Herta snatched the tablet, her cold gaze falling upon the remark section of the transfer record.
Written on it, in a flashy yet playful font, were the words:
[Dear Little Sister:]
[I, your older sister, took a little pocket money from you. You don't mind, do you? (◕‿◕)]
[Just consider it a small token of appreciation for the hard-working Astral Express Crew~ Don't worry, next time we meet, your older sister will definitely give you a su~per~ big~ hug! Oh!]
[Forever your loving older sister~ ♡]
Finally, a sparkling, star-filled smiley face emoji was attached.
The first half of the remark was sickeningly feigned intimacy, the middle was a shameless demand for a hug, and the latter half... was blatant slander and provocation!
Especially the word "moist," which was used with extreme malice and cunning, full of suggestive ambiguity!
"Hah... heheh..."
Herta looked at the text and actually began to laugh softly.
The laughter started quietly, then grew louder and colder, eventually turning into a terrifying, extremely suppressed laugh of pure rage!
"Good... good... well done..."
She muttered, her knuckles white from gripping the edge of the tablet too hard.
The next second—
"Crack—Bang!!"
The tablet, made of top-tier material, was crushed and burst open in her bare hands!
Sparks and fragments flew everywhere, causing Asta and March 7th, who were nearby, to scream and retreat!
Herta casually tossed the smoking wreckage onto the floor and raised her eyes. A storm raged in her violet pupils, almost seeming to spit out tangible flames.
She almost ground her teeth as she growled, enunciating every word:
"Masked Fools..."
She attributed all of it—the absurd rumors, Stelle's offense, the loss of property, the insult to her character—to that group of Believers of Elation who live to create chaos and fun!
Although the direction was slightly off, her intuition that she had been severely messed with by "Elation" was spot-on.
Meanwhile, inside the System Space carriage.
Black Herta, who was leisurely "watching a movie," heard the calm, waveless system prompt sound in her ear:
[Detected high-concentration feedback of the 'Elation' concept. Target 'Herta' emotional fluctuation peak has exceeded the threshold.]
[Core Repair Progress increased: 2%]
[Current Total Repair Progress: 37.5%]
Immediately after, a thought, imbued with endless mockery and satisfaction, audible only to her, softly popped like a bubble in her consciousness:
(Heheh~)
It was Aha.
Black Herta picked up a virtual teacup, concealing the slight curve that had quietly lifted her lips.
(It seems Ms. Herta is quite satisfied with "receiving" this "gift.")
Herta Space Station
Under Himeko's steady persuasion, the churning rage in Herta's chest was temporarily suppressed back beneath the icy surface.
She took a long look at Stelle, who was hiding behind Himeko, showing only half her head and wearing an expression that said, "I messed up, but I don't know how," her gaze so cold it could freeze a Stellaron.
Finally, she glared fiercely at Stelle, her eyes clearly conveying "This isn't over," before settling on an extremely impatient "Tch."
She looked at Asta, who was pale-faced nearby, and her tone left no room for doubt: "Asta, you, come with me to Hertas Office."
After speaking, she ignored the people in the corridor, turned, and walked directly toward the office.
Asta trembled all over, finally resigned to her fate, and trotted to follow Herta, looking like a small animal heading for the execution ground.
Himeko watched the two figures leave, especially Herta's back, which seemed to condense storm clouds, and sighed helplessly.
She turned around, looked at the fearful Stelle and the "Curious Baby" March 7th, rubbed her temples, and asked with a rare trace of severity: "Now, who can tell me what exactly happened?"
Hertas Office
The metal door slid shut behind them, isolating everything outside.
Only Herta and Asta, who was so nervous she was almost walking stiffly, remained in the office.
Herta walked to her main control seat but did not sit down immediately.
She expressionlessly watched Asta, who stood before her with her head lowered, her hands nervously clasped in front of her, even her breathing softened.
The young Station Master was currently like a prisoner awaiting final judgment.
"These past few days," Herta's voice, devoid of inflection, broke the silence, "I was not on the Space Station."
Asta looked up abruptly, her face filled with disbelief: "You... you weren't here? But..."
Herta curved her lips into an arc devoid of humor: "So?"
Asta was not foolish. Connecting the previous anomalies and the certain overly... intimate and unusual actions of that "Herta," a startling guess surfaced in her mind, causing her voice to tremble: "Did... did someone... impersonate you?"
Herta nodded, her eyes sharp as knives: "Yes. Judging by your reaction, it seems the impersonation was 'quite successful'."
She deliberately emphasized a certain word, "Now, detail every single anomaly you know about the Space Station and about 'me' over the past few days, without missing a single word."
Asta felt her throat tighten, but under Herta's unquestionable gaze, she could only tremblingly begin to recall and narrate.
She mentioned how "Ms. Herta" had suddenly called her into the office before, said some... some "encouraging" words that made her blush and her heart race, and even reached out and stroked her hair.
As she narrated this part, Asta's voice was barely a whisper, her cheeks flushed, and she dared not look up at the real Herta.
She mentioned that "Ms. Herta" had given her an exquisite cloth doll, saying it was a reward for her "hard work."
She also mentioned how the puppet calmly responded to her inquiries, and how it "soothed" the Space Station's daily operations... As Asta narrated, Herta felt the nerves near her temples throbbing violently.
When she heard Asta describe the details of being "teased," the suggestive word "moist" from the transfer remark instantly flashed through her mind!
(So that's... what it meant!)
A surge of anger over having her possessions defiled rose up again.
"Hmph... how daring!"
Herta almost laughed out of sheer fury, muttering softly, "Touching my people..."
Suppressing her rage, she pressed Asta: "Did you not suspect anything for a moment? Did you not see any flaws?"
Asta shook her head, feeling wronged and ashamed, her voice choked with tears: "I... I thought Ms. Herta was just in a good mood... or... that I had done something you weren't satisfied with, and you were testing me..."
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