A Few Moments Later
The girls hadn't moved from beneath the cherry blossom tree. Astra had just finished untying the tangled knots in her embroidery, sighing in relief, when a voice drifted from behind the tree.
"Done struggling, pretty one?"
Both girls flinched and turned sharply toward the voice only to find Daita leaning casually against the trunk, a charming smile on his face. For a second, neither of them spoke. Then, instinctively, they turned to look behind them where Zuzu stood a short distance away, waving at them with an awkward grin.
Panic sparked in Arisu's eyes as she quickly leaned toward Astra and whispered under her breath, lips pressed tight.
"Did they realize it was fake?"
Astra's gaze lingered on Daita for a moment longer. He hadn't moved, his smile unchanged, eyes calm.
"No… not so soon," she murmured back.
"Then why did they come back?"
Astra's fingers tightened around her embroidery frame. When Daita finally spoke, his voice was calm and deliberate.
"We came all the way back just to return this."
He held up the small bundle and slowly unwrapped it, revealing the delicate earring. Astra squinted at it as he stepped closer and the moment the silver caught the light, her eyes widened in recognition.
"Maybe this belongs to you?" he added with a faint smile.
Astra stood up abruptly and snatched the earring from his fingers, inspecting it with wide eyes. Relief washed over her face.
"Yes… it's mine. I looked everywhere for this! I thought I'd lost it forever—it was a gift."
She clutched it tightly to her chest, exhaling deeply, then looked up at Daita with a curious frown. "Where did you find it? How?"
Daita gestured toward Zuzu. "My friend had it."
Both girls turned to Zuzu at once, suspicion flickering in their eyes. Zuzu offered a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his neck. Before he could explain, Daita smoothly stepped in.
"Don't get the wrong idea…..he picked it up the moment you two collided. You were already gone by the time he tried to return it. So he kept it safe, just in case he saw you again." The doubt slowly faded from their faces, though Astra still narrowed her eyes slightly.
"If that's true, then why didn't he return it when we met again at the inn? Instead, he argued with me."
Daita glanced at Zuzu, who nervously scratched the back of his neck, eyes darting everywhere avoiding his gaze.
"That… that was because he has a poor memory," Daita said, his tone light but sincere. "And, well… a touch of mental instability. But even so, he has a good heart. The moment he recognized you, he was the one who insisted we come all the way back to return it."
A flicker of surprise crossed Astra's face. Her grip on the earring tightened as she looked from Zuzu to Daita. The tension slowly began to fade.
"Oh… I see."
She looked down, fingers fiddling with the earring as if grounding herself. The air had shifted less hostile, more uncertain. Arisu leaned in, her voice barely a whisper.
"I think… these guys might actually be decent. I mean, they came back just to return your earring. Maybe you misread the situation? We should… at least tell them the right address."
Astra scratched the side of her neck awkwardly. "But… I can't just say I gave them the wrong one. That would look bad."
Arisu sighed, then stepped forward, offering them a small, composed smile. "You didn't have to come back, but you did. Thank you—for returning something so important to my friend." Her eyes met Daita's. "May I ask… why exactly are you searching for Grandfather Renshou? It's your first time in this city, isn't it?"
Zuzu opened his mouth, but Daita subtly raised a hand to stop him. His smile returned, "We heard he's a brilliant physician. Especially with… conditions of the mind," he said, casting a glance at Zuzu. "So we thought, perhaps, he could help improve my friend's memory. It's been a bit of a problem lately."
Zuzu blinked, confused for a second-until Daita gave him a quick smirk. The meaning clicked, and Zuzu nodded awkwardly, playing along.
Arisu's expression softened. "Oh… I understand."
"The sooner you get there, the better," she added after a brief pause. "If you don't mind… we can take you to him ourselves."
"Really?" Zuzu asked, his eyes wide in faux surprise. Then, almost too quickly, he added, "No, no it's fine. We wouldn't want to trouble you. Besides, you've already given us the address."
Daita strolled over and draped an arm around Zuzu's shoulders, pulling him in just a bit too tightly, making the poor guy slightly wheeze.
"Zuzu, my dear friend, you're absolutely right we shouldn't trouble these kind young ladies…" He turned toward the girls with an exaggerated smile. "Isn't that so, miss?"
Astra, who had remained quiet until then, finally stepped forward. Her voice was calm but firm.
"You're not from around here, are you? It's easy to get lost here and it happened to me many times in the start. I think it's better if someone guides you." Arisu nodded, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "And don't worry about it being a bother. I have to head home sooner or later anyway."
Daita gave a small nod. "Then we won't stop you from helping us...By the way I'm Daita, and this scatterbrained fellow here is Zuzu."
At the sound of his name, Arisu paused for a moment, her brows knitting in faint recognition like a memory trying to surface. But before she could place it, Astra spoke up.
"And I'm Astra. She's Arisu."
The same flicker of recognition crossed Daita's face when he heard Astra's name. It stirred something faint, but it slipped away before he could grasp it. Unable to place it, he simply offered a polite smile.
Later, The blossoms rustled gently above them as the group walked along the winding path that led through the quieter lanes of Reikoku City. Zuzu occasionally kicked a pebble forward while Astra and Arisu walked ahead, side by side. Daita, hands tucked loosely into his sleeves, followed at a relaxed pace, eyes calmly studying his surroundings.
After a stretch of silence, Arisu glanced sideways at the two strangers. Her gaze settled briefly on Daita.
"You both don't really look like… common folks," she said, her tone polite but curious. "Especially you," she looked directly at Daita. "May I ask where you're from? And how old are you?"
Daita's lips curled slightly into a smile, smooth and composed. "I'm about the same age as you, "We're just a group of travelers from a village far south. We move around often… mostly looking for daily work or places where we can be useful. And to be honest," he added with a quiet chuckle, "I'm terrible at most kinds of work."
Zuzu, walking a step behind, muttered in his mind, Seventh Prince, you're really good at lying… I know exactly who you learned that from.
Still, he gave a quick, convincing nod and joined in with a grin. "We've traveled through quite a few towns already."Zuzu added with a grin. "He's not telling you, but he's got some great skills especially when it comes to embroidery and tailoring,"
Daita shot him a sharp sideways glance, and just like that, Zuzu went quiet, his smile shrinking as he pretended he hadn't said a word.
"Oh? That's unexpected," Arisu replied, her gaze flicking to the embroidered pouch Astra still held.
"Don't be fooled," Daita said lightly. "Life on the road makes you pick up odd skills. It's more survival than talent and I'm not so good at that."
Astra looked at him curiously for a second but said nothing. They walked a little further when the street ahead forked into two narrow paths. Without hesitation, Arisu veered right onto the less crowded route.
"Wait," Astra paused, eyes narrowing. "Aren't we supposed to go left?"Arisu turned her head slightly, "It's a shortcut. I know the way."
Daita raised an eyebrow at Astra. "I thought you knew the directions clearly….."
Before Astra could respond, Arisu spoke for her. "She's not from here. It's only been a few months since she came to Reikoku. I've lived here much longer."
Daita glanced at Astra with mild curiosity. "Ah… so you're new here." Astra gave a small nod, lips pressed into a thin line. "Yes."
"I see….," Daita said softly, his tone unreadable. "That explains a few things."
Arisu looked back at him. "Like what?"
Daita only smiled. "Nothing… how much farther is it?"
Arisu gave a small nod, glancing ahead. "We're almost there. Just turn left from here."
They followed her lead, winding through the narrow path until the trees cleared—and the grand gates of the mansion appeared before them. As they reached the entrance, Astra suddenly slowed her steps, her gaze flicking over her shoulder as if something had just struck her.
"I should get going," she said, adjusting the folds of her dress. "I sneaked out before they woke up… now I need to get back before someone notices."
Arisu turned to her, surprised. "Oh? Then you better hurry."
Astra gave a brisk nod, already shifting her weight to run. "We'll finish the embroidery later, alright? I'll come by tomorrow morning."
Arisu smiled softly, waving her off. "Don't worry. I'll teach you anytime."
Before leaving, Astra cast a quick glance at the two men though her eyes lingered an extra second on Daita before she turned and dashed off, her steps quickening with every second.
Watching her disappear down the path, Arisu sighed. "She's always like this," she murmured, then gestured to the two men. "Come on. Let's go in."
Just then two guards stationed at the entrance immediately straightened at the sight of Arisu. One of them stepped forward with concern etched on his face.
"Young master, what took you so long to return? And who are these men?"
Arisu waved a hand casually. "It's nothing. I got a little caught up. These are visitors they want to meet Grandfather."
The second guard squinted at Daita and Zuzu, arms crossed. "Visitors? They look perfectly fine to me. Who among them is the patient?"
Arisu folded her arms and replied dryly, "It's related to the brain. You wouldn't understand."
The first guard blinked, clearly unsure how to respond. After a moment, he muttered, "He's in the backyard. Last I saw, he was watering the plants."
"Thank heavens he didn't go to his usual tree house."