"So, March, what do you think?" Lumina smirked at March 7th inside the elevator leading to the Master Control Zone. "Wasn't my little 'curse' effective? We haven't encountered a single monster along the way!"
"That's... impossible," March 7th muttered, suddenly doubting herself. Ever since Sister Lumina had made that comment, a strong premonition had stirred within her. Since her birth from the Six-Phase Ice, March 7th's premonitions had never been wrong. Why was this time different?
After this experience, March 7th felt that her once-proud intuition had suddenly become... well... less worthy of pride.
Heh, just a little March 7th. Lumina watched March 7th's ever-shifting expressions with a dismissive smirk.
March 7th's premonition was correct. If Lumina hadn't intervened, they would undoubtedly have encountered monsters—it was unavoidable. The Voidrangers seemed to have anticipated their route and were lying in ambush.
But sorry, you have your schemes, and I have my brute force. I'm flipping the table entirely! Hehehehe(≖⩊≖)
Tick...
With a soft chime, the elevator halted its ascent. The doors slid open, revealing the Master Control Zone.
"Alright, March 7th, stop overthinking it. Let's hurry and let Asta know we're safe," Lumina said with a smile, noticing March 7th's still-pensive expression.
Stop thinking so hard! You could ponder this for a century and still not figure it out.
March 7th could never have imagined that the reason they hadn't encountered any monsters was because Lumina had effortlessly wiped them all out with a flick of her finger.
"Ugh, fine," March 7th grumbled after a moment, giving up on her fruitless contemplation. "I was wrong to doubt Sister Lumina."
Knowing that admitting one's mistakes was a virtue, March 7th lowered her head and offered a sincere apology.
Observing March 7th's contrite demeanor, Lumina's playful spirit stirred. Her eyes twinkled as she said with a mischievous smirk, "Little March, admitting your mistakes is commendable, but apologizing without a proper show of sincerity? I think that's a habit you should probably correct too."
"Huh? Oh, right!" March 7th blinked in confusion before realizing what Lumina meant. She patted her pockets as if searching for something to offer as a gesture of remorse.
"No need," Lumina said quickly, noticing March 7th's flustered expression. She pulled out her phone, opened the QR code friend request page, and held it out to March 7th.
"The 'sincerity' I'm looking for, little March, you can't provide right now."
"Let's become friends first. I'll message you when you can offer me that sincerity."
"Oh, okay." Without overthinking it, March 7th scanned the QR code with her phone and sent a friend request.
[Tch, that cunning host.]
"Hush!" Lumina gently silenced the System. With elegant movements, she moved her phone in front of Stelle, her voice so melodic and captivating that it drew people in.
"Stelle, do you have a phone on you? If so, let's add each other."
"Uh... let me check." Stelle patted every pocket until she finally found a phone in her coat pocket. She picked it up, turned it on, unlocked the screen, and instinctively opened the QR code scanner to add Lumina as a friend.
"Hey? Looks like you just have amnesia, not a brain malfunction after all!" March 7th blurted out.
Realizing her words could be misinterpreted, March 7th quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.
"Ah, no, no! That's not what I meant! I wasn't cursing you to become an idiot, but rather expressing my relief that you didn't become one..."
Dan Heng: ...
Hearing March 7th's explanation, Dan Heng rubbed his forehead in exasperation and sighed.
"Alright, March," Lumina said soothingly, "even though your words could easily be misunderstood, Stelle understood your intentions perfectly." She then held her phone up to Dan Heng and Arlan.
As the flawless Holy Maiden, Lumina naturally wouldn't jeopardize her image just to add cute girls to her friend list.
While the others wouldn't mind such a trivial act, a pure and beautiful Holy Maiden simply couldn't afford to leave any room for gossip.
So, she had to put on a little act.
After adding Dan Heng and Arlan as friends, Lumina put her phone away.
"Alright, let's go," she said.
Lumina moved the contacts of the cute girls she'd added into a separate group, nodded in satisfaction, and then strode out of the elevator.
Her gaze fell upon the pink-haired young girl in the center of the Master Control Zone, still diligently coordinating operations. Lumina glided silently toward her.
"Asta, we found Arlan," Lumina whispered, silently approaching Asta from behind and gently tapping her on the shoulder.
Hearing Lumina's voice, Asta turned around in surprise, her face lighting up. "Sister Lumina! You're back!"
After greeting Lumina, Asta turned her concerned gaze to Arlan. "Arlan, are you alright? Were you hurt?"
"I'm fine," Arlan assured her, shaking his head. He then glanced gratefully at Lumina. "I sustained a minor injury, but it's nothing serious. All thanks to Miss Lumina."
Asta's sharp mind instantly grasped what had happened. She stepped back slightly, maintaining eye contact with Lumina, and performed a flawless, deeply respectful bow.
"Sister Lumina, thank you so much," Asta said earnestly. "I don't know how to properly repay you. If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll do my utmost to fulfill it."
Hearing these words from the lips of such an incredibly cute young girl, Lumina's eyebrow twitched slightly.
Little Asta, that's a rather dangerous promise to make.
Though her mind raced with other concerns, Lumina maintained an impeccable facade.
She gently gestured Asta to raise her head, offering a smile so warm it could melt glaciers. "Asta, you know how I am. As a doctor, I never seek repayment for saving lives."
"But..."
"Asta, let's focus on the immediate crisis first. The bigger picture is what matters." Lumina gently cut Asta off before she could protest further.
Asta fell silent, then turned to the Astral Express crew to express her gratitude. "Thank you all for assisting the Space Station..."
As everyone's attention shifted to the Astral Express, Lumina quietly slipped away unnoticed.
This script deviation is getting ridiculous, she muttered inwardly. Ellio, hurry up and fix this mess!
Just moments ago, Lumina had sensed an overwhelmingly powerful aura of Destruction rapidly approaching—a presence she knew all too well.
The Emanator of Destruction...
A Lord Ravager.
-
Note- This was written around 2.4