"Call me 'Big Sister'~"
Lumina: ?
"Aha ha ha, my dear, what are you saying? Hurry and bring out the snacks. I'll give them a fair review based on their actual taste, you know."
Seeing the smile on Herta's face, Lumina returned a gentle smile of her own. "Stop fooling around, Herta," she said softly. "Just bring out the snacks."
"Oh~ my dear little sister, I'm so sorry, but I forgot to bring them." Herta's smile vanished instantly, and she raised an eyebrow at Lumina, as if to say, No "Big sister," no snacks. And don't even think about eating any.
"My darling Herta, please don't be stubborn. Just bring out the special snacks you made just for your Big sister."
Judging by Herta's expression, Lumina was certain she had brought them. But calling her "Big sister"?
Absolutely not. Never!
"Sigh..." Herta sighed dramatically. "My beloved Lumina, I'm not being stubborn. As the "younger" sister, I didn't make any snacks in the first place. How could I possibly bring them out?"
Herta was subtly implying to Lumina that while she, as the younger sister, had no snacks, Lumina, as the elder sister, might.
"Be a good girl, little sister. Don't make trouble."
"Good, I'm being very good and not making trouble."
"Stop wasting time. I want to take you to see a grand performance later. Hurry up and get your snacks out to eat."
"I'm not wasting time at all! It's you who's wasting time, Lumina!"
Herta covered her mouth and said with a light laugh. More than any grand performance, she longed to hear Lumina call her "Big sister."
Lumina: ...
Staring at Herta's unhurried, mischievous smile, Lumina fell silent. Then, Lumina exploded.
"Herta! Now! The snacks!"
Lumina had no patience left for joking around with Herta. She was ready to use force directly.
If you can't appreciate my kindness, then don't blame me for being rough!
Well... of course, Lumina wouldn't actually use force against Herta. At most, her tone would become sharper, but she wouldn't take any real action.
In short, it was all talk.
It wasn't that Lumina couldn't do it, but that if she did, something terrifying would happen!
Lumina simply stood with her hands on her hips, striking a domineering pose, like a malicious young miss bullying a pure and innocent little flower.
Tick-tock... tick-tock... No response.
Activation condition: Big Sister Herta.
Faced with Lumina's "bullying," Herta's eyes gradually lost focus, her entire body radiating a faint white glow, as if she had suddenly disconnected from the network.
Tick-tock... tick-tock... No response.
Activation condition: Big Sister Herta.
Herta repeated herself, making it clear to Lumina: If you don't say it, you don't get to eat.
"Stop pretending! Just give it to me! Don't make me use force!"
"I'm not pretending! I won't give it to you! Go ahead and try using force!"
"Stop pretending! Just give it to me! Do it!"
"I'm not pretending! I won't give it to you! Do it!"
"Give it to me! Do it!"
"I won't give it to you! Do it!"
"Give it!"
"No!"
"..."
At that moment, the bickering between Lumina and Herta echoed incessantly before the Radiant Feldspar's Divergent Universe. To an outsider, it might have sounded like they were engaged in a heated debate over something crucial to the Cosmos' development.
But in reality, anyone who knew what they were arguing about would only think:
Are those kindergarteners fighting again?
-
"Is this... the dessert you made?"
After a moment of unspoken events, Lumina stared at the dessert Herta had prepared—or rather, at this lump before her—with a mixture of disbelief and confusion. She hesitantly asked Herta, "Um... is this really it?"
"Mmhmm! Hurry up and eat it! I used a Curio to keep it warm, so it's still piping hot, almost like it just came out of the oven."
Herta's mood brightened considerably upon receiving such a satisfactory Answer. She cradled the lump—no, the dessert—in her hands, her eyes brimming with anticipation as she gazed at Lumina. Her entire face seemed to urge, "Eat it! Eat it now!" as if pushing Lumina to devour it and deliver a glowing review.
"Um... can I take back what I said earlier?" Lumina murmured, her gaze fixed on the lump before her. Even though it was the creation of the super-beautiful Madam Herta, she found it difficult to bring herself to take a bite...
Lumina regretted it—deeply regretted it, the kind of regret that would turn her into a Nihility Pathstrider on the spot.
At least others might have picked up sesame seeds while losing a watermelon.
But Lumina? She lost both the watermelon and the sesame seeds, and then she picked up a lump of...
"Come out! Why did you scam me?!"
Staring at the lump before her, Lumina clenched her jaw, itching to drag the System out and beat it to a pulp.
[What does any of this have to do with me?]
"You tell me," Lumina retorted.
[Are the desserts from The Herta's Magic Kitchen and the one Madam Herta is holding here made by the same person?]
Lumina recalled the dessert Herta had made for Ruan Mei, then looked at the lump before her, and fell into silence.
[ Oh, I forgot to mention: to accommodate the Players, the content in the video is somewhat optimized. The actual product isn't exactly like that. ] The System added quietly, intensifying Lumina's resentment.
As Lumina mentally grilled the System, Herta, sensing her desire to retract her earlier words, remained silent. Instead, she repeatedly played the recorded voice message at full volume, letting it reverberate and echo through the surroundings.
"Big Sister Herta~"
"Big Sister Herta~"
"Big Sister Herta~"
Lumina: ...
Lumina said nothing, her gaze slowly shifting to Herta's phone, as if searching for the opportune moment to snatch it away.
"Stealing my phone won't work," Herta chuckled, instantly detecting Lumina's plan. "It's already backed up to the Cloud."
But Herta's next words sparked a new idea in Lumina's mind: "Unless you go and blow up the Interastral Peace Corporation's storage Clouds."
"Otherwise, you'll be calling me 'Big Sister Herta' for the rest of your life."
Herta covered her mouth with her hand, resembling a wicked witch who had successfully seized leverage over an innocent, pure-hearted girl.
"Magical Girl, or Witch for short—what's the problem? No problem at all!"
"Blow up the Interastral Peace Corporation?"
Lumina ignored Herta's subsequent remarks, lowering her head to consider the feasibility of the plan.
"Forget it. Little Herta isn't worth the effort."
After a moment, Lumina dismissed the idea.
After all, if she blew up the Interastral Peace Corporation's cloud servers, wouldn't her own photos stored there be lost too?
Why would Lumina engage in such a pyrrhic victory?
Besides, she had a much better solution.
She could simply give Herta a good thrashing to knock her into line. Then, Herta would naturally call her "Big Sister Lumina" sweetly...
Imagining this, Lumina's mood brightened considerably, and even the indescribable mass before her seemed slightly more palatable.
She reached out and, under Herta's expectant gaze, gently pinched off a small piece.
After a moment's hesitation, she popped it into her mouth.
Gag!
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