"To see Thanatos?"
After some time had passed, in the Garden of Life, Okhema.
Lumina, Herta, and Castorice were all gathered here.
Hearing the decision Castorice had made, Lumina muttered something under her breath.
Then she asked, "Sister Castorice, do you know where Thanatos is?"
"I..." Castorice fell silent for a moment, then finally shook her head. "I don't know."
"..."
Castorice's honest answer plunged the scene into a period of silence.
If they didn't even know where Thanatos was, what was the point of searching like headless flies?
With Stelle's current state, they might have enough time if they managed to hit the mark on the first try.
But what if they didn't hit the mark on the first try?
Would they just watch Stelle "die"?
"I... won't let that happen."
Castorice was no fool. Although Sister Lumina hadn't said anything, this brief silence still made her understand the meaning Lumina wanted to convey.
Faced with this, Castorice could only make a promise, unable to explain further.
Even so, this promise seemed utterly powerless...
"..." Lumina said nothing, just staring at Castorice with a faint smile.
Under Lumina's smiling gaze, Castorice pressed her lips tightly together and couldn't help but lower her head.
Even though Sister Lumina's smile was very gentle and emanated no negative emotions, Castorice just felt embarrassed... felt that she had let Sister Lumina down.
I'm... really so useless.
I... really can't do anything at all.
In Castorice's downcast eyes, emotions of loneliness and self-blame flickered continuously. Around her, the atmosphere also became somewhat oppressive due to these negative emotions.
Her hands, which were originally placed politely and clasped in front of her waist, gradually lowered under the influence of these negative emotions. They fell to the sides of her skirt... As if clutching a straw for survival, her hands tightly gripped the skirt, as if trying to gain a little sense of security through this action.
But the power of an individual is limited after all, and besides, Castorice was never the kind of sunny and cheerful beautiful girl who shone like a little sun. So, in just a few short seconds, the negative emotions around Castorice almost condensed into a mist...
At this moment, if one were to observe Castorice's purple eyes closely, one could see a hint of crystalline moisture and watery light within them, in addition to her negative emotions.
It was obvious that if she were allowed to continue this self-destructive spiral, she would burst into a torrent of tears.
Lumina naturally noticed this.
Although she really wanted to leave her alone and watch Castorice cry her eyes out, after a moment's thought, she ultimately decided against it.
This matter concerned Stelle, and was not just her own personal affair. Lumina could not let Castorice's emotions completely erupt based on her own whims alone.
If this matter only concerned Lumina herself, then Lumina... Lumina still wouldn't have left her alone.
Lumina wasn't particularly fond of crying brought on by negative emotions.
Lumina preferred the kind of tears shed from overwhelming joy, or... tears shed from being bullied by her.
And also, the kind of tears shed from feeling so good that...
Ahem.
In any case, this kind of crying was out of the question.
With this thought, Lumina hurriedly buried all the little impulses in her heart.
Refocusing her attention on reality, Lumina's smile grew even gentler as she looked at Castorice, who stood before her with her head lowered, her small hands continuously clutching her skirt to give herself a sense of security.
Taking a step forward, Lumina brought a healing breeze to Castorice as she opened her arms wide and pulled her into a tight embrace.
Herta: ...
Seeing this scene from behind, Herta's small mouth parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something.
But after hesitating for a long while, she still closed her small mouth in a sullen manner, swallowing the words she had wanted to speak.
"Sigh..."
Sighing silently in her heart, Herta crossed her arms over her chest, her amethyst eyes shining like gems as she stared intently at the two figures before her in their warm embrace, saying nothing and doing nothing...
Then came Lumina's gentle words of comfort.
"Little sister Castorice, there's no need to blame yourself, nor to be anxious."
"Facing difficulties without choosing to escape, but instead standing up at the first opportunity and making this choice, you have already surpassed the vast majority of people."
Feeling the warmth of the young girl in her arms, Lumina's movements were also very gentle.
The gentle hug and the soft whispers, like a priest casting a healing spell, effectively treated and purified Castorice's soul without causing any pain.
"So, you really are wonderful, and very impressive."
"Little sister Castorice, you really are, super, super impressive."
"Hmm..."
Sister Lumina's soft whispers flowed into Castorice's heart like a gentle stream, bringing warmth while also bringing a... tingling sensation born from an unknown emotion.
This tingling sensation was like a small feather, tickling Castorice's heart over and over again, making her feel extremely uneasy.
This uneasiness was not a common kind of discomfort, but rather a... discomfort from something unattainable.
To resolve this discomfort, perhaps... they needed to be closer.
Closer to Sister Lumina, just like the game she played with Sister Lumina in her room back then.
...No, even closer than that time.
Skin pressing against skin, and then... doing some actions that were even more intimate, closer, and more affectionate.
Together with Sister Lumina...
Castorice opened her arms and naturally hugged Lumina's waist. Feeling the sensation transmitted through her arms, her heart trembled.
What a warm and wonderful feeling this is...
I want to keep this forever, I want... to go even further, and then keep this forever.
All the negative emotions in Castorice's heart vanished instantly, as clean as if they had never existed.
"Hah... hah..." Behind them, Herta's expression was no longer calm, her chest heaving up and down, her lips and fingers trembling slightly, as if she would rush forward to tear the two of them apart at any moment.
Castorice's arms were wrapped tightly around Lumina's waist, her head slightly lowered, resting against Lumina's collarbone... The atmosphere around them was gradually turning strange.
If this whole situation wasn't entirely Lumina's fault and had nothing to do with Castorice, Herta would have already rushed up to "cut them apart at the waist."
Hugging and cuddling in public, what kind of propriety is this?
"Ahem."
"Ahem."
"Ahem, ahem, ahem!!!"
Herta was not someone who couldn't take practical action. Well... okay, when faced with some difficult matters, Herta indeed wouldn't take any practical action.
But this matter was not something worth Herta hesitating over.
Therefore, after thinking about this, she immediately took practical action.
Like someone who had a sore throat from a cold, she covered her mouth with her small hand, closed her eyes, and burst into a series of coughs.
After coughing, her tightly shut little eyes opened just a tiny bit, observing the other two.
Finding that they actually had no reaction at all, Herta closed her eyes again and coughed a few more times.
Then she continued to open her eyes and observe.
Finding that they still had no reaction at all, a nameless fire of anger instantly rose in Herta's heart.
...Not nameless; this anger was precisely anger directed at Lumina.
Anger directed at Lumina's act of ignoring her.
A mere Little Lumina, she really thought she was the Emperor, didn't she?
Herta infused a portion of her Path power into her throat, then coughed forcefully.
A cough mixed with Path power then clearly echoed in everyone's minds.
"...Eek!" Hearing this cough, Castorice instantly snapped back to her senses.
Realizing her current behavior, her small face instantly flushed crimson.
"Lu-Lu-Lu... Sister Lumina!"
She hurriedly loosened her arms and pulled her head away, gesturing for Sister Lumina to quickly let her go.
Lumina: ...
Seeing this, feeling Castorice's slight resistance, a wave of regret washed over Lumina's heart.
But she still obediently released Castorice.
For the requests of beautiful young girls, Lumina would do her best to fulfill them.
Forcing actions was something Lumina would absolutely, absolutely never do.
Even if such a forceful act, to that beautiful young girl, was a "reward."
No matter what, forcing was forcing, regardless of whether it was a "reward."
As long as the beautiful young girl did not nod in agreement, Lumina would absolutely never do it.
But this way... while the main reason was still Castorice's, there was also a secondary reason.
Lumina slightly turned her head and glared fiercely at Herta.
"Hmph." After coughing, seeing Lumina and Castorice separate, Herta's mood returned to calm, resuming her previous posture with her arms crossed.
Turning her head away, she let out a soft snort, ignoring Lumina's dissatisfied glare.
Staring, staring, staring. What's the point of just staring?
Lumina wouldn't do anything to her anyway, so why should Herta care?
Lumina could just keep staring. Let her stare until her eyes were sore and she couldn't bear to look any longer.
After "mouth-trolling" Little Lumina, she could perhaps add "eye-trolling" Little Lumina to her repertoire.
With two nicknames now possessing her, Little Lumina had undergone a super evolution.
Herta thought this in her heart, letting out a soft, pleased hum at the same time.
"Little Herta, this one is looking for a beating again."
Although she didn't know what Herta was thinking right now, her outward actions alone were enough to make Lumina grumble in her mind.
It was obvious that Lumina was extremely dissatisfied with this behavior of Herta's.
Wasn't it just a simple hug between her and Little Sister Castorice? Was there anything about it that warranted a "cough" to stop it?
Is there anything wrong with a big sister and little sister being a little closer?
If you also want to be this close with me, you can completely call me "Sister" and then actively hug me like a little sister would.
Lumina silently complained to herself. This Little Herta was fine in every way.
Pretty, strong, high IQ... Hmm, just a certain area was a little small.
Besides that, she also had a bad personality... and other shortcomings.
But if she set those factors aside, Madam Herta was still absolutely perfect.
Although it was simply impossible to set these factors aside...
Even so, it wasn't a huge problem.
Madam Herta's looks completely made up for it.
Because Lumina was a sucker for a pretty face.
As long as Herta was beautiful, Lumina could ignore all her shortcomings and focus only on her appearance.
Right or wrong, in Lumina's eyes, as long as she was pretty, she was right.
But having said that.
Herta's current behavior was definitely wrong.
Interrupting her hug with Little Sister Castorice? What else could that be if not a mistake?
If Castorice wasn't present, Lumina would have lifted Herta up around her waist and spanked her butt hard until she cried!
Herta was just begging for a beating.
When she had time later, she would give her a good thrashing and see if she was still so arrogant.
Lumina snorted coldly.
Then, she turned her gaze back to Castorice, reached out a small hand, gently placed it on Castorice's head, and smiled super gently.
As she stroked her hair, she said softly, "Little Sister Castorice, don't worry."
"Leave the Thanatos matter to me."
"I'll deal with her wherever she's hiding."
Although Lumina had previously said she wouldn't get involved, if she really had to just sit back and watch Castorice, Stelle, Mem, and the others suffer, she really wouldn't be able to do it.
"Th... Thank you, Sister Lumina."
The blush hadn't faded from Castorice's face. Feeling the warmth steadily spreading from the top of her head, she blushed and wore an expression of sheer enjoyment.
But soon, she seemed to realize something.
She stole a cautious, imperceptible glance at Herta.
Seeing Herta's expressionless face, her arms crossed as her flat gaze fell upon Sister Lumina, Castorice felt a wave of relief.
Thank goodness, Big Sister Herta... isn't angry.
Big Sister Herta's cough from before had given Castorice a huge scare.
She had thought Big Sister Herta saw her and Sister Lumina's behavior and got angry, so she used a cough to stop and interrupt their hug.
But from what Castorice could see from her observation of Big Sister Herta, she wasn't angry.
With that, Castorice was finally able to put her mind at ease.
In Castorice's eyes, Sister Lumina and Big Sister Herta were a match made in heaven.
If her presence was going to obstruct or block their emotional development, then Castorice would... she would pursue the advantage!
Did she think she would quietly leave?
That was absolutely impossible.
If their relationship could crumble because of her existence, then why would Castorice just stand there dazed instead of seizing the opportunity?
It was a chance given by the Heavens, and Castorice naturally had to cherish it.
Although this was a bit immoral and an act that would be condemned by thousands... Castorice truly liked Sister Lumina.
If... if she could be with Sister Lumina forever, then even in the face of a thousand pointing fingers, Castorice would not blink her eyes once!
But... this kind of thing... would definitely never happen.
Sister Lumina and Big Sister Herta have such a good relationship, it was simply impossible for it to ever be Castorice's turn, no matter how she thought about it.
To be able to hug Sister Lumina, to be able to feel the scent coming from Sister Lumina's body, and to receive Sister Lumina's help, Castorice was already completely content.
One cannot be too greedy in life, and getting along just the right way brings no harm to anyone.
At least...
At least until Sister Lumina and Big Sister Herta had a falling out...