The group stood at the edge of a wide, marble-paved checkpoint nestled between two towering walls laced with gold latticework. Ornate palanquins passed them in a steady line—four attendants to each hoisting silk-curtained boxes that hid finely dressed nobles within. Every time one neared the gate, the stationed guards would straighten, bow low, and step aside without question.
Astra craned her neck, eyes narrowing as another polished litter swayed past. "Um… Shion?" she whispered from behind him. "Isn't this the noble's entrance? what do they call it…. The Jade Meridian Gate? I thought commoners weren't even allowed near it."
Shion didn't turn, but she heard the quiet scoff under his breath. "They aren't. Unless they hold a status badge higher than the maids who serve inside those estates."
Astra blinked, pausing mid-step. "Then… how are we getting in? Won't they toss us out the second we reach the gates?"
Shion stopped just short of the line and slipped something from his sleeve, a smooth gold badge. Etched into its surface was a delicate cherry blossom crest, its petals caught in mid-bloom, with fine gold filaments woven along the rim like sunlight threading through spring mist.
Astra squinted at it, then gasped. "Wait—wait, is that…? That's the Kaneko family crest! It is, right?!"
Shion finally turned to glance at her. "You recognize it?"
"Yes!" she said, eyes wide. "Where did you get this? Did you steal it? Oh no… did we just commit noble treason?!"
Shion gave her a look sharp enough to slice stone. "I don't steal," he said flatly. "Not even favors I haven't earned."
He turned back toward the gate, just as another lacquered palanquin glided through the arch.
"It was a gift… from Arisu. A parting token." He took a step forward, the badge glinting briefly in the light before he tucked it back into his sleeve.
"She told me to keep it as a memory," Shion said quietly. "I figured it might be useful someday, so I accepted it." He nodded toward the glowing checkpoint ahead. "And now, when every other entrance to the Middle Ring is sealed tighter than a miser's coin purse… looks like that day's finally come."
Astra's jaw dropped. "She gave it to you?! When?! Why?! How?! What did you do to deserve a gold badge—with her family crest?!"
Behind them, Seiya and Seirou exchanged a knowing glance, their smirks identical. Without a word, they both nodded, then pressed a finger to their lips. "You know we know," they muttered under their breath, barely containing their grin.
Astra spun toward them, one brow arched high. "Know what, exactly?"
The twins shrugged in perfect sync, all innocence. "We don't know,"
Seirou glanced at Astra's puzzled face and gave a light scoff. "You wouldn't understand—you lack that kind of awareness. If you had any, it wouldn't have taken you this long to realize."With that, he slipped past her effortlessly, his robes brushing against her sleeve. Seiya simply shrugged as he followed, offering a cheeky grin. "He's not wrong."
Behind them, Kaen and Ryoma still weren't looking at each other, but oddly enough, both were holding Xue's hands. One on the left. One on the right.
Astra turned, spotted the trio, and broke into a grin. "You two look like Xue's parents!" she laughed. "Adorable!"
Both boys instantly dropped Xue's hands like they'd touched hot coals. Kaen sped up, walking briskly ahead as if nothing happened. Ryoma knelt down beside Xue with a soft sigh. "She talks nonsense," he muttered, lifting the boy into his arms. "Has she ever spoken sense in the first place?"
Up ahead, as they approached the radiant checkpoint, Shion reached into his sleeve to reveal the badge, but Astra caught his arm, whispering urgently,
"Wait—are you sure we should use that? What if we get caught? Do we look like nobles to you?"
Shion didn't miss a beat. He smirked, eyes glinting. "We don't need to look like nobles" he murmured, "when the badge does the talking."
He stepped forward and presented the silver-and-gold crest. The guard on duty squinted at the emblem, then slowly raised his eyes to Shion's face… and blinked.
Shion frowned slightly, lowering his voice with edge. "Something wrong? We've been waiting. Why the delay?" He leaned in. "Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
The guard jolted to attention. "Pretty—uh—no! I-I mean, nothing at all, honoured one," he stammered, quickly bowing. "Apologies for the delay. We welcome you once more through Jade Meridian Passage."
He stepped aside, flustered.
Astra's jaw practically hit the stone floor as she scrambled to catch up with Shion, who walked with unbothered grace.
"H-Hey," she hissed, "Did he just—did he—?!"
Shion smirked without looking at her. "Having a pretty face does have its perks. And Who says we don't look like nobles?"
Later,
Astra stood frozen in the middle of the stone-paved path, her breath caught in her throat.
It was like stepping into another world.
Gone were the dusty alleys and open bazaars of the Outer Ring—where voices rang loud and traders shouted over the clang of carts. Here, everything shimmered with a kind of quiet power. The air felt heavier, perfumed with sandalwood and lotus oil, and the sun filtered down through tall vermilion banners strung between towering, lacquered buildings with sweeping golden roofs. Every wall was carved, every door inlaid with intricate symbols, and the windows were veiled in fine silk screens embroidered with clan crests.
And yet despite the elegance the streets teemed with life. Cloaked nobles glided past on polished sedan chairs borne by silent servants, while robed scholars, palace scribes, and jewel-draped merchants swept through marble archways that opened like petals into high-walled estates. Street performers played flutes under flowering trees, and even the guards armoured in silver and indigo moved with practiced grace, their steps like clockwork in the grand dance of the city.
But what truly stunned her was the contrast.
In the Outer Ring, people sprawled, spilled, shouted. Here, they rushed. Purposeful. Controlled chaos. Every step was planned, every glance weighed. And no one looked lost.
Except her.
Astra blinked, barely noticing when someone brushed past. The hum of elite life buzzed around her—a world built on ancient wealth and sharper rules.
"…I think I'm going to faint," she muttered.