Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest - Chapter 1064 252.1 - Why

Lucas turned as they started walking, glancing over his shoulder. “Irina? What about you? You coming?”

Irina had been halfway through adjusting the cuffs of her sleeves, but she paused at the question—and slowly turned her gaze toward Astron, who still sat near the back, unmoving.

She didn’t speak right away.

Then, calmly: “You guys go ahead.”

The way she said it—level, smooth, like it was the most natural thing in the world—made both Lilia and Julia exchange a quick glance.

“Oh?” Julia’s voice went up a note. “Now, why does that sound suspicious?”

Irina didn’t flinch. “Because you have the imagination of a soap opera director.”

“I’m just saying,” Julia grinned. “We’ve got sunshine, early morning light, and two very independent people suddenly lingering behind. That’s suspicious territory.”

Lilia smirked. “I give it ten minutes before she walks out pretending nothing happened.”

Irina rolled her eyes. “Or maybe I just want two seconds of quiet before I join a table full of sugar-crazed disaster children.”

“Aw, come on, we’re not that bad,” Lucas protested as he nudged Ethan with an elbow. “Right?”

Ethan chuckled, though he clearly wasn’t about to take sides.

Irina crossed her arms and added dryly, “We might join you later. Don’t eat everything.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Julia waved her off with mock offense. “Surely. I’ll keep a seat warm.”

And with that, the rest of the group made their way toward the courtyard exit, bickering and laughing as the echo of their boots faded into the corridor—

leaving Irina and Astron alone in the golden hush of the hall.

****

Irina walked slowly down the central aisle, the clack of her boots muffled by the velvet-lined runner that ran between the rows of seats. The morning light spilled long and golden across the polished floor, catching in her hair and setting a soft glow along the curve of her cheek. She stopped just short of where Astron sat.

He hadn’t moved.

Not when the others left, not when her footsteps approached. He just sat there—hands folded, eyes half-lidded in thought, posture straight but not tense. Silent.

Irina looked down at him, tilting her head slightly. “What are you going to do?” she asked.

Astron’s gaze lifted to meet hers, a slow blink following. “You came here without knowing?”

“Of course I didn’t,” she replied. “I came here because I was curious.”

Her tone was light, but something in her eyes shifted. Because now that she was this close—close enough to really look at him—she noticed it.

He didn’t look tired. Not in the traditional sense. His eyes weren’t ringed with dark circles, his movements weren’t sluggish. His face, as always, remained composed.

But there was something different.

A faint dullness in the edges of his gaze. A stillness that didn’t feel deliberate. Like a mechanism that had been running without pause for too long.

“You…” she started, voice low. “Did you not sleep last night?”

Astron didn’t answer.

She frowned.

“Answer.”

A beat of silence passed between them. Then, finally, he said it.

“I didn’t.”

Irina’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

“Training.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Aren’t the exams over? Why are you still training?”

Astron didn’t reply immediately. He looked down for a moment—at nothing in particular. Just the floor. Then he exhaled quietly through his nose, his voice low.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

He didn’t elaborate. Not right away.

And Irina, standing there in the light, watching the smallest cracks form in the quiet machine she’d come to know so well, felt her chest tighten just a little.

Because that answer wasn’t about discipline.

It was something else.

And for once, Astron didn’t hide the silence that followed.

Irina’s eyes lingered on him for a second longer, the curve of her mouth twitching downward in frustration. She didn’t like seeing him like this—detached in a way that wasn’t his usual stillness. Astron had always been calm, cold, even unreadable when he wanted to be. But it was rarely this… frayed. Not outwardly. And never without reason.

She knew he was a training maniac. That was a given. His obsession with refinement, with precision, with pushing his limits—none of that was new. But Astron also cared about efficiency. He never wasted movement. He never compromised endurance. If he hadn’t slept, if he had pushed past even his own usual balance of self-discipline…

Then something was different.

And that was what bothered her most.

But now wasn’t the time to pry. Not yet. She could see it on his face—that quiet resolve, coiled around something unspoken.

So instead, she shifted her tone, arms crossing as she looked him over once more. “Come to my dorm.”

Astron blinked, faint confusion flickering across his features for the first time in a while. “What?”

“You heard me,” she said, already turning as if the matter was settled. “You’re going to sleep. So sleep. Around me.”

That made him pause. Visibly. He tilted his head slightly, looking at her like she’d just spoken a different language.

Irina didn’t flinch. “What? You need rest. I’m not letting you sit in a corridor like some haunted relic until your brain short-circuits.”

Astron’s expression didn’t shift much. But he looked… almost thrown off. Caught off guard by the casual audacity of the suggestion. Or maybe the lack of hesitation behind it.

“Come on,” she added, voice lighter now but with a commanding edge. “We’ll eat there too.”

Still no reply.

Then he exhaled softly and stood. No arguments. No clipped remarks. Just a small shake of his head as if to say, you’re ridiculous… but fine.

Irina smirked.

He didn’t say yes.

But he didn’t have to.

The heavy doors of the assembly hall creaked open as the two of them stepped out into the quiet morning. The sun had risen a bit higher now, casting long golden rays across the academy walkways. The breeze was soft, the air crisp with the faint scent of dew and stone warmed by light. Most of the other cadets had already scattered—off to breakfasts, brief collapses into their beds, or just into whatever reprieve they could find now that midterms were finally behind them.

Irina and Astron walked side by side, the silence between them not heavy, but companionable.

After a few minutes, Irina turned her head slightly, hands tucked into her pockets. “So… what are your plans for the week?”

Astron’s gaze drifted upward, toward the pale blue sky streaked with slow-moving clouds. The light caught in his pitch black hair, making it shimmer faintly as he considered.

“Not much,” he said. “Training, most likely. As long as nothing comes up.”

Irina raised a brow at that. “What can even come up? We’re officially on break. You’d have to be cursed to attract trouble during this week.”

Astron didn’t respond.

He didn’t smile. He didn’t offer an explanation. He just kept walking, the breeze tugging slightly at the hem of his coat.

Irina narrowed her eyes. “That silence is not comforting.”

He remained silent.

“Tch,” she muttered. “Cryptic bastard.”

But she didn’t push further. Not now. Not when the morning was quiet, and she’d already seen the edge in his gaze.