"What are you up to now?"
"You've managed to expand your farm all the way outside Penacony in just one day?"
In a suite at The Reverie Hotel, Herta slowly opened her eyes within the Dream Pool, looking at Lumina, who was staring at her in astonishment. "Where's the graffiti on your face?" Lumina ignored Herta's words, fixated on this. She had spent so long creating that "masterpiece" for Herta earlier—how could it have vanished so suddenly?
Wait a minute...
As Lumina puzzled over this, she suddenly recalled that when she had entered Penacony's Sweet Dream, she hadn't found any trace of Herta there.
Although Herta had claimed to be lingering in the gap between Penacony's Sweet Dream and The Reverie Hotel, observing the Memetic Substance structure, now that Lumina thought about it, the explanation seemed absurd.
Observing Memetic Substance in the gap between the Sweet Dream and The Reverie Hotel? Isn't that just plain crazy?
So... if Herta hadn't been in Penacony's Sweet Dream, nor in the gap between it and The Reverie Hotel, then...
Could they really have installed a dream within the Dream Pool?
This would explain why I entered Penacony ahead of her, and why the graffiti I left on her face when I left The Reverie Hotel... is now gone.
Lumina, channeling her inner detective, had pieced together the entire mystery in mere seconds.
Meanwhile, Herta remained oblivious, unable to fathom that Lumina's sharp mind could unravel the truth so quickly. She was still frantically brainstorming how to explain the sudden disappearance of the graffiti on her face.
How could she possibly admit to faking being in a dream and obediently letting Lumina doodle all over her face?
"Graffiti? You drew graffiti on my face while I was dreaming?"
Just as Herta formulated her explanation and opened her mouth to speak, she caught Lumina's faint smirk.
Seeing this, Herta instantly retracted her words, replacing them with an icy glare and a tone dripping with accusation.
Without a doubt, the astute Madam Herta understood at a glance, seeing the slight curve of Lumina's lips, that Lumina had realized she had been faking being asleep in the Dream Pool.
Although Herta couldn't fathom how Lumina's mind could have grasped this so quickly, it didn't matter. Lumina was clearly in the wrong, and as long as Herta launched the first accusation, she would maintain control. Little Lumina wouldn't stand a chance of causing any trouble.
Unless...
"Oh yeah, while you were 'dreaming,' I went to town on your face with a paintbrush," Lumina cheerfully confessed to her "crime."
Herta: ...
Unless this girl has skin as thick as a rhino's hide and feels absolutely no shame about being in the wrong...
After Lumina's confession, Herta silently completed the unspoken half-sentence in her mind.
And Lumina truly proved herself to be exactly as Herta had thought—shameless...
Hmm... well, Lumina's little face does smell rather lovely. Not stinky at all...
Herta silently amended her thought, recalling their earlier interactions.
Not that it mattered much. Even if Lumina shamelessly admitted it, Herta still held all the power.
Lumina is the one in the wrong, not me, Herta thought. I have no reason to let her lead me around by the nose.
With that thought, Little Herta rose from the Dream Pool, crossed her arms, and snorted coldly. "Hmph! Do you think my face is your personal canvas?"
"Just doodle whenever you feel like it? Not even pretending to be sorry—you just admit it straight out?"
"Do you think I, Herta, Emanator of Erudition, Genius Society #83, am some pushover?"
Herta strode out of the Dream Pool, her face glacial and regal. Each step carried the weight of her displeasure at Lumina treating her face like a doodle pad.
"You can doodle on my face too, if you want. I wouldn't mind," Lumina chirped, unfazed by Herta's uncharacteristic coldness.
"Do you think everyone is as childish as you?" Herta's voice remained frigid. "I'm furious about you doodling on my face."
"So, let's cut to the chase. What's the outcome?"
Herta was clever enough not to say, "For you defacing my face without my permission..."
After all, Lumina painting on Herta's face could be considered something Herta had tacitly permitted herself.
But just because I tacitly permitted it doesn't mean I won't hold you accountable.
"Hmm... how about this? We'll use the condition you mentioned earlier," Lumina said, forced to temporarily surrender. "I'll unconditionally grant you one request."
"Let's use this condition as payment for the right to freely paint on your face. What do you say?"
Bide your time, and the storm will pass; take a step back, and the sea will widen. Once Herta finishes questioning me, it'll be my turn to grill her!
"Hmph, at least you have some conscience." Hearing this, the icy expression on Herta's face instantly melted away. She nodded, thoroughly satisfied with Lumina's proposal.
"Alright, now that you..."
"I'm invoking that condition right now. Shut your mouth and drop this whole matter."
Seeing Herta's icy demeanor melt away, Lumina's heart leaped with joy. She prepared to launch her counter-interrogation.
But before Lumina could utter a single word, Herta silenced her with the very condition she'd proposed.
Lumina: ...
Damn, I've been outmaneuvered by Herta...
Faced with Lumina's aggressive onslaught, Madam Herta effortlessly defused the crisis with her unparalleled wisdom.