Chapter 54 – Astronomy Lesson

7.9.1206 – Sunday (Free Day)

Rean and Towa quickly found themselves cleaning up Towa's dorm room. It wasn't a mess or anything, but thanks to Rean's constant visits it had become a bit more cluttered with both of their belongings.

Towa soon found herself digging out her telescope from under her bed.

"Ah, this always brings back memories. I haven't dug it out in a while." Towa said to herself as she inspected her telescope.

"Towa, is that?" Rean questioned. He hadn't seen Towa's telescope since they stayed in Ymir to celebrate her birthday.

"Yup, I've been trying to figure out what to do with it while in Leeves. I was thinking about using it for an extracurricular astronomy lesson tonight." Towa revealed.

"An astronomy lesson, not a bad idea. I'd love to get a closer look at those stars we saw on the way back the other day." Rean noted.

"Yeah. Me too. We're supposed to have clear skies tonight, so we'll get a perfect view of the stars. It should be a nice way to relax after the exams. I'll need to make sure I'm prepared before tonight." Towa continued.

After thinking it through for a minute, Rean decided that he'd like nothing more than to help Towa prepare for her astronomy lesson.

"If you don't mind, can I help you get ready? I'd like to join in on the lesson and see the stars, too." Rean asked.

"Teehee, really? I really would appreciate the help. Why don't we try looking through the telescope now?" Towa suggested.

"Is that okay? Isn't it still too bright out?" Rean questioned.

"Just think of it as a pre-lesson test run. Can I get you to help me carry it?" Towa justified.

"Haha, she's really excited for this astronomy lesson. Hopefully we don't wind up blinding ourselves." Rean thought to himself.

Much to Towa's annoyance, Rean picked up her telescope and carried it outside all by himself.


"Huh? Hey, uh, Towa? I can't see anything." Rean informed Towa as he tested out the telescope.

"What? Really?" Towa replied before testing out the telescope for herself.

Sure it had its problems before, even during their trip to Ymir, but Towa was sure it should still be functional.

"Hmm, it looks like it's completely broken. Now that I look at it closely, the lens is all scratched up and the focusing knob is all rusted. We can't use it for anything in this state." Towa concluded after she finished her inspection.

"I see, that's a shame." Rean replied.

"I'm sorry I got your hopes up. I've been so busy lately, I didn't have any time to do maintenance on it… Maybe it was just its time to go." Towa explained.

"Towa? Didn't you say this was precious to you?" Rean asked.

"Yeah, actually… It was a memento of my grandfather." Towa answered.

"I see." Rean noted.

Towa had sparsely talked about her grandfather, or her family in general to Rean. Being someone who had also lost family, he understood why she kept most of the details to herself. So he had decided not to inquire too much about her family outside of Martha, Fred, and Kai. To him, it was something that she would have to decide to share with him when she felt that the time was right.

"What was he like?" Rean asked as he led Towa to the stairs so they could sit down.

"Heehee, he was very smart and very kind. I guess he was pretty famous among scholars. He served as the director of a museum in Heimdallr." Towa answered as she sat down next to Rean.

"A museum in Heimdallr… Could it be the Imperial Museum? Wow. It's pretty amazing that he was the director of the biggest museum in the empire." Rean commented.

"Heehee. He just did it as a hobby on the side while he did his research. It takes me back. When he was looking up at the stars, he'd be in his own little world. He was excited and endlessly curious. Just like a little kid. He'd tell me all sorts of things about the stars while I looked through this telescope with him." Towa continued as she rested her head on one of Rean's shoulders.

"He must've been a good grandfather." Rean informed Towa.

"Yeah… He was. Aw, man, I wish I could show you and the students all those beautiful stars…" Towa replied.

"Hey, Towa… Why don't we try to fix this telescope together? I'll do whatever I can to help." Rean suggested as he began to pat Towa on the head.

"Haha, I appreciate the thought, but I think it might be too hard. It was made back in my grandfather's day. I don't know if we'll even be able to get parts for it anymore." Towa replied.

"Well, we won't know until we try, right? We have some pretty good resources at the branch campus, and there are plenty of shops in Leeves. I'd say it's way too early to give up on it. Don't you agree?" Rean argued.

"Rean… Yes. You're absolutely right. We've got nothing to lose! So let's go for it!" Towa responded before wrapping her arms around Rean's torso.

"That's the spirit!" Rean replied as he continued patting Towa's head.


"Is something wrong, Juna?" Kurt asked as he saw Juna peeking outside one of the windows of the branch campus dormitory's second floor.

"N-Nothing!" Juna anxiously answered before hitting her head on the windowsill.

"You really need to be more careful." Kurt advised as he walked over and started rubbing Juna's head.

Kurt then looked outside the window and noticed Rean and Towa hugging outside in the middle of the street, along with Rean patting Towa's head.

"I see our instructors have garnered an audience." Kurt joked before turning back to Juna.

"S-Shut up! I was watering the flowers by the window when those two started going at it outside." Juna explained.

"They are really bad at keeping their relationship a secret." Kurt noted before he stopped rubbing Juna's head.

"I see that you two have taken a page out of their book. How scandalous." Altina commented as she stood at the opposite end of the hallway.

"A-Altina!?" Juna and Kurt responded before stepping farther apart.

"If I wanted to be a third wheel, I would've just stepped outside." Altina pointed out as she made her way toward Juna and Kurt.

"Huh? Wait, don't tell me you didn't want to interrupt Instructor Rean and Instructor Towa's private conversation?" Kurt questioned.

"Wait, Allie not getting in the way of Instructor Rean and Instructor Towa's relationship? Oh no, did you accidentally hit your head yesterday during that stunt of yours?" Juna jokingly asked.

"I did not suffer any injuries from participating in Musse's scheme. However, upon further review, I do feel strange." Altina answered.

"Huh? Strange in what way?" Juna questioned.

"I am not sure how to describe it, but I feel as if I am scared of the idea of Instructor Rean and Instructor Towa forming a romantic relationship." Altina explained.

"Say Altina, isn't it true that you fought for the Noble Alliance during the civil war?" Kurt asked.

"Wait, weren't those the bad guys? Why would Allie work for them?" Juna questioned.

"I had little choice in the matter. Governor General Rufus Albarea paid for my assistance during the civil war." Altina answered.

"I have no interest in asking you about your missions. However, were you ever ordered to spy on Instructor Towa or Instructor Rean?" Kurt continued.

"Huh? Why would Allie be ordered to spy on those two in particular?" Juna asked.

"Because Instructor Towa was made the acting captain of the Courageous with Instructor Rean unofficially acting as her second in command. I was ordered to spy on them briefly while they were in Celdic for potential plans they had by the Ironbloods and Chancellor Osborne." Altina explained.

"I take it that instead of battle plans you were one of the first people to find out about their romantic relationship?" Kurt pointed out.

"I-I… N-Now that you mention it… Perhaps what I saw wasn't Instructor Towa giving Instructor Rean mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but instead… a kiss." Altina answered as she thought back to when she spied on them in the woods outside of Celdic.

"From there you were assigned to keep an eye on Instructor Rean while he was stationed in Crossbell and then later in North Ambria, correct?" Kurt continued.

"I was only assigned to keep an eye on him in Crossbell. As for North Ambria, it was more him looking over me." Altina answered.

"I'm guessing that's around the same time that Instructor Rean started being like a father figure in your life, no?" Kurt questioned.

"T-That would be a correct assessment. It was also during that time that Instructor Rean would occasionally talk in his sleep. It was loud enough that I usually was able to hear him mutter Instructor Towa's name in a melancholic tone." Altina shyly answered.

"So that's why you don't like the idea of Instructor Rean and Instructor Towa getting together. You mistakenly think that Instructor Towa hurt Instructor Rean in the past." Kurt concluded.

"I-I am not mistaken in my conclusion. Why else would Instructor Rean say Instructor Towa's name with such sadness?" Altina argued.

"Aww, come here Allie. Instructor Rean was probably just homesick." Juna commented before hugging Altina.

"I beg your pardon?" Altina asked.

"It probably wasn't just Instructor Towa he was thinking about in his sleep. I'm sure he also thought about his friends and family, with Instructor Towa being the special person he missed the most." Kurt explained.

"S-So I made an error in my assessment of Instructor Towa?" Altina questioned.

"Haha, oh Allie. I think you might have a mother figure soon enough." Juna teased.

"From what I hear, Instructor Rean and Instructor Towa seem to be planning an extracurricular astronomy lesson for later tonight. Perhaps you might be able to take them aside and speak with them privately on the matter?" Kurt suggested.

"I'll think about it. For now, I think it would be best if I let you two continue what you were doing before you were alerted of my presence." Altina responded before making her way to her dorm room to contemplate what her next course of action should be.

"We weren't doing anything!" Juna shouted before her face turned a bright shade of red.


Rean and Towa soon found themselves disassembling the broken telescope to salvage all the parts that were still usable and decided which parts and tools they'd need to fix the telescope. From there they decided to check the campus and around Leeves.

They were able to use Pablo's knowledge of model train parts to know what screws and small bits to check Neinvalli for. Further, Mint's craftsman training was exactly what they needed to fix the lens.


After many hours of hard work, Rean and Towa were finally able to get results.

"I can see… Heehee! Rean, we did it! The focusing knob works smoothly, and that foggy lens is crystal clear now!" Towa excitedly informed Rean as she tested her telescope.

"Haha… We owe Mint and Pablo big time. Everyone was so kind, helping us out like that." Rean noted.

"Yeah… I'm so glad I didn't give up on it. Heehee, we really do have a lot of people looking out for us." Towa commented as she started to tear up.

Rean quickly noticed Towa weeping and began hugging her while patting her head.

"R-Rean… D-Don't worry. T-These are happy tears…" Towa informed Rean as she returned the hug.

"S-Sorry, I-" Rean nervously responded as he stopped patting Towa's head before getting interrupted by Towa.

"I-I didn't tell you to stop…" Towa joked as she buried her face in Rean's chest.

After a few minutes, the pair let go of each other upon realizing that they were outside.

"I'm sure my grandfather would be happy to see his telescope good as new. I wouldn't have tried so hard to fix it if not for you. Thank you so much, Rean!" Towa commented.

"Towa… No need to thank me. I'm glad I was able to help. Seems like we'll be able to do our astronomy lesson tonight after all." Rean replied.

"Yeah! I'll tell the students about it! Heehee, I hope you're looking forward to it, too, Rean! I'm sure we'll be able to see some beautiful stars!" Towa excitedly responded.

"Wouldn't miss it!" Rean happily assured Towa.


Rean and Towa soon went about the rest of their day as normal as they waited for nightfall to arrive.

Once it was dark out and they finished preparing their lesson plans for the following week, the pair made their way to the roof of the school building to set everything up for the astronomy lesson before their students arrived.

"All right. Everything looks good now! Rean, can you come give it a look, too?" Towa informed Rean as she tested out her telescope.

"Sure thing." Rean replied before taking Towa's spot.

Rean quickly found himself staring in awe at all the stars in the night sky.

"Wow, this is amazing! The sky's just full of stars. It feels like I could reach out and touch them." Rean commented.

"Teehee, tonight's a perfect night for stargazing. Thank you, Rean. I'm so glad you went through the trouble of fixing my grandfather's telescope." Towa noted.

"No, thank YOU, Towa. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to get such an amazing look at this starry sky." Rean responded as he stepped away from the telescope and turned to Towa.

"Haha, I guess we helped each other out, then. But really. Thank you, Rean. For always giving me strength and courage. I'm really grateful to you… Even from back when we were students…" Towa admitted before walking closer to Rean.

"Towa…" Rean responded before bending over to kiss Towa.

The pair soon lost themselves in their kiss. For a fleeting moment nothing else mattered to them, because they had each other.

The branch campus students who had decided to attend the astronomy lesson could only stare silently behind the doorway to the roof of the school building as their instructors' kiss lasted for longer than either of them could have imagined.

"Oh my, I knew Instructor Rean and Instructor Towa had promised us a show, but I hadn't expected them to give us a fireworks show." Musse quietly teased.

"H-Have they finally gone public?" Sandy quietly asked.

"I-I don't think so." Louise whispered.

"Man, you think Instructor Rean and Instructor Towa are planning to hold a romance course?" Sidney quietly joked.

"I doubt that." Gustave whispered.

"I think you might've opened the door a bit too early there, wild filly." Ash quietly joked as Juna stood frozen.

Juna had been the one leading all her schoolmates to the rooftop of the school building when she had accidentally opened the door before knocking. She had planned to loudly greet her instructors after she opened the door, but Kurt covered her mouth immediately upon realizing that it might be a bad idea to ruin their instructors' private moment.

"I-I think it might be a good idea to give them some proper privacy before they notice us." Tita quietly advised.

"Good idea, we might get in trouble if they notice us." Jessica quietly noted.

Without saying a word, Altina moved Juna's hand and gently closed the door herself.


After a few minutes, Juna had enough and opened the door again in hopes that Rean and Towa had finally stopped kissing.

"O-Oh, t-there they are!" Juna loudly greeted.

Luckily, Rean and Towa had finally stopped kissing moments prior to catch their breaths when Juna opened the door that time.

"T-This is where we're doing the astronomy lesson, right? Erm…" Juna nervously asked as she tried to forget what she had seen earlier.

"Heh, looks like we walked in on quite the moment-" Ash joked before getting elbowed in the stomach by Musse.

"T-That's not true!" Towa yelled, unaware of the fact that her and Rean's students had seen everything that had happened earlier.

"Haha… L-Looks like everyone is here now, so let's get started." Rean commented in an attempt to segue the conversation elsewhere.


Rean and Towa were quickly able to get things moving. Starting by giving their students a brief explanation on how to use the telescope before having them line up to take turns using it to get a better look at the stars.

"Wooow! It's beautiful!" Juna excitedly commented as she used the telescope.

"Juna, I believe it's proper to let the youngest go first." Altina bluntly noted.

"Oh, so you're going to be 'the youngest' when it's convenient for you, is that it?" Kurt joked.

"Teehee, my, but it truly is a gorgeous starry sky we have over us tonight." Musse commented as she looked up at the night sky.

Rean and Towa stood by side as they watched their students stargazing.

"I gave up on having this lesson at first, but we were able to make it happen anyway. Now I know that we can overcome anything together." Towa informed Rean.

"Yeah, let's keep doing our best… together!" Rean replied.

The pair struggled to resist the urge continue their kiss from earlier, but they both knew it would be a bad idea to kiss in front of their students.


"Well? Now might be a good time to talk to them about what we talked about earlier." Juna informed Altina as their schoolmates took turns using the telescope.

Altina then turned to Rean and Towa, who were still talking privately.

"I… I can't do it right now. I need more time to clear my thoughts." Altina answered as she kept on staring at Rean and Towa.

"Okay then. No one is going to force you to confront them when you're still not ready." Juna assured Altina.

"Understood." Altina replied as she continued staring at Rean and Towa.


Author's Note

Looks like astronomy lesson was a success!

Hopefully Altina is able to speak with Rean and Towa some time soon.