"Little Swarm, who taught you that saying?"
Knowing March 7th and the others were safe, Lumina focused her full attention on Little Swarm after hearing her outburst.
Though she already knew the answer, she asked with earnest concern.
"Stelle taught me," Little Swarm replied truthfully. "She said it was super badass and would intimidate the opponent, perfectly demonstrating my overwhelming power."
Hearing this, Lumina wore an expression that said, "Just as I thought."
She gritted her teeth, an inexplicable urge rising within her to pin Stelle over her lap and spank her soundly.
Hmm... though... maybe Stelle would consider that a reward?
No, Lumina thought, let's drop the "maybe." This would definitely be a reward!
We can drop the "would" too.
If spanking her was a reward, then yelling at her probably was too.
Thinking about it this way... was Lumina truly helpless against Stelle?
Lumina sighed inwardly. Well, if I can't get through to Stelle, I'll start with Little Swarm.
Snapping back to attention, Lumina gazed at Little Swarm with the tender concern of a mother addressing her beloved daughter.
"Little Swarm," she said gently, "from now on, you shouldn't listen to Stelle so much anymore."
"I mean, don't listen to some of her nonsense."
"Like when she threatens to crush you with her butt, or when she says rummaging through the Trash Can is 'sacred'... things like that, don't listen to any of it."
"Before you do anything, remember to think for yourself first."
Lumina's demeanor and tone were just like a mother desperately trying to keep her beloved daughter from being led astray by a shady character like Yellow Fur. Her worry was palpable.
"Mm-hmm, I understand," Little Swarm nodded without question or doubt, her heart absorbing Lumina's words like a sponge.
"Good, good." Lumina felt a wave of relief as Little Swarm obediently nodded her agreement.
Shifting her gaze from Little Swarm, Lumina's eyes settled back on the Wardance Ceremony arena.
"Ugh... I wonder if putting Little Swarm by Stelle's side was really the right decision..."
Though Lumina's gaze was fixed on the Wardance Ceremony arena, her mind remained occupied with thoughts about Little Swarm.
Initially, Lumina had placed Little Swarm with Stelle, hoping she would join the Astral Express family.
After all, back then, Little Swarm was like a blank slate, and the warm, welcoming atmosphere of the Astral Express seemed perfect for her.
But...
Lumina had forgotten something crucial. Lost in thoughts of the Astral Express's ideal environment, she overlooked her own earlier words.
What she had explicitly said was for Little Swarm to stay by Stelle's side.
This was the surface meaning, while the unspoken implication was for Little Swarm to join the Astral Express.
Though she hadn't said it directly, Stelle had undoubtedly understood.
As it turned out, Stelle had indeed understood, and Little Swarm had successfully joined the Astral Express family.
However...
Because of Lumina's roundabout approach, Stelle had taken the phrase "stay by my side" quite literally.
Back on the Space Station, Lumina had thought Stelle and Little Swarm's "Big Sis/Little Bro" banter was just a joke.
But who would have thought...
It was actually true!
Given Stelle's personality, as Little Swarm's big sis, she would naturally teach her Stelle's Code of Cosmic Survival.
Everyone knew exactly what Stelle was like.
So Himeko and March 7th must have tried to intervene, otherwise Little Swarm would probably be Stelle's second clone by now...
Sigh... Oh well, as long as she's happy.
Though Stelle's personality was a bit... ahem... unrestrained? Under her influence, Little Swarm would inevitably develop a similarly unrestrained personality over time.
This could actually be good for Little Swarm.
After all, the way she is now...
Lumina glanced at Little Swarm.
Little Swarm was currently extremely shy. Gradually evolving toward an unrestrained personality might not be such a bad thing for her, after all...
Lumina shook her head, dismissing the thought, and focused her attention on the Wardance Ceremony's arena.
"It's almost my turn to go on stage~"
"I'm gonna show off!"