"Lumina has no intention of intervening. She says that with Robin present, Sunday—that obsessive brother—has no chance of winning."
"I see... But to break through Ena's Dream's shroud, we need an Emanator-level entity to act. Lumina is our best candidate."
Click...
Just as Herta and Acheron were discussing this in the corridor of The Reverie Hotel, the door to the room suddenly opened. Lumina appeared before them, her face radiating a gentle smile, utterly devoid of any morning grumpiness.
"Acheron, it's good to see you again." Lumina nodded to Acheron first.
"Mm, Lumina, it's good to see you too," Acheron replied with a nod.
After greeting Acheron, Lumina's gaze shifted to Herta.
Ever since what happened earlier, Lumina had found herself slightly hesitant to meet Herta's eyes directly...
She shook her head, banishing the thought, and offered a warm smile. "I'm so sorry, Little Herta. I didn't expect to fall asleep so suddenly."
"I... It's fine..." Herta replied, her expression betraying nothing as she gazed at Lumina's face. Yet her gaze involuntarily drifted away, unable to meet Lumina's eyes directly.
Her voice remained calm, revealing almost no hint of vulnerability.
As for what had transpired between them in the room earlier, she would bury it deep within her heart forever...
Had Herta dared to meet Lumina's eyes at that moment, she would have noticed the flicker of panic hidden in their depths.
Alas, Herta averted her eyes, missing this vital clue...
Similarly, had Lumina dared to look directly into Herta's eyes, she would have seen the flicker of panic hidden in their depths.
Regrettably, Lumina also averted her eyes, missing this vital clue...
After their brief exchange, an awkward silence settled between them. Though they stood face-to-face, their eyes remained averted, and conversation flowed with less ease than before. It seemed the earlier incident had left a deep impact on both of them...
However, this tension only strained their friendship; it had not affected their other feelings. Given time, their relationship would likely return to normal.
[ Acheron:? ]
Acheron glanced at Lumina, then at Herta, sensing a subtle anomaly.
Why did their gazes drift away when they looked at each other?
Acheron was puzzled, trying to understand but failing.
In normal conversation, people either meet each other's eyes directly, look at their cheeks, or turn their heads to focus on objects or scenery.
But these two... even though they were facing each other, why did their eyes keep shifting elsewhere?
Shaking her head, Acheron didn't dwell on it. She spoke calmly, "Since Lumina doesn't plan to act, then I'll take the final step in inverting Ena's Dream."
As she said this, it seemed she had only noticed the oddness in their gazes, not the peculiar atmosphere surrounding them.
Come to think of it, as a Self-Annihilator of the Nihility, how could Acheron possibly understand the complex expressions on Lumina and Herta's faces?
(Herta is likely Lumina's closest confidante. No future events in the main story will surpass the intimacy they shared in this room.)