(This chapter has been modified due to censorship, so some parts may be slightly disjointed.)
Lumina had never been the type of person who would only fantasize without taking actual action. The moment the thought of not having had enough crossed her mind, she was already preparing to make her move.
Between beautiful girls, good friends, or close besties, it is a perfectly normal thing to help each other wash up while bathing, right?
With this thought in mind, Lumina rubbed her hands together, performing a simple pre-meal ritual.
"...Isn't what you're doing a little too much?"
However, just as Lumina was about to start, Herta, who was in the same pool of water, finally couldn't hold back any longer and questioned her through gritted teeth.
"Too much? What's too much?" Hearing Herta's question, which clearly carried a hint of anger and was spoken through clenched teeth, Lumina could only temporarily pause the actions she was about to make.
She turned her head to look at Herta, her immaculate face filled with many doubts, as if she had no idea what Herta was trying to say.
"I, Lumina, have always behaved myself and have never done anything excessive."
"I hope the esteemed Madam Herta will not make groundless accusations against me."
Lumina's confused expression gradually changed, becoming full of solemnity and righteousness, just like the righteous and upright leaders of a cultivation world.
It gave off an aura as refreshing as a spring breeze, making one believe her without a shadow of a doubt.
How could such a righteous person tell so many lies?
"If you can't produce any evidence, then I will have to punish you for your groundless accusations!"
"Also... answer me. What do you mean by wearing that right now?"
As she spoke, Lumina glanced over Herta's body, her implication extremely obvious.
Although Herta was not wearing white clothes, the fabric clung tightly to her skin in the soaking pool water, just like she did.
And Herta was only wearing two pieces of clothing, so her upper body was naturally seen by Lumina.
But this person was also a rogue who played tricks.
Before entering the pool to bathe, she had been fiddling with something in the bathroom for a while.
Lumina didn't know what she was fiddling with back then, but she knew now.
This person had put on something like a nipple cover!
How hateful! The esteemed Madam Herta was actually cheating, completely throwing away the honor of our identity as Emanators!
"Didn't we agree to wear only two pieces? Why are you wearing an extra one inside?" Lumina leaned back against the edge of the pool, her fair and slender long legs crossed. A faint Holy Light shimmered in and out of view within the water. With her arms crossed over her chest, she let out a cold snort, feeling extremely dissatisfied with Herta's behavior and posture.
Although I, Lumina, am also a bit of a cheater, my cheating is within the permitted conditions.
But you?
You, Madam Herta, have completely exceeded the conditions by wearing an extra piece of "clothing"!
Even if it is just a small sticker, it has obstructed Lumina's beautiful life, and that is evil!
That is an existence that is completely unreasonable and must be rejected!
"Am I not wearing just two pieces? Could it be that in Miss Lumina's eyes, a tiny 'sticker' counts as a piece of clothing?" Hearing Lumina's words, Herta immediately sneered.
She quickly realized what Lumina was trying to do and refused to follow her line of reasoning.
Herta could guess Lumina's intentions with a single thought.
She was simply trying to distract her and make her temporarily forget about questioning her.
What kind of person was Madam Herta? How could she let Lumina succeed?
With her arms crossed, she scanned Lumina from top to bottom.
Soaked in the pool water, Lumina's clothes naturally clung tightly to her skin.
But Lumina, like Herta, was not wearing white clothing, so it was impossible to see her exposed skin through this action.
Lumina was wearing only two pieces of clothing. By all normal logic, her upper body should have been exposed by now.
The result?
The result was that a faint Holy Light covered her chest, concealing the heart-racing spring scenery and preventing any glimpse of it.
This faint Holy Light seemed simple, but in reality, it was utterly terrifying.
Even as an Emanator of [Erudition], Herta was completely powerless against this faint Holy Light.
But no matter what, this was still cheating!
You can see everyone else, so why can't everyone else see you?
Can't play fair, huh?
Herta first looked left and right, seeing Castorice, Hyacine, and Polyxia with their heads lowered and faces flushed, realizing that they were completely unreliable.
Thus, she crossed her arms, mimicking Lumina's posture, crossed her long legs, and said coldly, "Miss Lumina, why don't you explain that Holy Light on your body?"
"Explain? Explain what?" Hearing this, Lumina continued to act, as if she had no idea what Herta was talking about. "I haven't done anything wrong, so why should I explain?"
Although Lumina gave no explanation, her words were already the best explanation possible.
She, Lumina, had done nothing wrong!
There was absolutely nothing wrong!
After delivering this answer, Lumina's gaze gradually shifted downward, taking in the two pieces of clothing Herta was wearing.
"What a shame... If she only wore one piece of clothing, it would have been great," Lumina sighed silently in her mind.
Then she glanced at Castorice, then at Hyacine, as the restlessness in her heart continuously pounded against the Barrier she had set up.
Fortunately, even under the impact of such intense restlessness, the Barrier remained completely undisturbed.
This was not because the impact was unable to break through the energy, but because the time had not yet come.
When a certain moment arrived, this wave of heat would easily smash and shatter the Barrier.
As for exactly when that moment would be, Lumina naturally did not know.
But she understood very clearly that this was not that moment.
The current impact was completely unable to break through the Barrier.
This meant that the kind of situation where "the small head controls the big head" could absolutely not happen.
Even if there were two bodies of beautiful girls in front of her that could make many people go crazy.
Each of these two bodies had its own unique characteristics, but either one could arouse the most primal desires in a person's heart.
Lumina was naturally aroused by this desire as well, but it was far from enough.
A simple, hands-on approach would be sufficient to resolve the primal urge born from this very behavior.
"You...!" Herta had no idea what Lumina was thinking. All she knew was that Lumina was being completely shameless with her excuses!
Herta desperately wanted to teach her a lesson, to punish her so severely that she would never dare even say the word "no" in front of her again.
But such a thing was obviously completely impossible...
However, this was also for the best.
Since Lumina was acting shameless, Herta wouldn't be polite anymore.
Splash!
Herta's hands, which had been soaking in the pool, suddenly shot up, creating a wave and sending droplets of water flying.
The droplets shot from the water's surface into the air, falling toward Lumina.
But Herta's small hand was even faster.
Moving at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, it lunged straight for Lumina's chest.
Herta's thoughts were very simple now: since words wouldn't work and softness was useless, she would resort to force!
Even if force couldn't achieve her previous goal, it didn't matter. It would achieve the goal she wanted to accomplish this time.
If once wasn't enough, then twice. If twice wasn't enough, then three times. If three times wasn't enough, then four times. By continuing like this, even if she couldn't succeed, she could at least force Lumina to focus her attention on her, leaving her no room to spare for Castorice, Hyacine, Polyxia, and the others.
Wouldn't that achieve Herta's current goal?
If Lumina got distracted, that would be even better. She might even get to taste that softness again...
"..."
Herta's speed was fast, but in Lumina's eyes, it was actually just so-so, no different from a little snail.
Lumina simply raised her hand and, just before Herta reached her chest, she grabbed Herta's wrists, making it impossible for her to advance even a fraction of an inch.
"What's this? Madam Herta wants to resort to force?" Lumina raised an eyebrow, looking at Herta, whose small face was now flushed red with what seemed to be a mix of embarrassment and anger. Her lips curved into a slight smile as she asked, her tone carrying a hint of mockery and teasing.
Lumina's strength far exceeded Herta's. If she really wanted to use force, Lumina wouldn't hold back at all.
She could suppress her with a single hand!
"What force?" Hearing Lumina's words, Herta didn't admit to it directly. Instead, she wore an expression that was remarkably similar to Lumina's earlier one.
She feigned confusion and innocence, as if she had no idea what Lumina was talking about.
"What else could it be?" Lumina didn't say it explicitly, but still lowered her head slightly, looking at Herta, who was now almost sprawled out in front of her because Lumina held her wrists.
Hmm... though the oversized clothes were clinging to her skin from being wet, Herta's movements were very intense right now. Her body was also radiating waves of heat, causing the clothes that were originally stuck to her skin to slowly slide down under the influence of freefall.
Lumina's angle was also perfect for taking in the entire scene before her eyes.
Hmm... as expected, stickers, huh.
Even though Herta was covered in stickers, this scene still made the fire in Lumina's heart burn even more fiercely.
Herta: "..."
Sensing Lumina's gaze, Herta obviously also became aware of this issue. Her already crimson face became even redder, as if it would start dripping blood in the next second.
But even so, even after reaching this level of embarrassment, Herta still didn't take a single step back.
Because she understood perfectly well that the current environment was extremely favorable to her. If she grew timid and retreated, the things that would happen next might have nothing to do with Herta at all...
Therefore, she couldn't retreat! She absolutely couldn't retreat half a step!
For a beautiful and happy life!
"?"
For some reason, Herta's stunningly beautiful face suddenly turned extremely resolute, as if she had made up her mind to face something terrifying, troublesome, and potentially life-threatening.
Lumina was puzzled, but she didn't think much of it.
Occasional bouts of madness were normal; Lumina experienced them too.
"Ahem, isn't it perfectly normal for beautiful girls to frolic and play in the same pool?" Herta snapped back to her senses, using Lumina's own words to answer her question.
As a beautiful girl, wanting to have a "water fight" was fine, right?
"Hmm... a good answer." Hearing this, Lumina nodded and praised Herta.
Faced with this reply, even Lumina couldn't think of a counterargument.
After all, this was a phrase she always kept on the tip of her tongue. If she denied it, wouldn't she be slapping her own face?
However, since they were frolicking and playing...
Thinking of this, Lumina swept her gaze over the others present: Herta, Castorice, Hyacine, Polyxia... The corners of her mouth curled slightly, revealing a wicked smile that only existed in short dramas.
The beautiful girls: "?"
Although Castorice, Hyacine, and Polyxia had their heads lowered, they could still feel Lumina's gaze at this moment. For a time, a large question mark slowly sprouted above their heads.
"Well then, everyone, let's have a 'water fight'." Lumina smiled and gently made a suggestion.
"You can't refuse~"
Before the others could even respond, Lumina had already cut off their retreat.
Then, she turned her gaze to Little Herta in front of her, preparing to use her as the first target.
"This 'water fight' of ours is actually equivalent to frolicking and playing, we can play however we want, so..." The meaning Lumina wanted to convey was already very obvious. Whether they could understand it or not was their own business.
Even if they didn't understand, it didn't matter. They could just go straight to practical application!
After speaking, Lumina said no more and directly started acting!
-
After a while, everyone had already gotten out of the pool.
Lumina was like a newly watered sprout, her face full of a pleasant spring glow.
During that time just now, whether they were capable or not, Lumina had tried them all.
As for herself... she definitely hadn't been touched anywhere.
What was Lumina's strength, and what was the strength of the other beautiful girls.
If Lumina had no intention, how could they even touch her?
The final result had been decided from the very beginning.
"Come on, get in bed and sleep."
Lumina waved her small hand, and all the water on her own clothes evaporated.
"S-Sister Lumina, I'm going to change my clothes..." Seeing this, Hyacine, Castorice, and Polyxia felt their bodies damp from the water and wanted to go to the dressing room to change.
But before they could take any action, Lumina's voice froze them in place.
"Why change clothes? Just change when you wake up tomorrow!"
"We're going to sleep now, just take off your clothes and get in bed!"
Lumina waved her hand grandly and spoke with great generosity.
But only she knew her true thoughts... Well, Herta knew too.
But knowing was useless. Herta used her power to evaporate the water from her own clothes. She had originally wanted to help Castorice and the others, but no matter what she did, their clothes remained unchanged.
Alright, Herta was out of options.
Lumina was determined to do this.
"This... this isn't right, Sister Lumina..." Hearing this, Castorice's little face, already red from head to toe, looked as if she would faint the next second.
After all, Castorice and Hyacine only had this one set of clothes on.
If they did what Sister Lumina said, wouldn't that mean...
If they were in the same bed but under different blankets, that might be acceptable, but on the bed... there was only one blanket!
"What's the big deal? We're all girls, it's fine." Lumina raised an eyebrow, smiling as she gestured.
Then, without waiting for them to act, Lumina took the initiative to help them complete this action...
In the end, with Castorice on her left, Hyacine on her right, and Herta and Polyxia added in, Lumina fell fast asleep...