"Don't just stand there like a fool. Sit down," Lumina said, patting the space beside her on the bench, inviting Jingliu to join her.
Jingliu hesitated. The bench, a common sight in the Central Starskiff Haven, was quite conspicuous, and she wasn't particularly keen on sitting there. However, seeing Lumina's eager expression, she reluctantly smoothed her robes and settled onto the bench.
Despite being called a "long bench," it could barely accommodate two people. Whether Lumina was too plump or had too wide a bottom, she occupied more than half the space, leaving Jingliu squeezed into the remaining sliver. It wasn't overly cramped, but the distance between them was uncomfortably close—only a few fist-widths apart. Jingliu's nostrils still carried the faint, alluring scent emanating from Lumina.
It was an exquisite fragrance, arguably the finest Jingliu had encountered in centuries. Not for its intensity or exoticness, but for the sense of calm and comfort it evoked.
"What's with that posture?" Lumina asked, turning to Jingliu beside her, a laugh bubbling up.
Jingliu sat ramrod straight, her hands resting flat on her lap, her gaze fixed straight ahead. Her posture was so impeccably proper that anyone who didn't know her might have mistaken her for a model student from some elite academy.
Jingliu remained silent, but she turned her head slightly, her eyes peering through the black veil toward Lumina, as if trying to convey something.
Lumina understood immediately. She handed Jingliu her phone, which was already displaying the Space Station CG scene from the game.
"I was stuck on the identity verification screen for ages," Lumina explained as Jingliu took the phone. "But I finally cleared it! I'm in the game now!" She winked, striking a playful pose as if seeking praise.
Jingliu ignored her, her eyes fixed on the phone screen. "This... the Stellaron Hunters?" she murmured, staring at Kafka's image.
Click!
Jingliu: ?
The sudden snapping sound made Jingliu turn in confusion to see Lumina holding her phone aloft, snapping photos.
"No problem, no problem, carry on," Lumina said with a smile, waving her hand dismissively. She then lowered her head and saved the photo she had just secretly taken.
The photo showed Jingliu sitting gracefully on a bench in the Central Starskiff Haven, her eyes covered by a black veil. She held her phone horizontally, her expression calm as she gazed down at the screen, engrossed in Honkai: Star Rail.
At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary scene: a stunningly beautiful young girl absorbed in her phone, nothing out of the ordinary.
But upon closer inspection, one noticed the black veil obscuring her eyes as she played...
Although Lumina knew Jingliu wasn't truly blind despite the veil, the sight of her in this pose made her want to laugh.
To avoid laughing out loud and provoking Jingliu's "Ultimate" Lumina suppressed her amusement.
Watching Jingliu quietly engrossed in her game, like a well-behaved child, Lumina turned her attention to her own phone.
She opened her social media app and posted the photo she had taken of Jingliu.
Just before hitting "Post," Lumina paused, reconsidered, and tapped the edit button. She added a line of text to the image:
Artist: Pure White Moon
Having previously posted suggestive fanart of herself, Lumina's account had amassed a considerable following of devoted fans.
As soon as she uploaded this new image, it instantly drew a massive crowd.
They stared at the picture—a blindfolded young girl playing Honkai: Star Rail—utterly bewildered.
"You call this a drawing?"
["I'm done. I can't tell the difference between reality and the game anymore..."]
["Madam, Madam! With your skills, you show us this?! (Breaks down in tears) Why not just take the clothes off instead?!"]
["Holy crap... If your IP address hadn't said... Hmm? Where's your IP address?"]
["Case closed! Madam is actually inside Honkai: Star Rail—a transmigrator! This isn't a drawing at all; she took a live photo in-game!"]
["Holy Jingliu! She's playing Honkai: Star Rail... inside Honkai: Star Rail?!"]
The image Lumina had "drawn" immediately caused a sensation, rocketing to the top of Trending Topics on every major platform.
["I can't tell the difference between reality and the game anymore! [Hot!]"]
["Artist Pure White Moon? Nonono, Transmigrator Pure White Moon! [Hot!]"]
["With skills like this, you show this to your bros?!"]
[ "Aren't you afraid your true identity will be exposed if you keep this up?" ] the System asked, puzzled by the comments suggesting Lumina might be a transmigrator.
"So what if they find out?" Lumina chuckled softly, unconcerned. "Even if they did, what could they do?"
"Besides," she added, "they probably don't even believe it themselves. If they don't believe it, why should I care?"
Lumina understood perfectly well what motivated these commenters. Calling her a transmigrator was just playful teasing. She could choose to interpret it as a compliment to her "artistic skills."
[ "Have some shame..." ] the System muttered in exasperation.
"Shame? But I have a perfectly good face! Isn't it pretty~♪" Lumina playfully patted her cheek, eliciting a series of crisp slaps.
["..."]
"Hmph♪" Lumina hummed contentedly. Having a beautiful girl by her side seemed to put her in a wonderful mood.
Stealing a glance at Jingliu, who appeared engrossed in her own thoughts, Lumina decided not to disturb her. Instead, she continued scrolling through the comments section of her latest post.
Lumina responded to a few of the more amusing comments.
["You've got the skills, and you're showing this to your bros?"]
[Pure White Moon: What do you want to see? Just name it, and I'll draw it!]
Lumina's message had barely been sent when a flood of replies poured in. She answered each one diligently.
["Madam, I'd love to see the Saintess corrupted! (Lewd)"]
[Pure White Moon: Drawing it!]
["Madam, could you draw Stelle and Lumina snuggling? With Stelle on top, if possible! (Thirsty)"]
[Pure White Moon: Drawing it! But Lumina's on top!]
["Madam, could you draw something that could appear in 'Paradise'? Something... completely unprotected? I have a friend who'd love that! (Embarrassed)"]
[Pure White Moon: Drawing it! Absolutely! We can't let our friends suffer.]
["Madam, could you draw a doujin where the Saintess is... corrupted by a group of beautiful girls, one after another? (Lewd)"]
[Pure White Moon: Drawing it! I must... Hmm? Sorry, I can't draw that one! (Smiling)]
Lumina frowned slightly at this comment. "Are you kidding me? Is that even something I can draw?"