The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

AT lunch, the three friends finally gathered in the greenhouse after a few weeks. They had all been busy with their careers, so it had been a while since they'd last been together at school like this.

Astrid took out the food containers from his space ring and placed them on the flat rock they used as a makeshift table. "Shall we eat?"

Both Snow and Kiran served themselves, carefully placing different dishes onto the plates they were holding.

"Ha, Aster, I really missed your cooking," Kiran said with a satisfied sigh, savoring a bite of the meat he had just eaten.

Snow nodded in agreement, his cheeks adorably puffed out as he ate.

Astrid chuckled at the sight. "So, how have you two been? Anything new happening in your lives lately?"

"Not much, really," Snow said thoughtfully. "I've been spending a lot of time practicing my acting at Polaris, and I feel like I've made some real progress. I've also been auditioning consistently and landing a few small roles here and there."

Astrid nodded with an approving smile. "That's awesome, Snow."

Snow's lips tugged into a small, helpless smile. Just from Astrid's expression, he could tell he was genuinely happy for him—it was so like Astrid to be that way. Still, if anyone deserved to be called 'awesome,' it was Astrid himself.

Astrid turned to Kiran. "What about you, Kiran? Didn't you mention earlier that you had something you wanted to share with us?"

Kiran, in the middle of eating, finished chewing and swallowed his food. He took a sip of tea before speaking. "Yeah, there's something I wanted to talk about, and I could really use some advice."

With both Astrid and Snow now focused on him, Kiran began recounting the events of last night—how he met Shir Atkins and ended up agreeing to join the other's newly founded agency. Find more adventures on empire

Kiran scratched the back of his neck, a sheepish look on his face. "The problem is, I was so dazed at the time that I barely understood anything Mr. Atkins was explaining. I just sat there like some star-struck idiot. Do you think it's okay that I agreed to something when I wasn't really thinking straight?"

Yes, this was another reason he'd been so distracted since this morning. This was his future they were talking about, yet his foolish heart had been so caught up in the moment that his brain seemed to shut down completely, making him overlook the more important details.

Astrid raised an eyebrow. So, this was what had been bothering Kiran? It was surprising enough that Shir Atkins was involved, but even more so that he could impact Kiran this much.

He thought back to the first time he met Shir Atkins—the so-called 'god of music' of their generation, with his flowing aquamarine hair and striking amethyst eyes. In his opinion, Shir was still the most beautiful person he had ever seen. It was no surprise that Kiran had been completely dazed when they met.

If he were a typical 19-year-old, without the soul of a man in his 30s, he probably would have reacted the same way.

Considering Kiran's question and his own impression of Shir Atkins, Astrid replied, "I don't think Shir Atkins would try to con you. He probably wanted to recruit you because he genuinely believes in your talent. That said, we can't be too sure since none of us really know him personally. If you want, I can ask Sister Ellis about him. She might have a better idea of what kind of person he is."

"I can also have someone look into this 'Resonance' agency for you," Snow offered. "Just to make sure it's legitimate."

Kiran glanced at his two friends, feeling genuinely moved by their thoughtfulness. Although he could probably ask Miss Rose about it, he felt hesitant. Miss Rose and Shir Atkins were clearly friends, and he didn't want her to think he didn't trust her—because he did. But just like he said, this was his future they were talking about, and he had to be absolutely sure he was making the right decision.

"Thank you. I'd really appreciate it if you could."

Both Astrid and Snow waved it off casually, assuring him it was no big deal.

"When will you meet again for the contract signing?" Astrid asked.

"This weekend," Kiran answered.

"Then we'll make sure to get you the results of our little 'investigation' before then," Snow said. Then, with a genuinely puzzled expression, he asked, "But why did you feel so dazed when you met this Shir Atkins?"

Astrid also wondered about that. Surely, it wasn't just because the other's beauty mesmerized Kiran, right?

Kiran felt his face heat up at Snow's question. He glanced left and right, as if searching for an escape, before letting out a helpless sigh. Why was he hesitating? These two were his friends—if he couldn't share his troubles with them, then who could he possibly confide in?

"I—I'm a huge fan of Mr. Atkins. Like, a super-duper big fan," Kiran admitted, his voice tinged with embarrassment. "When I saw him, my mind just completely blanked out. And when he said he liked the kind of music I create, I totally lost it. It was like a fever dream. Before I knew it, everything had already happened, and it barely registered in my brain."

Snow couldn't quite relate to the idea of being star-struck by a celebrity. But when he thought about it in the context of suddenly meeting Assil, it started to make sense. It was the same way he had felt when he reunited with Assil after a long time of being apart.

Astrid also understood it in a way. Being an actor in his past life, and also in the present, of course, there were actors he also admired. For example, in his past life, if he had met Meryl Streep, he might have had the same reaction. In this life, maybe it would be Valentine Davis.

With Kiran's concerns addressed, the three friends resumed their lunch, enjoying the rest of their time together.

The days flew by, and before they knew it, the weekend had arrived.