"Okay, okay, I was wrong, I was wrong! I misunderstood you!"
"I shouldn't have used my somewhat dirty mind to speculate about your relationships with others."
As the countdown in Lumina's mind reached zero, Herta, despite her genius-level pride, finally admitted her mistake and offered an apology, seeing Lumina crying like a rain-drenched pear blossom.
Though Herta still secretly believed her initial suspicions were correct—that Lumina was indeed a Lesbian Ringleader and her relationships with those beautiful girls were far from platonic—she recalled an ancient Xianzhou proverb: Endure for a moment, and the storm will pass; take a step back, and the sea will widen before you. So, for now, seeing how deeply Lumina was crying, Herta decided to humor her.
"As an apology gift, I'll grant you any one request."
After a moment's consideration, Herta made this offer.
While offering this to Lumina, the Lesbian Ringleader, carried a hint of risk, Herta dismissed the concern. Even if Lumina made an outrageous demand, it wouldn't be a major problem. After all, they were both girls—what could possibly go wrong?
Girls together—what could possibly go wrong? Herta thought to herself.
If Lumina had known what Herta was thinking, she would have screamed in protest: Injustice! Injustice!
Just because I like cuddling with beautiful girls doesn't mean I'm in love with them!
Unfortunately, Lumina couldn't possibly know Herta's true feelings. And so, this fundamental misunderstanding in Herta's heart remained unresolved.
"Really?"
Hearing this, having successfully gotten her apology and even exceeding her expectations with an extra "condition," Lumina finally stopped crying. Her eyes, still glistening with tears, stared at Herta as if she would burst into tears again if Herta said even a single "no."
"Mm-hmm..."
Upon hearing Lumina's words and seeing her expression, the clever Herta immediately realized Lumina was faking it.
Though her act was remarkably convincing, who could stop crying instantly upon hearing about a "condition"?
Unless that was their original goal all along, and the whole crying act was just a charade.
Realizing this, Herta secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Lumina had genuinely cried over such a trivial matter, Herta would have felt guilty.
Fortunately, the whole thing was a sham, so Herta had nothing to feel guilty about.
To be fair, this girl's act was incredibly convincing... Even under close scrutiny, there was no trace of pretense to be found.
Herta silently admired Lumina's performance. Even knowing Lumina was faking it, likely just to hear her apologize, Herta didn't take back her promise.
After all... no one enjoys being constantly labeled the "Lesbian Ringleader."
Even if it were true...
It was just a promise anyway. If Lumina were the one to benefit, whether the promise existed or not wouldn't make much difference.
Because...
Herta would agree to anything Lumina asked for...
"Ahem, Little Herta, I'm not crying anymore. Let's hurry and go. I'll take you to meet someone fun."
Compared to a genius like Herta, Lumina might seem like a fool. But compared to ordinary people, Lumina was actually quite brilliant.
Seeing Herta's expression, Lumina immediately realized her fatal mistake. After a few coughs, she quickly changed the subject.
Though she couldn't read Little Herta's mind, shifting the conversation was undoubtedly the right move at this moment.
-
"So the 'mesugaki' you're talking about is just one of The Masked Fools?"
In Penacony's Golden Hour, Miss Sparkle, still disguised as Robin, was actively distributing pink buttons throughout the streets. Lumina and Herta quickly located her.
Herta immediately recognized Sparkle's true identity despite her Robin disguise.
"But speaking of which, what does 'mesugaki' even mean?" Encountering yet another unfamiliar term, Herta turned to Lumina, asking curiously.
"It's a type of beautiful woman who always interacts with others with arrogance, disdain, and a condescending attitude," Lumina explained, immediately launching into educational mode to educate Herta on the definition of mesugaki.
After the explanation, Lumina's eyes suddenly shifted, her gaze landing on Herta. She poked Herta's cheek playfully and said, "Just like you, Little Herta! You have the potential to become a true mesugaki."
"If you just stopped keeping such a blank face and smiled a little, showing that cat-like smirk, you'd evolve into the real deal!"
"Boring. Doesn't sound like a good nickname at all." Herta paid no attention to Lumina's ever-fidgeting fingers; she was used to it by now.
As for the term "mesugaki," Herta glanced at the Masked Fool before her and concluded it wasn't a particularly flattering label either.
Besides, that cat-like grin—wasn't that just plain psychotic?
Still... if Lumina genuinely liked this so-called "mesugaki" persona, if she begged Herta and used that "condition" for this purpose, Herta might actually agree. She could even play the part of a mesugaki...
"She's leaving! Quick, go!" Lumina, who had been explaining the meaning of "mesugaki" to Herta, had been keeping a close eye on Sparkle.
Seeing Sparkle successfully distribute another button, Lumina immediately grabbed Herta's small hand and pulled her into a jog.
"Ahem, can I have that button? I'll pay you for it~"
During this maneuver, Lumina also managed to snag the button Sparkle had just handed out.
Moments later, Lumina had run up to Sparkle, disguised as Robin. Releasing Herta's hand, Lumina flashed a smile.
A button appeared in Lumina's left hand, and another in her right.
"Now, Miss Sparkle, tell me, did you lose the button on my left or the one on my right...?"
"Or perhaps you lost this whole pile of buttons?" Lumina dropped the two buttons in her hands and instead produced a massive heap, dumping them in front of Sparkle.
Sparkle: ...
Seriously, girl? I sent you a few buttons, and you're returning them all?
Glancing at the mountain of buttons before her, Sparkle roughly counted several hundred... Though not all of them, but this is still excessive!
Don't you have anything better to do in Penacony?
After the previous incident, having branded Lumina a "Saintess," Sparkle stopped trying to find her.
Every interaction with Lumina escalated into hundreds of scripts, and Sparkle was too lazy to bother. She simply ignored her. With so many people flocking to Penacony, she didn't need Lumina to find amusement.
Yet here she was... This woman actually came looking for me...