Aster Veren
Episode 100's

- Esther

I saw everyone watching us with surprised expressions. Maybe they never thought that I would pair up with Sean when our situation was both made into conversation.

"... are they in pairs seriously?"

"That means their family relationship is fine, right?"

Their whispers began to irritate my ears, but I was satisfied that someone thought that way. Wh why? Because from the beginning the Veren family problem was with his family Aunt Claretta, not with the Alaric family. Moreover, the Alaric family had no relationship with the Claretta aunt's family, so they should have stopped talking about the nonsense gossip.

"What are you daydreaming about?" Sean's voice surprised me.

"A–ah, nothing."

"Then we start the exercise ... from the chest pass, dribbel and then shooting," he breaks while playing the basketball in his hand.

"No, you have to throw it parallel to your chest, the position of your hand holding the ball must be like this ..," Nadin's voice distracted me.

"I can only read it in books, can I?" My mummy doubted my ability because I had never done any strenuous exercise. During the recovery in Singapore, the doctor only advised me to swim if I want to do sports. That way I can practice my breathing too.

Duk!

The sound of the basketball hitting shocked me, I turned my attention to Sean standing before me with his cold expression. Yeah, the ball just now was his thing.

"... hhehe, sorry I'm daydreaming again." I said while scratching my back head.

"If you don't want to exercise, you should just go there" he said, pointing his finger at the edge of the field.

"No way!" My little yelling made him an equal, "i .. I'll train with you, please teach me how–" My resume was cut short by the arrival of Teo and Hendric.

"You okay?" Teo's question made me turn to him, I haven't had the chance to answer the question Hendric has asked the question also to me.

"You haven't trained yet?" He asked while patting Sean on the shoulder, but quickly his hand was pushed aside by his friend.

"I–ini is also just about to start training!" My reply made him stare at Sean's face for a moment and look back at me with a worried expression.

"... It looks like you're going to have a hard time dealing with this kid, going to trade a couple with me?" Continue with a grin to me.

"Yes, you can pair with me. I'll teach you well" said Teo agreeing to Hendric's suggestion with the same worried expression as Hendric's.

Somehow I felt annoyed by his attitude like this, it felt like he was being watched over. I was fine and did not need that much attention and protection. Did you leave me to Teo too? Isn't it enough to leave me with Carel and Uncle Justin?

Though I was happy to be free from Carel's tutelage, feeling a little grateful that he wasn't in class with me. But I forgot that there was still Teo in my class, the one who could replace Carel to keep an eye on me. A person who is more assertive than Carel.

... at a time like this I wish I could have one class with Carel alone, even though he sucks him–

"You just go find somewhere else, don't bother me and my training partner." Said Sean while giving the basketball in his hand to my hand.

"This?" I stared at the black bead.

"Holding the ball right, then–" Obviously stopped when Hendric again patted Sean quite hard on the shoulder from before.

"Then we're gone yeah, be good with him." He said while showing a meaningful smile, then he quickly grabbed Teo and took him away from me and Sean.

"Tu–wait a minute, I–" Rejected Teo was not concerned, Hendric continued to drag him away from me and Sean.

"Thank you Hendric" I muttered feeling indebted to him.

***

-Sean

After many times failing to put the ball into the ring, for the first time I saw Aster successfully insert the ball into the ring. I saw him so happy that he jumped with joy beside me.

"Hhaha, I did it! I can finally get in." He said with a cheerful laugh while looking at me, "all thanks to Sean who wants to teach me. Thank you," he continued, smiling broadly.

Why is he so happy? My mind wondered with the joyous feeling that the woman beside me had right now.

"You should be able to do it at the beginning" I said, recalling all the efforts that kept failing to get the basketball into the ring.

How not? Obviously I just heard his unexpected remark, he said he never practiced it and just read the steps in the book. Isn't that a little weird? I've only learned this sports material from elementary school.

"Have you ever practiced this sport?" I asked him to look at me again.

"Yes," he nodded.

"Everything?"

"Yes,"

"When in elementary school?"

"Yes, because my physique is weak and I took home schooling in 4th grade."

"Be–so yeah? It's worth it that you're that happy when you get your basketball into the ring." I was still surprised by the answer he gave.

So he took home schooling and he said he was physically weak? So that's why that guy looks like that? I continued in my heart while looking at Teo who was training with Hendric.

"But now it's okay, even though these few years I've never felt shortness of breath again. I can confirm that my lungs are healthy now," he said suddenly startled me again, especially when he returned to show his big smile.

"... syu–thank goodness then." My words were slightly stirred, for some reason suddenly my heart started pounding incoherently when I saw his smile that sweet.

Is this perhaps the feeling that men feel when they look at their faces? It was fitting that all the men in the academy dubbed her as the most beautiful woman in the class this year.

Why is she called the most beautiful woman? Though there are still Tia and Kalea who are slightly prettier than Aster, is it because of the color of her eyeballs? Inner wondering.

"Pst... Is he? The woman you mean?" The voice of a man in a black and white uniform with a red tie, signified he was the oldest level elder brother in the academy.

He seemed to be so blatantly watching Aster with his two friends that they were either intentionally or unintentionally walking through the sports field this afternoon.

"... ah so she's the only daughter of Mr. Ansel of the Veren family,"

"At Nathan's party that night, she looked even prettier."

"really? I'm so jealous of you being invited by Nathan,"

"I didn't know she was this famous," I muttered back to watch Aster.

"Ah~ I'm starting to feel tired, but I still want to play basketball again." He began to squat beside me, wagging his palms at his face and neck in turn.

"Then we'll just finish the exercise," I suggested, tracing the waist with one of my hands, while Aster could only raise his head to look at me.

"At this time I wish I could be like Nadin." He said with his gloomy expression.

How quickly did his expression change?!

"It means wanting to be like Nadin that ... his physical strength?" My mummy also noticed Nadin who was still playing basketball with Tia.

"... Why don't you just try? Who knows if he'll accept you," the voice of the previous elder sister bothered me again.

"Aren't they just going through? Why are you still there?" I murmured while watching them in annoyance.

Why am I upset?

"No! I'm fine," Aster's voice cried out a little to surprise me.

I saw that Teo was already crouching beside him with a worried expression, while Aster, I did not know what expression he was making. It's too hard for me to describe, but there's a little bit of annoyance on his face. The rest I don't know.

"When was he there?" My murmur could not take my attention away from the figure of the two of them.

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Thanks for reading...