A Few Minutes Earlier
"Geez, he sure took quite a long time just to get some coffee," Phil mutters as he looks at his notebooks, studying for his finals. As he said not long ago, he had to study for Finals.
It's another thing that confuses Phil about Seed. How is she able to join his courses when they are all in the final week of their semesters?
"I never tried a coffee before..." Seed muses as Phil glances at her in disbelief.
"Really? Never? Not even the cheap ones you have in the Defense Force Headquarters?" Phil asks in surprise.
"Nope, it never appeals to me." Seed admits. "I have never tried a lot of food either. Mostly sweet snacks that Orphie loves to sneak into the headquarters." Seed says before pondering a bit. "...oh, and also flowers."
"...we really need to get you to eat more food. Caelus is a countryside guy, and he eats more types of food than you..." Phil deadpans before pausing. "...also, how did you even join the lectures right at the final weeks?"
"The leader had to call in a few favors, and I already took my final exams." Seed says with a wink. "So, I'm simply there to wait for the next semester."
'...if that's true, then she was simply watching us suffer through that exam! Then again, I didn't pay much attention since I was too focused on finishing mine and distracting myself with some schematics...' Phil sweatdrops.
"...so, why choose to stick beside me?" Phil asks curiously. Not that he minded, but he was curious why Seed chose to interact with him. Caelus is an enigma even for him, but Seed is much simpler than that anomaly of a living thing. She's eccentric, smart, and sometimes weird, but nothing explains her reason to interact with him.
Well, besides him looking like a marketable plush.
"You're cute," Seed says bluntly, causing Phil to fluster a bit. "And...you look a bit lonely back in the university, like I was before I met the rest of the Obol Squad."
"Oh..." Phil honestly had no idea how to respond to that.
"I saw how you seem happier when you're with Caelus, but you lost it whenever you go back to that place," Seed says with a frown. "Honestly, what is wrong with that place? Not disciplining the student for doing bad things. If Captain saw this, they would have been beaten."
"..." Phil remains silent, feeling a bit conflicted at how he was called out. Sure, Caelus made his life a bit better, albeit in a weird way. Still, he wouldn't honestly say Caelus made him much happier than being surrounded by people who never treated you seriously because of his situation or his appearance. Dealing with Caelus feels like a sibling who keeps sticking their nose into anyone's business, but not in a bad way.
...if Phil feels that way just from interacting with Caelus for more than a week, then clearly he had some issues.
"A-anyways, what's taking Caelus so long-!?!" Phil decided to change the subject, only to freeze as he was greeted with a completely unexpected scene.
Caelus is talking to a woman.
'...I only know him for a short while, but I know one thing, that is this guy has zero charm on women!' Phil exclaims mentally, looking incredulous at the bizarre scene. He made such conclusions after hanging out with him multiple times, and each time ended with Caelus seemingly surrounded by women. But neither of them seems to fall for Caelus in any particular way, so Phil simply assumed Caelus doesn't have the charm of a Playboy despite his not-so-average looks.
So, imagine his surprise to see the young man talking with a stunningly beautiful woman.
"...okay, what the hell did I just see?" Phil asks in disbelief.
"Caelus making friends," Seed says in confusion, wondering why Phil is asking such an obvious question.
"That's not..." Phil pauses before remembering that Seed had displayed a lot of signs of being socially inept and sheltered, so all he could do was sigh. "Never mind..."
"Huh?" Seed looks even more confused at Phil, wondering what is going on.
"...he's enjoying the conversation a bit too much," Phil mutters as he watches Caelus and the unknown woman talking. His long ears had picked up their conversation, even though he wished he didn't, out of respect for Caelus' privacy.
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With Caelus and Astra
"I never got to talk much with you before, especially with how you leave so quickly," Astra says as she lowers her sunglasses. "May I ask what's so important that you leave in such a hurry?"
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I can't tell you much. It is confidential," Caelus says as he takes a sip of his coffee.
"Hmm, not even a clue?" Astra asks with a sly tone.
"Sorry, Ms. Not even your status allows you to know," Caelus says as Astra raises her eyebrow.
"Truly?" Astra can't help but sound curious. Being a part of the Star of Lyra means she's affiliated with the High Ambition Corps, which is part of the TOPS Alliance. This means she held quite a position. Sure, she wasn't a high-ranking official, given she was just a singer, but it was enough to gain some basics on top-secret information.
Well, that's not entirely true, but her bodyguard, Evelyn, has a pair of very good ears.
"Nope," Caelus says with a slight tease in his tone.
"...fine, not that it's my business," Astra says, adjusting her sunglasses.
"So, how was your day? I bet your work life isn't as fun as the media tends to portray," Caelus says as Astra groans slightly.
"Oh, you have no idea," Astra says. "A lot of tight schedules, and my boss continues to pester me due to deadlines. I love my job, but the workplace can tend to be...overwhelming."
'Not to mention, among other things,' Astra thought to herself. Caelus may be interesting, but they weren't close enough to reveal some private matters.
"Well, your performances and songs are very good for someone who feels overwhelmed in their workplace," Caelus says as Astra chuckles.
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Astra says.
"I wasn't trying to," Caelus says honestly. He had heard her song back in his old life on YouTube, and it is very good despite being modern songs. No offense to a lot of singers, but a lot of songs during 2024 sound a bit...bland, especially compared to the ones from the 2000s-2010s.
"Hmm," Astra muses before looking at Caelus. "May I ask, what makes a song good for people?"
"...that's a difficult question," Caelus admits as he ponders a bit. "Every person has a preference; each of them has their own personal taste. Some may like one song, but some might hate it. It's hard to please people, especially when there are people who choose to hate anything they stumble upon."
Caelus notices how Astra flinches a bit hearing his opinion, and he can't help but frown. In the special story, Astra showed her insecurities through her thoughts during the battle in the concert, and she hid them very well throughout the entire story, choosing to stay upbeat, happy, cheerful, and optimistic.
Despite not being as dark, tragic, deep, or traumatic as Oshi no Ko, Astra's thought shows a glimpse of most singers' insecure thoughts.
"But, honestly? I believe songs should be acting as a key to open people's hearts, breaking their hatred or any of their inner darkness, and unite everyone through their love towards them," Caelus says before looking at Astra. "Even a supposedly depressing song could touch people's hearts. Any music could be good music, as long as it fit those criteria....well, in my opinion, at least..."
"..." Astra stays silent for a bit, surprised at Caelus's answers, before smiling a bit. "I agreed with you."
"...you do?" Caelus blinks.
"Yes. People of New Eridu had gone through a lot, especially due to the Fall of the Old Capital." Astra says, slightly somber. "A lot of people lose their loved ones during that moment, and they shut their hearts out of grief. The wounds are still there, refusing to heal. I wish I could make a song that could captivate their heart, rediscover a connection between hearts even after such painful loss."
"That's a noble goal," Caelus says with a smile.
"Even so, it was still just a work-in-progress," Astra says sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "I was hoping I could find some inspiration around."
"Inspiration, huh..." Caelus ponders. "...would a song about not worrying about the future and priorities joy over worries help?"
"I never heard that kind of song," Astra blinks as she is curious about his suggestion.
"Well...it's a song my family loves to sing when we're out with my friends, freeing ourselves from worries over complicated matters and just enjoying the fun of being with friends." Caelus scratches his cheeks.
'I mean, I wasn't lying on that part. We used to have karaoke night once every two weeks...' Caelus thought, feeling slightly nostalgic.
"Do you think you could play the song for me?" Astra grows increasingly curious.
"Unfortunately, I don't have the recording," Caelus admits. "But...I can sing it."
"You can sing?" Astra was slightly surprised before realizing how rude that sounds and covered her voice.
"...it's my appearance, isn't it?" Caelus deadpans as Astra starts shaking violently, stopping herself from giggling. "I ain't as good as you, but I can still sing."
"S-sorry," Astra says as she regains her composure. "But, sure."
"..." Caelus takes a deep breath, and unknown to everyone, including himself, Caelus's pocketwatch starts to turn on by itself as it plays a background tone, catching everyone's attention. Caelus chose to ignore the sudden background music and focus on singing.
Huh, oh oh
Whoa oh oh oh
It's always a good time
Whoa oh oh oh
It's always a goodtime.
Woke up on the right side of the bed
What's up with this Prince song inside my head?
Hands up if you're down to get down tonight
'Cause it's always a good time
Astra widens her eyes at the song as she has never heard such an upbeat song as this. She glances around and notices that everyone is watching him, some even start tapping their legs, and some start recording him.
Slept in all my clothes like I didn't care
Hopped into a cab, take me anywhere
I'm in if you're down to get down tonight
'Cause it's always a good time
As he says this, he starts to do a small dance to accompany the music.
Good morning and good night
I wake up at twilight
It's gonna be alright
We don't even have to try
It's always a good time
Whoa oh oh oh, oh oh oh
Whoa oh oh oh
It's always a good time
Whoa oh oh oh, oh oh oh
We don't even have to try
It's always a good time (good time, good time)
(It's always a good time)
(Whoa oh oh oh)
The moment he says 'good time', everyone joins his dance as they cheer along. Astra can't help but be in awe at how a simple upbeat song could make everyone in the cafe dance, and even some people start humming the tune.
[Harmony (LVL 0): 346/1000]
Freaked out, dropped my phone in the pool again
Checked out of my room, hit the ATM
Let's hang out if you're down to get down tonight
'Cause it's always a good time
Good morning and good night
I wake up at twilight
It's gonna be alright
We don't even have to try
It's always a good time
Whoa oh oh oh, oh oh oh
Whoa oh oh oh
It's always a good time
Whoa oh oh oh, oh oh oh
We don't even have to try
It's always a good time
It is at this moment that everyone starts to sing along, completely in harmony. Astra can't help but smile as she even joins in, noticing how some people seem to dance together happily, which includes a young girl with light blue hair dancing along with a cute-looking bunny Thiren.
Whoa oh oh oh, oh oh oh
Whoa oh oh oh
It's always a good time
Whoa oh oh oh, oh oh oh
We don't even have to try
It's always a good time.
Doesn't matter when
It's always a good time then
Doesn't matter where
It's always a good time there
Doesn't matter when
It's always a good time then
(It's always a good time)
Whoa oh oh oh, oh oh oh
Whoa oh oh oh
It's always a good time
Whoa oh oh oh, oh oh oh
We don't even have to try
It's always a good time
Whoa oh oh oh, oh oh oh
Whoa oh oh oh
It's always a good time
Whoa oh oh oh, oh oh oh
We don't even have to try
It's always a good time
(Whoa oh oh oh, oh oh oh
Whoa oh oh oh
It's always a good time
Whoa oh oh oh, oh oh oh)
Astra watches as Caelus stops singing before he flinches as everyone in the cafe starts clapping at him. Caelus looks like a deer in a headlight before his face turns slightly red.
'Oh, Aeons...I forgot I'm in public!' Caelus thought in panic. To be fair, he had missed his life on Earth a lot, and thinking about having a karaoke night might have unleashed his inner desire to sing, which ended up with him forgetting everything and just singing. 'And some people recorded it! That's it, I'mma bury myself in a hole.'
"That was a good song," Astra says with a smile.
"Don't say a word, I feel like I'm slowly dying from embarrassment..." Caelus says with a groan, causing Astra to giggle.
"Not expecting you to be stage fright, with how confident you were when singing." Astra teases.
"Stop..." Caelus groans as he covers his face. "Trigger, if you hear my muttering...please headshot me."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Outside the Cafe
"I did..." Trigger whispers with an amused smile, holding a recorder before pressing the 'stop recording' function (She made sure to remember the button's position so she won't accidentally press delete). "And if it makes you feel any better, you were quite a singer..."
To be Continued