Damp, shoulder-length pink hair clung messily to Asta's smooth neck and cheeks, with droplets constantly forming at the tips and trembling as they rolled down, while the water slid along her graceful jawline, following the curves of her body before disappearing from sight.
A faint blush of pink spread across her exposed skin, hazy with steam, extending from her slender calves all the way to her rounded shoulders.
At this moment, time seemed to freeze—suspended by that sudden wave of warm, moist air—and within this fleeting instant, Lucian finished viewing Asta's 'VIP content.'
However, now he felt genuinely confused.
'Am I born with a lucky pervert trait?'
Lucian's current situation was just like some anime protagonist who always stumbled and somehow managed to land on beautiful women and enjoy those 'benefits.'
'Yes, that must be it—there's no other explanation...' Lucian closed his eyes and nodded thoughtfully. 'A transmigrator ought to have this kind of trait, right?'
"You!"
As Lucian was deep in thought, Asta shouted—her voice so sharp it almost tore through the thick walls of the space station, filled with shock, embarrassment, and a hint of anger at her privacy being invaded.
Asta's eyes swept like lightning toward the small, round table beside her, where a hardcover book lay open, then grabbed it without even glancing at the title.
*Whoosh!*
Her arm swung out in a sharp arc with a force that could've smashed through the space station itself, sending wind and water flying as she hurled the book straight at Lucian's face—the heavy spine traced a deadly arc under the light, brimming with murderous intent.
However, just as that hardcover book—strong enough to knock out even a voidranger—was about to strike him, he casually reached out and caught it with perfect ease.
Right after, he grabbed the nearby bedsheet and tossed it over her, wrapping her up completely.
Now, not only did he cover the view, but he also restricted her movements.
"What are you trying to do?!" Asta's chest heaved violently, the blush on her cheeks deepening from both anger and steam.
"Herta gave this to me, told me to pick a room, and I ended up running into you by accident." Lucian pulled out the advanced access pass, explaining calmly. "In other words, this is just a misunderstanding. I didn't mean to see you bathing."
Even though his voice was not loud, it was clear enough, carrying an almost detached calmness, as if he had not just seen her in that compromising situation.
Asta's eyes, still burning with fury, locked onto the golden card in Lucian's hand, and in that instant, the anger on her face froze in the most abrupt way.
Only then did Asta recognize Lucian—his face matched the one posted on Herta's announcement.
"A-Are you Madam Herta's honored guest? The third person on the space station to have an advanced pass... Mr. Lucian?"
"Yeah, that's me." Lucian nodded calmly.
"..."
Asta had never expected such a scene—Herta's honored guest, by sheer coincidence, had seen her completely naked.
And the worst part was, she couldn't even make a fuss about it.
It couldn't be helped.
Lucian was, after all, Herta's honored guest—it concerned both Herta's reputation and Asta's own.
Even though since childhood, Asta had always been the darling of her parents and had never been seen naked by a man—not even her female friends had seen her naked—now, just like that, she had given it all away...
It was hard to accept, but she had no choice.
Asta took a deep breath, trying to comfort herself with the thought that at least Lucian was ridiculously handsome.
In the end, all her fierce energy and anger—everything that was about to explode outward—was stopped dead by this ironclad fact, stuffed back down in the most awkward way.
"Hiss..."
Asta took a sharp breath, short and forceful, then straightened her back, trying to regain the composure expected of the lead researcher of Herta Space Station.
Unfortunately, her slightly trembling fingers and blood-red earlobes betrayed the chaos in her heart.
"Please leave first... I need to get dressed..."
Asta's voice tried to maintain the elegance of a rich heiress, but if one listened closely, there was a faint, almost undetectable tremor at the end.
Lucian nodded calmly, following Asta's instructions with smooth, unhesitating motions.
However, as he was about to turn and leave...
"Wait!"
Asta called out to him again.
Lucian looked back and saw Asta's face burning red.
"Help me unwrap the bedsheet, please... I can't move..."
"Sure."
Lucian turned again and, with a casual flick, let the bedsheet slide off her, exposing Asta's naked body again.
However, Lucian did not look this time and left the room without turning his head.
*Drip-Drip-Drip—*
In the room, only the sound of water droplets hitting the mat remained—it was so regular it made one's heart race.
Before long came the frantic rustling of soft fabric, sounding like clothes being pulled on in a hurry.
'He really didn't seem to have any bad intentions...'
As she dressed, Asta replayed the previous scene in her mind.
Even though Lucian had seen her naked body, he had also used the sheet to cover her, and even when he left, he didn't try to sneak a look. In fact, his calm eyes and steady voice really seemed free of any worldly desire.
She was well aware that she was beautiful and wealthy, which was why she had encountered plenty of lecherous stares in her life, making her able to tell the difference between lecherous stares and not.
Because of this, she could tell that Lucian's stare was not particularly a lecherous one filled with lust, but more like an appreciative and admiring one toward something beautiful.
'It really must have just been a misunderstanding... I mean, he isn't familiar with the space station, and there was no one to guide him, so it isn't his fault, right?'
As she thought this, Asta finally let it go—though meeting Lucian again might still be a bit awkward...
And so, after getting dressed and tidying the room, Asta finally stepped out and happened to see Lucian standing by the window in the corridor, gazing at the sea of stars beyond with a serene expression.
He stood there quietly, taking it all in.
Only now did Asta realize she had still underestimated how handsome Lucian was, for under the starlight, he looked like the brightest star within reach.
As the daughter of an extremely wealthy family, she had met plenty of rich heirs, but none of them had Lucian's kind of charm.
"If you like stargazing, Mr. Lucian, you can stay in the room next to mine. It has the best view of the star cluster." Asta walked over, trying to ease the awkwardness.
It was only natural.
Lucian was, after all, Herta's honored guest.
It should be noted that there were very, very few people Herta treated as honored guests, so although she had never heard of Lucian's name before, Asta still knew how to judge a person's status.
Lucian turned at the pleasant voice beside him and glanced at Asta.
Now, Asta was dressed in a white dress that outlined her graceful figure, the clothes she always wore in the game.
Her pink hair, now dry and smooth, draped over her shoulders, and she wore the calm smile of a young lady, as if the embarrassed girl from earlier had never existed.
"Alright, I'll take your suggestion." Lucian replied with a calm smile.
With that, the room next to Asta's became Lucian's.
*Ding~ling~ling~*
Just then, Asta's phone suddenly rang, and as she took her phone and looked at the screen, it was Herta calling.
[Asta, I forgot to tell you, help me welcome Lucian. Have you seen him?]
"Mr. Lucian... is right next to me..."
[Oh? Good, give him a proper welcome and help him pick a room, then just grab any of my puppets and bring one over to my lab right now, together with him.]
"Understood, Madam Herta."
Right after hanging up, Asta couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
'A proper welcome? Yeah, by sacrificing my own innocence...'
Asta let out a helpless sigh.
Herta was really unreliable when it came to little things like this.
If she had just said something beforehand, someone could have been arranged to greet Lucian, and he wouldn't have wandered into the 'forbidden lotus pond.'
"Mr. Lucian, Madam Herta wants me to bring you to see her." Asta said with a polite smile. "By the way, I also need to pick up her puppet to bring along on the way. You don't mind?"
"Puppet?"
Upon hearing 'puppet,' Lucian frowned and suddenly had a bad feeling.
'Don't tell me... Is she going to use her puppet to settle the bet?'