"No, thank you." Castorice shook her head, rejecting Calypso's request to join and travel with them.
"Wanting to join our conversation without even revealing your true form... that's a bit too familiar, don't you think?"
Although Castorice was wary of the Calypso before her, and though she harbored deep distrust, she still offered a reason for her refusal.
But this reason was more of a ploy to draw Calypso out, to make her reveal her true form.
"Next, I will ask you some questions."
"Please answer truthfully. If you can answer them all smoothly, then we won't be enemies for now."
With friends and guests, Castorice could appear somewhat gentle, making her seem easy to bully.
But as an enemy... well, while she might still look easy to bully, those who truly crossed her would find the taste of [Death] far from pleasant.
"Hehe, a quiz?"
"Very well. I like this. Please, begin."
Calypso had no objections, gesturing with one hand for Castorice to ask whatever she wished.
"..."
"Is this Calypso's identity really that hard to guess?" Herta couldn't help but comment as she watched Castorice and Calypso's question-and-answer session.
After spending so much time with Lumina, Herta had gradually shed the arrogance that once defined her as a genius.
The old Herta would have likely ignored Castorice and Calypso's current actions entirely.
But the current Herta, influenced by Lumina, would now use her brilliant mind to ponder their behavior.
For instance, Herta had already formed a guess about Calypso's identity the moment she appeared.
And now, she was certain of it.
So, Herta was genuinely curious.
Was Calypso's identity, appearing under these circumstances, really that difficult to figure out?
"Alright, Little Herta, don't measure others by your brilliant mind." Lumina chuckled, soothing Herta as if she were a child.
If Herta knew Calypso's identity, how could Lumina not?
Castorice likely had her own suspicions as well.
The only ones truly in the dark were probably Stelle and Mem, right?
"Why are you using that tone, like you're coddling a child?"
Herta hated when Lumina used that tone with her. It made her seem like the one being pampered, like she was the younger sister...
Herta didn't like being pampered.
If there was any pampering to be done, it should be her pampering Lumina, not the other way around.
"Little Herta, have you forgotten what just happened between us?" Lumina didn't answer Herta's question, instead posing one of her own.
"What just happened?" Herta muttered in confusion, her mind searching for recent events.
"That..."
"Have you forgotten? We're boyfriend and girlfriend now, you know."
Just as Herta recalled the event, her lips parting to speak, Lumina chuckled and cut her off.
At the same time, she feigned a look of confusion and hurt as she gave the answer.
"You..."
"Sigh... I can't believe it, I just can't believe it."
Herta fell silent for a moment, then opened her lips again, about to say something.
But just like before, before Herta could get a word out, Lumina interrupted her again.
Lumina clutched her chest with one hand, as if suffering the agony of a "hanging," her face filled with sorrow and grief—a total drama queen.
If anyone else saw Lumina like this, they would probably assume Herta had done something unforgivable to make her so heartbroken, so pitiable...
"..."
Herta's small mouth formed an "O," her eyes wide, completely stunned on the spot.
But soon, Herta snapped back to reality.
She crossed her arms, her small face fell, and her eyelids drooped—clearly, she was utterly speechless. Yet, she said nothing to stop Lumina's act, simply watching her quietly, silently observing, waiting for her next performance.
A flicker of anticipation even sparked in her heart.
She was curious to see what grand spectacle Lumina would put on for her this time.
"Sigh..."
Under Herta's gaze, the sorrow and grief on Lumina's face vanished in the next second. She let out a sigh filled with world-weariness, like an old woman who had seen it all.
"We only just became girlfriends a short while ago..."
"And yet, before long, you completely forgot about our relationship... I feel like you're just a scumbag girl. Being with you is really, really tiring."
Lumina, like a victim whose heart had been broken by a scumbag girl, accused Herta of her series of scumbag actions, her voice tinged with tears.
Lumina's performance was incredibly realistic; if anyone who didn't know the truth saw this, they would probably believe everything she said was real.
That Herta was a massive scumbag girl who had shattered Lumina's heart.
Herta: ...
The corner of Herta's mouth twitched, a curious thought crossing her mind.
She wondered why Lumina was so skilled at this... Could it be that some beautiful girl had done this to her before?
Herta thought to herself, feeling this possibility was quite high.
After all, Herta couldn't believe that in all the Amber Eras, not a single beautiful girl had truly "fallen in love" with Lumina, only to be ruthlessly rejected by her...
Heh, given her practiced skill, it was probably more than just one.
Otherwise, how could she make it look so real?
In Herta's heart, her favorable impression of Lumina instantly dropped significantly.
From ∞ down to ∞...
"Little Herta, I'm really... so tired." Unaware of Herta's thoughts or the annoyed expression on her face, Lumina continued her performance.
She tilted her head back, fully exposing her swan-like, snow-white neck to Herta's view.
With a long sigh, her voice carried a sorrow that could pierce through flesh and reach the deepest corners of one's heart: "Little Herta, I think..."
Here, Lumina paused.
Her face, stunning from any angle, now showed a hint of pain and conflict.
"Sigh..."
After a moment, she closed her eyes, lowered her head, and struggled to make a momentous decision that could affect her entire life.
She opened her eyes and said painfully, "Little Herta, let's break up."
After saying this, Lumina let out a long sigh of relief, a look of liberation appearing on her face.
It seemed that her time with Herta had been a period of repression, an unforgettable ordeal, a painful experience...
...or was it?
Herta, who had witnessed Lumina's entire performance, nearly rolled her eyes into the back of her head.
If Herta hadn't been keenly aware that she was still on Amphoreus, still in the Cosmos, she might have almost believed she'd transmigrated into a world where Lumina was a simple woman who loved only one person her entire life.
Break up? We weren't even a couple, what the hell are you breaking up?
Although Herta wasn't particularly bothered by role-playing, and even found some interest in role-playing with Lumina, seeing Lumina act as a pure maiden "cruelly hurt by a scumbag woman" really tested Herta's patience.
Lumina playing a pure maiden, cruelly hurt by a scumbag woman, who loved only one person her entire life?
How interesting.
Her harem could probably fill the entire Amphoreus, couldn't it?
Herta silently mocked in her mind.
She didn't dwell on it for long and returned to reality.
First, she glanced at Castorice, who was playing a Q&A game with Calypso, then at Stelle and Mem, who were watching them play.
After confirming they weren't looking her way and couldn't overhear her conversation with Lumina, Herta finally turned her gaze back to Lumina.
Gazing at Lumina's pitifully endearing act of being cruelly betrayed by a scumbag woman, Herta's breathing grew ragged.
With that look, she's talking about breaking up?
What's the difference between that and seduction?
If the person she was breaking up with had even the slightest feelings for her, they'd probably pounce on her and have a go at it, right?
Herta thought to herself.
"Hmm... that doesn't sound too bad, actually."
As she mulled it over, Herta decided the idea wasn't so problematic after all.
So, with a wave of her small hand, Herta calmly uttered words that nearly made Lumina's expression crack: "Break up? Fine."
"Then let's have one last fuck before we go our separate ways, as a memento of our time together."
Lumina: ?
Hearing this, Lumina's expression didn't completely shatter, but it visibly froze.
Wait, sis, is this the Herta I know?
The Herta I know would never say something so... crude.
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
How could the wise and beautiful Madam Herta utter such vulgar words!
"Herta, what did you just say?"
Lumina, suspecting she had misheard, asked for confirmation.
"I said, let's have one last fuck before we break up, to commemorate our time together."
The devastatingly effective words made the corners of Herta's mouth curve up into a "popping champagne at halftime" smile.
Although popping champagne at halftime was a major taboo, given Herta's understanding of Lumina, this champagne was no different from popping it at the end of the game.
After all, her words were so blunt that Lumina would surely refuse, not agree.
And what if she agreed?
What else could they do?
Fuck, of course.
Herta thought to herself.
If Lumina agreed, Herta would pop ten thousand bottles of champagne.
Whether Lumina initiated it or Herta did, Herta would consider it a massive win.
Herta now understood: to deal with a trash-talker like Lumina, you just had to be direct and confrontational.
If she asks "want to or not?", you say "want to."
If she brings up lewd topics, you bring up even deeper, lewder topics.
This way, a trash-talker like Lumina would just keep retreating until she couldn't retreat any further.
This was the experience Herta had gained from knowing Lumina for so long.
It wasn't Herta's fault she had become like this; it was all Lumina's doing.
If Lumina hadn't flitted through a garden of flowers like a playgirl, leaving no leaf unturned, how could Herta have ended up this way?
If Lumina had just agreed to her from the start, how could Herta have ended up this way?
Herta had to keep advancing, advancing, advancing, until she cornered Lumina, until she completely made Lumina her "lover," belonging only to her.
For this goal, even if some actions felt unfamiliar, even if she was extremely reluctant, Herta would cast aside her pride and do them.
Like those... incredibly crude words she had just spoken.
As long as it worked on Lumina, Herta could suppress her shame and say them openly.
The premise was that the words and actions had to actually be effective; otherwise, Herta would feel incredibly embarrassed too...
"Cough, cough." As Herta was lost in thought, a cough from Lumina pulled her back to reality.
Lumina's face flushed slightly, but fortunately, it quickly faded.
"Little Herta, I just thought about it for a bit, and I think we don't need to break up after all."
"Let's just keep things as they are; I think it's pretty good this way."
She gave an awkward smile. To avoid saying anything more unnecessary, Lumina decided not to dwell on the topic any longer.
When did Herta become like this...
At the same time, Lumina muttered to herself inwardly.
This crude, utterly transparent Herta was still a bit too much for Lumina to handle.
Usually, when Lumina pursued beautiful girls, she would first use her personal charm to get close, then initiate physical contact, and finally, with a small trick, she could successfully achieve her grand goal.
This method worked every time. While the process might vary, the general steps were the same.
But now, with the current Herta, Lumina definitely couldn't use this method... because if she got close, Herta would genuinely make a move...
She wouldn't enjoy my warmth like other beautiful girls; instead, she would choose to dominate and seize it.
"Herta definitely wasn't like this before."
Lumina rubbed her head as if nursing a headache, recalling the old Herta and comparing her to the present one. The difference was quite significant...
The old Herta wasn't nearly this difficult to handle, was she?
Back then, Herta was just a bit smarter than average, no different from other beautiful girls. A little physical contact, a few minor tricks, and Lumina could almost have her wrapped around her finger...
But now...
"Sigh..."
Sighing again, Lumina stopped overthinking and immediately ended the topic.
Without looking at Herta, she turned her gaze to Castorice and Calypso, waiting for their conversation to conclude.
"Heh heh."
Lumina's expression declared Herta's victory.
So, Herta didn't hide her triumphant smile, letting it spread across her face.
Today was Madam Herta's complete victory o( ̄▽ ̄)ブ!
It was also Madam Herta's first victory in a long time.
This declared that Madam Herta had taken a major step forward!
Lumina: ...
Even though Lumina didn't look at Herta, she could still sense it: a face beautiful enough to be an Emanator of [Beauty], now adorned with a victor's smile, instantly made Lumina's fingers itch.
I really want to beat her up.
Though extremely annoyed, Lumina could only suppress her frustration.
Faced with this new, increasingly shameless Herta, Lumina needed to devise a new battle plan.
At the very least...
She had to deal with Herta's lewd tendencies first. Otherwise, all she could do was refuse, leaving her completely on the defensive...