“OKAY, we got that shot!” the photographer called out. “Let’s move on to the next outfit.”

Astrid relaxed his expression and walked back to the dressing room. The stylist quickly gave him a simple white shirt and black trousers. He changed into them as fast as he could. Then the make-up artist adjusted his hair and make-up to look like it did when he played Aether in [The Sleeping God].

Why, you asked? It was because some of the photo cards would show him as the different characters he had played since he started acting. From Aether all the way to his newest role, Dr. Stevens. There would only be twenty cards for each character, with five different pictures each. Since the cards would be given out randomly, getting one of these special character cards would feel like winning a prize. It would be like pulling a super rare character in a gacha game.

He hoped the whole thing would be a fun experience for all Starlights.

Astrid walked out of the dressing room, now looking like Aether. He stood in front of the big white backdrop. A few small floating cameras switched on and started moving around him quietly.

“I’m starting the sequence now,” the photographer said, keeping his voice low and steady.

Astrid lifted his chin and looked past the camera lens. His expression was calm and serious, not smiling. He raised a hand, holding it in a loose, graceful way. The light caught a slight shimmer on his face. He held himself still, his eyes sharp and focused even while the rest of him looked serene.

“Beautiful! Yes, just like that!” the photographer called out, his calm tone gone, replaced by apparent excitement as he motioned for the drones to keep circling. “Hold that exact feeling. Don’t move a muscle.”

Astrid shifted his weight, the motion smooth and controlled. The simple white shirt he wore shifted with him, catching the air for a second as he moved. He held the new pose, perfectly still. The small drones whirred around him in a slow circle, their lenses clicking from every angle. They captured him in a way that made him look detached, like he wasn’t quite from this world.

The photoshoot went on for several hours. Astrid changed into the rest of the outfits, and the photographer and the crew kept working. It was late at night by the time they finished everything.

***

Since the shoot ran so late, Astrid had a late dinner with Ellis right at the photo studio. He ordered food for the entire crew and ate with them. After that, Ellis drove him back to his apartment.

When he walked into his apartment, his AI butler cat greeted him. He bent down to stroke its blue fur. Then he went straight to his room.

He was just about to take his shirt off for a shower when his Terminal rang. He opened it and saw it was a video call request from Wulfric.

They had been video calling a lot lately, so calls like this were now an everyday thing. Or more like, an every night thing. For example, they had just talked the night before, with Wulfric telling him how excited he was to see [The Shadow Within].

Astrid accepted the call. Wulfric’s handsome face appeared on the screen. He looked really excited at first, but then his expression changed. He must have noticed something, because his excitement quickly turned into concern.

Wulfric’s brows furrowed, his earlier excitement gone as he looked at the screen. “Aster, you look tired,” he said, his voice softer. He could see the faint shadows under Aster’s eyes. He squinted a little at the other’s clothes. “Did you just get home?” His expression shifted to guilt. “Am I bothering you while you’re trying to rest?”

Astrid let out a quiet chuckle. “I’m alright. The photoshoot I was in just ran a little later than we thought it would.”

Wulfric frowned even more. Today was the first day of school, and Polaris still had Aster working this late? What the hell was wrong with that company? “Is Polaris overworking you?”

This time, Astrid laughed. “No. I was actually the one who set this shoot up. Well, Ellis handled the details. But the idea was mine. It’s for the special gift for the Starlights, after all.”

Remembering the Polaris announcement about a special gift for fans, Wulfric thought of one thing that would need a photoshoot. “Are the special gifts photos of you?”

“In a way, yes,” Astrid said. “The gift is a physical photo. We took a lot of pictures in different outfits and poses. Every fan gets one, but which picture they get is random. So you might get a normal one, or you might get a very special one.”

Wulfric blinked, trying to process what Aster had just said. “You’re telling me there will be actual printed photos of you out there, and people can get one just by watching [The Shadow Within]?”

Just the thought of many people having physical photos of Aster made his stomach feel tight. He did not like that idea at all. Was there a way he could get all the photos for himself? He shook his head. No, that would be impossible. Unless he announced to the whole Empire that he was Aster’s biggest fan and ordered everyone to give him the photos.

Even then, it would only make him look crazier than people already thought he was. Not to mention, Aster would definitely not like it.

“Well, they still have to pass the quiz to get a code and present it together with the ticket to get one,” Aster said with a shrug.

Right, there was that. Wulfric hoped not too many people would pass the quiz.

Then he remembered something else Aster had mentioned. “You said there would be normal photos and special ones. What did you mean by that?”

Astrid looked at Wulfric and wondered if he should be honest. The photo cards were supposed to be a surprise, so he didn’t want to give too much away. But in the end, he told the other the truth. After all, Wulfric was his number one fan.

“Normal photos are just pictures of me in regular clothes. The special ones are me dressed up as the characters I’ve played,” he explained.

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