Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

Chapter 558 124.5 - Fame (2)

"Irina Emberheart is a powerful figure, and I respect her abilities as a Hunter. Beyond that, I have nothing more to add."

Her eyebrow twitched.

Her eyebrow twitched, but not because she didn't understand Astron. No, she understood him all too well. Astron wasn't someone who shared his personal life with others; in fact, she was certain he had never spoken to anyone about the things that had transpired between them. He was private and closed off, and this was just another example of that.

The reason for her annoyance, though, was something else entirely. Watching him stand there, composed and detached, delivering a perfectly crafted lie with that cold, calm expression of his—it irked her. Even from behind the screen, she could see how effortlessly he could hide the truth. How easily he could brush everything aside without a single tell.

'Liar,' she thought, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Part of her wanted him to acknowledge it—just a little. To admit, even subtly, that there was more between them than just respect for her abilities as a Hunter. But no, he had given nothing away. No recognition of their connection, no hint of what lay beneath the surface.

And while she could understand why he would say something like that, it didn't make it any less frustrating. A small part of her, deep down, wanted him to at least show some reaction, to let the world know that they were something more. Even if it wasn't explicit, she wanted acknowledgment.

'You really are good at lying,' she thought, a slight grin tugging at the corner of her lips. But the grin wasn't one of amusement—it was one of annoyance and determination.

'Fine. You can pretend like that now, but you'll owe me for this.' She was already planning her revenge. Astron was going to pay for that little stunt. After all, she deserved something in return for his public coldness, didn't she?

After staying in the bath a little longer, the warmth soaking into her muscles and helping her relax, Irina's thoughts still simmered with annoyance. She stared up at the ceiling, letting the steam curl around her, but the image of Astron's stoic face in that broadcast lingered in her mind.

'You owe me,' she repeated to herself with a silent smirk.

Eventually, she decided it was time. Glancing at her smartwatch, she noticed the hour—the promised time for their call. Without hesitating, she tapped her screen and initiated the call.

It rang once. Twice.

Then, the familiar voice answered. –"You're right on time today," Astron remarked, his tone neutral as always but with that faint, unmistakable trace of amusement that only she could pick up on.

Irina took a deep breath, masking her irritation as best she could. "Of course I am. I always keep my promises, unlike some people."

–"Is that so?" Astron replied, clearly picking up on her tone. –"What's this about?"

Irina leaned back, closing her eyes for a moment as the warm bathwater swirled around her. "Oh, nothing," she said, her voice a touch too sweet. "Just something I saw earlier... a certain broadcast."

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line, the kind of silence that made her grin. –"Ah, the broadcast," Astron said slowly. –"I see you've been keeping up with the news."

"Of course," Irina responded, her tone growing sharper. "And I couldn't help but notice how easily you lied. It's almost like second nature to you."

–"I wouldn't call it lying," Astron countered smoothly.

Irina smirked to herself, already predicting his next move. She knew how Astron always managed to wriggle his way out of things with cold, hard logic. Before he could even say it, she cut in. "You didn't lie, you just didn't answer truthfully."

–"That's correct," Astron replied, unfazed. His tone was as calm as ever, as if he knew exactly where this conversation was headed.

Irina's annoyance flared slightly at his nonchalance. "You could have at least shown something, you know," she pressed, her voice turning sharp. "But no, of course you won't. You're probably enjoying all that attention, aren't you?"

–"What attention?" Astron asked, genuinely sounding confused, which only served to irritate her more.

Irina scoffed. "Oh, please. You didn't notice? All those girls fawning over you online, posting pictures of you from the broadcast? Some of those edits are just ridiculous. Honestly, Hunter of my dreams? Astron, marry me?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, but underneath it was the sting of something else.

Astron paused for a moment, his usual unshaken demeanor still present. –"I didn't even notice," he said flatly.

But Irina was skeptical. Something about the way Astron was speaking made her think that this bastard was once again playing with words.

"You didn't know?"

Irina's eyes narrowed as she waited for his response, sensing that familiar pause—one that always seemed to precede a careful choice of words.

Astron finally replied, his voice calm. –"I didn't know… directly."

She scoffed again, leaning forward slightly as if he could feel the weight of her stare through the phone. "So you did know. Why are you lying, then?"

–"I didn't lie," Astron corrected smoothly. –"I really didn't notice it myself. I was informed by others that such a thing was happening."

Irina huffed in irritation, but before she could continue, Astron cut her off. –"Why is this even important? It's not like the opinions of other people or whatever they're saying matters."

She opened her mouth to respond but stopped herself for a moment, feeling the frustration bubble up again. "It's annoying," she began, but once again, Astron didn't let her finish.

–"Annoying? Irina, you're not any different," he said, his tone steady but pointed. –"You've got a lot of fans, probably more than I ever will. With your reputation, there are countless people out there watching you, admiring you."

Irina paused, taken aback for a moment. He wasn't wrong, of course. She had been dealing with public attention her entire life, but something about hearing him say it irked her.

"That's not the point," she retorted. "They're just—"

–"It is the point," Astron interrupted again. –"You've always had more eyes on you than I ever did. Why should this be any different?"

Irina clenched her jaw, knowing Astron was right, but she still couldn't let it go. "I don't enjoy that kind of attention," she pushed back. "You know that. It's just because of my lineage, not because of who I am."

–"And I'm the same," Astron replied, his voice level. –"It's just for the sake of business. None of that attention means anything to me."

She let out a frustrated sigh. "But it's still annoying seeing the person you care about getting all that attention from others while you're stuck dealing with the same boring routine."

Astron was silent for a beat before his calm voice returned. –"Same."

Irina continued to ramble, her voice rising slightly as her frustration simmered beneath the surface. "Do you know how annoying it is to hear about you from the internet? Seeing everyone else talking about you like they know something, while I'm sitting here, piecing together scraps of your life like some outsider?" She clenched her fist, feeling the warmth of the bathwater still against her skin, though her mind was anything but calm.

"You didn't even bother telling me anything. Not a word, not a hint." Her words came fast, each one tinged with frustration and confusion. "Instead, I get to hear about it from strangers who don't know anything about who you really are."

But then, it registered.

"Same."

Astron's last word echoed in her mind.

She froze, the rant dying on her lips. For a moment, it didn't register what he had said, but as the silence stretched, her brain finally processed it.

Slowly, her eyes widened, and the irritation that had fueled her words began to shift into something else—something deeper.

"Same?" she repeated softly, her voice barely a whisper.

Irina's heart was pounding as she repeated the word, her mind spinning with the possibilities. "Same?" she asked, her voice a little louder, more insistent this time.

But instead of answering directly, Astron played it cool, as if the word had slipped out unintentionally. –"Hmm? What are you talking about?" His tone was smooth and calm, just like always.

Irina blinked, momentarily thrown off. "Don't 'what are you talking about' me!" she snapped, her frustration bubbling up again. "You said 'same.' What did you mean by that?"

A brief silence followed, and for a second, she wondered if she had imagined it. Maybe she was reading too much into it. After all, this was Astron—the master of deflection. He could easily brush it off as nothing like he always did.

But no, she wasn't going to let him get away with it this time.

"I know you said it, Astron." Her voice was sharper now, determined. "Don't act like you didn't."

Astron, still calm, responded in the same infuriatingly neutral tone. "I think you're imagining things, Irina."

Her jaw tightened, her irritation growing. "I'm not imagining anything. You said it." She leaned forward, gripping the edge of the bathtub, as if somehow that would bring her closer to him. "I heard you. What do you mean 'same'?"

Astron sighed on the other end of the line, his tone light, almost teasing. "You're really persistent, aren't you?"

Irina's eyes narrowed, suspicion growing. Something was off, and as she listened more carefully, she caught it—the subtle change in his tone. It was slight, barely noticeable to anyone else, but she had spent enough time with him to pick up on it. Beneath his calm facade, there was something else.

A smile.

He was smiling.

Her breath caught, and suddenly, all the pieces fell into place. The way he was deflecting, the way his voice held that faint trace of amusement—it all pointed to one thing.

He knew what he had said. He had meant it.

"You are laughing," she whispered.

–"I am not."

"No, you are."

Astron didn't deny it. –"Am I?"

Irina felt her heart skip a beat. She bit her lip, her frustration giving way to something warmer. "You can't hide that from me," she said, her voice softening as her earlier annoyance faded. "I can hear it in your voice."

There was a pause on the other end, and then, in that same calm, teasing tone, Astron replied, –"You're hearing things again, Irina."

But this time, she didn't press him. She didn't need to. The way his voice had shifted told her everything she needed to know.

'You…..I don't really understand why you are always like this.'

She really could not understand.

THUMP!

Why was this heart beating too fast just because of some words?

Yet as she looked at the reflection from the bathtub….

…..she found herself smiling too....