"Someone has awakened from the dream."
In a room at The Reverie Hotel, three figures were gathered, yet they seemed lost in their own worlds, with no conversation between them.
Herta stood with her back turned, her face flushed, lost in thought. Lumina sat on the sofa, her head bowed, her expression inscrutable.
Acheron, her eyes closed, continuously monitored the progress of Ena's Dream. Soon, she opened her eyes and spoke, her words jolting the other two out of their reveries.
"Then... good luck to you both. I'll await your good news." Hearing this, Lumina briefly sensed the dream's currents and realized the first to awaken was Black Swan, the Memokeeper.
The second to awaken was Stelle, following closely behind Black Swan.
The awakening of these two had a ripple effect, gradually pulling others out of their dream. It seemed it wouldn't be long before the entire Astral Express Crew was fully awake.
Lumina's expression remained unchanged, merely offering a slight nod.
"I see... Well, I'll be going then." Acheron nodded, understanding Lumina's position, and pushed open the door to leave the room.
As Acheron departed, only Lumina and Herta remained in the room.
Herta: ...
Lumina: ...
Perhaps their earlier interactions in the room had erected an unspoken barrier between them, plunging the once-chatty pair into a deep silence.
Well, actually, that's not entirely true. Only Madam Herta had fallen silent.
After all, Lumina still didn't realize that her pretense of sleep had been completely exposed in Herta's heart.
Herta, on the other hand, was mortified that Lumina had witnessed her every move. The overwhelming embarrassment flooded her brain, leaving her unable to think clearly and utterly silenced.
As the embarrassment gradually subsided, she would inevitably realize one crucial point:
Why didn't Lumina stop me when I was touching her, even though she was clearly pretending to be asleep?
Once Madam Herta grasped this, Little Lumina might just be... in trouble?
"Ahem, Little Herta, shall we go watch the show?" Lumina asked, her voice betraying a hint of panic as she gazed at Herta's back, unable to see her face or discern what she was thinking.
It's as if letting Herta continue pondering would unleash something terrifying upon me, Lumina thought.
Though she didn't believe the tiny Little Herta could cause any real trouble, Lumina decided to play it safe, inventing a flimsy excuse to interrupt her thoughts.
This wasn't out of fear, but rather to spare Herta the humiliation of seeing all her attacks rendered useless, which would inevitably lead to tears and tantrums.
"Huh? Oh, uh, sure!" Herta quickly patted her flushed cheeks, attempting to dispel the redness.
Once the burning sensation subsided, she regained her usual genius-like composure, crossing her arms and staring impassively at Little Lumina.
"Didn't you say you wouldn't interfere?"
"Not interfering doesn't mean I can't watch the show, does it?" Lumina shrugged, implying there was no contradiction.
"Besides, there's nothing else to do now—no people, no scenery, no good food. What else can we do but watch the show?"
This was shaping up to be the most boring part of Penacony. Aside from watching the epic clash between the Astral Express Crew and Sunday, Lumina couldn't think of anything else to do.
"We could... never mind, let's just watch the show."
Hearing Lumina's words, Herta almost blurted out, "We could continue with the lap pillow from earlier." But remembering her earlier behavior and the strange, nameless impulse that had stirred within her when Lumina had been lying across her lap, she quickly retracted the suggestion.
"Alright, then let's... hmm?"
"Hm? Hmmm!"
Lumina nodded and started to rise, intending to join Herta in watching the spectacle. But the next moment, her gaze fell on her own leg, swathed in her white dress, and then on Herta, arms crossed and face radiating her signature genius arrogance. Her eyes lit up, and a mischievous smile slowly spread across her lips.
"What are you planning?" Herta raised an eyebrow, sensing trouble.
When Lumina makes that face, nothing good ever comes of it.
Sure enough, Lumina stopped rising, settling back onto the sofa with perfect composure. Her legs remained neatly pressed together, exuding an air of refined elegance.
Pat, pat...
Lumina patted her thigh invitingly, as if to say, Such a supple thigh, wouldn't you like to lie down and enjoy a lap pillow?
"What are you trying to do?" Herta asked, her mind immediately jumping back to that line of thought. But given their previous encounter, she hesitated to fully embrace it...
"Is it really so hard to understand?" Lumina tilted her head, her face still bearing that infuriatingly gentle smile.
Well, it's hard to feel genuine anger. Another kind of heat, however, rises very easily...
Pat, pat, pat...
Lumina patted her thigh again. Seeing that Herta still hadn't moved, she urged, "What are you waiting for? Come on!"
"A lap pillow from the Saintess herself? If we put this on the Cosmic Community, it would fetch an astronomical price."
"But you get it for free! Hurry up and lie down, then say 'Thank you, Miss Lumina!' ten thousand times."
"Ten thousand times: 'Miss Lumina is a peerless gem! Miss Luminais an unrivaled genius! Miss Lumina is an inimitable beauty!'"
Clap, clap, clap...
Lumina patted her thigh once more, her expression utterly serious. If it weren't for that earnest look, one might mistake her invitation as blatant seduction.
"Ha? I'm not some pervert like you. I have no interest in other people's thighs," Herta snorted, her tone dripping with sarcasm, after confirming that Lumina's words matched her true intentions.
However, despite her words, Madam Herta's gaze remained fixed on Lumina's thighs, her eyes betraying a deep curiosity, longing, and a desire to try them for herself.
"Little Herta, you're being dishonest! You're saying one thing but feeling another," Lumina observed, her eyes capturing every nuance of Herta's hidden emotions.
Hearing this, Lumina mirrored Herta's earlier expression, her lips curving upward in a smile so wide it seemed she could rival the sun.
"It's just a lack of interest. Don't overthink it," Herta insisted, oblivious to the fact that her inner thoughts had already been exposed. She turned slightly away, crossed her arms, and adopted an indifferent facade, pretending not to care.
"Oh~ is that so?" Little Lumina replied, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
"If that's the case, then..."
"But... if you begged me, I might just humor you."
Just as Lumina was about to get up, Herta suddenly reached out and twirled a strand of her hair around her finger, saying, "Little Herta, you're being so unreasonable! Every member of my Support Club would give up their entire fortune for a chance to rest their head on my lap, and you get it for free, yet you're still not happy?"
"If you don't want it, fine. But then you make me beg you to lie down on my lap? If word of this gets out, my fans will explode tomorrow!"
Anticipating Herta's predictable response, Lumina feigned extreme displeasure and huffed coldly.
"I'm sorry, I—"
"But considering our relationship, I suppose I'll reluctantly indulge you this once."
Hearing this, Herta was about to explain when Lumina's expression instantly transformed. The feigned displeasure vanished completely, replaced by a mischievous grin that utterly betrayed her Saintess persona.
"Come on, pretty please, Little Herta!"
"Hurry up, hurry up!"
"Sister Lumina's lap pillow~"
Pat, pat, pat...
Lumina chuckled as she patted her thigh repeatedly, the sound echoing through the room.
Herta: ...
Why does this feel so familiar?