"Miss Black Swan, I didn't expect we'd meet again so soon."
"Indeed, it seems fate has orchestrated a connection between us."
Lumina turned to face Black Swan, who was slowly descending the stairs, and offered her a warm, genuine smile.
Black Swan approached the group with Stelle. In response to Lumina's greeting, her face stiffened slightly, and she forced a dry laugh.
"Aha ha... Miss Lumina is right. There must be some fate-ordained connection between us..."
"We only parted a short while ago, yet here we are again."
Black Swan composed herself. With so many people around, Lumina certainly wouldn't try anything... right? At least, she shouldn't...
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Black Swan shifted her gaze to Himeko and gestured toward Stelle behind her. "Miss Himeko, as promised, I've brought the child back."
Hearing this, Himeko nodded gratefully at Black Swan, then turned her concerned gaze to Stelle. "Stelle, are you alright?" she asked, her voice filled with genuine worry. "We couldn't find you in either reality or the Dream just now. We were so worried."
Himeko thoroughly examined Stelle from head to toe and side to side. Only after confirming there were no injuries did she finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Um... Sister Lumina, you really shouldn't let these sly Big Sisters trick you..."
Having observed Black Swan and Lumina's interaction earlier, March 7th seized the opportunity while they were speaking with Himeko to sidle up to Lumina. Speaking with earnest concern, her tone resembled that of a child warning their mother about online scams: "This Black Swan looks super suspicious. Sister Lumina, you have to be careful around her. Always keep at least a meter's distance, and definitely avoid any physical contact with her..."
March 7th's inner calculations practically leaped onto Lumina's face.
"Alright, little March. I'll keep my distance from her."
Instead of offering any explanation to Black Swan, Lumina reached out and gently patted March 7th's head, nodding in agreement.
"Mmm, mmm." Basked in Sister Lumina's affectionate head pats, March 7th beamed sweetly.
"So, the one who attacked you was a woman in red, skilled in illusions, and capable of shapeshifting?"
While the head-patting was underway, Stelle explained the whole story to Himeko and Welt.
"To be precise, it was a little girl," Lumina corrected, withdrawing her hand with March 7th's lingering, reluctant gaze following her.
"Hmm? Does Miss Lumina know this person?"
"Yes, if there isn't another like her in Penacony, then I do." Lumina nodded, but instead of elaborating, she turned her gaze to Black Swan and said:
"But when it comes to familiarity, Miss Black Swan is undoubtedly more familiar, right?"
"After all, you even played that childish detective game with the Child, didn't you?"
Black Swan: ...
Though it wasn't exactly a secret, hearing it from Lumina's lips made Black Swan deeply uncomfortable.
Truth be told, Black Swan regretted accepting Sparkle's invitation to play "Detective Game." If she hadn't, she wouldn't have run into Lumina so quickly and wouldn't have given her this leverage.
Hmm... Though Lumina already had some leverage over me before this.
Black Swan regretted causing trouble for Acheron even more...
But after a moment's reflection, she didn't really care anymore.
After all, when someone holds a single piece of leverage over you, you might panic, fear, and worry. But when they simultaneously acquire a whole stack of leverage, you stop caring altogether.
Let Lumina do as she pleases. Even if she uses this leverage to make outrageously excessive demands, Black Swan wouldn't resist in the slightest. She'd let Lumina have her way completely...
Ugh... Come to think of it, could Lumina actually be lusting after my body?
Recalling Lumina's inappropriate handling of "Lady Sparkle's corpse" earlier, Black Swan's mind suddenly cleared... Though she had never experienced anything like this before, she knew that if Lumina truly used these "leverage points" to make demands...
Black Swan would be powerless to resist. With the evidence in Lumina's hands, she could only submit in humiliation. Yet, as she pondered further, Black Swan realized another possibility: if resistance was futile, why not simply enjoy it?
After all, considering Lumina's stunning beauty... she might even be coming out ahead in this exchange?
Shaking her head to dispel such thoughts, Black Swan refocused on Himeko and the others, saying, "Her name is Sparkle. She's a Masked Fool who infiltrated Penacony."
"Mm... You can all rest assured. After this incident, she won't be targeting any of you for a while."
"Right now, she's either had her attention drawn elsewhere, or she's gloating somewhere, basking in the satisfaction of having pulled off this scheme perfectly."
"Even as a Masked Fool, she still craves the Gaze."
Black Swan rested her chin in her hand, offering her assessment of Sparkle.
"You seem to know her well?"
"Of course. I understand everyone here," Black Swan replied with graceful poise, her lips curving into a knowing smile.
"In Penacony, everyone might lie—except for Memories."
She tilted her elegant head slightly, striking the air of an all-knowing diviner as she delivered a cryptic statement.
Pfft... Seeing that smile and Black Swan's dramatic expression, Lumina couldn't contain her laughter.
"Ahem... Excuse me. I just thought of something funny. Please continue."
Feeling everyone's eyes on her, Lumina quickly suppressed her smile and waved her hand, gesturing for the others to continue.
She couldn't help it. Ever since that ball, Lumina had developed an uncontrollable urge to laugh whenever she saw Black Swan flash her signature "all under control" smile.
Black Swan: ...
I forgot... In Penacony, Lumina is the one person I can't truly understand.
The Cosmos' rumors about Lumina's supposed holiness, kindness, and other virtues were utter nonsense peddled by clickbait merchants.
Black Swan had almost begun to suspect that Lumina herself might have been the one spreading these flattering rumors.
"Ha ha... Let's continue," Black Swan said, lowering her slightly raised head, a hint of embarrassment flickering in her eyes. She naturally knew what Lumina was thinking.
"Sister Lumina, what's so funny?" The innocent and naive March 7th, oblivious to the embarrassment in Black Swan's eyes, couldn't help but ask, curious about what had made her Lumina laugh.
If it made even Sister Lumina laugh, it must be truly hilarious!
March 7th's pure, clear eyes sparkled with curiosity, eager to know what the story was.
"It's about an elegant and confident Black Swan who accidentally wandered into the wrong place and had her feathers stripped off by a hunter," Lumina said gently, stroking March 7th's head.
"Stripped off? Did the hunter cook and eat the Black Swan in the end?" March 7th asked, her voice full of concern.
Black Swan: ...
"Ahem, Miss March 7th, for the sake of our upcoming operation, let's quickly discuss our strategy."
Hearing this, Black Swan's composure cracked. Afraid Lumina would reveal her embarrassing past right there, she quickly interjected.
"Mm, Black Swan is right. Let's discuss our strategy," Lumina agreed, winking playfully at Black Swan before nodding her approval.
A sly chuckle crept into Lumina's heart as she spoke in a soft voice, perfectly audible to everyone present: "Little March, after this is over, I'll tell you the whole story from beginning to end, in meticulous detail~"
"Me too, me too!" Stelle exclaimed, eagerly raising her hand.
Though she had no idea what the story was about and little interest in it, Stelle couldn't resist hearing something Sister Lumina found so amusing.
Well, that's just a bonus. The real reason is to deepen my bond with Sister Lumina!
Black Swan: ...
"Alright, I'll tell you both after this is resolved," Lumina said with a smile.
She winked at Black Swan again, as if to say, "Don't worry, I'll be discreet. The story will be heavily embellished and modified—enough to protect your identity and prevent you from being disgraced."
Black Swan: ...
Understanding the meaning behind Lumina's wink only made Black Swan feel even more uneasy...
If my dark history gets the Lumina treatment, it'll be more than just disgrace... it'll be utter ruin!