"Hmm? This lucky?"
As Lumina approached the reception desk at The Reverie Hotel to check in, her eyebrow arched at the sight of the purple-haired woman registering with the receptionist. She immediately felt a wave of ten consecutive double-gold luck washing over her.
"Galaxy Ranger, Acheron." Sensing the undisguised gaze from behind, Acheron showed no emotion as she calmly completed the check-in process with the receptionist.
"Alright, here's your room key."
"Hmm." Acheron accepted the key, nodded slightly, and glanced back at Lumina with a subtle, unreadable expression before turning to leave.
Acheron didn't approach to greet her, nor did she show any other overt reaction. After a brief nod of acknowledgment, she headed toward the room number printed on her key.
So Acheron recognizes me.
Though the fleeting, enigmatic glint in Acheron's eyes was nearly imperceptible, Lumina still caught it.
She's so stunning—a mature, beautiful, handsome, and powerful Big Sister!
Lumina hummed inwardly, feeling no rush to... no rush to get to know her new friend, Acheron.
Approaching the reception desk, she retrieved her invitation and handed it to the receptionist, offering a gentle smile. "Hello~ I'm Lumina, here for the Charmony Festival."
"W-welcome to Penacony, Lady Lumina," the receptionist stammered, her eyes trembling visibly with excitement. "This... this is your room key. We hope you enjoy your stay during the Charmony Festival."
Despite her idol being right in front of her, the receptionist's strong composure prevented her from acting out of line. She smiled faintly and handed Lumina the room key.
"Thank you," Lumina said, accepting the key. Noticing the receptionist's eager expression, she offered with a gentle smile, "Would you like a photo with me?"
"B-but... is that really allowed?"
The receptionist's voice trembled with a mix of excitement and longing.
"Of course it is," Lumina replied. First, she blurred the vision of everyone else in the room to prevent chaos from erupting over the photo opportunity.
Then, she naturally moved to stand beside the receptionist, aligning their shoulders.
"Alright, let's take the photo. Remember to make me look good, okay?"
"Y-yes! Of course!"
Click!
With a single click, the photo of the receptionist and Lumina was immortalized forever in the digital image.
While the receptionist was still giddy with excitement, Lumina quietly slipped away unnoticed. By the time the receptionist snapped back to reality, there was no trace of regret in her eyes. She treasured the photo like a priceless gem, saving it across all her Clouds accounts and setting up a premium membership with super encryption.
Recalling the aura Lady Lumina had exuded during the photo session, the receptionist's professional demeanor vanished. Her mind began to conjure all sorts of wild fantasies—grand and trivial—causing her breathing to deepen and her cheeks to flush crimson.
"Shift change! Shift change! I need to use the restroom!"
Though her mind teetered on the brink of collapse, she still recognized that she was in the lobby. Desperate to avoid becoming tomorrow's top headline on Penacony, the receptionist hurriedly called for someone to relieve her.
She then bent low and darted toward the restrooms.
"Huh? Didn't you just go?"
"My stomach hurts!"
Lumina: ...
Lumina hadn't gone far and witnessed the entire scene, a twitch tugging at the corner of her mouth.
Surely it wasn't that bad?
She shook her head helplessly, dismissing the incident as trivial.
Human nature, after all. Perfectly normal. Perfectly normal.
Dismissing the matter, Lumina glanced at The Reverie Hotel's idiot-proof signage and made her way toward the room number printed on her keycard.
-
"Could this Dream Pool actually be unable to let me enter Penacony?"
The Reverie Hotel's signs were practically idiot-proof—anyone could understand them. Following the directions, Lumina quickly reached her room. Her gaze immediately fell upon the Dream Pool, the room's most prominent feature, and she realized a crucial problem.
If even Ena's Dream couldn't breach her defenses, this Dream Pool likely wouldn't fare any better.
Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. Without further hesitation, Lumina approached the pool, raised one Jade Foot, and tested the water temperature.
Hmm... Neither cold nor hot—perfectly comfortable.
She first dipped one foot in, then reclined completely into the Dream Pool.
As a warm sensation gradually enveloped her body, Lumina narrowed her eyes, then closed them completely.
Please relax and feel your body rise and fall.
A voice echoed in her ear, likely from the Dream Pool's broadcast system.
Focus on your breathing, imagine an eternal paradise...
Imagine... a timeless land of dreams.
Lumina thought to herself, visualizing Penacony's dreamlike landscapes. Before her, pitch-blackness reigned for a moment, then...
Lumina opened her eyes.
"As expected, it didn't work. Being rejected twice in a row is truly infuriating..."
"Though it's because I'm just too powerful, aside from my own issues, doesn't Penacony have any flaws?"
Lumina sighed in exasperation and slowly rose from the Dream Pool. Water cascaded freely down her clothes, yet left no trace of dampness behind. This must be a feature of the Dream Pool, effectively preventing any... ahem... awkward situations.
"What now? Should I just force a breach into Penacony?" Having lost the Dream Pool as an entry point, Lumina could only think of one solution: brute force.
Just like how she broke into Ena's Dream, she would smash a hole into Penacony's dream realm and barge in.
However, Penacony's dreamscape was far weaker than Ena's Dream. Lumina worried that if she wasn't careful, even a small punch might shatter the entire realm...
Penacony collapsing was a minor concern; the real loss would be missing the chance to make new friends!
Given the stakes, Lumina decided caution was the best approach.
"Hmm... Forget it. I'll just go make myself known."
Rather than fretting over how to enter Penacony, Lumina decided to use this time to introduce herself to her potential new friends and establish some familiarity.
As for whether she'd find a proper method to enter, that wasn't her problem.
After all, if there was a problem, it was Penacony's dreamscape. Could it even withstand her punch?
Lumina stepped out of the Dream Pool, pushed open the door, and exited the room.
"Hmm?"
"Hmm... Hello."
By sheer coincidence, a purple-haired mature woman appeared before her the moment she opened the door.
Well, it wasn't really a coincidence. Lumina had sensed Acheron's aura and deliberately emerged from the Dream Pool... Otherwise, she would have already punched a hole through Penacony.