"Anyway, that's about it. Do you have anything else? Want to chat more?"
"Hmm, it's getting late. I'll take a bath and go to bed soon."
In her hotel room, Lumina glanced at the time. Hearing the shower had stopped, she knew March 7th was probably soaking in the tub.
As Herta's voice came through her phone, Lumina nodded and ended the video call.
"Oh, by the way, once you're done having fun on the Xianzhou, could you come visit the Space Station?" Herta suddenly asked as Lumina was about to hang up.
"Huh? Why?"
"Don't worry about why. Can you come?" A rare hint of anticipation crept into Herta's voice.
Lumina naturally had no reason to refuse.
If even the proud Madam Herta was showing such anticipation, how could Lumina possibly say no?
On the contrary, Herta's eagerness only made her want more!
"I can."
Though she agreed, Lumina knew that in the clash between the "big sister and little sister" dynamics of the ordinary and Herta, anyone too decisive would inevitably lose.
So Lumina first feigned reluctance, then "reluctantly" agreed.
"What's with this act of feigning reluctance and then 'reluctantly' agreeing?" Herta's words cut through Lumina's supposedly flawless performance.
Though Lumina's expression was perfect—not even Madam Herta could detect a flaw—Herta knew Lumina well enough to understand what she was thinking. Her face darkened as she stared silently at Lumina through the phone screen, her eyes revealing a hint of helplessness.
"There's no reluctance, and I'm not feigning anything," Lumina replied, tilting her head slightly. Even after being called out, not a hint of deception showed on her small face. "I was planning to visit Penacony after finishing things up on the Xianzhou."
"Penacony? What do you need to go there for?" Herta asked, puzzled.
Didn't she just leave Penacony? Why go back? Did some new beautiful girl appear over there?
"Hey, hey, hey! What's with that look? Do you really think I'm going to Penacony just to chase after some beautiful girl?" Lumina, having caught Herta's shifting expression, mirrored her earlier speechless expression.
"Can't I ever go to Penacony for legitimate reasons?"
"Why do you always imagine the worst of me?"
"Do you really think I'm the kind of person who freezes in my tracks at the sight of a pretty girl?"
After a moment of speechless exasperation, Lumina's small face gradually hardened with resolve. Her voice grew uncharacteristically firm as she explained herself to Herta, word by word.
But judging by Herta's completely unchanged expression, Lumina's explanation seemed to have no effect whatsoever.
"Mhm, mhm, mhm."
"Right, right, right."
"You're absolutely right."
Not only did Herta's expression remain unchanged, but her responses were also utterly perfunctory.
Herta had lost count of how many times she had tried to confirm whether Lumina was the kind of person who froze in her tracks at the sight of a pretty girl.
The final answer was always the same, without a doubt:
"Yes!"
"Well then, how about this? After you're done with Penacony, if you have any free time, come visit the Space Station."
"Alright, if you don't want to come, you don't have to."
Knowing Lumina was a colossal girl-chaser, Herta couldn't help but feel resigned. She understood that, as a beautiful girl Lumina had already met, her position in Lumina's heart was definitely lower than that of newly acquainted beauties.
Herta waved dismissively and hung up the video call before Lumina could say anything.
The beautiful girl with the pointed Witch Hat vanished from the screen, leaving Lumina feeling a little empty.
"Hmm... maybe I should just head straight to the Space Station after the Xianzhou stuff is over."
"Wait, no... didn't I promise Robin something?"
"Did I even promise her anything?"
Lumina scratched her head, looking down in thought.
"Never mind. Let's stick to the original plan."
"The Luofu, Penacony, then go see Herta."
Without overthinking it, Lumina didn't let this video call with Herta change her original plans.
-
[Lumina: After I finish up with Penacony, I'll come find you at the Space Station.]
Lumina's original plan had been to resolve the Penacony situation and then go have fun with Herta, so she sent her a quick update.
Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~
[Herta: Hmm, I understand.]
[Herta: I have other matters to attend to. I'll log off now.]
[Herta has logged off]
As soon as Lumina sent her message, Herta replied instantly with a few brief messages before her avatar went dark.
"Hmm..." Lumina's gaze remained fixed on her phone, unmoving for a long moment, as if pondering something deeply.
"Is Herta angry? What could she be angry about? Why would she be angry?"
After pondering Herta's series of actions, Lumina finally reached a conclusion.
She scratched her head, a question mark popping up above her head.
"Never mind..."
"Herta's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea."
After pondering for a while without understanding why Herta was angry, Lumina gave up. With a swipe of her finger, she closed the chat window with Herta.
At the same time, she opened the Special Group and began scrolling through the contacts.
After glancing at the still-closed bathroom door, Lumina began sending messages, starting with the first contact and working her way down the list.
Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~
As soon as the messages went out, her phone erupted in a cacophony of notifications, like a string of firecrackers.
Lumina quickly scanned the message interface. Apart from those who couldn't reply immediately, nearly everyone else responded instantly.
Seeing this, a look of satisfaction, enjoyment, and contentment bloomed in Lumina's eyes.
Is there any greater joy in life than sending a message to a beautiful girl and getting an instant reply?
"La-la-la~ La-la-la~ La-la-la~"
Her joy bubbling over, Lumina hummed cheerfully as she began replying to each beautiful girl's messages one by one.
Soon, the room was filled only with her soft humming and the rhythmic tapping of her fingers on the screen.
-
Meanwhile, on the other side...
"Huff... that girl..."
Herta set down her phone and rubbed her temples, the nameless frustration Lumina had sparked within her quickly dissipating.
"Ugh... she's such a scumbag."
"Not just a scumbag, but also dense as a rock. She can't even pick up on obvious hints or blatant signals."
Herta sighed, letting her body slump back in lazy resignation. She gazed up at the ceiling, her eyes filled with helpless exasperation toward Lumina.
"Hmm... maybe... I should just..."
"Just... do it?"
After staring at the ceiling for a long moment, a daringly audacious idea began to form in Herta's mind.
"Sigh..."
"With her level of power, no matter what plan I come up with, it wouldn't even scratch the surface, would it?"
But just as this bold idea took root, Herta personally crushed it, extinguishing its flame before it could fully ignite.
Even if Lumina wasn't quite an Aeon, her current power rivaled that of one.
Even Herta, a member of the Genius Society, had no means to control her.
"Never mind. I'll finish this experiment first and worry about that later," Herta murmured, shaking her head as she rose from her chair, dismissing the thought.
She strode off in a certain direction.
"Hmm..."
As she walked, Herta suddenly stopped, as if struck by an idea.
"Come to think of it, what if I modified all the dolls...?"
"Turn them into the kind Lumina likes—all sorts of beautiful girls..."
"Forget it. Let her do as she pleases."
Just like her earlier audacious plan, this idea was nipped in the bud the moment it surfaced in her mind.
She resumed her steps, her figure gradually disappearing into the darkness.