Buzz—
The device activated, and Stelle's consciousness returned to reality. Her first reaction was a violent shudder, her body collapsing uncontrollably onto the floor.
The scenes she'd just witnessed were no less than the mental pollution brought by some indescribable entity.
"Stelle, are you okay?" Herta asked with immediate concern.
"Huff—huff—"
Stelle didn't respond, only panting heavily.
"Wow~ Out so soon?"
A pair of high heels appeared in Stelle's view. Asta leaned down slightly, smiling. "Need me to help you up?"
"N-No, I'm fine. I can handle it."
Stelle waved her hand, taking a while to catch her breath before saying, "But never ask me to test the Simulated Universe again. That was terrifying, seriously, I can't take it."
If she'd known it would be this torturous, she'd rather have gone out for hotpot with March 7th.
"Look at you, talking like that," Asta pouted. "Don't worry, I'll prepare a 'reward' for you. It'll definitely make up for your mental strain."
Reward…
Stelle rolled her eyes internally. She wasn't playing a game right now. Even if you gave her Stellar Jades, they'd be useless!
She staggered to her feet, and Asta, seeing her state, shook her head helplessly and linked arms with her. "Come on, let's find you a place to rest first. We'll talk slowly."
Herta wanted to check on Stelle's condition, but Asta tilted her head slightly, giving her a reassuring "it's fine" look.
"Sigh, it's all my fault. I should've prepared better before letting Miss Stelle go in," Herta said, her face scrunched up in distress. "Oh no, oh no, what if Miss Stelle holds a grudge and hates me now? S-Should I prepare something to apologize…?"
Silver Wolf clicked her tongue. "Why do you always overthink everything? Just do what needs to be done and stop being so insecure."
"B-But I'm really scared Miss Stelle will hate me…" Herta clutched her head, squatting down in worry, her pointed hat looking like a cover enveloping her.
Silver Wolf shrugged. "You… ugh, aren't you just born to be a punching bag?"
"Do what needs to be done. Don't just think—go see with your own eyes, hear with your own ears, and act with your own hands!"
Seeing Herta's confused and pitiful expression, Silver Wolf felt a headache coming on. "Tch, so annoying. Fine, get up. I'll teach you what to do!"
"Waaah—thank you, Silver Wolf." Herta burst into tears, hugging Silver Wolf's leg… or rather, her calf, crying in gratitude.
"Hey, w-w-what are you doing?! Let go! I-I-I didn't mean to help you!"
…
Ten minutes later, in Asta's private room.
"…Ugh, ahh—Asta, you're playing way too wild."
Stelle lay on a recliner, her fingers alternating between tensing, clenching, and trembling. It was clear she was quite comfortable.
"Mhm, the space station's so big, and idle time is just that—idle. As long as no one finds out, it's fine."
Compared to Stelle's slightly nervous first-time reaction, Asta was much more relaxed. She lay comfortably beside Stelle, their dainty feet each held by a Herta puppet, which massaged them carefully and attentively.
The Herta puppets felt exactly like real people. If not for their visible joints, Stelle would've thought they were human.
"Lady Herta's puppets are made with the galaxy's most advanced bionic technology, perfect for use as foot massage robots," Asta said, squinting as she enjoyed the service. She added, "Of course, the most important thing is the emotional value they provide."
"Having Lady Herta give a foot massage? I dare say you're the second in the galaxy to experience this. Pretty nice, right?"
Stelle's mouth twitched. "But what if Lady Herta finds out?"
Asta chuckled. "What could happen? Do you think she'd have the guts to admit it?"
"If Lady Herta really connected to these puppets' systems, she'd probably pretend they're doing nothing… Heh, just kidding. I've already modified these puppets. Lady Herta can't connect to them."
Stelle: "If you put it that way… wouldn't some shady people steal Herta's puppets to do… uh, bad things?"
She wasn't thinking dirty on purpose, just genuinely curious.
Asta considered it. "There are definitely people like that, but if they succeeded, what would I use? So, I took care of it."
Stelle: "? How'd you handle it? You didn't…!"
Asta: "Yup, I fired all those shady people. They'll never again find a job with a 20,000 monthly salary, two-hour lunch breaks, eight-hour workdays, weekends off, and generous benefits."
Stelle: "Uh… that's pretty harsh."
Asta laughed lightly, tossing Stelle a phone. "Here, your reward."
Stelle examined the phone. "What's this?"
"A device that can connect directly to my personal phone. If you're ever in danger, just dial the number. No matter how far across the galaxy, my fleet will arrive in time to lend you a hand."
Stelle: …
Wow, a new-concept alliance jade token.
"Oh, one more thing."
Asta suddenly remembered something and added, "A couple of days ago, Miss Himeko asked me to do something—use the company's bioprinting tech to create a body. I checked it out… heh, I didn't expect you and Miss March 7th were already at that stage?"
Stelle raised an eyebrow. She knew about this, of course. After Phantylia was defeated, the little Stellaron was left as just a Stellaron. To help her recover, Stelle had sought help from many people.
But from Asta's tone, something seemed off?
"Oh? So… you don't know?"
Asta chuckled, "This is getting interesting. Take a look."
She handed Stelle the phone, showing a picture of a ten-year-old-looking girl with gray and pink mixed hair. Her golden eyes were identical to Stelle's, but her nose and mouth resembled March 7th's…
"March smuggled some private goods!"
Stelle cursed internally, step on the brakes! She was all too familiar with this plot!
Wasn't this straight out of ancient novels? A concubine bearing a prince secures her position in the harem. By that logic, if the little Stellaron was born looking like this, wouldn't March 7th turn her into a panda?!
"Oh, by the way, just a heads-up: it can't be changed," Asta said with a sly smile.