Outside the infirmary, the evening air was crisp, carrying a faint chill that made Irina's fiery hair seem even more vibrant under the fading light. She walked alongside Astron with a spring in her step, her hands clasped behind her back as she humd softly to herself. Her amber eyes sparkled with satisfaction, with her mood noticeably lighter.
'That went better than expected,' she thought, her lips curling into a triumphant smirk. 'She didn't say it outright, but I could see it in her eyes—she hated every second of that.'
Irina's steps were light, almost skipping as they moved down the cobblestone path. Her hum carried a cheery tune, and she occasionally glanced at Astron, whose expression remained unreadable, as usual.
"Good day, isn't it?" she said, breaking the silence with a playful lilt in her voice.
Astron raised an eyebrow, his sharp purple eyes flicking to her briefly. "You seem… unusually cheerful."
"Why wouldn't I be?" Irina replied, her tone breezy. She spun slightly on her heel, facing him as she walked backward, her fiery hair bouncing with the motion.
'That vexing woman didn't stand a chance. Did you see her face when I put her in her place?'
She wanted to say it, but for so reason when she looked into Astron's eyes, she couldn't. His gaze was calm and collected, as always—a quiet steadiness that seed immune to her energy. But sothing in the way his sharp purple eyes lingered felt… distant. Detached. It wasn't unusual for him to be unreadable, but this ti, Irina felt a strange pang in her chest.
'This guy… he's thinking about soone else.'
The thought ca unbidden, sharp and clear, and she couldn't shake it. She had no proof, no solid reason to believe it, but the feeling settled in her gut like a heavy stone. Her mind flashed back to the infirmary, to the way Senior Maya had looked at him—to the faint tension in his posture when she'd arrived.
'Is he thinking about that Senior? When I'm right here?'
Her fiery hair swayed slightly as she stopped in her tracks, her hands clenching behind her back. She wasn't even angry, not exactly. Annoyed, yes. A little frustrated? Absolutely. But guilty? Not even close.
'Why should I feel guilty? So what if I'm coveting the person I like? Is there a problem with that?'
The thought only fueled her irritation. She turned abruptly, stepping forward until she was directly in front of Astron, cutting off his path. Her amber eyes burned as she tilted her head up to et his gaze, her expression a mix of defiance and sothing sharper.
"This guy…" she muttered under her breath, her voice low but laced with annoyance.
Astron stopped, his calm purple eyes eting hers with faint curiosity. "What is it?" he asked evenly, his tone as steady as ever.
Irina didn't answer imdiately. Her gaze bore into his, searching for sothing—anything—that might betray his thoughts. But his expression remained unreadable, a perfectly composed mask. It only made her frustration simr more.
'He's not even going to deny it, is he? He probably doesn't think there's anything to deny.'
She crossed her arms, her fiery hair catching the dim light as she squared her shoulders. "You've got so nerve," she said finally, her tone sharper than usual.
Astron blinked, the faintest hint of confusion flickering in his eyes. "What are you talking about?"
Irina huffed, stepping even closer, her voice dropping slightly as if to shield their conversation from the evening air. "I'm talking about you. You're standing here with , but you're sowhere else entirely. Who are you thinking about?"
Astron tilted his head slightly, his expression calm but edged with a subtle wariness. "That's quite the accusation," he said, his tone asured.
"Oh, don't play coy with ," Irina shot back, her amber eyes narrowing. "I can see it in your eyes. You're thinking about soone else. Don't even try to deny it."
Astron sighed softly, his gaze steady but unreadable. "You're imagining things," he said calmly, though the faintest trace of tension flickered at the edge of his voice.
At least, Irina felt like it.
Irina's lips curled into a faint smirk, though her annoyance was still palpable. "Imagining?
She harrumphed, her fiery hair swaying as she turned her head sharply, a glare still simring in her amber eyes. "Am I also imagining that your face looks like I went a little bit overboard? Or," she added, her voice rising slightly, "am I imagining that you look like you're thinking what I did was wrong? Should I have just stood there and accepted what she was doing?"
Before Astron could respond, she stepped forward and jabbed her finger into his chest, her voice dropping to a pointed whisper. "What do you take for?"
Her frustration radiated off her in waves, the intensity of her emotions almost tangible. But as her fiery gaze bore into him, Astron remained calm, his sharp purple eyes steady as he studied her.
"I am not taking you for anything," he said finally, his tone asured and even. "Neither have I said anything about what you should or shouldn't have done."
"Then—!" Irina started, her voice louder now, but Astron held up a hand, a subtle gesture that quieted her mid-sentence.
"But," he said, his calm tone carrying a faint edge of intrigue, "let's say things have developed into a more… interesting situation. And I felt like I had seen sothing I had never considered before."
Irina blinked, montarily thrown off by his cryptic response. "What?" she said, her voice sharper than intended. "You've seen sothing you've never considered before? What does that even an?"
Astron tilted his head slightly, his gaze distant for a mont before returning to her, calm and composed. "It would be hard to explain without context," he said, his voice soft but firm. "And if I were to give that context, it would be an invasion of privacy… and a breach of trust."
Irina stared at him, her annoyance shifting into sothing closer to confusion, her fiery energy montarily dampened by his words. "Privacy? Breach of trust?" she echoed, her tone carrying a hint of disbelief. "You're seriously going to leave it at that?"
Astron's expression didn't change, his gaze unwavering. "Yes," he said simply, the finality in his tone leaving no room for argunt.
Irina's jaw tightened, and she crossed her arms, her fiery presence still unyielding even as her mind worked to process his cryptic statent. 'What the hell is that supposed to an? Interesting situation? Breach of trust? Is he just trying to sound mysterious on purpose?'
For a mont, the two stood in tense silence, the cool evening air carrying the faint hum of distant conversations. Irina's frustration simred, but as she looked at him—at his steady, unflinching gaze—she felt the faintest flicker of sothing else. Curiosity. Unease. Sothing she couldn't quite na.
The silence stretched between them, but inside Irina's head, a single word echoed relentlessly, hamring against her thoughts like a drumbeat: 'Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying!' Her fiery amber eyes narrowed as she stared at Astron, the calm composure in his gaze only fueling her growing irritation.
'The nerve of this guy…' she thought, clenching her fists at her sides. 'The reason for his unease is probably her. That Senior. The idea of him thinking about another girl—just the idea—is so annoying.'
Her frustration bubbled over, and before she could stop herself, she stepped forward, pointing a finger at him. "You… you need to compensate ."
Astron blinked, his calm purple eyes flicking to her finger and then back to her face, his expression barely shifting. "I need to do what?"
"Compensate ," Irina repeated, her voice firm, though her annoyance tinged her words with a sharper edge.
Astron tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "Why?"
"Because you need to do it," she said, crossing her arms as if that settled the matter.
He regarded her for a mont, his gaze steady. "You need to give a reason. Compensation without a reason is extortion."
Irina paused, tilting her head as though considering his words. Then she gave a small, deliberate shrug and smirked. "Hmm… you're right. You are being extorted right now."
Astron's lips parted slightly, but no words ca. For a brief mont, he simply stared at her, the faintest flicker of disbelief flashing in his otherwise calm gaze. Then he let out a soft sigh, shaking his head slightly. "I see."
Irina leaned closer, her smirk widening as she sensed his resignation. "So? What's it going to be? I'm waiting for my compensation."
"And if I refuse?" Astron asked, his voice calm but edged with quiet challenge.
Her smirk turned playful, though the fire in her amber eyes burned brighter. "Then I'll make sure you regret it. You don't want to find out how creative I can get when I'm annoyed."
"..." Astron looked like he was ready for a challenge, but Irina was exactly waiting for that.
'Co on challenge .'
She was waiting for a challenge.
Regardless of what happened after all, she would be the one getting whatever she wanted.
'You have already walked into the trap.'
Astron let out a faint hum, his gaze flicking away briefly as though weighing his options. Finally, he returned his focus to her, his sharp purple eyes eting hers directly. "Fine," he said evenly, though the faintest trace of exasperation colored his tone. "What do you want as compensation?"
Irina's smirk softened slightly, and she tilted her head as if genuinely pondering the question. "Hmm… I haven't decided yet. But don't worry. I'll let you know when I do."
Astron raised an eyebrow. "So, you're demanding compensation without even knowing what you want?"
"Exactly," Irina replied cheerfully, her confidence unwavering. "That's how extortion works, doesn't it?"
"….."
Irina had won for the first ti in a while this ti.
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