The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Chapter 726: RENOVATED APARTMENT

ASTRID hit the button for his floor. He was finally back at his apartment building after over a month of filming. While he’d returned to the capital for the last day of school, he hadn’t come home. He just went straight to campus and then back to FS08.

It’s not just because he didn’t have time to go back to his place, but because during the time he was filming, there was some renovation happening in his unit. Well, not exactly ’some’, but a complete ’make-over’.

The apartment next to his had finally become vacant, so Astrid asked Wulfric, since he owned the building, if he could combine both units into one larger apartment. Wulfric agreed right away, though the look on his face said he’d much rather have Astrid move into his suite apartment instead. Not that he would voice that thought. He knew Astrid would say no.

The renovation work took place while Astrid was away filming [The Shadow Within]. Wulfric had contacted the same renovation company that worked on the suite, so the job was done efficiently and with good quality. Even though Astrid hadn’t seen the results yet, he had no doubt it would look excellent.

When he reached his floor, Astrid headed toward what used to be the neighbor’s unit - now his expanded apartment. The security system scanned his fingerprint and iris instantly, the door sliding open to reveal his remodeled space for the first time.

Astrid stepped inside and immediately noticed the difference. The open floor plan still connected the kitchen, living, and dining areas without walls, but everything was more spacious now. The kitchen had been upgraded with a sleek, modern stove and a larger refrigerator built into the counter. The old dining table had been replaced with a long, sturdy bar table that could be used for both meals and food prep.

The first bedroom down the left hallway was his. Without going inside, he knew that it would be slightly larger than it had been before. Across from it, near the right side of the apartment, was the second bedroom, meant for Reas. Both had their own attached bathrooms, a welcome change from their old shared setup.

Despite the upgrades, the apartment still felt familiar. The same warm lighting, the same comfortable couch in the living area, just with more room to breathe now.

Astrid smiled, very satisfied.

He walked to his room and immediately noticed the extra space. His bed was now significantly larger, the plush mattress looking far more comfortable than his old one. Curious, he headed to what used to be a standard closet and pulled open the door, only to find it had been expanded into a proper walk-in closet. It wasn’t massive, but it was big enough for him to step inside and move around comfortably, with shelves and racks neatly organized along the walls.

He moved to check the bathroom next. The space was clearly divided into two areas - a dry section with the toilet, sink, and wall-mounted cabinets stocked with first aid kits and toiletries, and a wet area separated by a glass partition. Behind the glass stood a spacious walk-in shower and, to his surprise, a freestanding bathtub he definitely hadn’t had before. A control panel mounted by the sink caught his eye. The sleek interface confirmed the bathroom’s systems had been upgraded too.

Seeing this, Astrid decided to take a relaxing bath first.

***

After his bath, Astrid felt fully refreshed. He started preparing dinner just for himself since Reas was back in Delryria. The Imperial Military Academy followed the same vacation schedule as Redwood, and since Reas had just finished his first year, he had no extra courses keeping him on campus. Though from what Astrid heard, Reas had spent two weeks with Lauren before finally heading home.

Not that it was his business, anyway. Reas and Lauren were together. Both of them were all consenting adults. What they did on their own time was entirely up to them.

Astrid had considered returning home after wrapping [The Shadow Within], but the [Blind Justice] movie offer changed his plans. There wouldn’t be enough time for a proper family visit before he needed to start filming again. He’d already explained this to his parents, who understood the situation. They just reminded him to take care of his health and not push himself too hard.

Since he still had some free time before his schedule got busy again, he should probably make time to visit his uncles and Nicol. He’d been feeling a bit guilty lately for not being able to see Nicol because of how packed his filming schedule had been. Now that he had this short break, it was the perfect opportunity to go. But before that, he needed to finally put his plan involving Wulfric into motion. There was no better time to start than tonight.

***

Astrid had a simple dinner, fried fish, steamed rice, and blanched vegetables. After washing his dishes, he settled onto the couch and pulled up his Terminal. Without hesitation, he initiated a video call to Wulfric.

The call connected almost immediately.

”Aster!” Wulfric’s face lit up the moment he appeared on screen. ”You’re back in the capital? Did you see the apartment yet? Did you like it?”

Astrid smiled, amused by Wulfric’s rapid questions. ”Yes to all your questions.”

Wulfric grinned, his whole face lighting up with genuine relief. ”That’s really good to hear.”

They traded casual updates. Wulfric asking about his filming. And him checking how Wulfric had been. But after that, Astrid quickly brought up what he’d been meaning to ask.

”By the way, Wulf, are you free this weekend?”

Wulfric froze for a second, then blinked rapidly before looking away while biting his lower lip. He actually looked... shy? Astrid held back a laugh. Knowing Wulfric, the other was probably assuming this was a date invitation. Which, to be fair, wasn’t completely wrong.

”Can you meet me somewhere in VirtualNet this Saturday?”

Wulfric’s expression appeared confused at first, before it brightened as if he just had a realization. ”Absolutely. Just send me the time and location code. I’ll be there without fail.”