"Go ahead, release them! Do it! Do you think I'd even care?"
"Do you think I'll be mortified? Don't worry, when the time comes, great scholars will defend my principles."
Outside The Reverie Hotel, Lumina's expression remained impassive, unmoved by Herta's threat delivered in the characteristic slang of Edo Star.
The regal aura she had carried moments ago vanished, replaced by pure disdain.
With her arms crossed, Lumina watched Little Herta gloating before her, thinking she looked like a complete fool.
The Genius Society? More like the Dunce Society!
Herta: ...
Sensing Lumina's scornful gaze and recalling the fanatical behavior of Lumina's followers, Herta fell silent.
Lumina was right. Even if Herta released photos of Lumina sobbing hysterically, it wouldn't diminish her standing in their eyes by even a fraction.
They'd just say, "These are the tears of the Saintess, shed out of compassion for All Living Beings! They're symbols of auspiciousness!"... and then offer exorbitant sums to buy the photos from her.
Herta was quite used to this kind of thing in her fan groups.
Hmm... speaking of which, could this be a path to riches?
The thought flashed through Herta's mind, but she dismissed it almost instantly, adding the idea to her mental blacklist.
"Never mind, never mind. It's just as well I didn't want these photos to circulate anyway."
Realizing this moments later, Herta put away her phone and shrugged helplessly.
It was just as well; she hadn't intended to share the photos in the first place.
After all... treasures like these are best kept to oneself, Madam Herta thought.
"Ahem, Little Herta, you're so lame~" Lumina, unaware of Herta's inner thoughts but observing her every facial expression and subtle gesture, couldn't help but hum a triumphant little tune.
Herta rolled her eyes at the taunt but remained silent. She simply retrieved her phone and stubbornly added another layer of security to her cloud storage...
-
"You... you don't always resort to such violence when entering dreams, do you?"
In Ena's Dream, Herta watched as Lumina's single punch blasted a passage through the dreamscape, creating a direct link to reality. A slight twitch tugged at the corner of Herta's lips.
"Just tell me if it was fast and clear enough," Lumina huffed, glancing at Herta before striding through the newly formed portal into reality.
"Alright, alright. At least the result was good."
While this method was undeniably swift, convenient, and effective, its use by Lumina struck Herta as oddly jarring.
Shaking her head to dismiss the thought, Herta followed Lumina through the portal into reality.
"Looks like this is reality. Almost everyone here is completely immersed in their Sweet Dreams." Back in reality, Herta briefly sensed the atmosphere within The Reverie Hotel and nodded in confirmation.
Her gaze then fell upon Lumina, who had already sprawled out on a nearby sofa, seemingly resigned to a state of complete idleness. "So... you're really not going to intervene?" Herta asked.
"With the combined power of Harmony and Order, and Ena's Dream covering the entire Asdana Star System, if Sunday truly resolves to build Paradise at any cost, the Astral Express and that little bird wouldn't stand a chance, would they?"
"Ah, don't worry about it. It's just a minor thing. They can handle it," Lumina said, waving her hand dismissively while lounging on the sofa, radiating an air of lazy indifference.
Does Lumina even need to ask if the Astral Express can handle it?
With Robin siding with the Astral Express, Sunday has no chance of winning, right?
Hmm, probably.
Abandoning further contemplation, Lumina glanced at Herta from the sofa.
"Hey, Little Herta, come lie down with me."
"Just a little nap, and it'll all be over."
The sofa was large, so Lumina patted the empty space beside her, inviting Herta to join her.
"Do you really think I'm as bored as you?" Herta retorted, rolling her eyes.
Yet, despite her words, her body betrayed her. While she didn't lie down beside Lumina, she did sit down beside her.
Lumina lay sprawled on the sofa, while Herta sat beside her, both silent. The only sound in the room was the gentle rhythm of their breathing, enveloped in a serene stillness.
"Hey, Little Herta," Lumina finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"What is it?"
"Even though this sofa is so soft, don't you think it's missing something?"
"Missing something? Aren't all sofas like this?" Herta replied, glancing at Lumina, who lay sprawled on the sofa as if ready to be devoured. Her ears flushed crimson, and a faint blush began to creep across her cheeks. An inexplicable heat flared in her heart.
She quickly averted her gaze, the blush vanishing as if it had never existed.
Extinguishing the nameless fire in her heart, Herta casually examined the sofa's structure but found nothing missing.
The sofas in Penacony's rooms were standard luxury models, equipped with all the usual amenities. What could possibly be missing?
"A pillow, silly," Lumina murmured. As Herta scrutinized the sofa, Lumina surreptitiously shifted closer, bringing their bodies much closer together.
"A pillow? What do you need a pillow for on the sofa? Are you planning to sleep here?" Herta asked, genuinely confused by Lumina's logic.
Never mind why an Emanator needs to sleep at all. The sofa was already so soft, a pillow seemed utterly unnecessary.
"How can anyone sleep without a pillow?" Lumina retorted stubbornly. "No matter how soft the sofa is, I still want one!"
Though Herta didn't voice her thoughts, her slightly incredulous expression spoke volumes. Lumina could practically read her mind.
"Fine, fine," Herta sighed, watching Little Lumina act like a stubborn child. With a wave of her hand, countless purple starlight particles slowly coalesced into a pillow-shaped object.
"Wait!"
Seeing this, Lumina quickly raised her hand to disrupt the slowly forming object.
"Are you out of your mind?" Herta's face instantly hardened, her eyes burning with the urge to give this brat a thorough thrashing.
I'm trying to help you by conjuring a pillow, and you just casually dissolve it? What's wrong with you?!
"Ahem... what I meant to say was, there's a perfectly good pillow right here. There's absolutely no need to waste time and energy conjuring a new one."
Lumina coughed a few times, slowly sat up on the sofa, and stared at Herta's stunningly beautiful face. Her expression was earnest as she said, "Ha? Where's a pillow? Are you suggesting there's something wrong with my eyes?"
Hearing Lumina's words, Herta grew even more irritated.
Her initial impulse to give Little Lumina a sound thrashing had now escalated to two.
"Little Herta, you just don't get it, do you?"
A knowing smile spread across Lumina's face as she wagged a finger repeatedly in front of Herta.
"A pillow... its name doesn't necessarily have to be 'pillow'."
With that, Lumina's gaze gradually drifted downward, finally settling on Herta's straight, slender legs.
Herta: ?
Even Madam Herta, the Emanator of Erudition, felt momentarily puzzled, utterly unable to grasp the meaning behind Lumina's words.
But as Lumina's gaze continued to descend, eventually settling on a certain area, the brilliant Herta instantly understood what that stinky little brat, Little Lumina, was planning.
Clap, clap, clap.
The next moment, Herta's lips curved into a smile as she patted her own thigh, producing a series of delightfully resonant sounds that echoed throughout the room.
Sensing Lumina's gaze growing even more direct at her actions, Herta's smile widened further, as if she could soon stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the sun itself.
Her small face leaned closer until it was just a finger's width from Lumina's cheek. Herta first exhaled a warm breath that brushed against Lumina's face.
Then she said, "Hey, Little Lumina, wanna try it out?"
"Wanna try lying on my lap?"
Pat, pat, pat.
With those words, Herta patted her thigh several more times, creating a series of irresistibly enticing sounds.
"...I do." Completely oblivious to Herta's mischievous intentions, Lumina's attention was entirely focused on Herta's alluring thigh.
Lumina couldn't even imagine how comfortable it would be to lie down there...
"Call me 'Mommy'~"
"Just call me 'Mommy' once, and I'll let you lie down."
"And from now on, whenever you need it, you can lie down anytime, anywhere..."
At that moment, Herta resembled a witch tempting a pure, innocent girl into the Abyss. Every word, every gesture, every fiber of her being exuded an irresistible allure, compelling others to abandon their self-control and willingly plunge into the depths...
But Lumina was no ordinary person. Her initially dazed will instantly snapped back to clarity at Herta's words. With righteous indignation, she declared:
"Ha? You actually want me to call you 'Mommy'?"
"I've treated you like my best friend, my sister, my dearest companion—and you want to be my mother?!"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Lumina waved her hand emphatically, her resolve unwavering.