All Chapters of Astral Odyssey: Dying Ember: Chapter 271 - Chapter 280

“Yosuke will meet us at the entrance of the park.” Hikaru told Hina while they were leaving their house.  “Yosuke? That guy’s coming?” Makoto, who had been waiting at the front of their house, asked. “You didn’t tell him?” Hikaru raised an eyebrow.  “I may have forgotten to... Sorry, Ma-kun!” Hina put her hands together in front of her face.  Makoto looked helplessly at Hina and sighed. “Never mind, let’s go.” Hina occupied Nozomi for the entire trip and continued to hog her after they reached their destination.  “Amusement parks are a must, especially when you’re still young!” Hina emphasized when Nozomi looked less than thrilled. “I didn't know you enjoy partying with beings from the other side too.” Nozomi mumbled. The number of monsters lurking around was not much lower than the numb

Everything wrapped up nicely and everyone returned to their respective homes. That night, Yosuke and Hina learned of the details of Nozomi's and Hikaru's trip to Tenki shrine and their plans. “We want in.” Both of their eyes were burning with determination and hope, each holding a different intention. One for his family's honour and pride. Another for an easier life with no night patrols.  Yosuke and Hina visited Tenki shrine on their own. Upon meeting the head priest, they cited Hikaru and Nozomi as their referrals and sought guidance. Tenki's head priest was more than happy to accept Hina as his disciple, for she had the same attribute as him and he had no successor. Although rejected, Yosuke was satisfied with the answers and tips he had received, which he shared with his family. Just like that, the four began their secret training in different places, and the day of their family vacation quickly arrived. 

“...Why’re you following us? Didn’t we say we’ll meet at the recreation room?” Hina mumbled.  However, Yosuke gave her the same cold and brief glance before speeding up to walk ahead of everyone.  “What a coincidence. My room’s not far from yours.” He said to Hikaru. “It’ll be easy to meet up.”  However, Hikaru did not look as pleased, which Yosuke chose to happily ignore.  Nozomi nudged Hikaru’s side lightly as they entered their room. “You can be nicer to him, you know? He’s not forcing you to spend time away from me. He really would appreciate your company.” “...He should have enough sense to not disturb a couple’s time.” Hikaru insisted, albeit weakly.  “You...” Nozomi smiled helplessly. “I won’t be going anywhere. Be there for your friends, okay?” Hikar

Their Christmas date night wrapped up nicely despite Nozomi’s sneezing and stuffy nose. For the first time in a while, Hikaru had not made a single move on her, prioritising her need for rest. At home, he also insisted on staying up for the night so that Nozomi could sleep for as long as she needed to.   Gradually, the sky became bright again.   Hikaru glanced at Nozomi. She was still sound asleep. She showed no signs of discomfort, but nagging worries gnawed away his sanity. Perhaps it was because she had never slept for this long.   “It doesn’t hurt to be too careful.” He mumbled as he finally checked her condition, and it was fortunate that he did. Nozomi’s fever had shot up to 40 degrees Celsius.   “What? Shit!” Hikaru sprang into action.   Waking Nozomi up was difficult. She also appeared too groggy to be conscious. She barely swallowed the fever medicine that he had gotten for her before she fell back into a deep

Hikaru changed his graduation plans. Instead of continuing his education to be a doctor in a hospital, Hikaru looked around to open a small clinic. He did not want to stay cooped up at the hospital away from Nozomi. Nozomi’s idea for her to work in the hospital or anywhere near it was firmly rejected by Hikaru. He was not taking any chances with her health. When the Tenki head priest learned about Hikaru's plans from Hina, he offered some land from the grounds.  “This ground will be passed to you eventually anyway.”  “Eh? But your family... I know they aren’t going to take over the duties here, but...” “They know that everything here will be passed on to the next caretaker.”  Hina was still worried, but she passed on the message to Hikaru anyway.  Thanks to that, Hikaru could open his clinic in a short time. During the opening, the head priest’s family