Chapter 11 - PEOPLE'S SKEWED AESTHETIC

"REMIND me again why we're here?" Reas asked with a clear bore expression on his face.

"To socialize, what else?" Astrid answered with a smile.

As expected, his twin brother only snorted. "Then why are you just sitting here with me?"

Astrid acted like he was affronted by the question. "How could I just leave my lovely little brother here alone in the dark?"

The two of them were actually sitting at one of the darkest corners of the auditorium where the party was being held.

Reas only rolled his eyes at him. "Don't use me as an excuse. We both know you don't want to be here as much as I do."

Well, his brother was indeed telling the truth. If it was just up to him, he'd rather stay at home. He was sure that Reas would also choose the same. The only reason they both attended this graduation party was because of their mother. Because if they didn't, she would surely think more. And in case of their mother, when she did, her line of thinking would go to the extreme.

Maybe she would think that the two of them actually didn't enjoy going to school or that they were actually being bullied. She might even think that they didn't have any friends. Well, in all fairness, the last part was actually kind of true.

Reas was too lazy to make friends. It was probably because the two of them had always been together so he never really felt the need to make friends. In Astrid's case, it was a bit different. It was mostly because their fellow students didn't really see him for who he was. The first thing they saw was the color of his hair and eyes. Then they would look at him like he's some sort of idol and never look at him beyond that. So, he also didn't try to bridge the gap.

At the end, both him and his twin brother ended up friendless during the span of their primary and secondary education. Which, frankly, the both of them really didn't mind.

Astrid just decided to look around and observe the surrounding.

The current auditorium was now transformed into some kind of high-end club. There were velvet seats everywhere, a dance floor at the middle, some kind of bar in one part, and a lot of waiters walking around carrying drinks and some bite-sized food. The whole environment was also dark and the only source of light were the star-like lights that were flashing alongside the blaring techno-music.

The students were now wearing various avant-garde dresses. He even saw someone wearing some kind of neon green dress. They seemed to completely let go of their inhibition. Dancing in a provocative manner, drinking alcohol, flirting with one another.

"Let's leave after an hour," he said to Reas.

"Only after an hour?" Reas asked, clearly still unsatisfied with that.

"Yes, an hour."

"Fine. If that's the case, I might as well get us some drinks. What do you want?"

"Anything without alcohol," he said.

In his past life, Astrid had pretty bad alcohol tolerance. It always had been a problem for him whenever he had to go to drinking parties and such. He hadn't tested it yet in this life but it wouldn't hurt to be more careful. Besides, he really didn't like the feeling of being inebriated. As if he had no control over his faculties.

"I'll be back quickly."

After Reas said that, he stood up and walked towards the bar.

As if a signal had been lighted up. Just a few seconds after Reas left, someone suddenly appeared in front of Astrid. It was a pretty girl with long blond hair and a pair of blue eyes.

"H-hi, Astrid. Ahm, I know you don't know me. But I just wanted to take this opportunity to say something to you, because I know I might not have a chance to do so again," she stared. She was pinching her skirt, a sign that she was truly nervous. "I- I really like you! I've liked you since the first moment that I saw you. Can you be my boyfriend?"

Astrid stared at the blushing girl standing in front of him. Of course, he couldn't agree to her confession. But he still had to reject her gently. He stood up. "Thank you for your feelings. But I'm sorry. Falling in love is not really on my list of priorities right now. I'm sure you will soon meet someone that's truly for you."

Then he bowed sincerely.

"N-no, you don't need to apologize. I'm more than happy that I get to tell you my feelings. Thank you for listening," the girl said with a bit of unshed tears in her eyes.

She was truly satisfied with that. Because in the first place, she never hoped for her confession to be accepted. Just like what others said, Astrid was really gentle. Answering her confession so sincerely like that. She bid her farewell and left.

Astrid was about to sit down again when someone stood in front of him again. This time, it was a boy. Looking at the other's blushing face, he already had a hunch on what he was about to say.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, the boy blurted, "I like you!"

The girl's confession seemed to become a trigger and a string of confession followed after her.

When the fifth person trying to confess to him stood in front of Astrid, he suddenly had an urge to just leave. He was on the verge of just telling everyone, [I don't really look that good, you just think that way because of my hair and eye color. In short, your aesthetic is just simply skewed.]

And he couldn't help but wonder just where the heck was that brother of his? Was he getting their drinks from another planet or something?