In a place unnoticed by everyone, a slender little hand silently drifted behind March 7th, observing as if searching for the perfect moment.
"Heh heh, as expected of March 7th—this little face is so smooth and soft~"
Seizing a flawless opportunity, the owner of this hand wasted no time. One hand rested on March 7th's shoulder, while the other gently caressed her soft, smooth cheek.
Pressing close against March 7th's back, the figure leaned in and whispered into her ear, letting out a soft breath.
"Ahhh!!!"
Feeling the small hand caressing her cheek, the soft warmth against her back, and the hot breath on her ear, March 7th panicked, thinking she'd encountered some kind of filthy thing. She immediately screamed.
March 7th channeled her Path power, desperate to break free from this filthy creature, but her efforts proved futile.
Her body felt paralyzed, frozen in place as if bound by a spell. Even as she struggled with all her might, she couldn't escape the creature's poisonous grip.
"N-no... stop..."
March 7th felt like she was falling into an abyss. Tears welled in her eyes, forming small pearls that seemed about to spill over.
"Cry, cry," the creature cackled. "I love watching you beautiful girls shed these little pearl tears. Heh heh heh~"
"Your sobs only make me more excited! Heh heh heh~"
Even as March 7th's tears teetered on the verge of falling, this filthy thing seemed utterly devoid of compassion. Instead of comforting her, it urged her to hurry up and cry, like a demon who specialized in tormenting beautiful girls.
Huh? That voice...
But in the next instant, hearing that familiar voice, the tears that were about to fall from March 7th's eyes instantly receded.
March 7th's face flushed red as she gazed at the pristine fingers caressing her cheek, feeling the reassuring presence behind her. The fear and resistance in her heart vanished instantly, replaced by a ticklish, expectant sensation...
How could such a dramatic shift occur in an instant? From hell to paradise? Even I don't know... Well, actually, March 7th did know.
Because she realized that the shadowy figure behind her, the one who had reached out with venomous intent to harm this fair maiden, was none other than her beloved Sister Lumina.
I don't know which Lumina this is, but it doesn't matter! As long as it's Sister Lumina, I'm all in!
After all, Sister Lumina could never harbor any ill intentions!
If Sister Lumina wanted to see her cry tears like pearls, she'd cry them! If Sister Lumina wanted to prank her, she'd let her!
With these thoughts racing through her mind, March 7th abandoned all resistance, her body instantly relaxing as she melted into the arms of this "Filthy Thing" Lumina, surrendering completely to the "Filthy Thing" Lumina's whims.
"Control yourself. Don't scare them."
What March 7th had been hoping for didn't happen. Indifferent Lumina's icy voice snapped her back from her self-absorbed world.
At the same moment, the space behind March 7th suddenly emptied. The air rushed against her back as the warmth vanished, likely because the Pervert Lumina, that "dirty thing," had been pulled away by Indifferent Lumina...
March 7th couldn't help but feel a pang of regret and disappointment. Regret that Pervert Lumina had been pulled away so soon, and disappointment that she hadn't finished what she wanted to do faster.
Yet despite her regret and disappointment, March 7th harbored no resentment toward Indifferent Lumina. No matter which Sister Lumina it was, she could never bring herself to feel such emotions!
"Hey, she didn't even refuse! Why should I hold back?" As if echoing March 7th's thoughts, Pervert Lumina's dissatisfied voice rang out after Indifferent Lumina's words, sounding almost identical to the other Sister Lumina's.
Though March 7th didn't know much about this Sister Lumina's personality, she liked her immensely.
Or rather, this particular Sister Lumina's personality was March 7th's favorite—the kind who would suddenly pull her into a hug and start...
March 7th turned around, her gaze falling on the newly appeared Sister Lumina. She meticulously observed her from head to toe, left to right, scrutinizing every detail.
The woman's exquisitely beautiful face was marred by an expression of discontent. Her cherry-pink lips shimmered with a crystalline sheen in the air, as if still wet with saliva?
Huh? Why would she be drooling?
March 7th felt a little puzzled but didn't dwell on it.
Though her appearance remained unchanged, and her aura was still familiar, March 7th couldn't reconcile this perverted Sister Lumina with the normal Sister Lumina she knew.
Even as Indifferent Lumina dragged her away, this perverted Sister Lumina continued to stare at March 7th with a lecherous grin, like a creepy uncle who'd been single for thirty years, spotting an incredibly cute young girl living alone, utterly unguarded, and utterly incapable of resisting his desires...
Her eyes burned with craving and a hint of twisted delight, utterly devoid of any attempt at restraint. It was as if she had no intention of suppressing her true feelings...
That look in her eyes made March 7th feel particularly exci... No, it made March 7th feel particularly terrified.
Ahem... It was undoubtedly because this creepy woman, who had been single for thirty years, couldn't contain her loneliness any longer. She desperately wanted to find a super cute beautiful girl to be her daughter, the apple of her eye, her most precious treasure. That's why she was making that expression.
If it were Sister Lumina, having daughters and all that would be totally fine o( ̄▽ ̄)/.
In fact, I'd be absolutely thrilled!
"You're scaring them," Indifferent Lumina said coldly, glancing at Pervert Lumina.
Though Indifferent Lumina was merely the Avatar of Indifference, her concern for March 7th and the others was no less genuine.
"Ha? When did I scare them?" Pervert Lumina retorted, clearly displeased. She turned to March 7th, Stelle, and Little Swarm. "March, Stelle, Little Swarm, did I scare you?"
"Of course not!"
"N-no."
"Yes! You scared me!"
Three people, two different answers. All eyes in the room turned to Stelle.
There was no doubt: she was the one who had been frightened by Pervert Lumina.
"I didn't even hug you! How could I have scared you?" Pervert Lumina asked, genuinely puzzled. I hugged March 7th, not you. How could that have scared you?
Under the group's watchful gaze, Stelle's expression gradually turned serious. "Precisely because you didn't hug me, I got scared."
"Huh?"
"If you had hugged me, I wouldn't have been frightened."
"So, Sister Lumina, hug me! And do everything you just did to March 7th—including what you were about to do but hadn't started yet—do it all to me!"
"Then I won't be scared anymore!"
Stelle's expression was so earnest that, had she not uttered such outrageous words, one might have mistaken her solemn demeanor and lip movements for someone delivering a profoundly formal address...
The group: ...
"Y-yeah, you wouldn't be scared, but Sister Lumina would be terrified."
Watching Stelle descend into another manic episode, March 7th took a deep breath, walked over to her side, and gave her two firm punches.
-
"Whew... Looks like everything's going to be okay after all."
"Thank goodness Indifferent Lumina was here with her reliable emotional stability."
Watching everything unfold from the shadows, Lumina herself let out a sigh of relief.
If Indifferent Lumina hadn't been present, Lumina herself shuddered to imagine what might have happened...
This Lumina—this particular emotion and personality—was someone Lumina herself couldn't bring herself to face directly, nor could she bear to recall her existence...
This Lumina hadn't been born from some "filthy thing," but rather from an emotion called "longing"...
As for what she longed for...
Well, of course, it was to have a whole bunch of super adorable beautiful girls as her daughters! o( ̄▽ ̄)ブ
Regardless of which personality or emotion gave birth to a Lumina, none of them harbored any malicious intentions.
All they wanted was to provide beautiful girls with a safe haven—a place of comfort and warmth where they could return no matter when or where, no matter what grievances or injustices they had suffered, and always feel happy...