The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era



ASTRID was making popcorn. Tonight's episode of [The Great War] would be the first episode that would truly show his acting talent. Not that he didn't show any of that in the previous episodes, but his acting in those episodes was like just a drop in a bucket. While in this episode, it's the full bucket.

In this episode, his character, Luan Escanor, had just been ordained to a Bishop. It's his first ordination after he became a priest. Some might say that it's a bit fast, considering that it's only the seventh episode, but considering how the source material has more than 500 chapters, and there's only 35 episodes, this kind of pacing was just right.

As the popcorn was cooking, he started making iced tea. When the popcorn stopped popping, he was about to pour it into a big bowl, but someone took the bowl from him.

"Let me do it."

Astrid raised his head and saw Wulfric pouring the popcorn in the bowl.

"I'll take the tea," Reas said on the side, picking up the pitcher and putting it on a tray alongside four glasses. Bringing them to the living room.

Wulfric followed with the huge bowl of popcorn.

Astrid watched the two. Nothing had really changed after a week. The two still bickered incessantly. Which was understandable, since they had never really met during the weekdays. Especially considering that Reas had school.

Yes, it had been a week since then. Surprisingly enough, Wulfric didn't spend that whole week attached to Astrid. Which Astrid definitely preferred. Probably because he not only had school but also a work schedule that the other couldn't just follow. Wulfric was probably also busy with his own things. Because no matter how free he looked, he's still a General of the Empire.

The two of them mostly spent their time together eating meals, breakfasts and dinners, to be exact. He did all the cooking, of course. While Wulfric provided a lot of high-quality ingredients.

The other also made it a point to always clean up the dishes after they ate. Although that's really not that much, considering his identity and the fact that he probably never had done something like that before, that's already more than enough to convey his sincerity.

And he must admit, he quite enjoyed their meal time together. Wulfric would tell him stories about his military life. Not about his missions, but just some of the shenanigans he and his squad had been into since they were formed. Thankfully, he still had that kind of awareness as a soldier, and didn't tell him anything that could be considered as classified.

Because of his stories, Astrid kind of felt like he now knew the lieutenant and the three captains of the Fenris Squad on a much deeper level. Based on what he heard, they were a fun bunch. And since he had already met the four of them in person, he believed that that was truly the case.

Astrid also shared some stories with Wulfric. None of them were as exciting as the ones the other had told him, but he still listened to them with bated breath. As if every word captivated him.

Some would probably feel awkward by this, but that wasn't the case for Astrid. He didn't mind that kind of reaction. Because it meant that Wulfric was genuinely curious about his life and that he wanted to get to know him better.

All in all, their little meal time together had been really enjoyable.

Just then, a message notification rang from his Terminal. He opened it and saw that it was from Ellis.

[I'm already close to your apartment.]

Astrid replied after reading that, telling the other to be careful while driving.

Yes, Ellis was on her way to his apartment right now to watch the episode of [The Great War] with them. He invited her with the thought that she would meet Wulfric. Since it's already like this, he might as well let the two meet. The longer he postponed it, the harder it would be to explain things later.

He actually wanted to invite his friends at first, but all of them were busy, just as he had already expected. And then he thought that he could invite Ellis instead and also let the other meet Wulfric. It's like hitting two birds with one stone.

Astrid walked to the living room and sat in his usual spot.

"Aster, did the General spend most of his time here during the weekdays?" Reas suddenly asked.

"You can just ask me that. It's not like I'm not going to answer you," Wulfric said, shaking his head.

"Who knew if the General will answer me honestly?"

"He didn't," Astrid said in response to Reas' earlier question. He felt like if he didn't answer immediately, the two would start bickering again. "Wulf is also very busy. How can he spend the majority of his day with me? Right, Wulf?"

Wulfric cleared his throat. "Right."

But in truth, he actually wanted to do just that - spend most of his time with Aster. He couldn't do that, though. No, actually, he could. It would just make him look like a stalker if he did. So, he could only reluctantly do some reports that Leland had sent him. And, on the side, he started attending a cooking lesson in the VirtualNet.

It was a good use of his time. He was confident that by next week, he could finally cook for Aster.

"By the way, Aster, why did you prepare four glasses? Is one of your friends coming?" he asked, not only because he wanted to change the subject, but because he was also very curious about the answer.

"Ah, yes. It's my agent. I invited her over. I was thinking that the two of you could meet. Is it alright?" Aster asked, looking a bit hesitant.

Wulfric was a bit surprised at first, but he quickly understood why Aster wanted him to meet his agent. If he continued to hang around Aster, it would be inevitable for him to meet the other. So, it would be better to introduce himself now than later.

"Of course. I'll be happy to meet her."

Hopefully, the other wouldn't be too surprised seeing him.