"Sister Lumina, why is Miss Ruan Mei here?"
"I hope nothing's wrong..."
The relationship between Ruan Mei and Little Swarm needed a one-on-one conversation to resolve.
Sensing the situation, Lumina winked at Stelle and March 7th, made up an excuse, and led them out of the room, leaving the enclosed space to Ruan Mei and Little Swarm for a private chat.
Her goal was to dispel Little Swarm's fear of Ruan Mei.
"Don't worry," Lumina replied honestly. "Even if something were to happen, it wouldn't be related to the present situation."
The plan had only just begun to unfold. How could anything go wrong at this stage?
At least for now, the Luofu was one hundred percent safe.
"So, something will happen in the future?" Hearing Sister Lumina's answer, the usually clueless pink-haired idiot suddenly grew remarkably sharp. She crossed her arms, struck a pose that suggested she had seen through everything, and looked as if she had seen through all the mysteries.
Lumina stared at her in astonishment.
Is this still my March 7th? How did she suddenly become so clever?
"You haven't experienced any real hardship yet, have you?"
Lumina, though puzzled, kept her thoughts to herself, silently scoffing inwardly.
She nodded slightly, acknowledging March 7th's response. "That's something for way in the future, little March. You don't need to worry about it now."
"Who knows? By then, you might have Trailblazed countless times and become the most reliable Nameless in the eyes of future Trailblazers."
Lumina chuckled lightly as she spoke, not hiding anything from March 7th, but still indulging in a bit of "overpraising" flattery.
After all, a good dose of over-the-top flattery was all it took to make March 7th forget all her pain and sorrow.
Well... by "pain and sorrow," we mean the ordinary kind.
If someone were to suddenly die, that would be impossible to forget.
"Sister Lumina, you don't think I'd be smugly pleased by such obvious flattery, do you?" Despite the clear delight that flashed across her face, March 7th stubbornly maintained her tsundere facade, her words defiant.
Hmm... my adorable, silly little March, how did she suddenly become such a tsundere?
Watching March 7th's behavior and expressions, Lumina felt a sudden surge of doubt, wondering if she had somehow transmigrated to another universe.
No matter how she looked at it, the March 7th before her didn't seem like the March 7th she knew.
Has she been possessed by a tsundere?
To test this theory, Lumina pondered for a moment before saying, "March, you don't like it when I say that, do you?"
"If that's the case, I won't say it anymore."
"Eeeeh, no, no, no, Sister Lumina! I was just saying that! I really do like it!" March 7th's adorable face immediately flashed with worry as she blurted out the words the moment Lumina finished speaking.
"Hehe, I just... I just wanted Sister Lumina to praise me a little more," March 7th confessed, scratching her head sheepishly under Lumina's gaze.
An unmistakable hint of dorkiness instantly resurfaced on her face, causing Lumina to exhale a sigh of relief.
Ah, there she is. March 7th is still that ditzy, pink-haired girl after all.
Realizing this—that nothing had fundamentally changed—Lumina finally set aside the anxiety that had been weighing on her heart.
"When March becomes the kind of person I just described, I'll praise her to no end," Lumina said with a smile, gently ruffling March 7th's hair.
"Mm-hmm! I'll definitely become the reliable senior the Nameless look up to!" March 7th declared ambitiously, her eyes squinting at the warmth on her head.
"Alright then, I'll be waiting for that day to come."
"Mm..." Stelle, standing beside them, watched Lumina stroking March 7th's hair and March 7th basking in the affection. Though she felt a twinge of jealousy, she quickly brushed it aside.
Recalling Lumina's earlier words, Stelle asked, "Sister Lumina, when does that thing you mentioned earlier start?"
"Yes, yes! Sister Lumina, when does Miss Ruan Mei's plan begin?"
"I need to warn Uncle Yang and Aunt Himeko beforehand so we can get far away and avoid getting involved," March 7th chimed in, snapping out of her blissful daze under Lumina's gentle touch.
As a member of the Genius Society, Ruan Mei's endeavors were undoubtedly on par with those of a Lord Ravager or Sunday.
Therefore, when the time came, March 7th had to stay far away with the Astral Express, avoiding any involvement or contact with this matter.
"Hmm, about that..."
"What? What do you mean 'avoid getting involved in this'? The Astral Express Crew can't possibly miss out on something like this!"
Hearing this, Lumina, who knew nothing about Ruan Mei or the Godslaying Group, started to shake her head, signaling her ignorance.
But before she could finish her gesture or utter a word, Stelle's slightly indignant voice cut through the air.
"Hmm..." Lumina paused, startled by Stelle's words. Then she nodded, recognizing how perfectly those words matched Stelle's personality.
At the same time, she found herself agreeing with Stelle.
Not because she condoned Stelle's recklessness, eagerness for drama, or overconfidence.
But because as allies of the Luofu, if Ruan Mei, Luocha, and Jingliu truly collaborated with the Xianzhou Alliance, the Astral Express Crew would inevitably be drawn into the conflict.
However, these were future concerns, not matters Lumina needed to address in the present.
If it really happened, it happened. Lumina was confident she could protect any one of them.
Yes, any one of them.
Even if this whole affair culminated in the so-called [War of the Gods], Lumina remained confident she could safeguard any individual she wished to protect.
Lumina herself didn't know where this confidence stemmed from.
Nor did she need to know.
She only needed to be certain of one thing:
That in this [War of the Gods], not a single beautiful girl would suffer injury...
Knowing this alone was enough.