The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

THE first, and only, person who flashed in Snow's mind was a young man with long gray hair and light green eyes. Assil Brewer. His childhood friend who turned into his sweetheart. And now, a complete stranger. At least for Assil, right now, he was only that. A stranger.

Thinking that, he felt his chest tightened. As if he wouldn't be able to breathe in a few seconds. To prevent that, he took a deep breath and tried his best to calm his mind.

As he was doing that, Astrid quickly noticed that something was wrong. Snow just froze, and the hand holding the cup of milk tea was shaking. The other only showed this kind of reaction after Kiran asked if he had an ideal type. So, it's safe to assume that his state now had something to do with that.

It took Astrid back to the strange reaction Snow had when he met Ash. Outside, Snow might have looked like he didn't like Ash because of how cold and stiff he was acting in front of the other. But Astrid didn't think so.

Although Snow was not that cheerful or friendly, he certainly wouldn't act that way towards someone he just met. In Astrid's eyes, it's more like the other was forcing himself to act that way.

Now, seeing Snow reacting like this, he couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with Ash. But if it was, the question would be 'why?'. Anyway, that's only speculation on his part. It's better to ask Snow directly, rather than speculating like this.

So, he asked, "Are you alright, Snow?"

Snow turned to Astrid mechanically when he heard the question. He saw the other's worried look. Somehow, there seemed to also be something hidden in his gaze. As if he knew what was bothering Snow. With how perceptive Astrid was, that was certainly possible.

He didn't know what to say. Honestly, he wanted to share this secret he'd been hiding, but he didn't know where to start or even what to say. As he was mulling over that, Kiran suddenly spoke;

"Is it your stomach? Are you having indigestion? Should I buy medicine?"

Snow blinked and then turned to Kiran. The other had the same worried look as Astrid. But unlike Astrid, who had probably guessed what's bothering him, Kiran was the exact opposite. He looked like he genuinely believed that he was having indigestion issue.

Was it because he ate more than he usually did? Well, it was mostly because he was concentrating on listening to Astrid's story that he ended up eating more than usual. If that's the reason, and then add that to Kiran's reaction, things just made sense. And it also became a lot funnier.

He and Astrid probably had the same thoughts because both of them laughed at the same time. The slight awkwardness that appeared because of him disappeared in an instant.

It also made Snow much braver, and the hesitation he was having regarding whether he should tell them about his secret had completely vanished.

Kiran pouted. "Why are you both laughing?"

"Because Kiran is adorable," Astrid said.

Snow smiled at that. He fell silent again for a moment, and then he spoke, "I- I don't exactly have an ideal type. But..." He paused for a few seconds before managing to continue, "I have someone I like. No, it's probably more than just 'like'. Something that's most likely similar to 'love'. So, maybe you can consider him as my ideal type."

Astrid's eyes slightly widened at the sudden declaration. Meanwhile, Kiran's eyes literally turned as wide as a saucer. Showing just how much shock he got from what Snow just said.

"You- you're in love with someone? Who? Is it someone from the acting department of Redwood? Or someone you meet at work? Maybe another noble?" Kiran asked one question after another.

He seriously didn't expect that Snow already had someone he liked in that romantic kind of way. He thought that out of the three of them, he would be the last one to actually fall in love. The other just didn't seem like the type who would easily fall for someone. He didn't even look like he would be interested in that.

But lo-and-behold, he was actually the first one of them to experience love. In a way, this was more surprising than the prince being in love with Astrid. Okay, maybe not that much. But still. The surprise factor was that big.

That's why Kiran couldn't help but be curious. Just who was this guy that Snow fell for?

Snow shook his head. "He's none of those. He- we met when we were kids. He was my first friend. And that friendship slowly bloomed into something like young love."

He paused and then looked outside the window with a nostalgic look, as if he was reminiscing of a time in the past that was so special to him. And the words just naturally flowed out his mouth. Telling his two friends about Assil. He didn't stop until he could get everything out that's pressing down on his chest.

When he was done, he felt lighthearted. Something he hadn't felt in a long while. And then, he suddenly felt a pair of arms surrounding him, as if giving him comfort.

"It's alright, it's okay, Snow. Everything is going to be okay," Kiran said as he was patting him on the back.

And then he felt his hand on the table being held firmly. He looked up to see Astrid smiling reassuringly at him. The other didn't say anything, but that smile was more than enough.

Feeling the comfort of both his friends, it was only then that he felt the tears flowing down his cheeks. He wanted to laugh at himself for not even realizing that. But instead of laughter, more tears just came out.

"I... I just really, really want to go up to him and tell him that I'm Snow," his voice broke. "His Snow."