"Hey, Little Lumina, have you changed your style?"
"What made you decide to switch to this style?"
The previous incident hadn't caused much of a stir. After all, it was a matter between Lumina and Herta. Neither Castorice, Stelle, nor Mem could interfere, so they could only pretend to know nothing.
Pretend to hear nothing, pretend to be busy with the tasks at hand.
Herta, however, had no such reservations. She went straight to Lumina and asked her directly.
"Changed style? What changed style? What style? What change?"
Hearing Herta's inexplicably confusing question, a hint of confusion and bewilderment immediately appeared on Lumina's delicate, crystal-clear, immaculate little face.
It was as if she had no idea what Little Herta was talking about.
Because they had started talking, their pace gradually slowed down, letting Castorice and the others walk ahead.
At the same time, this action also told them to solve any problems on their own.
Although no words were spoken, Castorice and the others understood Lumina's intention through this action alone. Therefore, they did not stop to wait for the two, nor did they say anything to them.
For a moment, Herta and Lumina were once again immersed in a "sweet" world for two.
Hmm... But rather than "sweet," it was more of an "infuriating" world for two.
After all, one was full of mockery, and the other was full of feigned ignorance.
In such a situation, it was just a matter of who would admit defeat first.
"Heh, what do you think?"
"Going from a gentle and understanding Big Sister to a green tea bitch whose very breath, whether open or closed, exudes a green tea aura, what style would you say you've changed to?"
Facing Lumina's feigned ignorance and confusion, Herta smiled coldly.
"Playing a green tea bitch is one thing."
"But what do you mean by spouting all this nonsense?"
"Even a green tea bitch only distorts the facts based on existing ones, doesn't she?" Herta seemed to be very knowledgeable about the behavior of green tea bitches.
"And yet, you? You actually fabricated an event that never happened at all!"
"Have you any shame?!"
Herta rebuked Lumina. Although her words sounded intensely agitated, her expression showed no signs of agitation at all.
"What do you mean I fabricated something that never happened? I'm telling the truth, okay?"
"What I said is the truth. The fact that you, Madam Herta, constantly bully me is a fact that everyone knows, isn't it?"
Facing Herta's rebuke, Lumina was also displeased.
She let out a cold snort and retorted.
"When have I ever bullied you? Do you look like someone who's been bullied by me?" Hearing this, Herta showed no sign of anger.
With her arms crossed, she sized Lumina up from head to toe.
Her gaze lingered for a long time on Lumina's legs, waist, chest, and face.
Each of these four areas was absolutely perfect. Was there any part of them that even remotely resembled being "bullied"?
But to be fair, Herta did want to bully Lumina.
Not the literal kind of bullying, but the physiological kind.
She wanted to stain every inch of Lumina's body with her own unique colors, and leave her own unique marks on every inch of her body.
That was the only kind of "bullying" Herta would ever truly leave on Lumina.
Look at her now, with her delicate skin and snow-white, translucent complexion, looking as if she would bruise from the lightest touch. Does she look like someone who is frequently bullied?
If the truth were as Lumina claimed, and she were indeed frequently bullied by Herta, Herta wouldn't even have time to be happy, let alone argue back.
"How does it not look like it?" Facing Herta's speechless gaze, Lumina felt no discomfort at all. Instead, she continued her rebuttal.
"Look, if I hadn't been bullied by you, would I have inexplicably changed from the image of a gentle and understanding Big Sister into an understanding Little Sister who only knows how to please others?"
"Understanding? Where is the Little Sister?" Herta didn't even lift her eyebrows, her eyelashes trembling slightly as her cherry-colored, translucent lips spat out two questions.
Understanding? If you set aside her true purpose, then she was indeed quite understanding.
But what about the Little Sister? Where was the Little Sister?
"However," before Lumina could make any reply, Herta suddenly changed her tone, "if you admit that you are an understanding Little Sister, and call me a sweet-sounding Big Sister Herta, then I will admit that I frequently bully you."
"See, you've even started threatening me now, and you still say you don't frequently bully me?" Hearing this, the corners of Lumina's lips curled up slightly as she waved her hand and said.
"We are outside right now, in an unknown place, and with Castorice, Stelle, and Mem by our side, you still dare to make threats against me. What would happen in private?"
"Sigh..." Lumina let out a long, silent sigh.
"If Madam Herta can be happy, then bully me, I won't tell anyone else, I really won't."
"As long as Madam Herta is happy, I really won't mind."
Lumina's performance was quite convincing now. If she had said "Big Sister Herta" instead of "Madam Herta," it would have been even more convincing.
To this, Herta was simply speechless.
She had gone as far as playing a little green tea, yet she still refused to call me Big Sister... How can you still act like a little green tea when you won't even put your dignity aside?
"Then I'll bully you right now!"
Herta didn't bother to say anything else. She directly reached out and grabbed for Lumina's waist, intending to pull her body closer and embrace her.
But Lumina did not give Herta this chance. With a gentle twist of her slender waist, she dodged Herta's "surprise attack."
Seeing this, Herta was not surprised. After withdrawing her hand, she scoffed, "What's wrong? Haven't you been bullied by me all this time?"
"How come someone who has always been bullied now knows how to resist and even how to dodge?"
"Sigh, I can't help it..." Lumina's expression remained unchanged as she sighed softly, "When a person is in a desperate situation, they will naturally react in a way that is completely different from usual."
"I only did this out of self-preservation."
"Madam Herta should be able to understand that, right?"
"Heh." Realizing that continuing to talk to Lumina was pointless, Herta could not be bothered to pay her any more mind.
What good is it to say anything to someone who loves to lie through her teeth?
Oh, except for beautiful girls.
If you told her something about a beautiful girl, then it would definitely be of some use.
Of course, this was on the condition that it was a beautiful girl other than Herta herself.
After all, Herta was one of Lumina's targets right now. How could matters concerning her possibly be useful in Lumina's eyes?
Herta understood this point clearly.
Faced with this peculiar feeling, Herta felt both pleased and distressed.
She enjoyed being viewed this way by Lumina, but she also found this feeling distressing.
Love and hate entwined... this must be how you describe it, right?
"Alright, alright, let's end this little game of house."
Seeing that Herta was no longer paying her any mind, Lumina instantly appeared by Herta's side as certain emotions surfaced around her.
Gently taking Herta's hand, Lumina leaned close to her ear and spoke in a soft, gentle voice.
"..."
The sound was ticklish, and the breath she exhaled brushed past her ear like a spring breeze, bringing a faint fragrance and a wave of warmth.
For a moment, although Herta's face remained calm and indifferent, her ears beneath her hair had already turned completely red.
"Heh..."
Taking in the sight of that small ear turning red in an instant, Lumina's lips curved slightly upward. For once, she did not launch an attack when Herta's psychological defenses were cracked.
Instead, she offered a gentle smile, imprinting a stunningly beautiful one deeply into Herta's eyes.
Then she led the small hand, as if taking a stroll, quietly walking along this...
Well, walking along this... path leading to the River Styx.
"Hmph."
Feeling the soft and warm touch transmitted through her palm, and feeling her body gradually heating up, Herta let out a soft huff.
Without saying a word, she silently stored that smile of Lumina's just now into the "safe" deep within her heart.
Then, just like Lumina, she connected through their joined palms, feeling each other's warmth, enjoying every minute and second spent together like a pair of best friends.
Walking along this... path leading to the River Styx.
-
"Strange, they... they should have followed the Styx to the end of the Zephyr."
"Why, why are they now stranded on the shallows of the Styx, pacing back and forth, pacing back and forth..."
"Did Thanatos reject them, or... or have they not truly died?"
After ending their "sweet" time together, the two quickened their pace and soon arrived at the location where Castorice and the others were.
"Sister Castorice, has something happened?"
Upon arriving, Lumina heard Castorice's slightly low-spirited words and asked gently.
Although Lumina would not interfere too much in things, well, a beautiful girl is feeling down and sad, what's wrong with me caring a little?
"Ah, Sister Lumina..."
This voice seemed to possess some kind of magic. Hearing these words, the negative emotions that had arisen in Castorice's heart due to all the previous events instantly dissipated, as if they had never existed.
Taking a deep breath, Castorice folded her hands in front of her waist and said softly, "Sister Lumina, it's like this..."
Castorice recounted everything that had just happened.
"Hmm... This state, isn't it a bit similar to Stelle?" Lumina pondered for a moment, then turned her gaze to Stelle.
Though she was dead, she was still alive.
Though she was alive, she was already dead.
Isn't that exactly Stelle?
The only difference might be that, with the support of her memories, Stelle could bound and jump around as energetically as a living person.
"The... the situation might be similar, but it might also be a bit different."
"This kind of scenario is simply unheard of."
Castorice glanced at Stelle, then shook her head.
Stelle's situation was actually not the same as those people's.
Hmm... Those people were all deceased, their souls lingering here.
While Stelle was a dying person, waiting for death to arrive...
No, that won't happen, Miss Stelle will not die.
Thinking of this, Castorice's cute little face was once again covered by a look of seriousness and determination.
Lumina's palms felt itchy just looking at her.
And the next second, a sudden itchiness appeared on Lumina's palm, the one holding Herta's hand.
Turning her head, Lumina saw Herta making an expressive gesture with her eyes.
"Go on, touch me. Why are you holding back? Trying to be a Ninja Turtle?"
Herta's gesture was extremely obvious, and Lumina instantly understood what she was trying to convey.
She had noticed Lumina's restless hand and was very "generously" urging her not to suppress her desires or ignore the emotions building up inside.
If emotions accumulated too much, it would be bad for the body.
So Herta was telling her to quickly release the emotions stored in her heart.
At this, Lumina smiled faintly and directly began rubbing the palm of Herta's hand.
She rubbed the palm, then the back of the hand, then the wrist. If there weren't other people nearby, Lumina would have wanted to keep moving up the arm and do things that could greatly relieve the tension in her heart.
"Will you help me, please?" Lumina asked in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"..." Hearing this, Herta blushed and turned her head away without answering.
The meaning was already very clear: she did not agree.
But she didn't refuse either.
It meant: don't ask, because if you ask, the answer is no.
But if you took the initiative and just went for it, Herta would only put up a token resistance before "reluctantly" agreeing.
"Hehehe." Seeing Herta acting like such a little woman, Lumina felt extremely pleased.
The great Madam Herta is just like this, huh? In the end, she'll still become my Lumina's...
"Ugh..."
Before Lumina could even finish the thought in her head, a faint pain suddenly surged through her small foot.
Looking down, she saw Herta's high heel stomping hard right on her small foot. Feeling Lumina's gaze, she even twisted it a bit...
Lumina didn't mind this at all, and instead became even more pleased.
See, isn't this exactly the kind of action a little woman takes when she's embarrassed and angry?
This Little Herta fellow has already completely turned into a little woman, from the inside out, from heart to body.
"Hmph." Herta withdrew her high heel that was stomping hard on Lumina's small foot and glared at her.
Herta had held back almost nothing in this stomp, using all the strength in her entire body.
But the stomp on Lumina's small foot hadn't even reached the point of making her expression lose control.
With this kind of physical fitness... if we were to do that kind of thing, we could probably play for a very, very, very long time, right?
In Herta's mind, an image inexplicably surfaced: the better the physical fitness, the longer the exercise duration.
"Ugh..."
Thinking of that image, Herta's little face flushed with a lack of backbone.
Lumina, standing beside her, took in Herta's appearance completely, her lips curling into a smile, but she didn't make a sound.
She stealthily took out her phone, opened the camera, and silently snapped a picture of Herta's blushing profile.
Click—!
The sound of the camera shutter startled everyone present.
Herta: ...
And Herta also realized, realized that she seemed to have left a handle in Lumina's hands...
But it's no big deal.
As long as there are enough handles,
there will naturally be no handles at all.