The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Chapter 820: ’MOVIE’ DATE (I)

WULFRIC had an early dinner. He had been so excited for today that he finished all his work on time without a single complaint. Leland looked at him like he had been replaced by someone else. But Wulfric figured Leland probably thought he was just being productive for once because of the stunt he had pulled with the soldiers. He did not bother to correct him.

Leland had already scolded him for using their soldiers for his ’fanboying’, as he called it. Wulfric just let him talk, even though he wanted to point out that not one of those soldiers had managed to get him a rare photo. The ones they brought back were all of Aster in normal clothes. He still liked them, of course. They were beautiful, and he planned to put them all in an album so they would not get wrinkled or torn. But he could not help feeling a little disappointed that none of them had gotten a rare one. It seemed luck was not on their side. Fate probably decided they were not real fans. Unlike him. That was why he had gotten a rare photo card and they didn’t.

Wulfric worked hard from morning until afternoon. He made sure everything was done right. He didn’t want Leland to have any excuse to keep him at the base longer than necessary.

After getting back to his mansion, he just drank a nutrient solution and then logged into VirtualNet.

He and Aster were meeting at his island. Since they planned to watch a movie, he had built an atrium there specifically for that purpose. He also made sure his catalogue had every movie downloaded so Aster could pick whatever he wanted to watch. He prepared all kinds of snacks too, which was easy since everything in VirtualNet was digital. On top of that, he made sure no one would interrupt them.

He didn’t want a repeat of what had happened when Aster first visited the place. So he contacted Cynric and told him that under no circumstances should he come to the island that night. He could have just banned him, but Cynric could easily override that. A direct warning was better. It helped that they had already talked things out, so their conversation was no longer awkward or full of tension.

Cynric still teased him about it, guessing that it must be because of Aster. It was annoying, but Wulfric refused to give him any reaction. He knew his brother well enough. The more he reacted, the more fun Cynric would have.

With everything prepared, all he had to do now was wait for Aster. He stood in front of the tree house, since that was where Aster would appear if he teleported directly to the island. He had already adjusted the island’s security settings to allow Aster access.

As if on cue, blue pixels flickered in the air in front of him, glitching for a second before solidifying into Aster’s avatar. A moment later, Aster was standing right there, just a few steps away from Wulfric.

Aster’s avatar now looked exactly like his real self. Cynric had adjusted it to match Aster’s actual appearance, and it seemed Aster had not bothered to change it back. There was no reason to, since he would only be on the island. The only reason Aster used an avatar that did not look like him was to avoid being recognized by others. Here, with only Wulfric around, there was no need for that.

”Aster!” he called out, walking over to him with obvious excitement in his step.

Astrid looked at Wulfric and smiled. ”Hey, Wulf--”

He did not get to finish what he was saying because Wulfric pulled him into a tight hug. Even though they were in a virtual space, the system let him feel almost everything he would in real life. The only things missing were the body’s natural reactions, like sweating or a racing heart. So he could still feel just how tight Wulfric was holding him. It was almost crushing.

”I miss you so damn much,” Wulfric whispered against the side of his neck, his face buried there.

Astrid let out a soft laugh and wrapped his arms around Wulfric in return. ”I miss you too.”

Wulfric wished they were in reality. If they were, he could smell Aster’s scent with them this close. He would also feel how soft his skin was. But for now, he would have to be happy with the next best thing. What mattered was that Aster was here with him.

He held onto Aster for a few more minutes before finally letting him go, clearly reluctant.

”Come on,” he said, tugging Aster toward the atrium. ”I built a place where we can watch movies.”

Astrid raised an eyebrow at that. He knew that building something in VirtualNet was not the same as doing it in real life. Here, everything was made of code, so putting up a new structure was as simple as pressing a button. Despite that, the fact that Wulfric had thought to build a whole new building just so they would have a place to watch a movie said a lot. They could have just used the tree house, but Wulfric had gone out of his way to make something special just for this.

They continued to walk until they reached a small glass structure set apart from the main house. The atrium had no roof, just clear walls that rose from the ground and stopped at an open top. It was nestled between two large trees, and the soft light from inside spilled out through the glass panels. A short path of smooth stones led up to the single open entrance.

”Let’s go inside,” Wulfric said, tugging him forward.

As Astrid stepped inside, he took a quick look around. There was a long, wide couch that sat in the middle of the room. It faced a massive screen that covered most of the far wall. Off to one side, a low table held a spread of snacks and drinks. There were bowls of popcorn, small plates of finger food, and glasses of different colored liquids. Everything was within easy reach from the couch. The lighting was dim but warm, coming from small fixtures along the floor.

It felt cozy, like a small theater built for just two people.