"Sister Lumina, thank you..."
The conversation with Polyxia did not last long. Castorice once again thanked Lumina with deep gratitude.
Sister Lumina had done so much. Castorice no longer knew what way she could use to thank her...
Or rather, no matter what way she chose to express her gratitude, it would be impossible for the scales to remain balanced.
What Sister Lumina had given Castorice had already far exceeded the scope of what Castorice could ever repay.
Under these circumstances, the guilt in Castorice's heart instantly reached its peak.
No matter what she did, no matter what she gave, she could not bring the scales back to a balanced state. This made Castorice... feel utterly powerless.
Although Castorice knew, knew that Sister Lumina would definitely not ask for anything in return, Castorice simply... simply found it hard to accept.
"Little Sister Castorice, you already call me Big Sister, so what is wrong with me helping my Little Sister?" Lumina smiled slightly, as if she had seen through Castorice's thoughts.
"But, Sister Lumina, I..."
"What 'buts'? Isn't it only natural for a Big Sister to help her Little Sister?"
Castorice opened her small mouth, wanting to say something more.
But after she managed to get a few words out, Lumina interrupted her directly.
Then, before Castorice could continue to struggle, Lumina feigned a bit of anger and said with a hint of seriousness in her tone, "Could it be... that Little Sister Castorice doesn't recognize me as her Big Sister?"
"No! No! Absolutely not!"
Hearing Sister Lumina's words, Castorice's face instantly filled with panic, and she hurriedly waved her hands in the air, her small head shaking back and forth along with the movement.
This behavior of Castorice's seemed to take her already cute appearance to another level.
"So cute." Lumina, who looked serious on the surface but was actually captivated by Castorice's cuteness, sighed in admiration.
As a beautiful young girl, and a cute and dorky one at that, her appeal to Lumina was unquestionable.
Lumina felt extremely happy and pleased by Castorice's desire to repay her.
But she still refused Castorice's kind offer.
This wasn't because Lumina didn't want Castorice to repay her, but because she wanted to give Castorice... a little bit of pressure.
When I say I don't want it, do I really mean I don't want it?
When I say I don't want it, it actually means I do.
The superficial refusal was just that, a superficial refusal. In her heart, Lumina still desperately wanted Castorice's repayment.
It was only to preserve her image and put a little pressure on Castorice that Lumina didn't say it out loud.
After all, how could a big sister ask her little sister for a reward?
Everything a big sister does for her little sister is an act of familial love.
Therefore, no repayment is needed.
But, even if she said that on the surface, the repayment she deserved still had to be given.
Without thinking further, Lumina spoke directly, ending the topic: "Anyway, let's leave it at that."
"Since Polyxia is Castorice's little sister, she is naturally my little sister too."
"I am not helping Little Sister Castorice, but rather helping Little Sister Polyxia."
"Po... lyxia Little Sister?" Hearing this stranger, who radiated a warm, gentle, motherly aura, Polyxia's small mouth parted slightly, as if surprised by Lumina's way of addressing her.
If Polyxia remembered correctly, this should be... her first time meeting her, right?
At Lumina's affectionate address, Polyxia was instantly stunned.
It was just that... Polyxia didn't dislike the term "little sister."
Or rather, Polyxia didn't dislike any term she heard from Lumina's lips.
Even... even a little bit comfortable, a little bit... happy?
Polyxia herself didn't know why this was happening.
Clearly, clearly this was the first time they had met.
Yet this feeling of intimacy and dependence inexplicably rose in her heart, leaving Polyxia utterly confused.
While Polyxia was puzzled by these inexplicable thoughts, Lumina had already quietly approached her side.
She reached out her small palm and gently rested it on Polyxia's head.
While gently stroking it, she spoke with a smile, introducing herself: "Hello, Little Sister Polyxia, my name is Lumina."
"You can call me Sister Lumina, just like Little Sister Castorice does."
"Of course, if you mind how I address you, or if you don't like the name Sister Lumina, you can choose whatever you prefer."
"I don't mind at all."
At this moment, everyone present was very familiar with Lumina's appearance.
Because this was the expression Lumina always wore when meeting a beautiful girl for the first time.
Gentle, kind, generous, and divine.
Lumina's appearance would make a beautiful girl slowly lower her guard, thereby giving Lumina an opportunity to take advantage of the opening.
Of course, very few people were able to realize this.
Rather, the only person who seemed to realize this on the surface was Madam Herta.
At this moment, Herta had her arms crossed, coldly watching Lumina, who was stroking Polyxia's head and speaking with utmost gentleness.
No extra emotion could be seen on her exquisite face.
It was as if she didn't care about Lumina's behavior at all.
But obviously, this was definitely false.
Herta cared deeply about Lumina's behavior, but she had no reason to stop her.
Besides, there was nothing improper about what Lumina was doing to Polyxia.
It was completely normal, which gave her even less reason to go up and stop her.
Lumina just wanted to make a friend, what was wrong with that? What reason did she have to go up and disturb them?
As long as Lumina and other beautiful girls didn't act like she and Castorice had earlier, as if they were about to kiss the next second, Herta wouldn't interfere.
Because she would be powerless!
She might even be caught in a compromising position by Lumina because of this... that would be absolutely unacceptable.
So when faced with normal interactions, although Herta felt very uncomfortable, she wouldn't stop them.
But if she encountered a situation where they were about to kiss the next second, Herta would definitely rush up to stop it from happening.
As for whether she worried that this act of stopping them would give Lumina some leverage over her?
Herta felt that in this situation, there was absolutely no need to worry.
Because unlike normal cuddling, in this "about to kiss the next second" behavior, Lumina would definitely be immersed in it, with both her spirit and body in an extremely excited state.
Under the influence of this excited state, Lumina would have no mind to think about other things.
She would have no mind to use some details and thinking to gain leverage through Herta's anxious act of stopping them.
Herta's intervention would only snap Lumina out of that state.
At the same time, the emotions that surfaced in her mind and body after leaving that state would not completely dissipate so quickly.
So there would be no case of Lumina settling scores later.
This actually reassured Herta quite a bit.
Cuddling was fine, hugging was fine, even sharing a bed was fine, but any further actions were absolutely impossible!
This was already Herta's biggest concession.
Herta would absolutely never continue to concede to any further actions!
Unless... unless the person doing these actions to her was Herta herself.
If it was like that, then, then it wouldn't matter.
"I wonder when I can finally complete this."
Herta looked up at Styxia's pitch-black sky and sighed silently in her heart.
Although the road to completing this was still very, very long, it just so happened that Herta did not lack time.
Even the coldest stone, if held in the palm of one's hand for a few Amber Eras, would surely be warmed up.
Herta used a cold stone as a metaphor in her mind.
Although the two couldn't be compared directly, Herta's intended meaning was still very clear.
That was, to take it slow and steady, and gradually win her over.
Given Lumina's personality, she probably wouldn't harbor any negative feelings toward a beautiful young girl, right?
If so, it would be convenient for Herta to take her time.
If it doesn't work out right away, then it will take a lifetime!
Herta refused to believe that as a [Genius], she couldn't win over this Little Lumina in a lifetime!
"I-It's fine, Sister Lumina and... Little Sister Polyxia, these titles are perfect."
While Herta was lost in her thoughts, the interaction between Lumina and Polyxia continued.
Meanwhile, Castorice, Stelle, and Mem all watched on with the mindset of spectators, making no move to intervene.
They would only speak up once the interaction between Lumina and Polyxia had concluded.
After all, Polyxia was the one Lumina had brought out, so it was only natural for her to be the one to initiate the conversation.
Upon receiving Polyxia's affirmative reply, the smile on Lumina's face deepened.
Her mood also instantly improved a great deal at this moment.
At the same time, her movements became even gentler.
It was just like a kind mother becoming even more benevolent upon seeing her child being so sensible.
Lumina looked at Polyxia, the tenderness in her eyes almost overflowing: "Alright, Little Sister Polyxia."
"Then, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Lumina tilted her head and smiled, such a gentle and beautiful smile reflected in Polyxia's eyes.
"S-Sister Lumina, h-hello..."
Under Lumina's brilliant smile, Polyxia's slightly pale face instantly flushed red.
She couldn't help but lower her head slightly, not daring to look directly at Lumina's face.
Her hands rested on her tightly pressed thighs, pinching the hem of her clothes, her lips pressed firmly together, overflowing with shyness, making one feel that she was irresistibly cute.
One could only say, is it truly because they are twins?
Polyxia's current appearance was exactly the same as Castorice's.
Seeing Polyxia's appearance, Lumina's mind returned to when she first met Castorice.
Back then, she seemed to have this kind of little expression too, right?
Lumina gave a soft hum, not thinking much more about it.
After all, Polyxia had already become like this just from a simple greeting. Without a doubt, if Lumina were to take things a step further and engage in more intimate actions, she would probably end up just like Castorice, her mind going blank and falling into a short-circuited state in an instant.
To prevent such a thing from happening, Lumina decided to abandon the idea of getting to know her any further for now.
She would wait for a while and first slightly improve her "endurance."
This way, it would be more convenient for Lumina to perform some cuddly actions later.
For example, hugging, holding hands... and things like that.
Now, just showing a smile had already made her like this.
If she directly held her hand... it would undoubtedly cause her to short-circuit instantly.
"Little Sister Polyxia is truly cute, just as cute as Castorice." Lumina stopped rubbing Polyxia's head, gently patted it a few times with her palm, and then withdrew her little hand.
Polyxia: "..."
Feeling Lumina's little hand withdraw, and feeling the warmth that spread through her entire body from the top of her head vanish, a sense of emptiness suddenly surfaced in Polyxia's mind.
"Ah!"
The moment she realized she was feeling this way, Polyxia hurriedly shook her head, trying to shake the thought from her mind.
This... how could this be possible?
How... how could she have such a thought?
Although Polyxia looked similar to Castorice, their personalities were somewhat different.
But in front of Lumina, it seemed that any so-called personality differences didn't matter at all.
At least, when it came to their first meeting, Castorice and Polyxia were identical.
Their little expressions, their small gestures, everything was exactly the same.
Aside from a few minor details, the general reactions were completely identical.
It was as if they had been carved from the same mold; without a careful comparison, you couldn't see any difference at all.
"Th... thank you for the compliment, Sister Lumina."
After shaking the feeling of emptiness from her mind, Polyxia kept her head lowered, but she still softly whispered her response to Lumina's praise about her being cute.
Polyxia knew that Castorice was very cute.
Castorice was the cutest thing in Polyxia's eyes.
And now, this Sister Lumina had praised her and Castorice's cuteness in the same breath, which caused a little warmth to blossom in Polyxia's heart...
Sister Lumina is truly a gentle person.
With her face flushed and her head lowered, Polyxia couldn't help but let a genuine smile spread across her lips.
Thus, in the few minutes since they had met, Polyxia had already placed Sister Lumina in a position second only to Castorice in her heart.
"Mm." A soft hum acknowledged Polyxia's thanks, and Lumina then turned her gaze to Castorice. "Little Sister Castorice, let's take Little Sister Polyxia back to Okhema with us."
Hearing this, Castorice nodded earnestly. "Mm-hmm, Sister Lumina."
As a Demigod of [Death], Castorice could naturally see Polyxia's aura as a living being.
She didn't know how Sister Lumina had managed it, but it didn't matter.
Castorice just needed to lie there and quietly wait for her omnipotent Sister Lumina to carry her along.
"Eh? Go... back to Okhema? What does that mean?"
But Polyxia had much more to consider.
Listening to the conversation between Sister Lumina and Castorice, she slowly raised her head, the blush on her face gradually fading as a confused and puzzled expression took its place.