Xue stood on tiptoes at the edge of the path, barely tall enough to peek over the mossy ledge that overlooked the rushing stream below. He wobbled slightly, arms flailing for balance, but refused to back down. The others stood behind him, their expressions full of disbelief.
Ryoma stood silently nearby, face unreadable as always.
Astra blinked and turned to Kaen, whispering, "Kaen… did I hear that right?"
Kaen nodded solemnly.
Astra's eyes sparkled with delight as she beamed. "I knew it!" She skipped toward Xue, practically bouncing as she hugged the tiny boy, who blinked up at her with innocent confusion.
Behind them, groans echoed in sync.
"Kaen… tell me it's a lie!" Seiya exclaimed, throwing his arms up.
Shion added, "Are you two serious?! You want to take him with us now? Just like that?!"
Kaen turned to them and gave a calm, decisive nod.
Seiya stared. "Seriously?! He's just a kid we met two days ago! He hasn't even spoken a word—far from it! We don't know who he is, where he's from, and he clearly doesn't have any parents around!"
Shion jabbed a finger toward Ryoma. "And you! You were the one who said it, weren't you?! What were you thinking?!"
Shion jabbed a finger toward Ryoma. "And you! You were the one who said it, weren't you?! What were you thinking?!"
Ryoma, in true Ryoma fashion, said absolutely nothing. He simply blinked then slowly shifted his glare to Shion's finger.
Shion faltered.
"…What?" he mumbled, awkwardly lowering his hand. Ryoma rolled his eyes and looked away, unimpressed.
Seiya threw his arms up. "Oh, great! Now he's giving us that look again—the 'I know more than you' look!"
Shion groaned and turned toward Astra and Xue. Astra had lifted the tiny boy by the arms so he could see the stream and wildflowers beyond it. Xue's feet dangled, and he let out a soft giggle.
"We are not agreeing to take some random child with us," Shion declared, gesturing wildly. "It's dangerous for him and for us!"
Seiya nodded furiously. "Exactly! And let's not forget—he eats three full meals at once! Our food stock is already crying."
Right on cue, Xue turned back to look at them—cheeks puffed out, both hands clutching rice balls. He took a crunchy bite, chewing with a subtle smirk.
Seiya pointed out, his eyes furious. "Did you see that?! That smirk! He knows exactly what he's doing!"
Shion dragged a hand down his face. "I was fully prepared for Astra to suddenly demand we take the boy with us. I even wrote a list of ten solid reasons to say no. But Ryoma?! I wasn't ready for that. Now I'm speechless."
A soft laugh came from behind. Seirou, seated on a nearby with arms crossed, smirked. "Yet you're yapping non-stop… and you call that speechless?"
"…What did he whisper about?" he asked quietly, more to himself than anyone else.Shion shot Seirou a death glare. The older boy casually closed his eyes, lifting his chin as if attempting to meditate.
Kaen cleared his throat. "We discussed it all night," he said firmly, "and made a serious decision—to take Xue in. He's just a child. Alone, abandoned… and remembering the state he was in when we found him, we thought it better he come with us."
"Discussed?" Seiya scoffed. "Only you two! What about the rest of us? Were we supposed to just nod along after the fact?"
"I'm in their team," Astra chimed in quickly, raising her hand with a wide smile.
Seirou cracked one eye open. "Me too."
"Well I'm not!" Seiya barked, crossing his arms.
"Nor am I," Shion said, his voice sharper. "If you're going to justify this by saying he's a child with nowhere to go, then what—are we going to start taking in every lonely street kid we see from now on?!"
"Shion, you don't understand something here—" Kaen started.
"I understand just fine," Shion snapped. "And it's ridiculous. You guys are insane! To take In a random child."
Kaen stepped forward, his voice rising. "Then let me remind you—we were all just random kids on the street once too!"
The air shifted.
Shion and Seiya froze, the words hitting like a slap. They exchanged a glance—silent, tense. Something unspoken trembled in the space between them.
Shion shoved Seiya aside a little and hissed under his breath, "That situation wasn't the same, Kaen, and you know that. We did what we did because we had no choice. We had a reason. What reason do we have now?"
A long silence.
Then Ryoma finally spoke. "There is a reason," his said quietly, yet with finality. "And no more arguments. Xue stays with us… for as long as he wishes."
The weight of his words stunned them all. Even Astra blinked, stunned into silence.
Shion raked his hand through his hair in frustration. "Fine. Do what you want." His voice cracked slightly as he turned on his heel and walked off, his footsteps brisk and stiff.
Seiya, who had ended up on the floor sitting cross, stared wide-eyed.
"…What just happened?" Seiya blinked, eyes trailing after Shion's retreating figure. "…What did he whisper about?" he asked quietly, more to himself than anyone else.
Seiya looked around, voice growing a little more urgent. "Seriously. What did he say to Kaen?"
No one answered Seiya's question.
Kaen stood unmoving, eyes shadowed with something unreadable. Seirou's usual smirk had vanished, replaced by a rare, grave silence. Ryoma, normally indifferent, stood rigid, something in his posture sharpening like the shift in the wind before a storm.
Astra, who had been holding Xue close, looked down just in time to see his small hands begin to push against her. He squirmed, struggling in her arms.
"Xue?" she asked softly.
But the boy had already slipped free. He stumbled to the edge of the boat, tiny hands gripping the railing, eyes wide and unblinking as he stared forward. His mouth parted slightly, breath caught in awe.
"Xue, what's wrong?"