As soon as Herta's words fell, she felt several scorching gazes land on her. She shrugged, unfazed. If Herta, the genius, were to back down because of others' attitudes, she wouldn't be Herta.
Although the phrase "you can just belong to me" was indeed a joke Herta made on a whim. She had no intention of joining this war for Sāmu. The girl's research on interesting subjects, especially on a living person like Sāmu, was never about confining them to a laboratory or imprisoning them by her side. She preferred to let things take their natural course, to witness the miracles he would create with her own eyes.
In contrast, Ruan Mei had gone a little too crazy. And in essence, it was all for herself. She needed to respond to that madly growing vine of emotion so that her research could continue. And Himeko was forced to adopt a corresponding attitude to deal with her. If she had shown any weakness, she might have lost Sāmu. That's why it looked like the two of them were fighting over a beloved "toy."
"I suddenly have a good idea~" Herta smiled, deciding to act as a "wise judge" for once and put a perfect end to this matter of Sāmu's ownership. Don't ask why she had the right to be the judge. Anyone who had seen her purple, sandbag-sized diamond hammer would understand.
In this starry sky, when has it not been that power is supreme, that power decides everything? Even among the Aeons, they couldn't persuade each other with their concepts and eventually had to resort to universe-overturning force.
And Herta's solution to Sāmu's ownership was also simple and crude.
"Come, Sāmu, you stand here." Herta smiled and, without taking no for an answer, took Sāmu's hand, leading him to the empty space between the confronting Ruan Mei and Himeko. Then, beneath his feet, she drew a nearly perfect circle out of thin air.
Sāmu looked at the doll-like girl before him, who was far more beautiful than her puppet, with confusion, but surprisingly, he had no intention of refusing her. Perhaps it was because the pure-hearted boy could faintly sense the deep-seated gentleness in Herta, a quality different from other geniuses.
In the Master Control Zone, before the monitor screen, Asta murmured with curiosity and anticipation, "Ms. Herta... what is she going to do?"
"But no matter what she does, I support Ms. Herta!" Asta was Herta's little fangirl. This wasn't just because Ms. Herta was an extraordinary genius, but also because of an old incident.
Asta had been considered the "strange child" of her family since she was young. She wanted to follow her own trajectory like a star, but the reality was that as the heiress of a large family, she had little right to control her own destiny. Her privileged family background gave Asta the power to explore the stars, but it also became her shackles. Countless times, Asta had argued helplessly with her relatives, hovering on the brink of giving up her dream of becoming an "astronomer." She believed she was not wrong, but her entire family, the entire world she lived in—was telling her, "You are wrong!"
Gradually, even Asta began to waver. Was she really wrong? It was then that the arrival of a puppet girl became the light that illuminated Asta's world!
— "This little girl will do. I want to see her at the space station within three days."
The puppet girl said, then left without looking back. The family members who had been so overbearing in front of Asta were now meek and submissive, no longer daring to interfere with Asta's pursuit of her interests and ideals.
Ms. Herta's arrogance was famous. The "arrogance" was more about "haughtiness," referring to her disrespectful attitude towards people, caring only for things that interested her. And what about the "pride"? Was it just pride? Asta felt it was more like "tsundere." But she wouldn't dare say that to Ms. Herta's face. Ms. Herta's diamond meteor hammer hurt a lot when it hit your butt...
Asta's gaze continued to focus on the platform in the monitoring video. She wanted to see how Ms. Herta would save that good boy she had a favorable impression of this time.
After arranging for Sāmu to stay in the circle, Herta then took Ruan Mei's and Himeko's hands respectively, placing them on either side of Sāmu, in perfectly balanced positions.
Ruan Mei: ...
Himeko: ...
Clearly, both were puzzled by this absurd scene. And Herta's subsequent simple and crude words shocked them even more.
"How about this? You each pull one of Sāmu's arms. Whoever can pull him out of this circle, I will judge to be qualified to be Sāmu's mother!"
"How can something like this...!" Himeko immediately wanted to object anxiously. The matter of Sāmu's allegiance should be decided by him alone! How could it be reduced to such child's play! If Sāmu chose to stay with Ruan Mei, or with Kafka, even if Himeko was heartbroken and sad, even if she thought it was wrong, she would not stop him. She would only do her part and quietly wait for her child to come to his senses and return.
But now, Herta actually...
While Himeko was still arguing, Ruan Mei had already taken action. She immediately grabbed one of Sāmu's arms and, without a word, began to pull him towards her. Sāmu, still in a daze, was pulled like a puppet, his already unsteady steps staggering.
Herta offered no explanation, just watched calmly.
Helplessly, Himeko had to try to join this struggle. She gently intertwined her fingers with Sāmu's. But this gentle hold was no match for Ruan Mei's forceful pulling.
Soon, Sāmu was pulled to Ruan Mei's side, only one step away from leaving the circle!
"Hiss..." The tearing sensation from his arm, even the feeling of nails digging deep into his skin and drawing blood, made the boy's face contort in pain. He was already very good at enduring pain, but Ruan Mei's actions had broken through the threshold of his pain management.
This scene was noticed by Himeko, and her heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. The hand that should not have been released was now subconsciously let go. Otherwise... Sāmu would be in pain.
But it was this compassionate act from Himeko that ultimately decided Sāmu's fate. As Himeko let go, he was forcefully dragged out of the circle Herta had drawn.
"I win," Ruan Mei's words fell coldly. At this moment, she wasn't even looking at Sāmu, not caring about the child's condition. Instead, she looked at Himeko with a defiant and contemptuous gaze.
For Ruan Mei, a problem was given, and as long as the conditions were met to get the result, that was enough. The result was the most important thing; the process did not matter!
Seeing this, Herta sneered. "Hmph, you won. You win, win, win, and in the end..." All you'll have is loss.
— "I declare that Ms. Himeko is Sāmu's qualified mother!"
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (330 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (130 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (140 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (330 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (160 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (170 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (90 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (130 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (140 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (148 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (150 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (130 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (100 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (50 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (80 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (90 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.