No!
I absolutely cannot let this perverted misunderstanding stick!
Otherwise, how will I ever face the Astral Express crew again?!
Chen’s mind raced, and a decision solidified with grim certainty.
The space station’s surveillance had already captured the energy anomaly.
Herta already suspected an entity on the level of a tavern clown—an Emanator of Aha.
And since they would all be traveling together from now on…
He couldn’t just keep finding excuses to slip away and transform every time danger reared its head, could he?
Like some tokusatsu hero who has to vanish before the real fight begins?
That was just asking to be exposed sooner or later, and in the most idiotic way possible.
Better to get ahead of it.
Instead of being branded a pervert with a special fetish for shota puppets, he might as well… flip the whole table himself!
“Hey!
Herta!
Stop slandering me!”
Chen’s voice suddenly rang out, sharp and forceful, yanking everyone’s attention back to him.
The awkward flush on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by the pure indignation of a man wrongly accused.
“What I like…” he began, deliberately drawing out the words.
His gaze swept over the shota Herta puppet, a picture of condescending curiosity.
Then, his eyes landed back on himself, and his tone twisted into something triumphant.
“…is THIS!”
The moment the word left his lips, Chen focused his will and viciously jabbed the glowing icon in his mind: [Herta Puppet (Four-star • Erudition)]!
His outline instantly blurred, a shimmer of data and light distorting the air around him.
His height visibly shrank, and the ill-fitting, borrowed space station casuals he wore dissolved into pixels, replaced by an exquisitely tailored, multi-layered black-and-white dress.
His short black hair lengthened and softened, cascading past his shoulders in smooth, brown waves.
Where Chen had stood a moment ago, there was now a living, breathing puppet—distinct in style from the boyish Herta puppet beside her, but every bit as delicate and flawlessly crafted.
“What are you looking at?” Chen—now Herta—demanded, crossing his arms in a perfect imitation of the real Herta’s signature arrogance.
The voice that emerged was crisp, clear, and undeniably hers.
He spoke to the utterly stunned crowd.
“What I like is this!”
He even gave his head a deliberate little shake, letting the brown strands of his new hair flutter with practiced hauteur.
Dead silence.
A silence even more deep and absolute than before.
If the shota Herta’s previous accusation had merely caused shock and a few uncomfortable mental connections, then this—this sudden, unannounced transformation of a living person right before their very eyes—was a complete system crash.
Especially since he had turned into another version of Herta herself.
But the most shocked of all, naturally, was Herta.
On that delicate, boyish face, the usual mask of detached indifference finally cracked, revealing an expression of genuine surprise.
He remained silent for a full three seconds.
“…I see.”
The shota Herta puppet’s voice finally returned.
His small body slowly circled Chen’s new form, his gaze analytical, like he was evaluating an unexpected but… rather pleasing new exhibit in his collection.
“Hmph.”
He let out a soft, thoughtful sound, his tone tinged with something strange. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“Although the decoration is a bit redundant and the overall efficiency is low…”
“…but this understanding of the external manifestation of elegance and excellence… it shows some taste.”
His words were three parts disdain, three parts nitpicking, and the remaining four parts… sounded suspiciously like a roundabout way of saying, ‘Your female version of me is quite convincing; you have good aesthetic sense.’
Chen, still holding his Herta pose, almost let his expression slip.
Why wasn’t Herta reacting according to the script?!
Where was the sharp-tongued critique?
The outrage at him for arbitrarily changing her gender and image?
What was this “you actually look quite nice like this” attitude?!
So, this thick-browed, big-eyed little shota was a closet narcissist, too?!
Beside them, March 7th finally managed to reboot his brain.
He blinked, his gaze flicking between the two Hertas, and mumbled softly, “Is… is Mr.
Herta complimenting Chen’s transformation?
Saying it looks good?
Why does this feel so weird…”
The Herta puppet seemed satisfied with his own evaluation.
He crossed his arms again, looking down his nose at Chen’s feminine form.
“So, this is your interest?
And your ability?”
Chen, still in his Herta guise, maintained the arrogant posture, nodded, and replied with confidence, “That’s right.
Got a problem with it?”
He was in no hurry to change back.
Since there didn’t seem to be any energy drain, he might as well maintain this form while negotiating.
It felt… surprisingly invigorating.
At least the height difference wasn’t so vast, which was a nice psychological boost.
Herta leaned in closer, his face almost touching Chen’s, examining him with unnerving scrutiny.
His gaze wasn’t like someone looking at a person; it was like an artist admiring an extremely satisfactory work of art.
“Problem?
No.
Interesting.
Very interesting.”
He stepped back slightly, crossing his arms once more.
He adopted a thoughtful expression, though on his youthful face, it looked more like a child playing at being a grown-up.
“It seems simple paid research is no longer sufficient to match this level of interest,” Herta announced, his voice filled with the undisguised enthusiasm of a collector who had just found a priceless new toy.
“How about we make a new deal, Chen?”
He extended a small finger, pointing directly at the “Herta (Loli version) Puppet” form that Chen currently inhabited.
“You cooperate with my research—safely, of course.
And I…”
A brilliant flash of inspiration lit up his eyes.
“I can help you upgrade this current form of yours.
I’ve seen the data.
Although the puppet you’ve transformed into is identical to the ones I manufacture in every way but appearance…”
“I can apply my professional expertise to conduct a complete design optimization and performance enhancement on this puppet form.” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
He tilted his head, his tone becoming slightly seductive.
“Think about it: a stronger, more durable, and more functional transformation.
Wouldn’t that be far more cost-effective than simply using this current replica?
How about that as part of your compensation?”
Chen was stunned.
Upgrade?
Enhance the transformation form?
This proposal was completely outside of anything he could have predicted.
He had expected Herta to either continue threatening him or haggle for more research authority.
He never imagined the boy would immediately target the ‘skin’ he had transformed into and offer to personally mod it.
He had to admit, the proposal… was incredibly tempting.
The [Herta Puppet] icon in his mind was, after all, only a four-star.
also, its in-game proficiency might not be perfectly improved.
If Herta himself could truly make this transformation stronger and more practical… But there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, especially not one served by Herta.
Chen, still in his Herta form, didn’t agree immediately.
Instead, he mimicked Herta’s own habitually picky tone and retorted, “Upgrade?
Sounds good.
But what’s the cost?
Besides cooperating with your research, I imagine it involves more than just periodic check-ups, right?
You wouldn’t be trying to take this opportunity to install some kind of backdoor or monitoring program into this form, would you?”
“Suspicion is a researcher’s virtue.” The Herta puppet didn’t deny it, instead stating it frankly.
“Necessary security monitoring and underlying data recording are the foundation of our cooperation.
But I can guarantee that no modules with active control or harmful properties will be implanted.
My interest lies in observing phenomena and improving design, not in creating an obedient puppet.
That’s too inefficient.
And far too boring.”
He stared intently at Chen.
“So, how about it?
A practical ability, its potential excavated and enhanced, in exchange for some innocuous data and limited cooperation.
This transaction, for you, doesn’t seem like a loss.
After all, your current form…”
He deliberately drew out his tone.
“…aside from being slightly better looking, is essentially no different from my standard puppets.”
The words were slightly provocative, but they hit very close to Chen’s own thoughts.
He truly needed stronger self-preservation capabilities, especially in this damned, gender-bent world.
Chen was silent for a few seconds, his gaze sweeping over the nearby members of the Astral Express crew, each wearing a different expression.
March 7th had a bewildered look that screamed, “That sounds powerful but I don’t understand a word of it.” Dan Heng, as usual, maintained his unreadable poker face.
Uncle Himeko and Ms.
Welt seemed to be calmly waiting for his decision, showing no intention of interfering.
As for Sister Qiong, she was still just staring blankly at him, as if the entire bizarre negotiation had nothing to do with her.
[Elysian’s Note:
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