"Miss Robin! Miss Robin!"
"Miss Robin, I'm your biggest fan!"
"Miss Robin, I love you!"
As Time flowed onward, the Charmony Festival commenced as scheduled. Robin gracefully ascended the Golden Stage, instantly igniting a frenzy akin to a fan meet-and-greet.
"Compared to your fans, hers are less than one-millionth," Herta mused, observing the scene. She couldn't help but compare Robin's devoted followers to Lumina's own.
The disparity was stark.
Lumina's so-called fans were, to put it kindly, just that—fans. But to put it bluntly, they were closer to obsessive stalkers.
Hmm... what Herta meant was that obsessive stalkers were similar to Lumina's fans, not the other way around.
"Fans... my fans?"
"That's right!"
Hearing this, Lumina rested her cheek in her hand and muttered thoughtfully before a sudden flash of inspiration lit up her eyes.
Turning to Herta, she asked, "Herta, are you in my Fan Group?"
"Fan Group? What Fan Group?"
"I'm not even your fan. Why would I join your Fan Group?"
Herta's heart skipped a beat at the question, her fingers involuntarily tightening on the hem of her robe. She felt the tense, exhilarating thrill of being caught red-handed.
But who was Madam Herta? Her composure and worldliness were unparalleled. Faced with Lumina's question, she maintained an impassive expression and flatly denied it.
Joining a fan group doesn't necessarily mean I'm a fan, she reasoned. If I keep denying it and intellectually overwhelm Lumina, she'll never suspect the truth.
So why didn't Herta simply say that? Why the flat denial instead?
The reason was simple:
Because Herta was Lumina's fan...
"Oh, really? That's a bit of a shame," Lumina replied, sighing with genuine regret, showing no signs of suspicion.
Relieved that Lumina didn't press further or tease her, Herta relaxed slightly.
She then asked, "What's going on with your Fan Group? Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong," Lumina shook her head gently, then added with a touch of frustration, "I can't even get into my own Fan Group. No matter what I try, I can't join."
"Even if I managed to sneak in, I'd get kicked out instantly before I could even see the messages."
Herta: "?"
"What do you mean? I don't understand." Despite her genius, Herta blinked in confusion at Lumina's words, looking genuinely puzzled.
"It's just that I can't join my own Fan Group. The Group Owner is like a ghost constantly watching me, knowing everything I do," Lumina explained, at a loss for how else to describe it.
"Can't join? Why can't you join?"
Though Lumina's explanation was vague, Herta grasped the general idea.
Lumina had been targeted by the Group Owner of the Saintess Support Club, preventing her from joining her own Fan Group. Every time she tried to enter, she was immediately kicked out.
"The Group Owner said, 'This is a chat group for fans. Please refrain from crossing the line, Saintess,'" Lumina recounted helplessly.
"Hmm... that actually makes sense. You're better off staying out of it," Herta nodded in agreement, recalling the frenzied atmosphere within the Fan Group.
If Lumina joined and her identity was revealed, the entire group would likely need to be abandoned. After all, the content there... well, it was rather... ahem, rather... interesting.
"Hmm? Wait a minute." Lumina hadn't immediately noticed the oddness in Herta's words and was about to continue speaking when realization struck her.
She eyed Herta suspiciously. "From what you're saying, it sounds like you already know what's inside?"
"You're not... in there, are you?"
"No! Absolutely not! How could I be?!" Herta frantically denied three times in rapid succession, earning a knowing look from Lumina.
"I... Fine, I joined."
Knowing she'd been exposed, Herta abandoned any further attempts to explain or conceal the truth. She realized that denying it now would only reinforce Lumina's suspicions, making her appear both insincere and someone whose actions spoke louder than her words. So, she opted for a magnanimous admission.
But... was she really being so forthright?
Absolutely not.
The tips of her ears were flushed nearly crimson, like someone whose lie had been exposed, leaving her flustered and forced to reveal the truth.
"Hehehe, Little Herta, you're being dishonest~" Knowing Herta was particularly sensitive right now—a gentle poke could trigger a violent reaction—Lumina naturally seized this rare opportunity, completely abandoning the Saintess Support Club issue.
Lumina began a one-on-one "educational session" with Little Herta, the kind reserved for dishonest children who love to lie.
"So, why did you lie?"
"Joining my Fan Group doesn't mean anything. Why lie about it?"
"Are you perhaps feeling guilty about something?"
Lumina cut straight to the point, skipping any unnecessary preliminaries and placing heavy emphasis on the word "guilty."
"Don't feel guilty! Just be brave and tell me."
"No matter what it is, I'll give you endless encouragement."
Lumina spoke with the calculated sweetness of a manipulative older sister trying to coax a naive little girl into confessing her secrets.
If I actually told you, you'd just pretend you never asked... Herta muttered inwardly.
She was absolutely certain that if she confessed her guilty secret, Lumina would trot out her classic line: "One thing at a time."
Shaking her head, Herta took a deep breath and gradually regained her composure. She then began to explain, "It's just that your Fan Group is... well, it's just too much."
"Besides, how could I possibly say something like that in front of the real deal?"
"After the opening ceremony of the Charmony Festival ends, you can ask that little bird yourself. Ask her if she's joined your Fan Group."
"She'll tell you, but she definitely won't answer right away."
"She'll hesitate, conflicted..."
"Because you're the real deal, she'll feel a little embarrassed to admit it."
Herta truly lived up to her reputation as a genius, diverting attention while also bringing up Robin, another fellow fan.
As for how Herta knew Robin was a member of the Saintess Support Club? Had they interacted in the group chat?
Absolutely not. In that group, you couldn't even recognize your closest friends.
And of course, Herta had no way of knowing for sure if Robin was actually in the group.
But...
Given Robin's fanatical devotion to Lumina, Herta would never believe for a moment that Robin wasn't in the group.