Nova stared at the kitchen counter with all the ingredients spread out. A nervous sweat broke out. He slightly peered over to see if anyone was staring at him; fortunately, nobody was. He slowly grabbed a knife and gulped.

What do I do, Souhait? I haven’t cooked in such a long time! The last time I made something was porridge for Ras Leonis twenty years ago! I don’t think serving porridge to them would be a good token of gratitude.

Want me to teach you another recipe?

Please.

Follow my instructions precisely, okay?

Okay.

Nova followed Souhait’s instructions meticulously. He was so focused on the tasks at hand that he wasn’t really thinking too much on what he was making. By the time he was finished, he was standing in front of a pot of rainbow-colored curry. He wasn’t really sure why the stuff he cooked would turn rainbow-colored; if Souhait was in control of his body, the food he’d make would turn lavender. Rather than thinking too much about the color of his food, he was more confused about the finished product.

You seriously think curry is fancier than porridge?

Hey, I like curry!

You just wanted to eat it, right?

Nova, listen. The playful tone Souhait had became serious. Do not overthink on what is considered fancy or suitable for hospitality. Just make whatever you believe is best. Do not go overboard because the receiving party could also be burdened with it too.

Souhait was absolutely right. Nova did overthink. He hadn’t been with people for so long that he had forgotten what it meant to be casual around them. He covered his face with his hands and let out a deep sigh.

“Are you alright?”

The voice startled Nova that he turned around to see Vanessa looking at him worried. He quickly slammed the pot shut with the lid and told her he was fine.

“I saw that.”

He panicked and then stammered, “I assure you it tastes great even if the color is bizarre as heck.” His voice was a whisper in order to not reveal the surprise to the others.

I may not be a great cook, but I won’t let anyone slander the efforts that you put into helping me.

Nova… Nova felt his own heart skipping a beat, which was what Souhait was feeling.

Vanessa scanned the kitchen. “You didn’t make rice.”

Fuck.

“I guess I was so focused that I forgot to make some.”

“Want me to help?”

“Could you?”

“Yeah, grocery shopping was supposed to be my duty, so restocking the food with your magic hair really helped me out. Think of it as a token of gratitude.”

Vanessa was fast in scooping up some rice, washing it, and then putting it in another pot to heat it up. As she closed the lid, she confidently explained, “The secret to making good, fluffy rice is getting the amount of water right.” She put her hand upside down and used a finger to press it against her other index finger. “You have to make sure the rice gets up to half the fingertips.”

“You’re quite knowledgeable about cooking rice.”

“Well, my wife Jennifer is a good cook. I learned a lot from her. Too bad I haven’t tasted her cooking in so long–in fact, it’s been so long since I last saw her.”

Nova detected genuine longing from her voice and body language. Her eyes looked sad and it made him feel bad despite not doing anything to her. It must have hurt for her to not be able to see the one person she dearly loved for so long due to her role as a shadow member of DUO. It also sparked some curiosity within him; he wanted to know how Vanessa became a member and how she got up to this point.

“If you don’t mind telling me, how did you join DUO?”

His question caused her to scowl. “I was forced to join…by her.” She pointed to Asteria who was just walking past the kitchen and stuck her tongue out in retaliation.

“You don’t like each other, yet you still joined?” Nova was quite surprised.

“She tricked us, so we were forced to join–Jennifer and me.”

“How?”

“Well, I knew Asteria for a very long time. She was a neighbor of mine where she had stayed with her then-husband and son. She always looked like she was planning something with the way her eyes always shifted and was quick on her feet whenever someone tried talking to her, whether it be her own husband or son.”

I did hear about Hilbert’s words about how Asteria didn’t have a happy marriage and that she killed her husband once she got an opportunity to do so.

Vanessa continued, “One day, Asteria came to my house exhausted and battered and pleaded for our help. When Jennifer and I went to see what was wrong, it turned out that she wanted us to be her accomplices in helping her get rid of her husband’s corpse. When we told her we couldn’t do it, she burned our house.”

Both father and daughter had this weird obsession with arson, especially burning someone’s house down.

“Why was she so insistent on wanting you to help her?”

“Well…” Vanessa quickly shifted her focus to see if Asteria was around the kitchen. When she learned she wasn’t around, she leaned closer to Nova. “Don’t tell her this, but it’s because she needed help from a doctor, but neither of us were not specialized in human bodies. We were both vet technicians, but not actual doctors–I was studying to become a veterinarian. She wanted our help because she didn’t want the help of other doctors. Asteria also made sure we lose our jobs by spreading weird rumors. So, we were sort of forced to help her and that’s how we became members of DUO begrudgingly.”

Nova became upset. He knew Asteria wasn’t a truly good person due to her upbringing and her blood, yet he had an inkling of hope that she would turn out different from them. He had held onto that belief because she was the one who saved him that day. Learning about how Vanessa and Jennifer became members of DUO shattered all of those wishful thoughts. She was no better than them.

Normally, in this situation, I would tell you to calm yourself down, but I am as furious as you are.

He stomped towards Asteria as he called out to her. While she looked excited to be called by him, he raised a hand in an attempt to slap her, but was stopped by Marlo.

“What the hell are you doing to our leader?”

Nova glared at him before glaring back at Asteria. “Why would you terrorize an innocent couple just so they could be your accomplices?”

Asteria was neither surprised nor shocked by his actions. All she said was, “That’s what it means to have power. It means to subjugate those you want it to use it towards. My mother taught me that. If I want someone to follow me, do it by force. That’s what I did–subjugation.”

“Why them?”

“Because they lived across the street. Had it been someone else, I’d do the same.”

“You are no better than your parents. In fact, you are just the same as your father–someone who only hurts people to get what they want. While Ras’s actions were all for Mebsuta, your actions are for your own selfishness.”

Asteria glared as she raised a hand and was about to slap Nova but was stopped by Marlo who used his free hand to stop her. “Hey, no violence! We’re all allies here!”

“Never compare me to that man…” Asteria’s voice went an octave lower than her usual tone.

Nova did not waver from that icy glare. “Both of your parents are dead because of their selfishness. The same fate will happen for you–I’m very certain of it.”

“Liar.”

“I don’t lie.”

Nova wasn’t in the mood to grant wishes, but he wanted to know if hers would lead to the same fate as her parents. He needed to know, so he reached a hand out towards her.

“Take my hand, then. I’ll grant your wish.”

Asteria was eager to do so, but before their hands could touch, Nova pulled back as he clutched his chest. An abrupt sharp sensation throbbed at his heart. His heartbeat became rampant. It was as if something was trying to pull his heart out. He fell to his knees as he kept clawing at the pain.

“What’s wrong?” Margaret was at his side trying to help him calm down by telling him to regulate his breathing.

“It hurts…”

“Someone, go get Arcturus right now!” Esta yelled.

Souhait…what’s going on? This sensation isn’t like anything we’ve felt before…

Nova… Polaris has told me some grave information… Souhait’s voice was full of dread, which could only worry him further.

Out with it…

The reason you are in great pain right now…

Before he could get an answer, Nova heard an erratic noise approaching him so he used his tail to knock the approaching presence away: it was the supposed immobile Shiftie, 541-STG, functioning without an earring.