Herta struggled hard for a moment, but whether it was the palm pressing against her back, or the fingers interlocked tightly with hers, in terms of pure strength, there was no way she could shake them off.
Even more irritating was that, just to restrain her, this person had somehow disabled every gadget and special function on her body and clothes.
While Herta was still stunned and struggling, Bai Ming pressed closer.
Her body was tightly against Bai Ming's, and even through the soft fabric, she could clearly feel the other's body heat and heartbeat.
Especially for Herta—
That full chest pressed against her made Bai Ming's particular softness painfully obvious.
Even if this hadn't been Herta's intention, facing Bai Ming's burning gaze, warm breath, and completely unreserved invasion, her heart still skipped a beat.
Herta had always acknowledged Bai Ming's beauty, so when that beauty was right in front of her, completely defenseless, it was hard not to feel the impulse to claim it as her own.
Though this time there had been a slight deviation—the docile little white rabbit had suddenly bared its teeth and bitten back, trying to attack her other line of defense.
But without a doubt, that too was a sign of choosing her.
After a long while, Bai Ming finally released Herta.
The intense kissing left Herta's lips and cheeks flushed red.
She panted lightly, raised a hand to wipe the corner of her mouth, and glared at Bai Ming with a shy yet slightly complaining look.
"Ha… ha… Is this what I meant by attacking?!"
Though she was still talking tough, Herta remained straddling Bai Ming, with no intention of getting off.
As if… she had tacitly accepted the ambiguous atmosphere.
Bai Ming's hand slid down from Herta's back and finally wrapped around her soft waist.
"But you didn't say it wasn't. And besides, you started it, didn't you?"
"Yeah, yeah, twist my words, why don't you. Also, how long are you planning to hold my hand?"
Herta used her free hand to pinch Bai Ming's cheek hard, her eyes flashing with mock ferocity.
Bai Ming didn't mind at all, just smiling as she met Herta's gaze.
Her other hand lifted their joined hands slightly. They were still interlocked finger to finger, and although Herta complained, she hadn't loosened her grip.
It was hard to tell whether she'd given up resisting or simply didn't want to let go.
"Looks like you're gripping pretty tight too."
Herta tried to pull away, but unfortunately Bai Ming's hand didn't budge, no matter how much she struggled.
Only after Herta shot her a vicious glare did Bai Ming laugh and release her, but before Herta could speak, the freed hand climbed back to her back.
Now both arms wrapped around her, locking her completely in Bai Ming's embrace.
Herta's temper flared.
Bai Ming's smug expression was irritating enough, and those hands hugging her weren't exactly behaving either.
So this time, Herta pressed one hand against the back of Bai Ming's head, poked at her collarbone with the other, and leaned in to kiss her first.
Of course, Bai Ming didn't back down.
Since Herta had complained about her lack of aggression, she naturally had to retaliate hard, and with Herta's personality, the more the other resisted, the more excited she got.
That stubborn, unwilling-to-lose streak… hard to evaluate.
For example, when Bai Ming's fingers fiddled with the zipper at the hem of the backless dress, Herta immediately reached for the fabric at Bai Ming's collar.
If someone was going to lose out, she wasn't doing it alone.
The previously warm atmosphere gradually turned heated, and by the end, it felt more like a competitive struggle.
Of course, that mainly applied to Madam Herta.
As for Bai Ming, she was simply following Herta's request and continuing her offensive, but Herta was the type who loved to play despite being outmatched.
When Bai Ming obediently listened earlier, she wasn't satisfied.
Now that Bai Ming attacked fiercely, she still wasn't satisfied.
Stubborn, competitive, and mouthy.
Her only redeeming quality was probably that she never got lazy.
So—
Because Madam Herta kept talking tough, the two gradually fought from the garden to the bedroom.
Madam Herta retreated step by step as her stamina failed, losing ground repeatedly.
Bai Ming even showed mercy a few times, but Herta, still talking tough, kept trying to counterattack.
Unfortunately, a research-obsessed homebody versus someone with enhanced physical strength—she never stood a chance.
Her physical stamina was weak, but her spirit was resilient.
In the end, they battled until dawn! Until the world's edge!
Herta fought until she was completely exhausted, her body limp and powerless, unable to resist at all.
Only then did the battle finally end.
With a wave, Bai Ming tidied the bed, but the warm, ambiguous atmosphere was intentionally left behind.
Lying on her side, propping up her head, Bai Ming smiled and gently pinched Herta's soft cheek. Exhausted, Madam Herta was extremely dissatisfied, yet she didn't even have the strength to argue.
She looked like a stunningly beautiful dead fish, able only to glare.
Even so, after that whole night of intense "battle," her eyes were red—as if… no, she had cried.
Combined with her flushed cheeks, her glare looked more pitiful than threatening.
"When it comes to talking tough, you really take the crown, Herta."
Bai Ming traced her fingertip across Herta's lips and teased her. Herta still couldn't speak. She opened her mouth to bite, but it ended up more like a weak nibble.
"But thankfully, even the toughest mouth is soft when kissed. I don't mind at all."
As she spoke, a bit of Abundance energy flowed from her fingertip into Herta's body, restoring some strength.
At least enough for her to talk.
"Pah! Shut up!"
The moment she could speak, Herta spat out her finger and told her to shut up fiercely.
She admitted defeat this round, but that didn't mean she'd tolerate a victory speech.
"Hey, you won't even let me say it. You're the one who asked for more aggression."
"Is that what I meant?!"
Herta wished she could jump up and smack Bai Ming with her staff.
"But you didn't refuse. You were even more into it than me."
Herta fell silent.
She couldn't refute that. Bai Ming's relentless offense had triggered her competitive streak.
Strictly speaking, she'd been immersed in the desire to win, but saying that now would sound like more stubborn excuses.
Originally Bai Ming hadn't planned to go that far. Seeing Herta too exhausted to even speak made her feel bad, but Herta's competitiveness and willpower were undeniable.
No wonder she could withstand pressure and temporarily act as Nous's proxy.
And since Bai Ming wanted to go all-out this time, seeing Herta stubbornly refuse to give up only made her continue.
Even now, Herta acknowledged defeat but hadn't conceded.
Bai Ming had nothing to say.
Then again, that was part of Herta's charm.
The room fell quiet.
Only their alternating breaths and the soft rustle of skin against sheets remained.
Bai Ming lay down again, moving close so their bodies pressed together.
Herta wriggled weakly like a dehydrated fish, then stopped moving.
She had recovered a little strength, but she was still exhausted.
At this point, she didn't even want to move. After the night's exertion, once things calmed down, she quickly fell asleep against Bai Ming.
About a day later—
Herta, having tidied herself up, returned to her usual elegance.
The only change was that she seemed bolder and more relaxed around Bai Ming.
At the moment, she was holding a Light Cone, studying it with interest. The image on it was from yesterday—her pitiful expression while talking to Bai Ming afterward.
The frame cut off at the collarbone, but the pale, delicate skin still left much to the imagination.
Bai Ming had originally created it just to tease her, but instead of embarrassment, Herta fell into self-admiration.
"You're pretty good. I don't really like this expression, but there's no denying that the moment I glared at you with reddened eyes… I'm so beautiful I'd fall for myself."
She disliked looking teary-eyed—it made her seem weak, but she had to admit the fragile beauty in that moment was stunning.
So she unapologetically indulged in narcissism.
Completely absorbed.
Bai Ming was speechless.
She knew Herta was narcissistic, but not to this extent.
Admiring her own beauty before feeling shy?
Herta, you really are…
Bai Ming shook her head helplessly.
"Heh~ so possessive."
Herta smirked teasingly, but Bai Ming only looked at her with exasperation.
"You're not planning to frame that and display it, are you?"
"Tch. What a boring woman."
Herta rolled her eyes at her.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL