Even 'Little Herta' had no clue what Herta was going on about now.
Did this woman even remember how this system was supposed to work?
Too bad, 'Little Herta's' exasperation didn't quite make it through to Herta's heart.
"I don't buy it! You definitely used some memory trick, right? How about you let me take a look inside that head of yours?"
"..."
'Little Herta' was momentarily speechless.
Dammit. That was one dare she couldn't take, because she'd literally just done that.
But okay, sure, she'd done it, but her reasons had absolutely nothing to do with Herta, alright?!
Seeing her flustered, Herta's face immediately lit up with a supremely smug expression.
"Mhmhm~ Called it, didn't I? You totally cheated!"
As she spoke, Herta turned and exchanged a glance with Ruan Mei.
"Round two?"
"Mm, round two."
"Huh?"
Even though 'Little Herta' kind of wanted a do-over too, having it happen for this reason...
It just felt wrong.
Her reaction only made Herta raise an eyebrow, a curious look on her face.
"What, are you that scared of me seeing? Come on, it's not a big deal, even if you did turn out like me."
"...I keep telling you, that's not why I cheated."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Point is, no more cheating this time. This is about rebuilding your body, and I shouldn't have to remind you twice, should I?"
Herta gave a dismissive nod, then added one more nagging remark for good measure.
Before 'Little Herta' could reply, Ruan Mei, who'd been watching from the side, suddenly spoke up with a light laugh:
"Herta, you're actually starting to sound like an older sister now."
"Well, she's the one who started calling herself that. I suppose I can reluctantly fill the role."
Herta, seemingly having already sorted out her own feelings on the matter, even puffed out her chest a little at Ruan Mei's teasing, accepting the title.
Then, she turned back, reached out, and poked 'Little Herta' squarely in the cheek.
"System diagnostic complete. I'm formatting and rebooting. No using Remembrance powers this time, got it?"
"Fine, fine. You really had to nag again? Don't you trust me?"
Herta just hummed softly in response, then looked back at Ruan Mei.
"Perfect, Ruan Mei, you keep an eye on her."
"Hey—"
Ignoring 'Little Herta's' protest, Ruan Mei just smiled and gave a little nod, accepting the task.
As for the indignant 'Little Herta', Madam Herta simply placed a hand on her forehead and gently pushed her back into place.
Deleting the previous data, restarting the Halo.
As for Aha?
Boredom wasn't exactly in THEIR vocabulary.
Not only did THEY not find it tedious, watching 'Little Herta' squirm under the misunderstanding, completely unable to explain herself, was genuinely entertaining.
So, Aha decided to get involved again.
This time, things went much the same as before.
The overall image was, once again, twisted by Aha into a flawlessly beautiful white-haired girl, but this time, there were adjustments to the features.
Like... adding a touch of Herta, a hint of Ruan Mei, a dash of Celenova. Oh, and a sprinkle of a few others too.
Just imagining the look of self-doubt on 'Little Herta's' face when she saw the result.
It made Aha want to laugh.
The Halo System hummed to life, connected to the Simulated Universe, and spat out the result once more.
This time.
The white dress clung more closely to her form, and her legs were now encased in sleek, full-coverage material reminiscent of Celenova's style.
But the headpiece and veil remained, even more ornate than before.
What was truly startling, however.
Was the change in her face.
"Mhmhm, see? I told you you liked me. This face is clearly a lot like mine now."
Herta's lips curled into a triumphant smirk, a look of absolute victory on her face.
Ruan Mei studied her for a long moment, then suddenly noticed that the arch of her brow, the set of her eyes, seemed a little familiar.
Even her aura carried faint echoes of Celenova.
"She looks a bit like me too. And I can vaguely sense something of Celenova's presence in her bearing."
"Celenova? Oh... you're right. And hang on, I'm also getting a hint of Demiurge?"
It was only after Ruan Mei pointed it out that Herta took a step back to really look.
She hadn't noticed before, but now that she looked, it was definitely there.
A softness reminiscent of Harmony, mixed with a touch of Destruction's inherent edge.
Plus, Herta had a pretty strong impression of Demiurge, so she could see that influence too.
As for the others, Herta didn't know them well enough to pick up on anything specific, but she figured the influences were probably there, she just wasn't familiar enough to spot them.
While the two of them were absorbed in their commentary, 'Little Herta' was genuinely starting to doubt herself.
Was this... right?
She'd always been so sure she could keep herself separate from the personas she adopted.
She'd never once felt confused about her own identity after a roleplay.
So why, after just one restart, was she actually manifesting the traits of characters she'd played before?
She'd been completely honest this time, and hadn't used any powers at all.
How could this be happening...
It didn't make any sense??
'Little Herta' racked her brain, but came up with nothing.
No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't find a flaw. So, after eliminating all other possibilities, there was only one logical conclusion left: the damn System was to blame!
This System definitely had some ulterior motive, trying to turn her into a cute girl, manipulating things behind the scenes!
System: ...?
Having reached this conclusion, 'Little Herta's' heart sank.
No hope left. Might as well give up.
If the system's almighty hand was going to this much trouble just to turn her into a cute girl...
Then what could she even say? At least she'd still be in one piece at the end of it.
--+--
In a place beyond their perception.
Aha's laughter echoed endlessly.
Bai Ming's utterly dumbfounded expression, the sheer existential crisis playing out on their face, was just too good.
Delightful. Absolutely delightful to watch.
And this constant self-reflection, this questioning of their own being, only added weight to Bai Ming's 'existence'.
Those subtle similarities in appearance would also help forge stronger connections with those important individuals.
Sure, Aha was a goofball, but THEY genuinely wanted Bai Ming to stick around in this world for a long, long time.
So this whole "face-sculpting, body-reshaping" business?
Aha was determined to see it through to the very end!
--+--
Herta was in a fantastic mood.
"See? My beauty is simply unmatched. Bai Ming, you have excellent taste."
"I don't... I really didn't..."
"Still in denial? Can't you just admit it now?"
'Little Herta' was at a complete loss. She couldn't explain her way out of this one. No, really, this time it was impossible.
Actually, it was more like she couldn't even understand her own true feelings anymore.
Could it be... she really did like Herta that much, like Herta kept insisting??
But there were parts that looked like Ruan Mei too, and even Celenova...
It's not like she fell for everyone she met, right?
She was pretty sure she wasn't that kind of person.
'Little Herta' opened her mouth to argue back, but Ruan Mei spoke first, voicing the thought she hadn't quite gotten out.
"Hmm... so, according to Herta's logic, Bai Ming is quite the flirt?"
"Huh? Oh, right! The little rascal almost slipped that one past us!"
"???"
This wasn't right?!
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL