"You want another audience with Droid Head... Hmm, no, that's not right. You want another audience with Nous, the Erudition?"
In an office aboard the Herta Space Station, Lumina and Herta found seats.
Hearing Herta's words, Lumina turned to her, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Yes. I intend to pose another question to Him," Herta nodded. Seeing Lumina's expression—like a country bumpkin gawking at the big city—she couldn't help but puff out her chest.
It seemed that earning Lumina's praise and astonishment brought Herta a flicker of pleasure.
"A question? What's puzzling you this time?" Lumina asked, her curiosity piqued.
What kind of problem could possibly stump Madam Herta, forcing her to seek answers from the Aeon of Erudition?
"Don't get your hopes up. Droid Head isn't what you think He is." Sensing Lumina's expectant gaze, Herta realized the girl hadn't read the relevant texts in the Simulated Universe.
With anyone else, Herta would have simply shoved them in front of the Simulated Universe Device and let them figure it out themselves.
But for Lumina, she patiently explained, "Nous, the Aeon of Erudition, never provides answers. He only poses questions."
"?" Lumina blinked, her expression utterly bewildered.
"It's just... Forget it. Just assume the question I'm posing to Nous, the Erudition doesn't require an answer." Herta had started to explain further, but seeing Lumina's adorably clueless face, she worried that continuing might fry the girl's underdeveloped brain. So, she swallowed her words.
Instead, she offered a simplified explanation a child could understand, signaling that Lumina shouldn't worry about it.
"Oh, okay then." Lumina nodded, not pressing the matter.
She knew Herta would tell her if she insisted, but why bother? Why seek out discomfort?
Just the opening statement had left her baffled; if Herta had explained everything, her brain might actually have short-circuited...
Hmm... But a fried brain wasn't the most critical issue.
The real problem was that after her brain overheated, she'd likely remain in a shutdown state until it cooled down and returned to normal.
And "shutdown" meant... completely defenseless...
If Herta decided to do something to her then, she'd be utterly unable to resist.
Not only that, I might not even remember anything from that period...
Though I could always use my power to force a reboot... but that would ruin all the fun.
At least... if the shutdown is truly my own fault, then Lumina will accept the consequences.
She'll accept whatever Herta decides to do to her defenseless body, leaving behind countless pieces of embarrassing material.
[You're trying to have your cake and eat it too, aren't you?]
The System, which had been silently observing Lumina's performance for a long time, couldn't resist chiming in with a sarcastic remark at her "resigned" thoughts.
Only Lumina would play the victim after getting exactly what she wants.
Becoming Madam Herta's "puppy" is a dream come true for countless people across the cosmos.
"What do you mean, 'have my cake and eat it too'? What does their dream have to do with me?"
"If we're going by that logic, the number of people in the cosmos who want to be Lumina's puppy is definitely greater than those who want to be Herta's."
"So, wouldn't that mean Herta's the one getting the better deal?"
Lumina had actually felt a pang of "long time no see, I've missed you" for the System, which had been lurking silently for so long.
But its first words were a challenge, which immediately soured her mood. She retorted sharply.
[I won't even bother calling you out on that: "If the shutdown is my fault, then I'll let Herta do whatever she wants..."]
[You really expect me to believe you said that without some ulterior motive? I don't buy it for a second.]
"..."
"Heh, a machine like you wouldn't understand."
Reading that, Lumina felt a little flustered.
But despite her inner turmoil, she couldn't let any weakness or fear show on the surface.
With a cold snort, Lumina turned her attention back to Herta and asked, "So, what do you need me to do?"
"Hmm... Before I meet the Droid Head, I need to run a simulation. I'll use the Simulated Universe's computational power to simulate my audience with the Aeon." Herta, knowing Lumina wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, paused to organize her thoughts and explained her plan in the simplest terms possible.
"But even though it's just a simulation, we can't underestimate it."
"So, I need you to stay by the Simulated Universe Device, ensure it runs smoothly, and collect the data from my audience with the Aeon."
"Understand?"
"Mhm, got it." Lumina nodded eagerly, indicating she understood.
"..."
Herta didn't believe her for a second.
But it didn't matter.
After all... the whole "ensure the device runs smoothly while collecting data" thing was just a legitimate excuse to keep Lumina at the Space Station...
Even if Lumina weren't there, Herta could handle it herself.
Effortlessly. Casually. With absolute ease...