. Keira gently flutters her eyes open. It was already bright outside. She must have overslept after being so drained yesterday. Keira looked around the tent and there was no sign of Aster anywhere. Keira felt refreshed and tried to stand only to crouch back again.
'Fuck! I forgot my injured ankle.' Keira cried to herself.
'Wait.. Aster formed a barrier yesterday right? And yet he stated earlier yesterday that he was out of Lightness fuel. Tsk tsk, Keira felt displeased.
Sensing movements inside the tent, Aster peered inside only to find Keira crouching in pain holding her badly bruised ankle. Aster leaned and inspected Keira's bandaged ankle. He glanced in Keira's direction and asked, "May I?" Keira nodded and Aster began unwrapping the cloth. It revealed the same purpled ankle.
Aster caressed her ankle making Keira feel ticklish but she held herself back from retrieving her feet. A golden glow emerged from Aster's hand and after a few seconds, the wound vanished. Carefully, Keira moved her ankle to inspect if there is any pain left. Seeing that there was no discomfort Keira sighed in relief. Aster smiled at Keira's actions.
"Well then, breakfast is already prepared. Come out and eat." Aster beamed and went out of the tent. Keira reflected on Aster's smile and felt confused.
Keira: [Is it me or does his smile seem different from yesterday?]
System 999: [How so? Σ(°□°)]
Keira: [I don't know… It felt more sincere? Unlike the smile he displayed yesterday where you could feel shivers from it.]
System 999: [It appears so Host. (*^▽^*)]
Even her system is acting odd.
Keira: [Even you Elly is acting weird.]
Sensing its Host's skepticism it tried avoiding the topic.
System 999: [What do you mean Host? I am simply happy as we are about to travel closer to the Manpasikjeok. And the male lead must just be happy that he could travel along with the ever-so-beautiful Host]
Keira: [I suppose so!]
Seeing its Host agree easily after a few words of praise, it is beginning to see that its Host must be a narcissist. System 999 decided not to talk about yesterday night's event as it calculated that with the male lead's feelings, it would be easier to obtain the Manpasikjeok. Not understanding how complicated a person's feeling truly is understandable for System 999; a system is only just a system, using 1's and 0's to try and understand a person's feelings.