"Hmm~ As expected... a place like The Shackling Prison isn't exactly conducive to maintaining a beautiful girl's skin."
Having been chased out of The Shackling Prison by Jingliu, Lumina left and basked in the warmth of the sunlight on her skin, letting out a soft hum.
While the Shackling Prison's "perks"—three meals a day, each with meat—were tempting, Lumina couldn't bring herself to agree to such conditions.
Surviving in that environment would probably ruin most beautiful girls' complexions...
But Lumina wasn't just any beautiful girl; she was a super-duper invincible one! Even in such a "harsh" environment, her flawless beauty would remain undiminished.
Still, even if they begged me, I wouldn't go back to that prison! (╯▽╰)
Ding-a-ling~ Ding-a-ling~ Ding-a-ling~
Just as Lumina's mind raced through a series of bizarre associations, her phone vibrated in her pocket, and the ringtone for her Special Group contacts instantly rang out.
"Hmm? At this hour, which adorable and beautiful girl could be messaging me?"
Upon hearing the ringtone, Lumina's emerald eyes lit up instantly. She pulled her phone from her pocket, a small guess forming in her mind.
"Let me guess... it must be the clever and witty March 7th, our passenger!"
Lumina hummed softly, tapped the screen, and her guess was confirmed.
[March 7th: Sister Lumina, haven't you forgotten something?! [Pouting.jpg]]
"Hmm? Did I forget something? No, I don't think so?" Lumina's eyes flickered with confusion as she stared at March 7th's message.
After pondering for a moment, Lumina genuinely couldn't recall what she might have forgotten. But to maintain her image in front of March 7th, she tentatively typed a reply:
[Lumina: Oh? Tell me, March, what exactly did I forget? (Smiling)]
[Lumina: If you guess right, I'll tell you ♪]
Any reasonable person could see through this. It was clear Lumina was deflecting the conversation, having genuinely forgotten whatever March 7th was referring to.
But, unfortunately, the person on the other end was none other than the "clever and quick-witted" March 7th. Lumina bet she wouldn't see through it.
As Lumina's phone updated March 7th's contact status to "[The other party is typing...]", Lumina knew she was in trouble.
[March 7th: Ugh... Sister Lumina, you're so mean! [Annoyed emoji]]
[March 7th: It's about the rings you promised Stelle and me! You said you'd give them to us when we were about to leave Xianzhou!]
[March 7th: And now, if Dan Heng hadn't received that last-minute invitation letter, we would have already left Xianzhou!]
As expected, within just a few messages, March 7th had revealed her entire agenda.
So that's what this is about... I was so focused on Jingliu that I almost completely forgot about it. Staring at March 7th's messages, Lumina sank into a deep spiral of self-reproach.
Damn it! How could I forget something so important?! /(ㄒoㄒ)/~~
If you mess up, you face the consequences. I accept this. There's nothing else to say.
Therefore, Lumina decided... to personally board the Train and apologize to March 7th!
While she was there, she'd also leave a unique mark of her own on the Train. ♪
Not wanting to delay any further, Lumina's fingers tapped rapidly across her phone screen as she sent a message:
[Lumina: Of course I didn't forget! The rings have been ready for ages~ This was just a little test for you both, to see how much you truly value them.]
[Lumina: If you'd forgotten, it would mean you didn't value the rings, and they'd stay with me until you remembered them ♪]
Though Lumina's explanation was full of holes and couldn't withstand even the slightest scrutiny, it didn't matter.
On the other end of the screen was March 7th, the "clever and quick-witted" passenger. With her intelligence, surely there wouldn't be any issues.
[March 7th: Sister Lumina, you're so mean!]
As expected, March 7th on the other end of the screen didn't question Lumina's message in the slightest. Instead, she adorably spammed "Mean!" at her.
Even just looking at the words on her phone screen, Lumina could imagine March 7th lying on her bed on the other side, wearing an adorable pink pajama set and swinging her legs back and forth o(* ̄▽ ̄*)ブ
As expected, beautiful girls are the most wonderful things in the Cosmos ♪
The thought filled Lumina's heart with a sense of healing.
Ahem.
To prevent herself from getting too lost in this "gentle haven" and forgetting her serious business, Lumina cleared her throat a few times, snapped back to reality, and refocused her gaze on her phone screen.
[Lumina: Alright, since you put it that way, I don't have any other excuses.]
[Lumina: Little March, where are you? I'll come deliver the ring to you!]
[March 7th: Stelle and I are on the Train. Should I come pick you up?]
[Lumina: No need. I know where the Train is stopping. Just wait for me—I'll be there in half a hour System Time ♪]
[March 7th: Okay!]
"She's so easily fooled," Lumina murmured to herself after ending the chat with March 7th.
It was clearly a scandal, but with a few words, she had transformed it into something beautiful...
Lumina shook her head. I really need to give March 7th some proper guidance in the future.
Speaking of March 7th... How can I make her smarter?
Ding-a-ling~ Ding-a-ling~ Ding-a-ling~
Just as Lumina was lost in thought, the ringtone for the Special Group sounded again.
"Hmm? Who could it be this time?" Listening to the ringtone, Lumina genuinely couldn't guess who it might be.
Picking up her phone, she saw the sender and a flicker of surprise crossed her brow.
[Jingliu: [Image.jpg] (Gacha pull: Character Jingliu)]
[Jingliu: [Image.jpg] (Gacha pull: Light Cone I Shall Be My Own Sword (Destruction))]
[Jingliu: Are the character Jingliu and this Light Cone any good?]
[Lumina: ?]
Staring at the two gacha pull images Jingliu had sent, a question mark slowly materialized above Lumina's head.