"Mmm... so comfy!"
Herta Space Station, inside Herta's Office.
After an unknown amount of time, Lumina, who was lying on the "pillow," gradually opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was Madam Herta's stunningly beautiful face.
"Oh my, I never realized how lucky I am."
"To wake up and immediately be greeted by Madam Herta's unparalleled beauty... I, Lumina, feel truly honored."
Not in any hurry to get up, Lumina lingered a little longer on the Cosmos's number one "body pillow," a smile gracing her lips as she spoke.
"Hmph. Wipe that lingering sleepiness from your eyes already." Herta snorted at her words but didn't slap Lumina away.
"Hmm... sleepiness?" Lumina murmured, taking a moment to assess her body's condition.
"Oh?"
And then she noticed something very interesting.
Because Lumina trusted Herta completely—believing she wasn't the type to take advantage of her while she slept—she hadn't set up any defenses, relying solely on her body's natural self-protection.
These self-protection mechanisms would only activate under extremely severe conditions.
Of course, the point Lumina wanted to make had nothing to do with that.
She realized she had been lying on Herta's lap "pillow" for far longer than a single System Hour...
No, not just far longer—it was completely incomparable to a single System Hour.
Based on her body's internal clock, Lumina estimated she had slept on Herta's lap "pillow" for about twelve System Hours.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. As expected of Madam Herta.
She said one System Hour, but her actions were quite honest, weren't they?
Lumina chuckled inwardly.
"Heh heh."
Of course, she also chuckled aloud, making no effort to hide it. She was deliberately letting Herta know.
Madam Herta's body and words aren't on the same page, are they?
"Hmph! Who knows how you managed to sleep like a log?" Seeing Lumina's smirk, Herta snorted coldly and immediately shifted the blame onto her.
"I was going to wake you after one System Hour, but who could have guessed you'd sleep so soundly?"
"As your good older sister, how could I bear to wake my little sister from such a deep sleep?"
"So I decided to wait for you to wake up on your own... But who could have guessed you'd sleep for twelve whole System Hours?"
Herta crossed her arms and snorted again, still not shoving Lumina off her lap.
"You..."
"Now, shouldn't you finally keep your word and get off my lap?"
"We've wasted so much time. I really need to start preparing for my meeting with the Droid Head now."
Lumina opened her mouth to say something in response.
But before she could utter a word, Herta's voice cut in, overriding hers and signaling for her to get off her lap immediately.
"Can you bear to see me leave?" Hearing this, Lumina didn't get up right away. Instead, she winked playfully at Herta.
"Of course I can. Why wouldn't I? I'm dying for you to leave."
"You've been lying on my lap for so long, how could I possibly not want you to leave?" Herta snorted coldly, her tone dripping with disbelief, as if questioning Lumina's sanity.
"Alright, alright, I'm going." Hearing this, Lumina simply nodded and rose from Herta's lap.
"..." As the weight suddenly vanished from her lap, Herta felt a pang of emptiness in her heart.
"What's wrong? Feeling a little empty now?" Lumina noticed the change in Herta's expression, a smirk playing on her lips.
This tsundere Madam Herta is just too adorable!
"Ha? What on earth are you thinking?" Herta quickly suppressed the feeling of emptiness and shot Lumina a look that screamed, Are you trying to be funny?
"I was wondering if Madam Herta would feel empty now that I'm gone," Lumina said, not bothering to hide her thoughts.
"..." Completely caught off guard by Lumina's directness, Herta fell silent for a moment before replying, "If I were the one enjoying the lap pillow instead of you, perhaps I'd feel empty."
"But unfortunately for you, you were the one on my lap, not the other way around. I don't feel the slightest bit of regret about you leaving."
"In fact, I'm only happy you're gone."
Pat! Pat! Pat!
Hearing this, Lumina didn't say anything more. Instead, she patted her own thighs, as if gesturing something.
"..." Herta stared, momentarily stunned, before quickly understanding. "Are you... asking me to lie on your lap?"
"Exactly. Didn't you just say you'd feel empty if you were the one enjoying the lap pillow?"
"Well, now's your chance to try."
Pat! Pat! Pat!
With that, Lumina patted her thighs again.
"..."
"Who wants to lie on your lap? I'm not you—I don't have a habit of using other people's thighs as pillows."
Herta's gaze lingered on Lumina's lap for a moment, and she had to admit she was tempted. But she hated the feeling of being led around by the nose like this.
So...
No matter how tempted she was, no matter how much she wanted to enjoy Lumina's lap pillow, Herta forced herself to look away.
She let out a cold huff, signaling she wasn't that kind of person.
"Oh~ So the esteemed Madam Herta isn't that kind of person," Lumina said, taking in Herta's every expression. A knowing, meaningful smile spread across her face.
She then sighed dramatically and drew her legs back. "In that case, I was too forward."
"If only I'd known that the unparalleled, brilliant, and breathtakingly beautiful Madam Herta wasn't that kind of person, I never would have made such an offer." Lumina theatrically wiped away nonexistent tears, her face a mask of self-reproach.
But this "self-reproach" was so transparently fake it barely qualified as acting.
She was openly telling Herta, I'm just putting on a show.
She was openly telling Herta, I don't believe a word you're saying.
"...You..." Herta gritted her teeth, her fingers twitching. She nearly summoned her "magic wand" to give Lumina a good...
"Doesn't Madam Herta still need to prepare for her audience with the Aeon?"
"You should go now. I won't disturb you any longer."
Seeing Herta on the verge of exploding, Lumina decided to quit while she was ahead. Her expression instantly returned to normal.
She straightened her posture, folded her hands neatly on her lap, and a faint, gentle smile graced her lips. In an instant, she transformed from a mischievous woman into a dignified, holy, and selflessly devoted Saintess.
"Your acting skills... are truly impressive," Herta couldn't help but remark, witnessing Lumina's seamless transformation.
Herta had seen people change their expressions quickly. She'd even seen people change their entire demeanor quickly.
But someone like Lumina, who could switch both her expression and her entire persona so fluidly—it made you wonder if the mischievous woman from moments ago was truly the same person as this pure, Saintess-like figure before her.
Shaking her head, Herta didn't dwell on it.
She wasn't overly concerned with Lumina's acting skills.
There was only one thing weighing on Herta's mind:
Her rejection of Lumina's lap pillow invitation...
-
"Hmm... Speaking of which," Lumina said, sitting on the sofa and watching Herta adjust several mirrors around her. "The simulated Nous nearly destroyed the entire Space Station. Are you sure it's okay to summon the real Nous here?"
"You seem to underestimate the members of the Genius Society. And you also seem to underestimate Madam Herta," Herta replied without missing a beat, still focused on her task. She used the same line she had before.
"Wow, the members of the Genius Society are so amazing!"
"Wow, Madam Herta is so amazing too!"
"Here's a gold star for you~"
As Lumina finished her "praise" and "reward," a small, gold star suddenly appeared on Herta's chest.
"..."
Herta glanced down at the inexplicably materialized star, the corner of her mouth twitching.
What kind of lunatic is she...
She silently cursed in her mind but didn't bother responding to Lumina or removing the flower. Instead, she continued adjusting the mirrors.
"Oh, right. If something goes wrong later, lend me a hand," Herta said, pausing her work on the mirrors as if she'd just remembered something.
"Lend you a hand?" Lumina replied, her expression turning to confusion. "The great Madam Herta, the esteemed Genius Society #83, didn't you just tell me not to underestimate you?"
"Since the great Madam Herta said so, I definitely won't underestimate you."
"I know, you must be too embarrassed to say it directly."
"What you really mean is that I shouldn't interfere no matter what happens, right?"
Lumina—now Lumina Holmes—put on an all-knowing expression, indicating she had completely deciphered Herta's true intentions.
"..."
"You..."
"Alright, alright, I'm just kidding! Just teasing you to cheer you up."
Herta clenched her teeth and turned to face Lumina, about to say something, but Lumina cut her off, admitting her mistake first.
"Hmph, I don't need your help anymore. The space station is empty anyway. Even if something goes wrong, no innocents will be harmed," Herta snorted, making it clear she no longer required Lumina's assistance.
"Alright, alright," Lumina replied without further argument.
If Herta doesn't need my help, why should I butt in?
Hmm...
Of course, I'll butt in to make her owe me a favor.
If something went wrong during Herta's audience with the Aeon, Lumina would definitely intervene. That was a given.
First, the space station held the memories of many people. Even if it were rebuilt, some things would surely be lost forever.
Second, as Lumina had thought, she wanted Herta to owe her a favor.
Just because Herta told her not to interfere didn't mean she really didn't want her to.
When dealing with a tsundere, you just had to assume she meant the opposite of what she said. It wouldn't affect the final outcome.
Putting the thought aside, Lumina flopped back onto the sofa. Her small, fair feet, tinged with a rosy blush, resumed their previous rhythm, swinging back and forth in the air.
Thump, thump, thump! Thump, thump, thump! Thump, thump, thump!
While making the noise, she pulled out her phone, opened a short-video app, and started scrolling with a cheerful grin.
Thump, thump, thump! Thump, thump, thump! Thump, thump, thump!
The rhythmic thudding of Lumina's small feet against the sofa echoed throughout the office, causing Herta's shoulders to tremble as she fiddled with a mirror.
Of course, a genius like Herta would never be bothered by mere noise.
So, what was affecting her?
Lumina's small feet, of course.
Whenever Herta's gaze drifted toward Lumina and caught sight of those feet swinging in the air, an itch bloomed in her heart—the kind of urge that made her want to snatch her target, hold it tight, and play with it fiercely.
"What's wrong, Madam Herta? Are you having trouble with something?"
"Need my help?"
Though Lumina's attention seemed fixed on her phone, it was actually focused entirely on Herta.
Taking in Herta's reaction, a mischievous glint flashed in Lumina's eyes.
While Herta had previously used the "student photo" to shut her up, Lumina had only agreed not to mention that incident. It didn't mean she wouldn't bring up this one.
Besides, based on Herta's previous behavior, Lumina had discovered a fatal weakness.
It seemed Herta had a thing for her feet... ahem.
In short, Lumina could exploit this weakness to gradually wrap Herta around her little finger.
"Huuuh..."
"I don't need help. Just be quiet."
"What I'm doing right now is very important."
Herta took a deep breath, finished arranging all the mirrors, and then spoke to Lumina with a serious expression.
"Okay~" Lumina replied, immediately stopping her feet from tapping against the sofa.
She had been making noise so recklessly before because she knew it wouldn't actually affect Herta's work.
Now, seeing Herta's earnest expression—whether it was genuine or not—Lumina, as a considerate and kind Saintess, ceased her actions.
Besides, her objective had already been achieved. Continuing would be pointless.
Now, it's time to start formulating a series of plans...
By the time we get to Amphoreus, I'll have Herta completely wrapped around my finger!
Lumina's mind raced as she began to fantasize—fantasize about the look on Herta's face when she was utterly under her control.