Amphoreus, Okhema. Inside the room.
After Aglaea left, Lumina first glanced around the room, then her gaze fell on Herta. She smiled and said, "Herta, let's divide the bed."
"Divide the bed?" Herta tilted her head in confusion, murmuring the phrase.
It was the first time she had ever heard the term, and she didn't quite understand what it meant.
"Hmm?" Seeing Herta's reaction, Lumina froze for a moment.
Then, a mischievous grin spread across her face. She leaned in close, pressing against Herta's arm, and brought her head to Herta's ear. Gently breathing a puff of warm air, she said in a suggestive tone, "My dear Madam Herta, don't tell me..."
"You've never shared a room with someone before?"
"Er... I mean, you've never stayed in the same room with someone before?"
"Ha? What are you talking about? Of course I've stayed in the same room with others," Herta replied with a deadpan expression.
She had long grown accustomed to Lumina's antics. Aside from the closeness of Lumina's body, the fragrance wafting around her nose, and the warm breath that made her ear tingle, Herta was already immune.
She wouldn't react at all.
Hmm...
That was definitely a lie.
Herta's ears, hidden beneath her hair, had long since turned bright red.
Thankfully, they were concealed by her hair; otherwise, she would have had to come up with an excuse to explain it.
Hoo...
Herta took a deep breath internally, then released her small hand from Lumina's tight grip.
She quickly pulled away, then casually straightened her hair, trying to appear perfectly normal.
"You have?" Hearing this, Lumina frowned, her expression filled with disbelief, ignoring Herta's sudden movement.
Herta had stayed in the same room with someone else? Shared a bed with someone else?
Lumina was skeptical.
No.
Lumina refused to believe it.
Lumina didn't believe Herta had ever had such an experience.
Because in Lumina's eyes, Herta was the kind of person who would never do something like that.
"Of course I have," Herta replied, having regained her composure after putting some distance between them and letting the lingering fragrance dissipate.
She lightly tossed her hair, letting out a soft humph. There was no hint of falsehood in her tone.
And indeed, Herta wasn't lying.
Back at the Reverie Hotel, hadn't she and Lumina shared a room?
So, Herta wasn't lying at all.
"Really?" Lumina stared at Herta suspiciously, her face a mask of disbelief.
She scrutinized Herta's expression but couldn't find a single crack in her composure. It was as if she were telling the absolute truth.
Despite this, Lumina's stance remained unchanged.
She didn't believe it.
Herta sharing a room, sharing a bed, with someone other than her?
No matter what Herta said, no matter how serious, sincere, or truthful she sounded, Lumina refused to believe it.
So, Lumina pressed, "Then who was this person you shared a room with?"
"Why should I tell you?" Hearing this, Herta's lips curved into a slight smirk. She let out a soft humph, refusing to answer the question.
"You..."
"What? Are you the only one allowed to share a room with other beautiful girls, Lumina? Am I not allowed to do the same?"
Lumina opened her mouth to retort, but before she could utter a single word, Herta cut her off.
"Uh..." Lumina's lips parted and closed, clearly desperate to argue back.
But she couldn't seem to find any grounds for a rebuttal.
Because Herta had a point.
Since she herself often shared rooms and beds with other beautiful girls...
Then Herta should logically be allowed to do the same.
But...
But...
How can that be the same?
I, Lumina, just share a room with other beautiful girls. I don't have any special thoughts about it.
I, Lumina, just share a bed with other beautiful girls. I don't have any special thoughts about it.
It's just like with an older sister or a mother.
As an older sister, as a mother, is there anything wrong with sharing a room or a bed with younger sisters or daughters?
This is completely different from what Herta's doing.
"Herta, it's not the same," Lumina began. "We're all..."
"How is it not the same?"
Lumina tried to explain, but Herta didn't give her the chance.
Explain? Heh, what a joke.
After spending so much time with Lumina, did Herta not know what her "explanations" were?
Just pure bullshit. She'd put on a dead-serious, utterly sincere expression and spout a stream of nonsense with absolutely no basis in reality.
To put it bluntly, it was just shameless, random babbling.
As long as she acted serious enough and made it sound plausible, she could successfully fool some of the girls.
Who knows how many beautiful girls she's tricked with that tactic...
But it didn't matter. All Herta needed to know was that she wouldn't be fooled.
"Of course it's different! Just think about it," Lumina began, unaware of Herta's inner thoughts. "We..."
Lumina couldn't read minds, so she had no idea what Herta was thinking. Desperate to improve her image in Herta's eyes, even just a little, she launched into a long, earnest lecture.
Herta let the words go in one ear and out the other, not absorbing a single one.
Well... while she didn't register the content of Lumina's speech, she did pay attention to other things.
Like Lumina's voice.
As it reached her ears, it felt like a clear stream gently flowing past, leaving Herta feeling remarkably comfortable.
This girl... She's a pathological liar, but her voice is quite pleasant.
Listening to Lumina's voice, Herta mused to herself.
That little mouth of hers is only good for its sound.
Hmm... maybe not entirely.
At that thought, Herta cautiously glanced at Lumina's soft, pink lips, which were opening and closing as she spoke.
Watching the corners of Lumina's lips glisten as she spoke, Herta felt a strange itch deep inside.
She couldn't quite put her finger on it—where it came from, or how to release it.
All she could do was suppress it. There was no other way.
That had been her thinking before.
But now, Herta seemed to understand.
She understood where the itch came from, and she knew how to release it.
It was just...
She didn't quite dare.
Because Herta knew that if she acted on it, there would be no turning back.
If she did it, there was a small chance Lumina would come to hate her.
So, Herta held back.
In her eyes, Lumina was someone who only enjoyed flirting and empty talk. If things got real—if they were actually on the battlefield—she'd run faster than anyone.
Herta didn't dare take the gamble. No matter how intense the itch became, no matter how overwhelming the urge, she would suppress it. She would endure.
Because she didn't dare to bet.
She didn't dare to bet that Lumina would actually like such actions.
She didn't dare to bet that Lumina wouldn't hate such actions.
"Herta? Herta?"
"HERTA!!!"
"Mmph?! Mmph?"
While Herta was lost in thought, Lumina, who had been chattering nonstop, finally realized Herta hadn't heard a single word she'd said.
She saw Herta was completely dazed, lost in her own world.
Lumina was very displeased.
She called Herta's name softly a few times but got no response.
Seeing this, Lumina grew even more annoyed.
How dare a mere Little Herta ignore me?
How dare a mere Little Herta zone out while I'm imparting great wisdom?
If this were one of my Lumina's Little Lessons, I'd have to give you a small punishment.
Of course, even now...
Lumina decided Herta needed a little punishment.
I'll make sure Herta remembers that my, Lumina's, authority is not to be trifled with.
With that thought, Lumina pondered for a moment. A playful smirk spread across her lips as if she'd thought of a fun "punishment."
But before putting her plan into action, Lumina first carefully observed Herta's current state.
Seeing that Herta was completely lost in her own world, Lumina first took out an Image Stone, activated it, and set it hovering in the air.
After checking that the Image Stone was recording, she slowly began to advance, closing in on Herta step by step.
Once she reached the perfect distance, Lumina suddenly shot out her hands.
Straight toward Herta... straight toward Herta's cheeks.
Before Herta could react, Lumina's fingers pinched her cheeks and began to knead them relentlessly.
"???"
"Mmph... mmph..."
Since Lumina intended to teach Herta a lesson, she didn't hold back.
The force she used to knead Herta's cheeks wasn't excessive, but it was far from gentle.
And so...
Within seconds, the area on Herta's pale cheeks that Lumina was vigorously kneading instantly turned red.
"Whad are you doin'?"
Jolted out of her inner world by Lumina's forceful kneading, Herta managed to mumble the words through her squished cheeks, her gaze fixed coldly on Lumina.
Yet, despite Lumina's actions, she made no immediate move to resist or stop her.
"Guess what I'm doing." Hearing this, Lumina chuckled, her hands not only continuing but speeding up considerably.
Under Lumina's relentless kneading, Herta's pale cheeks eventually flushed red across her entire face.
She looked just like a red apple.
The sight sparked an urge in Lumina to lean forward and take a small bite.
But thankfully, her desire to tease Herta outweighed the impulse to nibble on the "Red Apple Herta."
As Lumina continued to vigorously knead Herta's cheeks, the urge to bite her gradually faded.
"Mmph... mmph... mmph..."
With Lumina's hands constantly squishing her cheeks, Herta was utterly unable to form a complete sentence.
Yet, for some reason, she rarely failed to resist Lumina's actions.
No, that wasn't quite right. She was resisting.
But her "resistance" was merely an attempt to stop Lumina's current actions.
For Herta, that was far from enough.
Herta wanted a form of retaliation that Lumina would remember for the rest of her life.
So...
On the surface, Herta showed no weakness, simply allowing Lumina's small hands to continue kneading her face.
But in reality, Herta's hands were already creeping toward Lumina's body.
"What's wrong? Little Herta, why aren't you talking anymore?"
"Are you just naturally quiet?"
Since Lumina's attention was completely focused on kneading Little Herta's cheeks, she failed to notice the pair of hands slowly closing in on her.
"Mmph... mmph... mmph."
A glint flashed in Herta's eyes. She deliberately mumbled a few more times to reinforce Lumina's assumptions, thereby increasing the success rate of her counterattack.
"Little Herta, I think you should just obediently..."
"Hmm?"
"Hmm!"
Seeing Herta's apparent submission, Lumina couldn't help but feel smug. It would be a lie to say she wasn't.
But just as Lumina was about to unleash a barrage of taunts, a sudden tingling sensation shot through her waist.
A pair of hands had seized her waist!
Startled, Lumina quickly looked down.
Unsurprisingly, the hands belonged to Herta.
Seeing this, Lumina immediately released Herta's cheeks and stumbled backward.
"Hmph!"
Herta snorted at the sight.
Herta wasn't about to forgive Lumina so easily for what she'd just done.
As Lumina retreated, Herta surged forward, keeping her hands firmly clamped on Lumina's waist.
"Ngh~"
The persistent tingling sensation at her waist made Lumina let out an involuntary moan.
"..."
Hearing the soft sound, Herta froze for an instant.
Thwack!
In that split second of hesitation, with Lumina still backing away, Herta's high-heeled foot twisted. She lost her balance and pitched forward.
"Herta!"
Lumina gasped in alarm.
In the sudden chaos, she completely forgot that Herta was powerful enough to survive a fall from a hundred-story building, let alone a simple trip on flat ground.
Acting on pure instinct, Lumina halted her retreat, spread her arms, and leaned forward to catch Herta.
But as Herta's body fell into her embrace, Lumina's own ankle suddenly twisted.
With both their bodies out of control, Lumina's frame tilted backward.
Thud!
And just like that, the two of them inexplicably tumbled to the ground.
"Ugh... Strange. What is this?"
"So soft?"
Slowly pushing herself up, Herta felt a wondrous sensation against her palm, a flicker of confusion crossing her mind.
It was the most exquisite texture she had ever felt in her life.
"Mmm..."
Unable to resist, Herta gave it a gentle squeeze.
The sensation shot straight to her core, sparking an irresistible urge to savor it forever.
Opening her eyes, Herta sought the source of this incredible feeling.
"Ah..."
The moment she saw it, Herta held her breath.
Before her lay Lumina, pinned beneath her.
Lumina's white hair fanned out across the floor like a blooming flower.
Her flawless, delicate face was flushed a deep crimson.
"Her... Herta, get... get off me."
Lumina turned her head aside, her tiny voice trembling with girlish shyness.
"..."
Seeing Lumina's expression, Herta was initially confused.
But soon, as her gaze drifted downward, Herta understood why Lumina looked so flustered.
"Ngh..."
Unable to resist, Herta felt herself losing control.
"Get off me!"
A tingling numbness spread through Lumina's body. Face flushed crimson, she snapped at Herta.
"Ah? Oh, right."
Snapping back to reality and realizing what she'd been doing, Herta's own face turned red. She scrambled off Lumina in a hurry.