"So, where exactly is the Stellaron?"
While Lumina and Herta were engaged in a series of playful banter (scratch that), friendly exchanges, Gallagher and the Astral Express Crew continued their conversation.
When the topic of the Stellaron arose, everyone's gaze once again converged on Lumina and Herta.
"Why are you all staring at me? Do I have flowers on my face?" Herta snapped back, feeling the collective scrutiny once again.
Hearing this, the others sheepishly averted their eyes.
"As for the Stellaron's intentions, you should ask that winged-haired boy," Herta added. "The Stellaron has always been under the Family's control, and he's the Oak Family's poster boy. He must know everything about it."
At these words, everyone's attention shifted to Sunday, who was standing nearby, speaking to Robin. His expression remained calm, a slight smile playing on his lips, suggesting Robin hadn't directly confronted him about their earlier suspicions.
As the others exchanged glances and secretly pondered, Lumina, standing beside Herta, nudged her with an elbow and chuckled softly, "Madam Herta, I have an answer to your earlier question."
"What question? What answer?" Herta responded, ignoring the elbow nudge and asking, puzzled.
Did I even ask a question?
"You asked if you had flowers on your face," Lumina said with a grin, reaching out to gently poke Herta's delicate cheek. Before Herta could snap, Lumina leaned in close and whispered her answer: "My answer is...
Madam Herta, your beauty is like that of a flower.
So yes, you do have a flower on your face—the most beautiful and radiant blossom of all."
In Herta's lavender eyes, Lumina's flower-like beauty was reflected.
Herta: ...
"Heh..."
After a moment of stunned silence, Herta chuckled softly. She pressed her hand against Lumina's forehead, gently pushing her away, and turned slightly to present her profile. Her voice brimming with obvious delight, she said,
"Little Lumina, has anyone ever told you that your flirting skills are remarkably effective?"
"No, you're the first one to say that!"
[ ? ]
Faced with Lumina's blatant lie, the System could only slowly conjure a question mark to express its bewilderment.
Moments later, the System understood: someone like Lumina, when asked if it was her first time, would shamelessly claim it was, as long as the questioner remained ignorant or unaware of her past experiences...
"Really? Then I'm truly honored." Herta didn't believe a word of it.
From their first encounter at the Space Station, through her interactions with Asta and March 7th, it was clear Lumina didn't reserve her special attention for Herta alone. She treated all beautiful girls equally.
"So, Little Herta..." Lumina leaned in close again, her face—which could bewitch gods and souls alike—pressing near Herta's cheek. She exhaled warmly against Herta's skin and asked, her voice filled with mock curiosity:
"Did I... manage to fluster you at all?"
"Hmph." Without a moment's hesitation, Herta flicked her hair and scoffed coldly. "With such shoddy flirting, you dare dream of seducing Madam Herta, the embodiment of wisdom and beauty?"
"Don't think you can indulge in such daydreams just because you're in Penacony."
Herta's words dripped with contempt and disdain for Lumina's flirting attempts, as if to say, "Do you really think your paltry flirting skills could possibly affect me, Madam Herta, the ultimate Boss?"
But was that truly the case?
Clearly not.
Despite Herta's feigned composure, her crimson ears betrayed her true feelings. Lumina couldn't help but think, Kawaii! (Cute!)
"Alright, alright," Lumina cooed indulgently.
Faced with such a contradictory, tsundere Madam Herta, what else could her older sister Lumina do but respond with a gentle "Alright, alright," full of indulgence?
"Hey, are you thinking about something weird again?"
Hearing Lumina's doting tone yet again, Herta's expression immediately darkened. Her previously flushed ears returned to their normal color in an instant.
"Not at all. I wasn't thinking about anything strange," Lumina replied with a gentle smile, offering her familiar, reassuring answer.
Heh heh heh... Under Lumina's doting gaze, filled with the warmth of a sister's affection, Herta felt an overwhelming urge to bite Lumina to death.
I really hate being looked at like this by Lumina!
Though this wasn't the kind of hatred that bordered on loathing, it was... it was... it was... Well, even Madam Herta herself couldn't quite pinpoint the exact nature of her aversion to Lumina's gaze.
But it didn't matter. Hatred was hatred. Madam Herta had no need to understand or analyze its nuances. All that mattered was shutting Lumina up.
As for how to silence her...
After a moment's thought, Herta turned to face Lumina directly, meeting her doting gaze head-on. Her eyes locked onto Lumina's, her arms crossed, and a smirk twisted her lips as she threatened, "Miss Lumina, the Immaculate, you wouldn't want recordings of you calling me 'Big Sister Herta' to spread throughout the Cosmos, would you?"
"Alright, alright~ I'll do as you say," Lumina replied, her tone unchanged, still brimming with indulgent affection for Herta's antics.
Little Herta, you're so naive.
She chuckled inwardly, amused by the child-like simplicity of Herta's actions. With the advanced technology of the Cosmos these days, what good would releasing a recording do?
No one would believe that the Immaculate Saintess would ever call Herta "Big sister."
They'd just assume it's a synthetic recording generated by AI, causing absolutely no damage to my reputation.
Lumina thought to herself, well-versed in the schemes of the Cosmos community.