Cassy listened to Aster's story attentively, even commenting on parts in which she became curious. After he was done with the recount, she stood up from her chair and approached Aster, pulling him into a soft embrace.
"It must've been painful, waking up and finding out that you're all alone... There, there..."
Like a mother appeasing her child, she patted his head gently while pressing his face tight against her not-so-bountiful chest.
Although he wanted to say that he didn't tell Cassy his story to gain her pity, he couldn't deny how he felt at ease. Despite the temperature around him being constant, he could feel a mysterious warmth coming from Cassy's body.
"..."
Aster closed his eyes, letting Cassy pat his head until she was satisfied.
"Well, now that I'm here, I'll make it so you don't get to be lonely~! Don't worry, I have dozens of little brothers and sisters, so I have lots of experience at least!"
Hearing her boast about it, Aster couldn't hold back a chuckle. "I'm not your little brother, though, since I'm thousands of years older than you." He joked a little.
"Ah, right!" Cassy gasped in realization. "Then, should I call you great-granddad instead? Or maybe, elder brother? Ah, what about Daddy?"
*PFFT!*
The soup went down the wrong pipe, causing Aster to cough as tears appeared on his eyes.
"Are you okay, Daddy?!" Cassy mouthed, her voice filled with worry.
While gently soothing Aster's back, he told her with a serious voice, "Daddy or Grandpa are both rejected; just call me Star as always. I wouldn't mind."
"Oh, okay. Understood!" She smiled immediately.
From her expression, he could tell that her earlier words weren't a joke but rather a natural conclusion she reached. "But daddy? How did she even come to that?" Aster sighed.
"Hmmm? Ah, that's because I have a lot of dads back home."
Aster stopped in place, as if petrified; he was surprised that Cassy heard his murmur, but other than that, he took a while to process what he just heard. He doubted his ears. "Ah, can you say that again?"
"Huh? I said, I have dozens of daddies at home, so I'm used to saying the word. My mom's the village chief, after all, so she's got a lot of husbands!"
And as Cassy clarified, the information got worse. "You've got... an energetic mother, huh?" He commented, unsure of what to say.
"Well, that's part of the reason I left." Cassy shrugged with a smile.
"Mother's already selected Elder Sister Lorraine as her successor, so my leaving the village was nothing to her. She probably wouldn't realize I was gone until my birthday."
"That's... sad." Aster sighed.
However, seeing the smile on Cassy's face, he didn't dare to pity her. Her decision to leave must've been something she planned long before and not done impulsively.
"So you've left home to chase your dreams?"
"Yes! I'll stay here in Orinfeld until I reach the 1,000th floor and become a certified S-Rank Healer!" Cassy commented with excitement. "Ah, but before that, we should finish dinner. The food's getting cold."
"..."
Aster couldn't really tell, as the food felt the same temperature from the start. Still, he shut his mouth and continued eating, waiting until they finished their meal before asking.
"Right, you mentioned birthday... When's yours?"
"My birthday? It's January 21." Cassy answered reflexively. "And yours?"
"Mine is May 2."
"Two?! That was just two days ago! Belated happy birthday~! If you had told me earlier, I would've added more dishes to celebrate!"
"It's fine; it's not really something I like to celebrate anyway," Aster replied with a wry smile. "After all, to me, each birthday is just telling me that my end is approaching."
"Star..."
Cassy did listen to the story he had, so she knew that Aster was suffering from a mysterious disease. A disease that decreases his lifespan with every breath he takes. When she first heard this, she realized why Aster's face looked like he was about to die back when they ran from the large group of slimes.
"Well, that's enough of this topic. I'll go and wash the dishes, so you should take a bath first." Aster commented. "We need to get up early tomorrow to cash in our loots, after all."
"Oh, right!" Cassy gasped. "Then, sorry, Aster, but can I borrow clothes from you? I... don't really have any extra clothes with me."
"Oh, it's fine. You can get them from that drawer over there."
While he brought the dishes to the sink, washing them off a little before placing them inside the dishwasher, Cassy entered the bathroom while carrying Aster's spare clothes. He technically doesn't have the authority to lend it to her, even though the hotel's service provided it. But who cares?
"..."
After finishing washing the dishes, Aster returned to the living room and sat down. However, he couldn't relax at all. Cassy was, despite them being in a party right now, a stranger. And such a stranger was taking a shower inside his room.
"No! Stop thinking!" He shook his head before heading toward the bedroom. "I should set up where I will sleep later."
From the living room, he walked toward the right, opposite the direction of the kitchen, and entered the bedroom. Inside was a large, king-sized bed, arranged neatly with a beige pillow and light-yellow bedcover.
A table lamp by the side gave an orange ambient light to the entire room.
Aster walked forward, heading to the cupboard on the other side, and opened it. Inside were extra bedding and covers. "I'll borrow these," he muttered while taking out two of each.
"Star?"
And just as he took them out, a voice called from behind him. Glancing behind him, Aster's breath got caught in his throat.
Cassy was standing by the bedroom's entrance, her orange hair still damp, with her lovely rabbit ears flopped down in a relaxed manner. Her body was still releasing a slight steam, showing that she just got out of the bath. But more than that, the cloth she borrowed from him was actually just a white shirt.
"Thanks for the bath; it was nice to wash myself with warm water~!" She smiled while taking off the towel hanging over her shoulder. "And? What's that you're pulling out? Beddings?"
"... Ah! Y-Yeah. I was planning on sleeping on the floor, so I'm getting them to use as my bed."
"Oh?" Cassy groaned before walking toward the bed.
She patted the cover, checking its softness, while slightly leaning forward. Aster could see through the gap in her collar, revealing that she wasn't wearing anything underneath.
After checking the bed's texture, she gently lifted her knee and climbed on top of the bed. "It's big enough for the two of us, isn't it? Why sleep on the floor?"
Aster took a deep breath, calming himself. Looking at Cassy on all fours above the bed makes his heart beat irregularly, so he averted his gaze while continuing what he was doing.
"Well, I'm a man, and you're a woman. Us sleeping on the same bed, no matter what, isn't a good idea." Aster commented.
"I... don't mind sleeping together with you on this bed, you know?"
Cassy muttered in a small, lonely voice.